Environmental Geochemistry

It is the policy of the federal Canadian Forestry Service to sponsor research initiatives from the private sector that are judged to be pertinent to its mandate and offer particular promise towards the optimal management of Canadian forest resources. This book is based on such an initiative. It represents the philosophy of the author himself and is in no way constrained by the views of the sponsoring agency. Over the past two decades Dr J. A. C. Fortescue has become well known at a number of research centers throughout the world. He has pioneered the approach to environmental understanding that is comprehensively developed in this text. The limitations of traditional compartmentalized approaches are depre­ cated and the case is made for a holistic rethinking of basic concepts and princi­ ples. Landscape Geochemistry is the disciplinary outcome that gives expression to this rethinking. It may be viewed as the minimum scale of conceptual approach necessary in the environmental sciences to solve present-day problems and to exploit future opportunities.

Inhalt

I. Introduction.- 1. General Overview.- Landscape Geochemistry.- The Purpose of this Book.- The Scope of this Book.- 2. Outline of Historical Development of Geochemistry.- The Development of Modern Geochemistry.- The Problem of Unconnected Data Bases.- Some General Concepts of Geochemistry.- Landscape Geochemistry.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 3. A Philosophy for Environmental Geochemistry.- The Hierarchy of Space.- The Hierarchy of Time.- The Hierarchy of Chemical Complexity.- The Hierarchy of Scientific Effort.- The Principle of Successive Approximations.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 4. Other Approaches to Environmental Geochemistry.- Environmental Science and Geochemistry.- Environmental Science and Landscape Geochemistry.- Examples of other Approaches to the Study of Environmental Geochemistry.- An Ecological Approach to Environmental Geochemistry.- The Land Classification Approach to Environmental Geochemistry.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- II. The Basics of the Discipline of Landscape Geochemistry.- 5. Definitions of Concepts and Principles.- An Overview of Landscape Geochemistry.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 6. Element Abundance.- The Abundance of Elements in the Environment.- The Absolute Abundance of Elements in the Lithosphere.- The Abundance of Elements in the Hydrosphere.- The Abundance of Elements in the Atmosphere.- The Abundance of Chemical Elements in the Biosphere.- General Summary Statement on the Absolute Abundance of Elements in the Four Geospheres.- The Relative Abundance of Elements in the Four Geospheres.- The Partial Abundance of Elements.- The Concept of Element Abundance and Holism.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 7. Element Migration in Landscapes.- A Study of the Absolute Mobility of Elements in a Landscape.- The Migration Rate Equation.- A Classification Scheme for Migrant Elements.- Element Migration and Holism.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 8. Geochemical Flows in Landscapes.- The Flow of Substances through Landscapes.- Geochemical Flow Patterns within Landscapes.- Elementary Landscape Cells.- General Principles for the Flow of Elements through Landscapes.- Landscape Geochemical Flows and Holism.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 9. Geochemistry Gradients.- Geochemical Gradients.- Ecological Gradients.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 10. Geochemical Barriers.- Kinds of Geochemical Barriers.- Effects of Geochemical Barriers.- Typomorphic Elements.- Epigenitic Processes.- Geochemical Barriers and Holism.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 11. Historical Geochemistry.- Polynov's Concept of the Weathering Process.- The Role of Groundwaters in Landscape Development.- The Geological Substrate of Landscapes.- Details of Landscape Development during Pedological and Ecological Time.- Historical Geochemistry and Holism.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 12. Geochemical Landscape Classification.- A Geochemical Classification of Landscapes.- Basic Principles of the Geochemical Classification of Landscapes.- General Characteristics of the Four Landscape Groups.- Hierarchical Geochemical Classification for Landscapes.- General Comments on the Perel'man Geochemical Classification of Landscapes.- Glazovskaya's Geochemical Classification of Landscapes.- Glazovskaya's Conceptual Models for Landscape Features.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 13. Chemical Complexity and Landscape Geochemistry.- Example I. The Isotope Level of Complexity.- Example II. The Element Level of Complexity.- Example III. The Partial Element Level of Complexity.- Example IV. The Persistent Chemical Level.- Example V. The Nutrient Level.- Example VI. The Tissue Level.- Example VII. The Organism Level.- The Relationships between Landscape Geochemistry and the Hierarchy of Chemical Complexity.- Discussion Topics.- 14. Scientific Effort and Landscape Geochemistry.- The Descriptive/Empirical Level of Scientific Effort.- The Statistical Level of Scientific Effort.- The Systems Analysis Level of Scientific Effort.- The Systems Simulation Level of Scientific Effort.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 15. Space and Landscape Geochemistry.- Units.- Examples of Approaches to the Study of Environmental Geochemistry in Space.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 16. Time and Landscape Geochemistry.- Retrospective Monitoring in Geological Time.- Retrospective Monitoring in Pedological Time.- The Uniformity of Environmental Conditions during Ecological Time.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- 17. Landscape Geochemistry as a Totality.- A Sequential Description of Landscape Geochemistry.- The Terminology of Landscape Geochemistry.- Summary and Conclusions.- Discussion Topics.- III. Applications of Landscape Geochemistry.- 18. Practical Applications of Landscape Geochemistry.- Practical Applications of Landscape Geochemistry.- Summary and Conclusions.- 19. A New Paradigm for Environmental Geochemistry.- Paradigms in General Geochemistry (1900?1978).- A New Paradigm for Environmental Geochemistry.- Five Types of Landscape Geochemistry.- Summary and Conclusions.- IV. Summary and Conclusions.- 20. Overview.- Environmental Science, Environmental Geochemistry, and Landscape Geochemistry.- Two General Concepts of Environmental Science.- Environmental Geochemistry and Landscape Geochemistry.- The Seven Basics of Landscape Geochemistry.- Five Types of Landscape Geochemistry.- General Conclusions Regarding the Future Development of Landscape Geochemistry.- Synopsis.- I. Introduction.- II. The Basics of the Discipline of Landscape Geochemistry.- III. Applications of Landscape Geochemistry.- IV. Summary and Conclusions.- References.- Author Index.