Earth Almanac

by Goldstein, Natalie

• ISBN13: 9781573562300
• ISBN10: 1573562300
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-01
• Publisher: Oryx Pr

Summary

Reviews geophysical processes as they apply to four major domains: atmosphere, oceans, land, and fresh water. Designed to provide an understanding of the geophysical processes and provides comprehensive descriptions of their manifestations. Softcover. DLC: Earth.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	ix
List of Figures	xiii
List of Graphics, Diagrams, Photos, and Satellite Images	xv
Preface	xvii
Scope	xvii
Sources	xvii
Overview, 1998	xvii
Whole-Earth Events, 1998	xviii
Earth Events	xviii
Costly Disasters	xviii
Solar Storm	xviii
Gamma Rays	xviii
Earth Research	xviii
Earth Tilt	xviii
Tropical Arctic	xix
Utah Meteor	xix
Solid Core	xix
The Slow Zone	xix
Life on Earth	xx
First Land Plant	xx
Life in Rocks	xx
Bacteria Biomass-ive	xx
ATMOSPHERE	1	(106)
Atmosphere Dynamics	1	(20)
Structure of the Atmosphere	1	(1)
Layers of the Atmosphere	1	(1)
Troposphere	1	(1)
Stratosphere	1	(1)
Mesosphere	2	(1)
Thermosphere	2	(1)
Exosphere	2	(1)
Chemical Composition of the Atmosphere	2	(1)
Weather	2	(3)
The Trade Winds	4	(1)
The Jet Stream	4	(1)
Storms	4	(1)
Hurricanes	5	(16)
Hurricane Classification	6	(1)
Atlantic Hurricanes and Tropical Storms, 1998	6	(6)
Pacific and Indian Ocean Cyclones and Typhoons, 1998	12	(1)
Other Storms, Tornadoes, and Floods, 1998	13	(4)
Research and Response	17	(4)
Air Pollution and Energy	21	(60)
Major Pollutants	27	(20)
Carbon Monoxide	27	(2)
Lead	29	(1)
Particulate Matter	30	(3)
Sulfur Dioxide	33	(4)
Nitrogen Oxides and Volatile Organic Compounds: Smog and ``Bad'' Ozone	37	(7)
Air Pollution Events, 1998	44	(3)
Air Pollution Research, 1998	47	(1)
Atmospheric Ozone: The ``Good'' Ozone Layer	47	(9)
Ozone Depletion over the Antarctic	53	(1)
Antarctic Ozone Depletion, 1998	53	(1)
The Montreal Protocol	54	(1)
Other Ozone-Related Events and Research, 1998	55	(1)
Energy	56	(25)
Overview of Energy Use	57	(7)
Fossil Fuels: Coal, Petroleum, Natural Gas	64	(4)
Transportation	68	(2)
Electricity	70	(1)
Household Appliances	71	(2)
Energy Alternatives	73	(3)
Energy News, 1998	76	(5)
Global Warming	81	(26)
The Greenhouse Effect	81	(1)
Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming	81	(14)
Global Climate Models	86	(2)
Reservations and Uncertainty	88	(1)
Controversy	88	(7)
The Kyoto Protocol	95	(3)
The United States and the Kyoto Protocol	96	(2)
Global Warming, 1998	98	(9)
High Temperatures, 1998	100	(3)
Health Effects of Global Warming	103	(1)
Global Warming and Wildlife	103	(1)
Research and Response	104	(3)
OCEANS	107	(81)
Oceans: Environment, Fisheries, and Pollution	107	(54)
Ocean Fundamentals	107	(10)
Ocean Salinity	108	(1)
Ocean Minerals	109	(1)
Ocean Sediment	109	(1)
Ocean Circulation and Currents	109	(4)
Sea Level	113	(2)
Sea Surface Temperature	115	(2)
Ocean Research, 1998	117	(1)
Fisheries	117	(19)
Significant Fishery Events, 1998	122	(2)
United States and Fisheries	124	(7)
Fishing Vessels: Global and United States	131	(2)
Bycatch, Habitat Destruction, and Marine Debris	133	(3)
Ocean Pollution	136	(25)
Chemical Contamination	136	(5)
Ocean Pollution, 1998	141	(1)
Oil Spills	141	(3)
Related Events and Research	144	(1)
Oxygen Depletion	145	(2)
Phytoplankton	147	(1)
Algae Blooms	147	(5)
Coral Reefs	152	(7)
Life in the Oceans: Research, 1998	159	(2)
El Nino	161	(27)
Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction	161	(1)
El Nino Conditions in the Pacific	162	(1)
Teleconnections, or How El Nino Affects Global Climate	162	(4)
Causes of El Nino	166	(1)
La Nina	166	(1)
El Nino and Global Warming	167	(1)
Monitoring El Nino	167	(6)
ENSO: El Nino-Southern Oscillation	167	(1)
Tracking ENSO Today	168	(5)
Significant El Nino/La Nina Events of 1998	173	(15)
Winter 1998	173	(5)
Spring 1998	178	(1)
Summer 1998	179	(3)
Extreme Events Affected by El Nino and La Nina	182	(3)
Other Effects from El Nino Conditions	185	(3)
THE LAND	188	(98)
Geologic Processes	188	(44)
The Earth's Layered Structure	189	(1)
Continental Drift	189	(1)
Tectonic Plates	190	(12)
Tectonic Plate Movement	190	(1)
Divergent Boundaries	190	(1)
Convergent Boundaries	191	(2)
Transform Boundaries	193	(2)
The Sea Floor and Magnetism	195	(1)
Questions and Research	195	(7)
Significant Earthquakes of 1998	202	(9)
Other Earthquakes, 1998	209	(2)
Tsunami	211	(3)
Tsunami Alerts	212	(1)
Tsunami, 1998	212	(2)
Research and Response	214	(1)
Volcanoes	214	(18)
Volcanic Sites	215	(1)
Predicting Volcanic Eruptions	216	(1)
Volcanic Gases	216	(1)
Volcanoes and Global Climate	217	(1)
Monitoring Volcanic Activity	217	(6)
Volcanic Eruptions, 1998	223	(6)
Research	229	(3)
Land Use Issues: Cover, Soil, and Forests	232	(54)
Urbanization	232	(4)
Events and News, 1998	234	(2)
Land Cover and Resources	236	(8)
Events and News, 1998	243	(1)
Agriculture and the Land	244	(5)
Events, Research, and Response, 1998	246	(1)
Soil Erosion	246	(1)
Erosion of U.S. Cropland	247	(1)
Agriculture and Soil, 1998	248	(1)
Deserts and Desertification	249	(6)
Desertification	249	(5)
Desertification and Drought, 1998	254	(1)
Wildfires	255	(5)
Wildfires, 1997	255	(1)
Wildfires, 1998	256	(4)
Research and Response	260	(1)
Forests	260	(1)
Deforestation	261	(25)
Consequences of Deforestation	261	(1)
Causes of Deforestation	262	(18)
Forest Events and News, 1998	280	(2)
Forest Conservation and Forest Wildlife	282	(1)
Research...	283	(1)
...and Response	284	(2)
FRESH WATER	286	(57)
Cryosphere: The Ice	286	(18)
Antarctica	287	(1)
Greenland	288	(1)
The Arctic	288	(1)
Other Glaciers	288	(2)
Permafrost	290	(1)
The Cryosphere and Climate Change	291	(13)
Research and Events: Antarctica	291	(3)
Events: Greenland	294	(1)
Events: Arctic	295	(1)
Events: Alaska	295	(1)
Events: Other Glaciers	296	(1)
Research and Events: Permafrost and Sea Ice	297	(3)
Pollution of the Cryosphere	300	(1)
Avalanches, 1998	301	(1)
Research and Response	302	(2)
Nature of Fresh Water Environment	304	(39)
Surface Water	306	(20)
Water Use in the United States	314	(7)
Wild and Scenic Rivers	321	(4)
Dams	325	(1)
The Example of Aswan Dam, Egypt	325	(1)
Groundwater	326	(7)
The High Plains (Ogalla) Aquifer	330	(1)
MTBE	330	(3)
Water Conflicts	333	(10)
Middle East and North Africa	335	(1)
Asia	336	(1)
Europe	336	(1)
North America	336	(1)
South America	337	(1)
Water Pollution Events, 1998	337	(2)
Research	339	(1)
...and Response	340	(1)
Water and Wildlife	341	(1)
Laws and Lawsuits	341	(2)
Appendix I: Selected Treaties and Laws	343	(7)
Montreal Protocol, 1987	343	(1)
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change	344	(1)
The Kyoto Protocol	345	(1)
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992	345	(1)
MARPOL (International Commision for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships at Sea)	346	(1)
Overview of Selected U.S. Laws	347	(3)
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 1976	347	(1)
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), 1972	347	(1)
Clean Water Act (CWA), 1977	348	(1)
The Clean Water Action Plan (CWAP), 1998	348	(1)
Clean Air Act (CAA)	349	(1)
Oil Pollution Act (OPA), 1990	349	(1)
Endangered Species Act (ESA), 1973	349	(1)
Appendix II: Selected International and National Scientific Programs	350	(7)
International Programs and Organizations	350	(1)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)	350	(1)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)	350	(1)
Other Selected International Organizations	351	(2)
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC)	351	(1)
Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN)	352	(1)
The World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS)	352	(1)
Selected U.S. Government Agencies and Government-Sponsored Organizations	353	(2)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)	353	(1)
National Occanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)	354	(1)
National Climate Data Center (NCDC)	354	(1)
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)	355	(1)
Other U.S. Agencies and Organizations	355	(1)
U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)	355	(1)
U.S. Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO)	355	(1)
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)	356	(1)
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)	356	(1)
Independent Organizations	356	(1)
Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security	356	(1)
Glossary	357	(4)
Conversion Formulas	361	(3)
Length	361	(1)
Area	361	(1)
Volume	361	(1)
Mass	361	(1)
Conversions	361	(2)
Length	361	(1)
Area	361	(1)
Volume	361	(1)
Mass and Weight	361	(1)
Temperature	362	(1)
Conversions from Universal Time	363	(1)
Geologic Timeline	364	(1)
Earth Facts	365	(1)
Abbreviations	366	(1)
Index	367