In 1984, the Conference on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation convened a series of panel meetings to discuss long-term environmental issues. "Preserving Ecological Systems" is the result of that prestigious conference. Drawing on contributions from nationally recognized scientists and experts from industry and government, this collection of papers covers geochemical and hydrologic processes and provides overall recommendations for conducting environmental research and development during the next twenty years. In addition, the book offers insights on how environmental analyses can be made more reliable. The book covers global cycles, habitat diversity and genetic variability, improved methods for mitigating the environmental impacts of current technologies, and anticipating the environmental impact of emerging technologies, among other topics.