Our Changing Planet

This book offers a general interdisciplinary discussion of global environmental change oriented toward the non-specialist in science. It presents both Earth science and ecological concepts related to global change, as well as a discussion of the human dimensions of change. The unifying theme of the book is consideration of aspects of both natural and human-induced global environmental change. *Updated coverage to includes relevant material in the fields of Earth, ocean, atmospheric, ecological sciences, including acid deposition, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global climatic change. *Expanded questions and answers sections as well as the glossary. *Offers a brief selected readings list at the end of each chapter to aid instructors and students in finding additional readings to complement the chapter materials. *Divides coverage into two parts - natural global changes and human-induced global changes. *Examines the natural exogenic system of Earth. *Demonstrates how human activities are influencing the natural system and the consequences of human-induced change for ecosystems, humans, and human infrastructures.
*Discusses the natural biogeochemical cycles of the elements and the degree of human interference in these cycles, providing quantitative values where appropriate. *Explores human population trends and resource consumption patterns, deforestation and land erosion, water usage and quality, acid deposition, stratospheric ozone depletion, tropospheric ozone and photochemical smog, global climatic change, and subsequent human dimensions questions. *Summarizes coverage by emphasizing the need for a new view of the world in order to have a social, political and economic infrastructure that is environmentally sustainable.