The Diatoms

This much revised and expanded edition provides a valuable and detailed summary of the many uses of diatoms in a wide range of applications in the environmental and earth sciences. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of diatoms in analysing ecological problems related to climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and other pollution issues. The chapters are divided into sections for easy reference, with separate sections covering indicators in different aquatic environments. A final section explores diatom use in other fields of study such as forensics, oil and gas exploration, nanotechnology, and archaeology. Sixteen new chapters have been added since the first edition, including introductory chapters on diatom biology and the numerical approaches used by diatomists. The extensive glossary has also been expanded and now includes over 1,000 detailed entries, which will help non-specialists to use the book effectively.

Author Biography

John P. Smol is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Queen’s University, Ontario with a cross-appointment at the School of Environmental Studies. He is also co-director of the Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL). Since 1990, he has won over 25 research awards and fellowships, including the 2004 NSERC Herzberg Canada Gold Medal as Canada’s top scientist or engineer. Eugene F. Stoermer is a past-President of the Phycological Society of America and the International Association for Diatom Research. He worked at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor since 1965, where he is currently Professor Emeritus in the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He directed the ‘phyto-lab’, which undertook a wide variety of research topics, specialising in diatom systematics and ecology.