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89-448: The current phase (IHP VIII: 2014–2021) is titled Water Security Responses to Regional and Global Challenges (2014-2021), and it is based on the principle of continuity with change, building on lessons and results from earlier phases of the program. It continues to promote and lead international hydrological research, facilitate education and capacity development and enhance governance in water resources management . The aim of these efforts

178-534: A line source or area source , such as surface runoff . Since the 1960s rather complex mathematical models have been developed, facilitated by the availability of high-speed computers. The most common pollutant classes analyzed are nutrients , pesticides , total dissolved solids and sediment . Environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy , ideology , and social movement about supporting life , habitats , and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on

267-435: A piezometer . Aquifers are also described in terms of hydraulic conductivity, storativity and transmissivity. There are a number of geophysical methods for characterizing aquifers. There are also problems in characterizing the vadose zone (unsaturated zone). Infiltration is the process by which water enters the soil. Some of the water is absorbed, and the rest percolates down to the water table . The infiltration capacity,

356-506: A social movement that seeks to influence the political process by lobbying, activism, and education in order to protect natural resources and ecosystems . An environmentalist is a person who may speak out about our natural environment and the sustainable management of its resources through changes in public policy or individual behaviour. This may include supporting practices such as informed consumption, conservation initiatives, investment in renewable resources , improved efficiencies in

445-527: A spaceship Earth on Earth Day, hereby referring to the ecosystem services the earth supplies to us, and hence our obligation to protect it (and with it, ourselves). Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network , and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year. The UN's first major conference on international environmental issues, the United Nations Conference on

534-488: A 1990 report, points out that little attention has been given to the significance of the colonial experience, particularly the European colonial experience, in shaping early European environmentalism. Grove argues that as European colonization expanded, so did the European interaction with land and indigenous people, providing Europeans with an awareness of the destructive consequences of their economic and colonial activities on

623-402: A more global approach to the understanding of the behavior of hydrologic systems to make better predictions and to face the major challenges in water resources management. Water movement is a significant means by which other materials, such as soil, gravel, boulders or pollutants, are transported from place to place. Initial input to receiving waters may arise from a point source discharge or

712-476: A national body to coordinate environmental conservation efforts across the country; the "National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty" was formally inaugurated in 1894. The organisation obtained secure footing through the 1907 National Trust Bill, which gave the trust the status of a statutory corporation. and the bill was passed in August 1907. An early "Back-to-Nature" movement, which anticipated

801-513: A precipitous decline in the US public's interest in 19 different areas of environmental concern. Americans are less likely to be actively participating in an environmental movement or organisation and more likely to identify as "unsympathetic" to an environmental movement than in 2000. This is likely a lingering factor of the Great Recession in 2008. Since 2005, the percentage of Americans agreeing that

890-451: A prediction in practical applications. Ground water is water beneath Earth's surface, often pumped for drinking water. Groundwater hydrology ( hydrogeology ) considers quantifying groundwater flow and solute transport. Problems in describing the saturated zone include the characterization of aquifers in terms of flow direction, groundwater pressure and, by inference, groundwater depth (see: aquifer test ). Measurements here can be made using

979-727: A rapidly increasing flood of new members to the Sierra Club and to the environmental movement in general. This Is Dinosaur , edited by Wallace Stegner with photographs by Martin Litton and Philip Hyde , prevented the building of dams within Dinosaur National Monument by becoming part of a new kind of activism called environmentalism that combined the conservationist ideals of Thoreau, Leopold and Muir with hard-hitting advertising, lobbying, book distribution, letter writing campaigns, and more. The powerful use of photography in addition to

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1068-482: A rethinking of the dangers of environmental degradation to people's quality of life. The late 19th century also saw the passage of the first wildlife conservation laws. The zoologist Alfred Newton published a series of investigations into the Desirability of establishing a 'Close-time' for the preservation of indigenous animals between 1872 and 1903. His advocacy for legislation to protect animals from hunting during

1157-608: Is a form of activism in which the protester sits in a tree in an attempt to stop the removal of a tree or to impede the demolition of an area with the longest and most famous tree-sitter being Julia Butterfly Hill , who spent 738 days in a California Redwood, saving a three-acre tract of forest. Also notable is the Yellow Finch tree sit , which was a 932-day blockade of the Mountain Valley Pipeline from 2018 to 2021. Sit-ins can be used to encourage social change, such as

1246-402: Is affected by the interaction of dissolved oxygen with organic material and various chemical transformations that may take place. Measurements of water quality may involve either in-situ methods, in which analyses take place on-site, often automatically, and laboratory-based analyses and may include microbiological analysis . Observations of hydrologic processes are used to make predictions of

1335-769: Is an important part of the water cycle. It is partly affected by humidity, which can be measured by a sling psychrometer . It is also affected by the presence of snow, hail, and ice and can relate to dew, mist and fog. Hydrology considers evaporation of various forms: from water surfaces; as transpiration from plant surfaces in natural and agronomic ecosystems. Direct measurement of evaporation can be obtained using Simon's evaporation pan . Detailed studies of evaporation involve boundary layer considerations as well as momentum, heat flux, and energy budgets. Remote sensing of hydrologic processes can provide information on locations where in situ sensors may be unavailable or sparse. It also enables observations over large spatial extents. Many of

1424-436: Is attempting to provide renewable energy to communities (especially solar energy ), reforestation , protecting water sources, planting gardens, promoting urban agriculture , creating wildlife reserves , water recycling , beekeeping , expanding public transportation and promoting environmental awareness within their communities. The Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities are firmly environmentalist and have stopped

1513-436: Is composed of 36 UNESCO Member States elected by UNESCO's General Conference at its ordinary sessions every two years. Each of UNESCO's six electoral regions elects Member States for membership in the council. The term lasts four years, and members are eligible for immediate re-election. For continuity, only half of the current Council members are elected each second year for the four-year period, so that in each biennium only half

1602-489: Is only one of many important aspects within those fields. Hydrological research can inform environmental engineering, policy , and planning . Hydrology has been subject to investigation and engineering for millennia. Ancient Egyptians were one of the first to employ hydrology in their engineering and agriculture, inventing a form of water management known as basin irrigation. Mesopotamian towns were protected from flooding with high earthen walls. Aqueducts were built by

1691-482: Is sometimes called the most influential book on conservation. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and beyond, photography was used to enhance public awareness of the need for protecting land and recruiting members to environmental organisations. David Brower , Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall created the Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series, which helped raise public environmental awareness and brought

1780-651: Is the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC) established in 2003. IGRAC works to facilitate sustainable groundwater resources across the world. They are based in the Netherlands. Youssef Filali-Meknassi  [ fr ] (2019–2020) Blanca Elena Jiménez Cisneros  [ es ] (2012–2018) Hydrological Hydrology (from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ( húdōr )  'water' and -λογία ( -logía )  'study of')

1869-718: Is the network of National Committees. They are fundamental to ensuring the widest possible participation of Member States in IHP programs. The committees are run under the authority of National Governments and are responsible for implementing IHP initiatives. Several working groups have been developed under the umbrella of the International Hydrological Programme as the UNESCO Land Subsidence International Initiative, LASII (former UNESCO Working Group on Land Subsidence ). Another initiative

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1958-916: Is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle , water resources , and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydrologist . Hydrologists are scientists studying earth or environmental science , civil or environmental engineering , and physical geography . Using various analytical methods and scientific techniques, they collect and analyze data to help solve water related problems such as environmental preservation , natural disasters , and water management . Hydrology subdivides into surface water hydrology, groundwater hydrology ( hydrogeology ), and marine hydrology. Domains of hydrology include hydrometeorology , surface hydrology , hydrogeology , drainage-basin management, and water quality . Oceanography and meteorology are not included because water

2047-580: Is thought of as starting at the land-atmosphere boundary and so it is important to have adequate knowledge of both precipitation and evaporation. Precipitation can be measured in various ways: disdrometer for precipitation characteristics at a fine time scale; radar for cloud properties, rain rate estimation, hail and snow detection; rain gauge for routine accurate measurements of rain and snowfall; satellite for rainy area identification, rain rate estimation, land-cover/land-use, and soil moisture, snow cover or snow water equivalent for example. Evaporation

2136-489: Is to help meet the UN Millennium Development Goals on environmental sustainability , water supply , sanitation , food security and poverty alleviation . The results of this phase aim to be practical so both scientific communities and civil societies can apply and benefit from them. The IHP Intergovernmental Council is responsible for defining priorities and supervising execution of IHP. The council

2225-513: Is utilized to formulate operating rules for large dams forming part of systems which include agricultural, industrial and residential demands. Hydrological models are simplified, conceptual representations of a part of the hydrologic cycle. They are primarily used for hydrological prediction and for understanding hydrological processes, within the general field of scientific modeling . Two major types of hydrological models can be distinguished: Recent research in hydrological modeling tries to have

2314-452: The Dauerwald (best translated as the "perpetual forest") which included concepts such as forest management and protection was promoted and efforts were also made to curb air pollution . In 1949, A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold was published. It explained Leopold's belief that humankind should have moral respect for the environment and that it is unethical to harm it. The book

2403-664: The American bison . The death of the last passenger pigeon as well as the endangerment of the American bison helped to focus the minds of conservationists and to popularise their concerns. In 1916, the National Park Service was founded by US President Woodrow Wilson . The Forestry Commission was set up in 1919 in Britain to increase the amount of woodland in Britain by buying land for afforestation and reforestation . The commission

2492-619: The Gaia hypothesis ; it proposes that life on earth can be understood as a single organism. This became an important part of the Deep Green ideology. Throughout the rest of the history of environmentalism there has been debate and argument between more radical followers of this Deep Green ideology and more mainstream environmentalists. Environmentalism continues to evolve to face up to new issues such as global warming , overpopulation , genetic engineering , and plastic pollution . Research demonstrates

2581-618: The Greeks and Romans , while history shows that the Chinese built irrigation and flood control works. The ancient Sinhalese used hydrology to build complex irrigation works in Sri Lanka , also known for the invention of the Valve Pit which allowed construction of large reservoirs, anicuts and canals which still function. Marcus Vitruvius , in the first century BC, described a philosophical theory of

2670-465: The Wilderness Society and many others. After a focus on preserving wilderness in the 1950s and 1960s, the Sierra Club and other groups broadened their focus to include such issues as air and water pollution, population concern, and curbing the exploitation of natural resources . The prevailing belief regarding the origins of early environmentalism suggests that it emerged as a local response to

2759-490: The environmental conservation movement . At its crux, environmentalism is an attempt to balance relations between humans and the various natural systems on which they depend in such a way that all the components are accorded a proper degree of sustainability . The exact measures and outcomes of this balance is controversial and there are many different ways for environmental concerns to be expressed in practice. Environmentalism and environmental concerns are often represented by

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2848-530: The natural environment and critical earth system elements or processes such as the climate , and may be referred to as a movement to control pollution or protect plant and animal diversity . For this reason, concepts such as a land ethics , environmental ethics , biodiversity , ecology , and the biophilia hypothesis figure predominantly. The environmentalist movement encompasses various approaches to addressing environmental issues, including free market environmentalism , evangelical environmentalism , and

2937-399: The return period of such events. Other quantities of interest include the average flow in a river, in a year or by season. These estimates are important for engineers and economists so that proper risk analysis can be performed to influence investment decisions in future infrastructure and to determine the yield reliability characteristics of water supply systems. Statistical information

3026-413: The sustainable management of resources, and the protection (and restoration, when necessary) of the natural environment through changes in public policy and individual behaviour. In its recognition of humanity as a participant in ecosystems, the movement is centered around ecology , health , and human rights . A concern for environmental protection has recurred in diverse forms, in different parts of

3115-648: The "taint of manufacture or the canker of artificiality", were enthusiastically revived, including the Morris dance and the maypole . These ideas also inspired various environmental groups in the UK, such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds , established in 1889 by Emily Williamson as a protest group to campaign for greater protection for the indigenous birds of the island . The Society attracted growing support from

3204-455: The 20th century, while governmental agencies began their own hydrological research programs. Of particular importance were Leroy Sherman's unit hydrograph , the infiltration theory of Robert E. Horton , and C.V. Theis' aquifer test/equation describing well hydraulics. Since the 1950s, hydrology has been approached with a more theoretical basis than in the past, facilitated by advances in the physical understanding of hydrological processes and by

3293-491: The 9th to 13th centuries dealt with environmentalism and environmental science , including the issue of pollution. The authors of such treatises included Al-Kindi , Qusta ibn Luqa , Al-Razi , Ibn Al-Jazzar , al-Tamimi , al-Masihi , Avicenna , Ali ibn Ridwan , Ibn Jumay , Isaac Israeli ben Solomon , Abd-el-latif , Ibn al-Quff, and Ibn al-Nafis . Their works covered a number of subjects related to pollution, such as air pollution, water pollution , soil contamination , and

3382-493: The Alkali Order 1958 which placed all major heavy industries that emitted smoke , grit, dust and fumes under supervision. In industrial cities, local experts and reformers, especially after 1890, took the lead in identifying environmental degradation and pollution, and initiating grass-roots movements to demand and achieve reforms. Typically the highest priority went to water and air pollution. The Coal Smoke Abatement Society

3471-899: The Environment, founded in 1972 in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel . The first national green party in Europe was PEOPLE, founded in Britain in February 1973, which eventually turned into the Ecology Party , and then the Green Party . Protection of the environment also became important in the developing world ; the Chipko movement was formed in India under the influence of Mhatmas Gandhi and they set up peaceful resistance to deforestation by literally hugging trees (leading to

3560-637: The Greensboro sit-ins, a series of protests in 1960 to stop racial segregation, but can also be used in ecoactivism, as in the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest. Before the Syrian civil war , Rojava had been ecologically damaged by monoculture , oil extraction, damming of rivers, deforestation , drought , topsoil loss and general pollution. The DFNS launched a campaign titled 'Make Rojava Green Again' (a parody of Make America Great Again ) which

3649-621: The Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm Conference), was held on 5–16 June 1972. It marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics. By the mid-1970s, many felt that people were on the edge of environmental catastrophe. The back-to-the-land movement started to form and ideas of environmental ethics joined with anti-Vietnam War sentiments and other political issues. These individuals lived outside normal society and started to take on some of

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3738-1101: The Smoke Abatement Act to include other emissions, such as soot, ash, and gritty particles, and to empower local authorities to impose their own regulations. It was only under the impetus of the Great Smog of 1952 in London, which almost brought the city to a standstill and may have caused upward of 6,000 deaths, that the Clean Air Act 1956 was passed and airborne pollution in the city was first tackled. Financial incentives were offered to householders to replace open coal fires with alternatives (such as installing gas fires) or those who preferred, to burn coke instead (a byproduct of town gas production) which produces minimal smoke. 'Smoke control areas' were introduced in some towns and cities where only smokeless fuels could be burnt and power stations were relocated away from cities. The act formed an important impetus to modern environmentalism and caused

3827-748: The United States began in the late 19th century, out of concerns for protecting the natural resources of the West, with individuals such as John Muir and Henry David Thoreau making key philosophical contributions. Thoreau was interested in peoples' relationship with nature and studied this by living close to nature in a simple life. He published his experiences in the book Walden , which argues that people should become intimately close with nature. Muir came to believe in nature's inherent right, especially after spending time hiking in Yosemite Valley and studying both

3916-590: The United States. In the 1970s, the environmental movement gained rapid speed around the world as a productive outgrowth of the counterculture movement. The world's first political parties to campaign on a predominantly environmental platform were the United Tasmania Group of Tasmania, Australia , and the Values Party of New Zealand. The first green party in Europe was the Popular Movement for

4005-560: The advent of computers and especially geographic information systems (GIS). (See also GIS and hydrology ) The central theme of hydrology is that water circulates throughout the Earth through different pathways and at different rates. The most vivid image of this is in the evaporation of water from the ocean, which forms clouds. These clouds drift over the land and produce rain. The rainwater flows into lakes, rivers, or aquifers. The water in lakes, rivers, and aquifers then either evaporates back to

4094-637: The adverse impacts of industrialization in Western nations and communities. In terms of conservation efforts, there is a widespread view that the conservation movement began as a predominantly elite concern in North America, focusing on the preservation of local natural areas. A less prevailing view, however, attributes the roots of early environmentalism to a growing public concern about the influence of Western economic forces, particularly in connection with colonization , on tropical environments. Richard Grove , in

4183-530: The atmosphere or eventually flows back to the ocean, completing a cycle. Water changes its state of being several times throughout this cycle. The areas of research within hydrology concern the movement of water between its various states, or within a given state, or simply quantifying the amounts in these states in a given region. Parts of hydrology concern developing methods for directly measuring these flows or amounts of water, while others concern modeling these processes either for scientific knowledge or for making

4272-546: The belief that newly "discovered" lands, especially tropical ones, had the potential to be heavenly paradises. In 1962, Silent Spring by American biologist Rachel Carson was published. The book cataloged the environmental impacts of the indiscriminate spraying of DDT in the US and questioned the logic of releasing large amounts of chemicals into the environment without fully understanding their effects on human health and ecology. The book suggested that DDT and other pesticides may cause cancer and that their agricultural use

4361-471: The colour green , but this association has been appropriated by the marketing industries for the tactic known as greenwashing . Environmentalism is opposed by anti-environmentalism , which says that the Earth is less fragile than some environmentalists maintain, and portrays environmentalism as overreacting to the human contribution to climate change or opposing human advancement. Environmentalism denotes

4450-519: The council and its committees, supervising implementation and reporting on the council's resolutions, and discharging all other duties which it is assigned by the council. IHP's activities are implemented by the efforts of its secretariat, located in UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The secretariat provides studies, information, and the facilities needed to employ the program's activities. The backbone of IHP, however,

4539-432: The dawn of the industrial revolution, possibly making him one of the first predictors for climate change. He also observed the damage done from deforestation and hunting. Kropotkin's writings would become influential in the 1970s and became a major inspiration for the intentional community movement as well as his ideas becoming the basis for the theory of social ecology . In 1893 Hill, Hunter and Rawnsley agreed to set up

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4628-458: The destructive impacts of colonization on the environment did not halt the expansion of colonization itself, it did pave the way for a different approach to colonization – one focused on the preservation and protection of foreign natural resources. This phenomenon can be linked to the emergence of Edenic thinking, or the quest for Eden on Earth. This quest to locate Eden gained prominence in the 15th century, coinciding with colonization, and fostered

4717-492: The ecology and geology. He successfully lobbied congress to form Yosemite National Park and went on to set up the Sierra Club in 1892. The conservationist principles as well as the belief in an inherent right of nature were to become the bedrock of modern environmentalism. In the 20th century, environmental ideas continued to grow in popularity and recognition. Efforts were starting to be made to save some wildlife, particularly

4806-454: The environment should be given priority over economic growth has dropped 10 points; in contrast, those feeling that growth should be given priority "even if the environment suffers to some extent" has risen 12 percent. Nevertheless, a recent National Geographic survey indicated strong desire for commitment across a dozen countries, indicating a majority were in favour of more than half of the Earth's land surface being protected. Tree sitting

4895-487: The environment. Mahavira's teachings on the symbiosis between all living beings—as well as the five elements of earth, water, air, fire, and space—are core to environmental thought today. In West Asia, the Caliph Abu Bakr in the 630s AD commanded his army to "Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire," and to "Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food." Various Islamic medical treatises during

4984-493: The environment. With this new interest in environment came interest in problems such as air pollution and petroleum spills, and environmental interest grew. New pressure groups formed, notably Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth (US) , as well as notable local organisations such as the Wyoming Outdoor Council , which was founded in 1967. From 1962 to 1998, the environmental movement founded 772 national organizations in

5073-459: The environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics , ecologism combines the ideology of social ecology and environmentalism. Ecologism is more commonly used in continental European languages, while environmentalism is more commonly used in English but the words have slightly different connotations. Environmentalism advocates the preservation, restoration and improvement of

5162-461: The extraction of oil, uranium, timber and metal from the Lacandon Jungle and stopped the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers in farming. The CIPO-RFM has engaged in sabotage and direct action against wind farms , shrimp farms , eucalyptus plantations and the timber industry . They have also set up corn and coffee worker cooperatives and built schools and hospitals to help

5251-685: The future behavior of hydrologic systems (water flow, water quality). One of the major current concerns in hydrologic research is "Prediction in Ungauged Basins" (PUB), i.e. in basins where no or only very few data exist. The aims of Statistical hydrology is to provide appropriate statistical methods for analyzing and modeling various parts of the hydrological cycle. By analyzing the statistical properties of hydrologic records, such as rainfall or river flow, hydrologists can estimate future hydrologic phenomena. When making assessments of how often relatively rare events will occur, analyses are made in terms of

5340-415: The government created a stringent animal-protection law and in 1934, Das Reichsjagdgesetz (The Reich Hunting Law) was enacted which limited hunting. Several Nazis were environmentalists (notably Rudolf Hess ), and species protection and animal welfare were significant issues in the regime. In 1935, the regime enacted the "Reich Nature Protection Act" ( Reichsnaturschutzgesetz ). The concept of

5429-500: The growth of cities, and worsening air and water pollution . Starting with the formation of the Commons Preservation Society in 1865, the movement championed rural preservation against the encroachments of industrialisation. Robert Hunter , solicitor for the society, worked with Hardwicke Rawnsley , Octavia Hill , and John Ruskin to lead a successful campaign to prevent the construction of railways to carry slate from

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5518-413: The hydrologic cycle, in which precipitation falling in the mountains infiltrated the Earth's surface and led to streams and springs in the lowlands. With the adoption of a more scientific approach, Leonardo da Vinci and Bernard Palissy independently reached an accurate representation of the hydrologic cycle. It was not until the 17th century that hydrologic variables began to be quantified. Pioneers of

5607-430: The important areas of hydrology is the interchange between rivers and aquifers. Groundwater/surface water interactions in streams and aquifers can be complex and the direction of net water flux (into surface water or into the aquifer) may vary spatially along a stream channel and over time at any particular location, depending on the relationship between stream stage and groundwater levels. In some considerations, hydrology

5696-561: The large volume of industrial chemical discharges added to the growing load of untreated human waste. The first large-scale, modern environmental laws came in the form of Britain's Alkali Acts , passed in 1863, to regulate the deleterious air pollution ( gaseous hydrochloric acid ) given off by the Leblanc process , used to produce soda ash . An Alkali inspector and four sub-inspectors were appointed to curb this pollution. The inspectorate's responsibilities were gradually expanded, culminating in

5785-478: The materials economy, transitioning to new accounting paradigms such as ecological economics , renewing and revitalizing our connections with non-human life or even opting to have one less child to reduce consumption and pressure on resources. In various ways (for example, grassroots activism and protests), environmentalists and environmental organisations seek to give the natural world a stronger voice in human affairs. In general terms, environmentalists advocate

5874-706: The mating season led to the formation of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and influenced the passage of the Sea Birds Preservation Act in 1869 as the first nature protection law in the world. During the Spanish Revolution , anarchist-controlled territories undertook several environmental reforms, which were possibly the largest in the world at the time. Daniel Guerin notes that anarchist territories would diversify crops, extend irrigation , initiate reforestation , start tree nurseries and help to establish naturist communities . Once there

5963-403: The maximum rate at which the soil can absorb water, depends on several factors. The layer that is already saturated provides a resistance that is proportional to its thickness, while that plus the depth of water above the soil provides the driving force ( hydraulic head ). Dry soil can allow rapid infiltration by capillary action ; this force diminishes as the soil becomes wet. Compaction reduces

6052-511: The members are newcomers and the rest are halfway through their term. The council normally meets once every two years, although extraordinary sessions may be convened under the conditions specified in the Rules of Procedure. At the beginning of its first session, the council elects a chairperson and four vice-chairpersons. These constitute the IHP Bureau, which is responsible for coordinating sessions of

6141-468: The mishandling of municipal solid waste . They also included assessments of certain localities' environmental impact. In Europe, King Edward I of England banned the burning and sale of " sea-coal " in 1272 by proclamation in London, after its smoke had become a prevalent annoyance throughout the city. This fuel, common in London due to the local scarcity of wood, was given this early name because it could be found washed up on some shores, from where it

6230-511: The modern science of hydrology include Pierre Perrault , Edme Mariotte and Edmund Halley . By measuring rainfall, runoff, and drainage area, Perrault showed that rainfall was sufficient to account for the flow of the Seine. Mariotte combined velocity and river cross-section measurements to obtain a discharge value, again in the Seine. Halley showed that the evaporation from the Mediterranean Sea

6319-585: The more radical environmental theories such as deep ecology . Around this time more mainstream environmentalism was starting to show force with the signing of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and the formation of CITES in 1975. Significant amendments were also enacted to the United States Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act . In 1979, James Lovelock , a British scientist, published Gaia: A new look at life on Earth , which put forth

6408-562: The newly "discovered" lands. As global trade expanded through colonization, the European concept of nature underwent a transformation, with the foreign tropical environments of their conquests evolving into romantic symbols of idyllic landscapes that required care and protection by Europeans. Examples of this impact of colonization on the Western mindset can be found in prominent cultural references, such as William Shakespeare's play " The Tempest " and Andrew Marvell 's poem "Bermoothes." Although this newfound self-awareness among Europeans about

6497-467: The poet William Wordsworth travelled extensively in the Lake District and wrote that it is a "sort of national property in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy". Systematic efforts on behalf of the environment only began in the late 19th century; it grew out of the amenity movement in Britain in the 1870s, which was a reaction to industrialisation ,

6586-461: The porosity and the pore sizes. Surface cover increases capacity by retarding runoff, reducing compaction and other processes. Higher temperatures reduce viscosity , increasing infiltration. Soil moisture can be measured in various ways; by capacitance probe , time domain reflectometer or tensiometer . Other methods include solute sampling and geophysical methods. Hydrology considers quantifying surface water flow and solute transport, although

6675-594: The quarries, which would have ruined the unspoiled valleys of Newlands and Ennerdale . This success led to the formation of the Lake District Defence Society (later to become The Friends of the Lake District). Peter Kropotkin wrote about ecology in economics , agricultural science , conservation , ethology , criminology, urban planning, geography, geology and biology. He observed in Swiss and Siberian glaciers that they had been slowly melting since

6764-459: The romantic ideal of modern environmentalism, was advocated by intellectuals such as John Ruskin , William Morris , George Bernard Shaw and Edward Carpenter , who were all against consumerism , pollution and other activities that were harmful to the natural world. The movement was a reaction to the urban conditions of the industrial towns, where sanitation was awful, pollution levels intolerable and housing terribly cramped. Idealists championed

6853-489: The rural life as a mythical utopia and advocated a return to it. John Ruskin argued that people should return to a "small piece of English ground, beautiful, peaceful, and fruitful. We will have no steam engines upon it ... we will have plenty of flowers and vegetables ... we will have some music and poetry; the children will learn to dance to it and sing it." Practical ventures in the establishment of small cooperative farms were even attempted and old rural traditions, without

6942-517: The suburban middle-classes as well as support from many other influential figures, such as the ornithologist Professor Alfred Newton . By 1900, public support for the organisation had grown, and it had over 25,000 members. The garden city movement incorporated many environmental concerns into its urban planning manifesto; the Socialist League and The Clarion movement also began to advocate measures of nature conservation . The movement in

7031-483: The term "tree huggers"). Their peaceful methods of protest and slogan "ecology is permanent economy" were very influential. Another milestone in the movement was the creation of Earth Day . Earth Day was first observed in San Francisco and other cities on 21 March 1970, the first day of spring. It was created to give awareness to environmental issues. On 21 March 1971, United Nations Secretary-General U Thant spoke of

7120-440: The treatment of flows in large rivers is sometimes considered as a distinct topic of hydraulics or hydrodynamics. Surface water flow can include flow both in recognizable river channels and otherwise. Methods for measuring flow once the water has reached a river include the stream gauge (see: discharge ), and tracer techniques. Other topics include chemical transport as part of surface water, sediment transport and erosion. One of

7209-604: The variables constituting the terrestrial water balance, for example surface water storage, soil moisture , precipitation , evapotranspiration , and snow and ice , are measurable using remote sensing at various spatial-temporal resolutions and accuracies. Sources of remote sensing include land-based sensors, airborne sensors and satellite sensors which can capture microwave , thermal and near-infrared data or use lidar , for example. In hydrology, studies of water quality concern organic and inorganic compounds, and both dissolved and sediment material. In addition, water quality

7298-459: The world, throughout history. The earliest ideas of environmental protectionism can be found in Jainism , a religion from ancient India revived by Mahavira in the 6th century BC. Jainism offers a view that is in many ways compatible with core values associated with environmental activism, such as the protection of life by nonviolence , which could form a strong ecological ethos for global protection of

7387-479: The written word for conservation dated back to the creation of Yosemite National Park , when photographs persuaded Abraham Lincoln to preserve the beautiful glacier carved landscape for all time. The Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series galvanised public opposition to building dams in the Grand Canyon and protected many other national treasures. The Sierra Club often led a coalition of many environmental groups including

7476-611: Was a link discovered between air pollution and tuberculosis, the CNT shut down several metal factories. Early interest in the environment was a feature of the Romantic movement in the early 19th century. One of the earliest modern pronouncements on thinking about human industrial advancement and its influence on the environment was written by Japanese geographer, educator, philosopher and author Tsunesaburo Makiguchi in his 1903 publication Jinsei Chirigaku ( A Geography of Human Life ). In Britain

7565-565: Was a threat to wildlife, particularly birds. The resulting public concern led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 which subsequently banned the agricultural use of DDT in the US in 1972. The limited use of DDT in disease vector control continues to this day in certain parts of the world and remains controversial. The book's legacy was to produce a far greater awareness of environmental issues and interest into how people affect

7654-636: Was also tasked with promoting forestry and the production of timber for trade. During the 1920s the Commission focused on acquiring land to begin planting out new forests; much of the land was previously used for agricultural purposes. By 1939 the Forestry Commission was the largest landowner in Britain. During the 1930s the Nazis had elements that were supportive of animal rights, zoos and wildlife, and took several measures to ensure their protection. In 1933

7743-557: Was carted away on a wheelbarrow. At the advent of steam and electricity the muse of history holds her nose and shuts her eyes ( H. G. Wells 1918). The origins of the environmental movement lay in the response to increasing levels of smoke pollution in the atmosphere during the Industrial Revolution . The emergence of great factories and the concomitant immense growth in coal consumption gave rise to an unprecedented level of air pollution in industrial centers; after 1900

7832-511: Was formed in 1898 making it one of the oldest environmental NGOs. It was founded by artist Sir William Blake Richmond , frustrated with the pall cast by coal smoke. Although there were earlier pieces of legislation, the Public Health Act 1875 required all furnaces and fireplaces to consume their own smoke. It also provided for sanctions against factories that emitted large amounts of black smoke. This law's provisions were extended in 1926 with

7921-603: Was sufficient to account for the outflow of rivers flowing into the sea. Advances in the 18th century included the Bernoulli piezometer and Bernoulli's equation , by Daniel Bernoulli , and the Pitot tube , by Henri Pitot . The 19th century saw development in groundwater hydrology, including Darcy's law , the Dupuit-Thiem well formula, and Hagen- Poiseuille 's capillary flow equation. Rational analyses began to replace empiricism in

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