This book is aimed at generalizing the modern ideas of both biogeochemical and environmental risk assessment that have been developed in recent years. Only a few books are available for readers in this interdisciplinary area, since most books deal mainly with various technical aspects of ERA description and calculations. This text aims at supplementing the existing books by providing a modern understanding of mechanisms that are responsible for ecological risks for human beings and ecosystems. The book is to a certain extent a summary of both scientific results of various authors and of classes in biogeochemistry and ERA, taught by the author in recent years to students in the USA, in particular at Cornell, and in different universities in Moscow, Pushchino, Seoul, and Bangkok.

At present, quantitative ecological risk assessment is widely used in different contexts, however very often without an understanding of the natural mechanisms that drive the processes of environmental and human risk. Its application is often accompanied by high uncertainty about risk values. On the other hand, the sustainability of modern technoecosystems is known because of their natural biogeochemical cycling that has been transformed to various extents by anthropogenic studies. Accordingly our understanding of the principal mechanisms that drive the biogeochemical food webs allows us to present a quantitative ecological risk assessment and to propose technological solutions for management of various ERA enterprises. It also enables us to devise a powerful mechanism for ecological insurance, to assign responsibilities and protect rights while managing the control of damage from natural and anthropogenic accidents and catastrophes.

Content - Preface, Part I. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLING AND POLLUTANTS EXPOSURE, CHAPTER 1. ASSESSMENT OF ECOSYSTEMS RISKS, CHAPTER 2. BIOGEOCHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF ECOSYSTEMS, CHAPTER 3. BIOGEOCHEMICAL STANDARDS, CHAPTER 4. BIOGEOCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO ECOSYSTEM ENDPOINTS, CHAPTER 5. BIOGEOCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT, PART II. NATURAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL PECULLARITIES OF EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT, CHAPTER 6. ARCTIC AND TUNDRA CLIMATIC ZONE, CHAPTER 7. BOREAL AND SUB-BOREAL CLIMATIC ZONE, CHAPTER 8. SEMI-ARID AND ARID CLIMATIC ZONES, CHAPTER 9. SUBTROPIC AND TROPIC CLIMATIC ZONE, PART III. EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT IN TECHNOGENIC BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROVINCES, CHAPTER 10. OIL AND GAS BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROVINCES, CHAPTER 11. METALLOGENIC BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROVINCES, CHAPTER 12. URBAN BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROVINCES, CHAPTER 13. AGROGENIC BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROVINCES, PART IV. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT IN A REGIONAL SCALE, CHAPTER 14. CALIFORNIA CASE STUDIES, CHAPTER 15. EURASIAN CASE STUDIES, CHAPTER 16. CASPIAN SEA ENVIRONMENTS, CHAPTER 17. TRANSBOUNDARY N AND A AIR POLLUTION, CHAPTER 18. TRANS-BOUNDARY HM AIR POLLUTION, CHAPTER 19. TRANS-BOUNDARY POP TRANSPORT, CHAPTER 20. TRANSBOUNDARY GAS AND OIL PIPILINES, References, Index