Abstract

Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective is a compelling collection of research conducted by scientists and engineers around the world. It presents the scientific and industrial communities as well as the interested lay reader with studies about prehistoric as well as historic coal and peat fires and magnificent illustrations of such fires and related research from countries around the world—a totally new contribution to science. The second of four volumes in the collection, Photographs and Multimedia Tours features stunning photographs from around the world, including Australia, Canada, Northern China, India, Borneo, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, the United States, and more. This essential reference also includes a companion website with a collection of slide presentations and videos about coal and peat fires.

• Authored by world-renowned experts in coal and peat fires
• Global in scope—countries from all of the world are represented
• Beautiful full-color illustrations and online materials including research data banks, an interactive online world map of coal and peat fires, multi-media presentations, and videos bring the contents to life

"This is the first of four volumes devoted to what might seem like a narrow topic, and yet coal and peat fires involve a confluence of subjects and hold substantial interest for a wide and international audience of scientists and engineers as well as students and the general public. Coverage of the socioeconomic and geoenvironmental impacts as well as the technical aspects of mining and the catastrophic fires themselves make this text suitable for fire, environmental, and remote sensing scientists as well as petrologists, coal geologists, and geophysicists; industry personnel; and anyone interested in pollution and the by-products of combustion." --Reference and Research Book News, February 2013

"Volume 2 of this encyclopedic work (Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective) has recently been published by Elsevier. This 554 page volume contains 24 chapters describing fires in 23 countries. The informative discussions are beautifully enhanced with more than 1100 illustrations, most in full color! Associated with this tome is an extraordinary array of on-line photographs, movies, radio talk show discussions, slide presentations, etc. related to coal and peat fires. This volume is not only an important scientific contribution and a work of art but it is what every scholarly book should be - a total sensory immersion into a fascinating topic." --Dr. Robert B. Finkelman, Research Professor in the Dept. of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Dallas and an Adjunct Professor at the China University of Geosciences, Beijing

"This is one of the most comprehensive books ever published on the important topic of coal and peat fires…This major work has the following key features which make it very interesting for the target groups identified above: Integrates pioneering coal-fires research, with topical coverage of remote sensing, policy-making, and more; Contains hundreds of full-color, high-quality images, tables, figures, and diagrams, with many web and literature references, making it a single source for all researchers/managers; Serves as an essential guide to the socioeconomic and geo-environmental impacts of coal fires around the World. This book deserves a place in every university library as well as in the library of research institutes, and on the bookshelf of managers/decision makers concerned with global change and the environment." --International Journal of Digital Earth