Environmental Studies

Biological Environmental Science is an introductory textbook for undergraduate students who desire a one semester course or, alternatively, a 'springboard course for advanced environmental offerings. This book features timely issues such as global warming, air, ground and water pollutions, population growth, species extinction and environmental policy. Unique features of this book include the use of research data and literature, copious illustrations and appendices for the scientific method.

The global governance of climate change is in flux. Conventional strategies of addressing climate change through universal, interstate negotiations - the most prominent of which is the Kyoto Protocol - have been stymied by the gaps that exist between the negotiating powers of states, rendering such initiatives stagnant and ineffectual. In response, a number of new actors and processes have begun to challenge the traditionally exclusive authority of nation-states to create rules and manage environmental problems via multi-national treaties. Dozens of innovative climate response initiatives, or "governance experiments," have emerged at multiple levels of politics and across multiple jurisdictions: individuals, cities, states/provinces, corporations, and even new multilateral initiatives. Climate Governance at the Crossroads explains how and why these new governance experiments have emerged, drawing upon a database of such initiatives to ascertain how these initiatives fit together and how they influence what is defined as environmental governance. In assessing the relational impact of these initiatives (whether they complement each other or clash; whether they can be scaled up or down; and whether they can be expanded beyond their current jurisdictional and geographic boundaries), Matthew Hoffmann provides insight into whether this experimentation is likely to result in an effective response to climate change. Additionally, he draws broader conclusions about how we understand global governance, addressing questions of how we understand authority and what we accept as modes of rule-making in global political spaces.

Critical Political Ecology brings political debate to the science of ecology. As political controversies multiply over the science underlying environmental debates, there is an increasing need to understand the relationship between environmental science and politics. In this timely and wide-ranging volume, Tim Forsyth uses an innovative approach to apply political analysis to ecology, and demonstrates how more politicised approaches to science can be used in environmental decision-making. Critical Political Ecology examines: *how social and political factors frame environmental science, and how science in turn shapes politics *how new thinking in philosophy and sociology of science can provide fresh insights into the biophysical causes and impacts of environmental problems *how policy and decision-makers can acknowledge the political influences on science and achieve more effective public participation and governance.

A novel both timely and prophetic, Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia is a hopeful antidote to the environmental concerns of today, set in an ecologically sound future society. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as the "newest name after Wells, Verne, Huxley, and Orwell," Callenbach offers a visionary blueprint for the survival of our planet . . . and our future. Ecotopia was founded when northern California, Oregon, and Washington seceded from the Union to create a "stable-state" ecosystem- the perfect balance between human beings and the environment. Now, twenty years later, this isolated, mysterious nation is welcoming its first officially sanctioned American visitor- New York Times-Post reporter Will Weston. Skeptical yet curious about this green new world, Weston is determined to report his findings objectively. But from the start, he's alternately impressed and unsettled by the laws governing Ecotopia's earth-friendly agenda- energy-efficient "mini-cities" to eliminate urban sprawl, zero-tolerance pollution control, tree worship, ritual war games, and a woman-dominated government that has instituted such peaceful revolutions as the twenty-hour workweek and employee ownership of farms and businesses. His old beliefs challenged, his cynicism replaced by hope, Weston meets a sexually forthright Ecotopian woman and undertakes a relationship whose intensity will lead him to a critical choice between two worlds.

Environmental Science: Principles and Practices provides the scientific principles, concepts, applications, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and manmade, evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and examine alternative solutions (such as renewable energy sources) for resolving and even preventing them. Frank R. Spellman and Melissa Stoudt introduce the science of the environmental mediums of air, water, soil, and biota to undergraduate students. Interdisciplinary by nature, environmental science embraces a wide array of topics. Environmental Science: Principles and Practices brings these topics together under several major themes, including How energy conversions underlie all ecological processes How the earth's environment functions as an integrated system How human activities alter natural systems How the role of culture, social, and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions How human survival depends on practical ideas of stewardship and sustainability Environmental Science: Principles and Practices is an ideal resource for students of science in the classroom and at home, in the library and the lab.

Environmental Science in Context provides comprehensive coverage of the environmental sciences. Cross-curricular in nature, the title supports both basic and advanced curricula in earth and environmental science, physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as general science, history, government, and the social sciences. Aimed primarily at high school students, this 2-volume, 4-color title will offer coverage of the history, politics, and ethical debates related to environmental science. It brings together original essays written by leading experts in the field, primary source documents, and sidebars on the cultural, economic, and political issues surrounding scientific thought -- providing insights on leading social issues and spurring critical thinking about the impact of science on daily life and globalization. Written by a global array of experts in physics, geology, earth science, environmental science, sociology, and law, Environmental Science in Context includes approximately 250 articles on such topics as fossil fuel combustion, freshwater, international environmental law, landscape evolutions, orbital variations, recycling, wastewater treatment technologies, weather and climate, and more. Features include: 250 articles written by global experts More than 250 color photographs, illustrations, maps, and tables that put the topics into context Words to Know section within each 01

Ace your environmental science class and get smart about the environment Environmental Science For Dummies is a straightforward guide to the interrelationships of the natural world and the role that humans play in the environment. This book tracks to a typical introductory environmental science curriculum at the college level--and is great as a supplement or study guide for AP Environmental Science, too. Uncover fascinating facts about the earth's natural resources and the problems that arise when resources like air, water, and soil are contaminated by pollutants. If you're in need of extra help for a class, considering a career in environmental science, or simply care about our planet and want to learn more about helping the environment, this friendly Dummies resource is a great place to start. The key concepts of environmental science, clearly explained All about the changing climate, including new understanding of methane release in the arctic Earth's natural resources and the importance of protecting them A new chapter on environmental justice, where issues of poverty and sustainability intersect A solid foundation in environmental science is essential for anyone looking for a career in the field--and is important knowledge for all of us as we work together to build a sustainable future.

Environmental Science for Environmental Management has quickly established itself as the leading introduction to environmental science, demonstrating how a more environmental science can create an effective approach to environmental management on different spatial scales. Since publication of the first edition, environmentalism has become an increasing concern on the global political agenda. Following the Rio Conference and meetings on population, social justice, women, urban settlement and oceans, civil society has increasingly promoted the cause of a more radical agenda, ranging from rights to know, fair trade, social empowerment, social justice and civil rights for the oppressed, as well as novel forms of accounting and auditing. This new edition is set in the context of a changing environmentalism and a challenged science. It builds on the popularity and applicability of the first edition and has been fully revised and updated by the existing writing team from the internationally renowned School of Environmental Science at the University of East Anglia. Environmental Science for Environmental Management is an essential text for for undergraduate students of environmental science, environmental management, planning and geography. It is invaluable supplementary reading for environmental biology and environmental chemistry courses, as well as for engineering, economics and business studies.

Essential Environmental Science brings together within a single volume the vast range of techniques, methods and basic tools necessary for the study of the environment. Environmental science has a massive area of operation, utilising the tools from a plethora of traditional sciences and social sciences. This practical manual draws on contributions from leading experts in each field, to present both general and specific environmental methods and techniques within a unique interdisciplinary environmental perspective. Essential Environmental Science offers an invaluable reference source for environmental study in both the laboratory and in the field.

Scientists and consultants need to estimate and map properties of the terrestrial environment. These include plant nutrients and parasites in soil, gaseous emissions from soil, pollutant metals and xenobiotics in waste and contaminated land, salt in groundwater and species abundances above ground. The scale varies from small experimental plots to catchments, and the land may be enclosed in fields or be open grassland, forest or desert. Those who sample the variables to obtain the necessary data need guidance on the design and analysis of sampling methods for their conclusions and recommendations to be valid. This book provides that guidance, backed by sound rationale and statistical theory. It concentrates on design-based sampling for estimates of mean values of environmental properties, emphasizing replication and randomization. It starts with simple random sampling and then progresses to more efficient designs, such as spatially stratified random sampling, stratification by classes and cluster sampling. It includes a section on purposive sampling in classical soil survey, which is relevant to other environmental properties such as vegetation. It also describes the effects of bulking on errors and the use of ancillary information and regression to improve estimates. The authors draw the important distinction between design-based sampling for estimating means and model-based methods (geostatistics) for local spatial prediction and mapping, and focus on the latter. They describe designs suitable for computing variograms and prediction by kriging, as well as a staged approach, so that sampling is neither inadequate nor excessive, and designs adapt as knowledge is accumulated. Including numerous worked case studies of sampling in agriculture, ecology and environmental science, the book will be of immediate practical value.

An overview of the current state of nanotechnology-based devices with applications in environmental science, focusing on nanomaterials and polymer nanocomposites. The handbook pays special attention to those nanotechnology-based approaches that promise easier, faster and cheaper processes in environmental monitoring and remediation. Furthermore, it presents up-to-date information on the economics, toxicity and regulations related to nanotechnology in detail. The book closes with a look at the role of nanotechnology for a green and sustainable future. With its coverage of existing and soon-to-be-realized devices this is an indispensable reference for both academic and corporate R&D.

This book provides the detail information about nanoparticles, their types, characterization techniques such as TEM, FESEM, AFM, XRD etc. nanogenotoxicity, metal and metal oxide nanoparticle's toxicity, physical and chemical characterization of nanomaterials, entry routes, cell-nano interaction studies, possible impacts to the human kind, and on the methods of evaluating the toxicity. It puts together comprehensive and up-to-date information about sustainable approaches in making an eco-friendly environment using advanced nanotechnologies. It educated readers about the new frontiers and scope of employing various state-of-art nano-technologies to clean-up and save our environment. This book will be of interest to teachers, researchers, environmental biotechnologists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, environmental sciences, environmental engineering and biotechnology.

Phenology refers to recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, maturation of agricultural plants, emergence of insects, and migration of birds. It is also the study of these recurring events, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate. Phenological phenomena all give a ready measure of the environment as viewed by the associated organism and are thus ideal indicators of the impact of local and global changes in weather and climate on the earth's biosphere. Assessing our changing world is a complex task that requires close cooperation from experts in biology, climatology, ecology, geography, oceanography, remote sensing, and other areas. Like its two predecessors, this third edition of Phenology is a synthesis of current phenological knowledge, designed as a primer on the field for global change and general scientists, students, and interested members of the public. With updated and new contributions from over sixty phenological experts, covering data collection, current research, methods, and applications, it demonstrates the accomplishments, progress over the last decade, and future potential of phenology as an integrative environmental science.

Few books have had a greater impact than A Sand County Almanac, which many credit with launching a revolution in land management. Written as a series of sketches based principally upon the flora and fauna in a rural part of Wisconsin, the book, originally published by Oxford in 1949, gathers informal pieces written by Leopold over a forty-year period as he traveled through the woodlands of Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Sonora, Oregon, Manitoba, and elsewhere; a final section addresses the philosophical issues involved in wildlife conservation. Beloved for its description and evocation of the natural world, Leopold's book, which has sold well over 2 million copies, remains a foundational text in environmental science and a national treasure.

This book is an examination of a neglected form of scientific corruption - corruption by political attachment to noble causes. We are used to hearing that economic interests have corrupted scientific findings, but the possibility that science might be corrupted by noble causes is largely overlooked. This book shows that this danger is real, that values can often lead to poor science, and that we are more likely to accept lower quality science when it lends support to our political preferences. Using the examples of biodiversity and climate science and the attack on Lomborg's The Skeptical Environmentalist on these two issues, Aynsley Kellow reveals how the reliance of environmental science on mathematical models and the infusion of values into its conduct have produced a preference for virtual over observational data. It argues that both sides of politics are capable of exerting such an influence, but suggests some reasons why those on the political Left seem to be more prone to do so at present, to the detriment of public policy. Science and Public Policyis a unique and challenging book. It does not argue that any one political persuasion exerts a corrupting influence on science policy, instead it makes extensive use of peer-reviewed literature to explore scientific controversies and the role of politics in them. This fascinating book will appeal to high-level general readers as well as to scholars and researchers at all levels of academe working in environmental politics and policy; and science policy.

THE CLASSIC THAT LAUNCHED THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT "Rachel Carson is a pivotal figure of the twentieth century...people who thought one way before her essential 1962 book Silent Spring thought another way after it."--Margaret Atwood Rarely does a single book alter the course of history, but Rachel Carson's Silent Spring did exactly that. The outcry that followed its publication in 1962 forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson's passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world. As Carson reminds us, "In nature, nothing exists alone."  The introduction by the acclaimed biographer Linda Lear, author of Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature, tells the story of Carson's courageous defense of her truths in the face of a ruthless assault form the chemical industry following the publication of Silent Spring and before her untimely death. "Wonder and humility are just some of the gifts of Silent Spring. They remind us that we, like all other living creatures, are part of the vast ecosystems of the earth of the earth...this is a book to relish: not for the dark side of human nature, but for the promise of life's possibility." --from the Introduction

The lingo of soil science is a language unto itself. Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary is a glossary of terms used in soil and environmental science, including terms from related disciplines. Designed for teachers, students, researchers and others interested or involved in environmental sciences related to soils, this compilation includes all terms and definitions from the current Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS) glossary as well as from various other sources such as the Soil Science Society of America and the Soil and Water Conservation Society. Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary defines terms accurately and clearly for professionals working in areas such as agronomy, building construction, civil engineering, forestry, environmental science and planning, geology, hydrology, petrology, and plant science.

Revised, expanded, and updated, this second edition of Statistics for Environmental Science and Management is that rare animal, a resource that works well as a text for graduate courses and a reference for appropriate statistical approaches to specific environmental problems. It is uncommon to find so many important environmental topics covered in one book. Its strength is author Bryan Manly's ability to take a non-mathematical approach while keeping essential mathematical concepts intact. He clearly explains statistics without dwelling on heavy mathematical development. The book begins by describing the important role statistics play in environmental science. It focuses on how to collect data, highlighting the importance of sampling and experimental design in conducting rigorous science. It presents a variety of key topics specifically related to environmental science such as monitoring, impact assessment, risk assessment, correlated and censored data analysis, to name just a few. Revised, updated or expanded material on: Data Quality Objectives Generalized Linear Models Spatial Data Analysis Censored Data Monte Carlo Risk Assessment There are numerous books on environmental statistics; however, while some focus on multivariate methods and others on the basic components of probability distributions and how they can be used for modeling phenomenon, most do not include the material on sampling and experimental design that this one does. It is the variety of coverage, not sacrificing too much depth for breadth, that sets this book apart.

Many students find it daunting to move from studying environmental science, to designing and implementing their own research proposals. This book provides a practical introduction to help develop scientific thinking, aimed at undergraduate and new graduate students in the earth and environmental sciences. Students are guided through the steps of scientific thinking using published scientific literature and real environmental data. The book starts with advice on how to effectively read scientific papers, before outlining how to articulate testable questions and answer them using basic data analysis. The Mauna Loa CO2 dataset is used to demonstrate how to read metadata, prepare data, generate effective graphs and identify dominant cycles on various timescales. Practical, question-driven examples are explored to explain running averages, anomalies, correlations and simple linear models. The final chapter provides a framework for writing persuasive research proposals, making this an essential guide for students embarking on their first research project.

If you' re new to formative assessment probes, you' ll love this timely addition to the bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series. Authors Page Keeley and Laura Tucker give you 32 engaging questions, or probes, that can reveal what your students already know-- or think they know-- about core Earth and environmental science concepts. Armed with those insights, you can use the probes' teacher notes to adjust your approach and present the science in grade-appropriate ways so students will learn the content accurately. If you' re among the thousands of educators who love the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series and crave probes specifically about Earth and environmental science, you' re in luck. The probes are organized into four sections: land and water; water cycle, weather, and climate; Earth history, weathering and erosion, and plate tectonics; and natural resources, pollution, and human impact. The 10th book in this wildly popular, award-winning series offers field-tested teacher materials that provide science background and link to national standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards. The new probes are short, ready to reproduce, and easy to use. Why wait? It' s time to help your students demystify why the ocean is salty, how old the Earth is, and which direction water swirls when it goes down the drain.