Environment : The Science Behind the Stories

by Withgott, Jay H.; Brennan, Scott R.

• ISBN13: 9780805382037
• ISBN10: 0805382038
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

KEY BENEFIT: The first edition of Environment: The Science behind the Storiesmade the biggest splash of any new entry in environmental science over the past thirty years. The newly revised Second Editionretains all the popular features of this landmark first edition-including its integrated central case study approach, and focus on current data and critical thinking-while new instructor resources make it easier than ever to give dynamic lectures. Foundations of Environmental Science: An Introduction to Environmental Science, Environmental Ethics and Economics: Values and Choices, Environmental Policy: Decision-Making and Problem-Solving, From Chemistry to Energy to Life, Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology, Species Interactions and Community Ecology , Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology. Environmental Issues and the Search For Solutions: Human Population Growth, Agriculture, Soils, and Soil Conservation, Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Resource Management, Forestry, Land Use, and Protected Areas, Urbanization and Creating Livable Cities, Toxicology and Environmental Health, Freshwater Resources: Natural Systems, Human Impact, and Conservation, Marine Resources: Natural Systems, Human Impact, and Conservation, Atmospheric Science and Air Pollution, Global Climate Change, Fossil Fuels: Energy and Impacts, Conventional Energy Alternatives: Hydropower, Biomass, and Nuclear Energy, New Renewable Energy Alternatives, Waste Management, Sustainable Solutions. For all readers interested in environmental science and its issues.

Table of Contents

PART ONE Foundations of Enivormental Science
An Introduction to Environmental Science	2	(24)
Our Island, Earth	3	(7)
The Nature of Environmental Science	10	(2)
The Nature of Science	12	(7)
Sustainability and the Future of Our World	19	(7)
The Science behind the Story: The Lesson of Easter Island	8	(18)
Environmental Ethics and Economics: Values and Choices	26	(31)
Central Case: The Mirrar Clan Confronts the fabiluka Uranium Mine	27	(1)
Culture, Worldview, and the Environment	28	(2)
Environmental Ethics	30	(8)
Economics: Approaches and Environmental Implications	38	(19)
The Science behind the Story Gross Domestic Product versus Genuine Progress Indicator	46	(4)
The Science behind the Story: Calculating the Economic Value of Earth's Ecosystems	50	(2)
Viewpoints: Environment versus Economy?	52	(5)
Environmental Policy: Decision Making and Problem Solving	57	(31)
Central Case: San Diego and Tijuana's Sewage Pollution Problems and Policy Solutions	58	(1)
Environmental Policy: An Introduction	59	(3)
U.S. Environmental Policy: An Overview	62	(8)
Approaches to Environmental Policy	70	(5)
The Environmental Policy Process	75	(6)
International Environmental Policy	81	(7)
The Science behind the Story: spotting Sewage by Satellite	76	(2)
The Science behind the Story: Assessing the Environmental Impact of Treating Transboundary Sewage	78	(6)
Viewpoints: Public versus Private: In Whose Best Interest?	84	(4)
From Chemistry to Energy to Life	88	(28)
Central Case: Bioremediation of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill	89	(1)
Chemistry and the Environment	90	(13)
Energy Fundamentals	103	(5)
The Origin of Life	108	(8)
The Science behind the Story: student Chemist Lets Plants Do the Dirty Work	92	(2)
The Science behind the Story: HOW isotopes Reveal Secrets of Earth and Life	94	(18)
Viewpoints: Bioremediation	112	(4)
Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology	116	(32)
Central Case: Striking Gold in a Costa Rican Cloud Forest	117	(1)
Evolution as the Wellspring of Earth's Biodiversity	118	(11)
Levels of Ecological Organization	129	(2)
Population Ecology	131	(10)
The Conservation of Biodiversity	141	(7)
The Science behind the story: The K-TMass Extinction	128	(12)
The Science behind the story: climate change and Its Effects on Monteverde	140	(4)
Viewpoints: Conservation at Monteverde	144	(4)
Species Interactions and Community Ecology	148	(34)
Central Case: Black and While, and Spread All Over: Zebra Mussels Invade the Great Lakes	149	(1)
Species Interactions	150	(6)
Ecological Communities	156	(14)
Earth's Biomes	170	(12)
The Science behind the Story: inferring Zebra Mussels' Impacts on Fish Communities	160	(4)
The Science behind the Story: Otters, Urchins, Kelp, and a Whale, of it Chain Reaction	164	(5)
Viewpoints: Invasive Species	169	(13)
Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology	182	(34)
Central Case: The Gulf of Mexico's ``Dead Zone''	183	(1)
Earth's Environmental Systems	184	(5)
Ecosystems	189	(6)
Biogeochemical Cycles	195	(11)
Geological Systems: How Earth Works	206	(10)
The Science beiiinri the Story: Biosphere 2	190	(12)
The Science behind the Story: Hypoxia and the Gulf of Mexico's ``Dead Zone''	202	(8)
Viewpoints: The Dead Zone	210	(6)
PART TWO Environmental Issues and the Search for Soutions
Human Population	216	(28)
Central Case: China's One-Child Policy	217	(1)
Human Population Growth: Baby 6 Billion and Beyond	218	(4)
Demography	222	(7)
Population and Society	229	(15)
The Science behind the Story: Causes of Fertility Decline in Bangladesh	230	(8)
The Science behind the story: AIDS Resistance Genes and the Black Death: An Unexpected Connection?	238
Viewpoints: Population Control	234	(10)
Soil and Agriculture	244	(32)
Central Case: No-Till Agriculture in Southern Brazil	245	(1)
Soil: The Foundation for Feeding a Growing Population	246	(4)
Soil as a System	250	(5)
Soil Degradation: Problems and Solutions	255	(21)
The Science behind the story: Measuring Erosion	256	(14)
The Science behind the Story: Overgrazing and Fire Suppression in the Malpai Borderlands	270
Viewpoints: Soil Conservation	269	(7)
Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food	276	(32)
Central Case: Possible Transgenic Maize in Oaxaca, Mexico	277	(1)
The Race to Feed the World	278	(4)
Pests and Pollinators	282	(5)
Genetic Modification of Food	287	(8)
Preserving Crop Diversity	295	(1)
Feedlot Agriculture: Livestock and Poultry	296	(3)
Aquaculture	299	(1)
Sustainable Agriculture	300	(8)
The Science behind the Story: Transgenic Contamination of Native Maize?	292	(10)
The Science behind trie Story: organic Fanning	302
Viewpoints: Genetically Modified foods	294	(14)
Biodiversity and Conservation Biology	308	(34)
Central Case: Saving the Siberian Tiger	309	(1)
Our Planet of Life	310	(6)
Biodiversity Loss and Species Extinction	316	(8)
Benefits of Biodiversity	324	(5)
Conservation Biology: The Search for Solutions	329	(13)
The Science behind the Story: Amphibian Diversity and Amphibian Declines	322	(10)
The Science behind the Story: Testing and Applying Island Biogeography Theory	332	(6)
Viewpoints: Biodiversity	338	(4)
Resource Management, Forestry, Land Use, and J. & M Protected Areas	342	(30)
Central Case: Battling over the Last Rig Trees at Clayoquot Sound	343	(1)
Resource Management	344	(2)
Forest Management	346	(15)
Agricultural Land Use	361	(3)
Parks and Reserves	364	(8)
The Science behind the story: Adaptive Management and the Northwest Forest Plan	348	(4)
The Science behind the Story: using Geographic Information Systems to Survey Earth's Forests	352	(7)
Viewpoints: Managing Forests	359	(13)
Urbanization and Creating Livable Cities	372	(28)
Central Case: Managing Growth in Portland, Oregon	373	(1)
Our Urbanizing World	374	(4)
Sprawl	378	(6)
Creating Livable Cities	384	(9)
Urban Sustainability	393	(7)
The Science behind the Story: Measuring the Impacts of Sprawl	382	(8)
The Science behind the Story: Assessing Benefits of Rail Transit	390
Viewpoints: Suburban Sprawl	381	(19)
Environmental Health and Toxicology	400	(32)
Central Case: Alligators and Endocrine Disrupters at Lake Apopka, Florida	401	(1)
Environmental Health	402	(5)
Toxic Agents in the Environment	407	(10)
Studying Effects of Hazards	417	(5)
Risk Assessment and Risk Management	422	(2)
Philosophical and Policy Approaches	424	(8)
The Science behind the Story: Bisphenol-A	412
The Science behind the Story: Pesticides and Child Development in Mexico's Yaqui Valley	418	(9)
Viewpoints: Chemical Product Testing: Industry or Government?	427	(5)
Freshwater Resources: Natural Systems, Human JL J Impact, and Conservation	432	(33)
Central Case: Plumbing the Colorado River	433	(1)
Freshwater Systems	434	(6)
How We Use Water	440	(9)
Solutions to Freshwater Depletion	449	(2)
Freshwater Pollution and Its Control	451	(7)
Wastewater and Its Treatment	458	(7)
The Science behind the Story: Arsenic in the Waters of Bangladesh	456	(4)
The Science behind the Story: Using Nature to Treat Our Wastewater	460
Viewpoints: Dam Removal	448	(17)
The Oceans: Natural Systems. Human Use, and Marine Conservation	465	(31)
Central Case: Seeding the Seas with Marine Reserves	466	(1)
Oceanography	467	(6)
Marine Ecosystems	473	(5)
Human Use and Impact	478	(4)
Emptying the Oceans	482	(4)
Marine Conservation Biology	486	(10)
The Science behind the Story: china's Fisheries Data	486	(4)
The Science behind the story: Do Marine Reserves Work?	490
Viewpoints: Marine Reserves	489	(7)
Atmospheric Science and Air Pollution	496	(32)
Central Case: The 1952 ``Killer Smog'' of London	497	(1)
Atmospheric Science	498	(7)
Outdoor Air Pollution	505	(14)
Indoor Air Pollution	519	(9)
The Science behind the Story: identifying CFCs as the Main Cause of Ozone Depletion	516	(4)
The Science behind the story: Add Rain at Hubbard Brook Research Forest	520
Viewpoints: Air Pollution	512	(16)
Global Climate Change	528	(28)
Central Case: Rising Temperatures and Seas May Take the Maldives Under	529	(1)
Earth's Hospitable Climate	530	(4)
Methods of Studying Climate Change	534	(6)
Climate Change Estimates and Predictions	540	(6)
Debate Over Climate Change	546	(2)
Strategies for Reducing Emissions	548	(8)
The Science behind the story: Understanding El Nino and La Nina	536	(2)
The Science behind the story: Scientists Use Pollen to Study Past Climate	538	(13)
Viewpoints: Global Climate Change	551	(5)
Fossil Fuels: Energy and Impacts	556	(33)
Central Case: Oil or Wilderness on Alaska's North Slope?	557	(2)
Sources of Energy	559	(5)
Coal	564	(1)
Oil	565	(9)
Natural Gas	574	(1)
Environmental Impacts of Fossil I;ucl Use	575	(4)
Political, Social, and Economic Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use	579	(3)
Energy Conservation	582	(7)
The Science behind the Story: HOW Electricity is Generated	566	(6)
The Science behind the Story: How Crude on is Refined	572	(12)
Viewpoints: Drilling for Oil in ANWR	584	(5)
Conventional Energy Alternatives	589	(30)
Central Case: Sweden's Search for Alternative Energy	590	(1)
Alternatives to Fossil Fuels	591	(1)
Nuclear Power	592	(15)
Biomass Energy	607	(5)
Hydroelectric Power	612	(7)
ThcScierrce .behind the Story: Assessing Kmissions from Power Sources	598	(6)
The Science behind the Story: Health impacts of Chernobyl	604	(2)
Viewpoints: Nuclear Power	606	(13)
New Renewable Energy Alternatives	619	(27)
Central Case: Iceland Moves toward a Hydrogen Economy	620	(1)
``New'' Renewable Energy Sources	621	(2)
Solar Energy	623	(4)
Wind Energy	627	(6)
Geothermal Energy	633	(2)
Ocean Energy Sources	635	(2)
Hydrogen	637	(9)
The Science behind the Story: Idaho's wind Prospectors	632	(6)
The Scisace behind the story: Algae as a Hydrogen Fuel Source	638	(3)
Viewpoints; Hydrogen and Renewable Energy	641	(5)
Waste Management	646	(28)
Central Case: Transforming New York's Fresh Kills Landfill	647	(1)
Approaches to Waste Management	648	(1)
Municipal Solid Waste	649	(14)
Industrial Solid Waste	663	(1)
Hazardous Waste	664	(10)
The Science behind the Story: Dicing Gai-buge: The Archaeology of Solid Waste	654	(14)
The Science behind the Story: Testing the Toxitity of'E-Waste''	668
Viewpoints: Recycling	661	(13)
Sustainable Solutions	674
Central Case: Ball State University Aims for Campus Sustainability	675	(1)
Sustainability on Campus	676	(6)
Sustainability and Sustainable Development	682	(3)
Strategics for Sustainability	685	(10)
Precious Time	695
The Science behind the Story: Assessing Costs and Benefits of Environmental Regulations	686	(8)
Viewpoints: Sustainability	694
Appendix A: Some Basics on Graphs	1	(1)
Appendix B: Metric System	1	(1)
Appendix C: Periodic Table of the Elements	1	(1)
Appendix D: Geologic Time Scale	1	(1)
Glossary	1	(1)
Credits	1	(1)
Selected Sources	1	(1)
Index	1