1st Edition

Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Health

    The new approach to ecosystem health is proactive. As a result, the scope of environmental studies is growing and the methods are evolving. Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Health aggressively broadens the range of ecotoxicology to include its related fields.
    The book begins with John Cairns, Jr.'s predictions and recommendations for the future ecotoxicology: "New goals must lead to new techniques.... the field of ecotoxicology is in the early stages of a major paradigm shift that is driven by three interrelated forces: 1) heightened interest in sustainable use of the planet, 2) protection of ecosystem , and 3) the shift from emphasis on avoiding deleterious effects to maintaining them in robust health."
    Later chapters explore the integration of data, intrinsic remediation studies and the ever- increasing number of associated disciplines that are improving our environmental potential. Methodology, itself, is considered as an evolving tool, always in need examination and revision. Cairns, and his co-authors all advocate a constructive, offensive new form of ecoscience.
    The consensus of scientists is clear: toxic threat and, especially, habitat destruction are the most important environmentl issues, today. The mandate from Integrated Assessment of Ecosystem Health is also decisive: expand the parameters of ecoscience. The future of life on earth depends upon our ability to grow and learn.

    Introduction: The Genesis and Future of the Field of Ecotoxicology - Cairns
    Fate
    A Predictor of Seasonal Nitrogenous Dry Deposition in a Mixed Conifer Forest Stand in the San Bernardino Mountains - Arbaugh
    Integrating Chemical, Water Quality, Habitat, and Fish Assemblage Data From the San Joaquin River Drainage, California - Brown
    Subsurface Contaminant Fate Determination Through Integrated Studies of Intrinsic Remediation - Hooper
    The Cantara Spill: A Case Study, Pesticide Transport in a Riverene Environment - Saviz
    Distribution and Transport of Air Pollutants to Vulnerable California Ecosystems - Bytnerowicz
    The History of Human Impacts in the Clear Lake Watershed (California) as Deduced From Lake Sediment Cores - Richerson
    Effects
    The Development of Cumulative Effects Assessment Tools Using Fish Populations - Munkittrick
    Air Pollutants and Forests: Effect at the Organismal Scale - Fan
    DNA Fingerprinting as a Means to Identify Sources of Soil-Derived Dust: Problems and Potential - Bruns
    Microbial Proteins as Biomarkers of Ecosystem Health - Ogunseitan
    Application of a Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Method for Characterization of Microbial Communities in Agricultural Soils - Sudharshana
    Air Pollution and Forests: Effects at the Landscape Level - Miller
    Mercury in Lower Trophic Levels of the Clear Lake Aquatic Ecosystem, California - Suchanek
    Risk
    Resources at Risk: A Forest Fire-Based Hazard/Risk Assessment - Burton
    Uncovering Mechanisms of Interannual Variability From Short Ecological Time Series - Jassby
    Developing Realistic Air Pollution Exposure/Dose Criteria for Ecological Risk Assessments - Lefohn
    Survey Methodologies for the Study of Ecosystem Restoration and Management: The Importance of Q-methodology - Woolley
    The California Water Quality Assessment Spatial Database: A Preliminary Look at Sierra Nevada Riverine Water Quality - Pawley

    Biography

    K.M. Scow, Graham E. Fogg, David E. Hinton, Michael L. Johnson