The Environment: Principles and Applications

Front Cover
Psychology Press, 2001 - 660 pages

The Environmentis a lively, comprehensive introduction for environmental study, explaining how the environment functions, how environmental systems relate, and the ways in which people and environment interact. Focusing particularly on the environmental impacts of human activities, the book explains the ways in which an understanding of basic physical principles can help us to use the environment and its resources.

Three particular approaches are adopted throughout:
* a systems approach- highlighting the interactions and interrelationships between the environment's diverse parts
* an interdisciplinary perspective- stepping back from an individual subject focus to examine the complex breadth of the environment's diversity
* a global perspective- incorporating stimulating examples drawn from around the world to illustrate broad global patterns and contrasts.

The Environmentexplains the principles and applications of the different parts of the Earth's system: the lithosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and explains the interrelationship across these systems. It explores the present environmental crisis, examines how the planet Earth fits into the wider universe, and explores human-environment interactions, to offer a clear understanding of the diverse and complex environment we live in and new ways of thinking about the way it is changing.
Specific features include:
* Lively, stimulating and accessible text
* Superb illustrations: 4-colour plate sections
* Case studies drawn from around the world, boxed within the text
* Chapter summaries
* Annotated further reading lists
A Lecturer's Manual is available to accompany the text.

From inside the book

Contents

Symptoms
5
Environment in crisis
11
Monitoring and analysis
17
Global environmental change
23
Summary
30
Population and environment
55
Environmental systems
84
The sulphur cycle
94
Global climate
332
Subpolar and arctic climates
340
The hydrological cycle
379
Climate change
410
Summary
417
Water resource
447
The biosphere
521
Classification
524

Spaceship Earth
101
The lithosphere
137
Volcanoes
173
STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
179
Learning objectives 125
190
Weathering
204
The atmosphere
209
Atmospheric pressure and wind
278
Erosion processes
284
Summary
291
Weather systems
297
The Earths energy budget 235
303
Air pollution 241
309
Summary
318
ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES
325
Climate
326
Conservation
539
Ocean currents 479
547
Importance of the coast 496
567
Ecosystems succession and biomes
569
Coastal management 504
574
Further reading
580
THE BIOSPHERE
586
Learning objectives
593
Soil
595
Soil formation and profiles
600
Managing soil resources
608
Future prospects
623
Reflections
627
Land evaluation
631
Copyright

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