Contents	5
	Contributing Authors	9
	Foreword	12
	Acknowledgments	15
	About the Editors	16
	PART I: GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AS A BASEMENT FOR THE FORMATION OF ECOSYSTEMS	20
	Chapter 1 CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTIONS OF THE GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT: BASIC FEATURES, STRUCTURE AND SYSTEM OF LINKS	20
	1. INTRODUCTION	20
	2. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE INTRA-FLANETARY EVOLUTION OF MATTER AND ENERGY	20
	3. CONTEMPORARY GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES	22
	Chapter 2 THE GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT AND ECOSYSTEMS	28
	Chapter 3 INFLUENCE OF MODERN GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES ON EVOLUTION OF ECOSYSTEMS	34
	Chapter 4 GEOLOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL INFLUENCES ON ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEMS	39
	1. INTRODUCTION	39
	2. GEOLOGICAL INFLUENCES	40
	3. GEOCHEMICAL INFLUENCES	49
	4. CONCLUSIONS	64
	Chapter 5 THE ROLE OF TECTONIC PROCESSES IN THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GEOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS	66
	1. INTRODUCTION	66
	2. LONG- TERM TECTONIC IMPACTS	67
	3. MEDIUM- TERM TECTONIC IMPACTS	67
	4. NEAR- TERM TECTONIC IMPACTS	68
	5. SAG POND AND VERNAL POOL ECOSYSTEMS	72
	6. TECTONICS AND FORMATION OF SERPENTINE- CONTROLLED ECOSYSTEMS IN CALIFORNIA	75
	7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS	76
	8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	77
	Chapter 6 KARST AND ECOSYSTEMS	78
	1. ABSTRACT	78
	2. INTRODUCTION	79
	3. KARST OF NORTH LITHUANIA	81
	4. CONCLUSIONS	92
	PART II: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES Chapter 7 GEOENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF MINERAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT	94
	Chapter 8 GROUNDWATER AS A COMPONENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT	108
	1. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION	108
	2. INFLUENCE OF GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION ON RIVER RUNOFF	109
	3. INFLUENCE OF GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION ON VEGETATION	112
	4. INFLUENCE OF GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION ON LAND SUBSIDENCE	117
	Chapter 9 GROUNDWATER USE AND PUBLIC HEALTH	123
	Chapter 10 METHODS OF GROUNDWATER POLLUTION RISK ESTIMATION FOR ECOSYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY	128
	Chapter 11 URBANISATION AND THE GEOENVIRONMENT	137
	1. INTRODUCTION	137
	2. GROWTH AND RENEWAL IN URBAN AREAS	138
	3. MANAGEMENT OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT	141
	4. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF SOME URBAN ISSUES	147
	5. INFORMATION, GUIDANCE AND COMMUNICATION	158
	6. CONCLUSIONS	160
	Chapter 12 ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTS OF DISCHARGED WATERS UPON ECOSYSTEMS	162
	1. INTRODUCTION	162
	2. THE INVESTIGATION METHODS	165
	3. CHARACTERIZATION OF ECOSYSTEMS IN THE PROJECT AREA	165
	4. ECOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE AREA NEAR AYAZKALA LAKE	166
	5. ECOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE REGION OF THE AKCHA- DARYA OLD CHANNEL AND DELTA	168
	6. ECOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE BADAI-TUGAI NATURE RESERVE	169
	7. ASSESSMENT OF PERMISSIBLE ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR HYDROMORPHIC TUGAI AND SOLONCHAKOUS ECOSYSTEMS	171
	8. CONCLUSIONS	173
	Chapter 13 IMPACT OF TECHNOGENIC DISASTERS ON ECOGEOLOGICAL PROCESSES	174
	Chapter 14 EXOGENIC GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES AS A LANDFORM- SHAPING FACTOR	183
	1.INTRODUCTION	183
	2. THE WORK OF WEATHERING	184
	2.1 Freezing and thawing	184
	2.2 Temperature changes	184
	2.3 Organic action	185
	2.4 Differential weathering	185
	2.5 Unloading	185
	2.6 Chemical action	185
	3. FEATURES OF MASS WASTING	186
	4. SCENERY SHAPED BY STREAMS	187
	5. LANDFORMS IN LIMESTONE	190
	6. DUNE LANDFORMS	190
	7. COASTAL FEATURES	191
	7.1 Sandy coastlines	191
	7.2 Rocky coastlines	191
	8. GEODYNAMIC RISK MAP	191
	Chapter 15 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF GROUNDWATER POLLUTION	194
	PART IV: MEDICAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO GEOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEM INTERACTION	205
	Chapter 16 HUMAN HEALTH AND ECOSYSTEMS	205
	1. INTRODUCTION	205
	2. BACKGROUND	205
	3. TRACE ELEMENT EXPOSURE	206
	4. DEFICIENCY AND TOXICITY	209
	5. INTERACTIONS, SPECIATION AND BIOAVAILABILITY	212
	6. SELENIUM DEFICIENCY IN CHINA	214
	7. GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS AND MEDICAL GEOLOGY EXAMPLES OF CHRONIC ARSENIC AND FLUORINE POISONING	215
	8. RADON - COMMON IN MANY PLACES	218
	9. IODINE AND FLUORINE	220
	10. GEOPHAGIA - DELIBERATE EATING OF SOILS	221
	11. NATURALLY OCCURRING ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN DRINKING WATER	223
	12. GLOBAL DUST	224
	13. CONCLUSIONS	225
	Chapter 17 MEDICAL AND ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WATER FACTOR	227
	PART V: PREDICTION OF THE GEOENVIRONMENTAL EVOLUTION OF ECOSYSTEMS	236
	Chapter 18 PREDICTION OF EXOGENIC GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES	236
	1. INTRODUCTION	236
	2. SPATIAL PREDICTIONS	238
	3. TEMPORAL PREDICTIONS	239
	4. THE ll- YEAR CYCLE	241
	5. PREDICTION BASED ON ANALYSIS OF INTEGRAL CURVES OF MODULAR	243
	6. PREDICTION BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF PARTS OF THE 11- YEAR SOLAR CYCLE	246
	7. PREDICTIONS BASED ON CORRELATION-REGRESSION ANALYSIS	247
	8. PREDICTIONS BASED ON HARMONIC ANALYSIS	249
	9. ENGINEERING- GEOLOGICAL MAPS OF EXOGENIC GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES	250
	Chapter 19 PREDICTION OF ENDOGENIC GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES	254
	Chapter 20 MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GEOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT	257
	PART VI: NEWESTECOGEOLOGICAL PROCESSES WITHIN RIVER BASINS	286
	Chapter 22 ECOSYSTEM MONITORING UNDER DESERTIFICATION WITHIN INTERIOR SEA-LAKES AND DELTAS	254
	1. INTRODUCTION	286
	2. INVESTIGATION METHODS	287
	3. STRUCTURE OF THE MAP	292
	4. TRENDS IN ECOSYSTEMS AND LANDSCAPES DYNAMICS	292
	5. EXOGENIC PROCESSES	295
	6. CONCLUSION	298
	Chapter 23 ECOSYSTEMS FORMING ON THE FRESH RIVER DEPOSITION	300
	1. INTRODUCTION	300
	2. MORPHOLOGY, MORPHODYNAMICS AND VEGETATION	301
	3. HYDRODYNAMICS AND VEGETATION 3.1 Flora	301
	4. VEGETATION SUCCESSIONS	305
	5. CONCLUSIONS	305
	Chapter 25 MONITORING GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES AS PART OF GENERAL ENVIRONMENT MONITORING	312
	1. GROUNDWATER MONITORING	312
	2. MONITORING OF HAZARDOUS EXOGENIC GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES BY MEANS OF REMOTE SENSING METHODS	319
	Chapter 26 GEOLOGY AND HIGH- LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL - A BRIEF OVERVIEW	327
	1. INTRODUCTION	327
	2. NUCLEAR WASTE - SOURCES AND QUANTITIES	328
	3. DISPOSAL CONCEPTS FOR HIGH- LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE	329
	4. SELECTION, CHARACTERISATION AND MODELLING OF HLW REPOSITORY SITES	332
	4.1 Predictive modelling	333
	4.2 Site Selection.	334
	Chapter 27 MONITORING ENDOGENIC GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES	336
	Chapter 28 PERMAFROST MONITORING	341
	1. INTRODUCTION	341
	2. SOURCES OF INFORMATION, HISTORICAL REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY OF THE PERMAFROST MONITORING 2.1 Sources of information and historical review	342
	3. MAJOR RESULTS OF PERMAFROST MONITORING IN UNDISTURBED NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS	344
	4. MAJOR RESULTS OF PERMAFROST MONITORING IN TECHNOGENICALLY-DISTURBED ENVIRONMENTS 4.1 Mining industries	352
	5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS	354
	Chapter 29 ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION OF GEOLOGY STUDENTS	355
	REFERENCES	362
	INDEX	387