Environmental science for dummies
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Bibliographic Information
Environmental science for dummies
（--For dummies）
J. Wiley & Sons, c2012
- : pbk
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Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The easy way to score high in Environmental Science Environmental science is a fascinating subject, but some students have a hard time grasping the interrelationships of the natural world and the role that humans play within the environment. Presented in a straightforward format, Environmental Science For Dummies gives you plain-English, easy-to-understand explanations of the concepts and material you'll encounter in your introductory-level course.
Here, you get discussions of the earth's natural resources and the problems that arise when resources like air, water, and soil are contaminated by manmade pollutants. Sustainability is also examined, including the latest advancements in recycling and energy production technology. Environmental Science For Dummies is the most accessible book on the market for anyone who needs to get a handle on the topic, whether you're looking to supplement classroom learning or simply interested in learning more about our environment and the problems we face.
Presents straightforward information on complex concepts
Tracks to a typical introductory level Environmental Science course
Serves as an excellent supplement to classroom learning
If you're enrolled in an introductory Environmental Science course or studying for the AP Environmental Science exam, this hands-on, friendly guide has you covered.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You're Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
How This Book is Organized 3
Part I: Demystifying Science and the Environment 3
Part II: Planting the Seed: Foundational Concepts in Environmental Science 3
Part III: Getting Your Needs Met: Earth's Natural Resources 4
Part IV: Giving a Hoot: Pollution and Environmental Quality 4
Part V: Follow the Recycled Brick Road: A Sustainable Future 4
Part VI: The Part of Tens 5
Icons Used in This Book 5
Where to Go from Here 6
Part I: Demystifying Science and the Environment 7
Chapter 1: Investigating the Environment 9
Putting the "Science" in Environmental Science 9
Using the scientific method 10
Understanding the connection between atoms, energy, and life 10
Analyzing the Earth's Physical Systems and Ecosystems 11
Sorting the world into climate categories 12
Dividing the Earth into ecosystems 12
Observing the interactions between organisms within an ecosystem 13
Supplies Limited! Natural Resources and Resource Management 13
Factoring in food, shelter, and more 13
Thinking about energy alternatives 14
Keeping Things Habitable 14
Clearing the air (and water) 15
Tracking toxins and garbage 15
Influencing climate 16
Imagining the Future 16
Realizing a sustainable economy 16
Putting it on the books: Environmental policy 16
Chapter 2: Lab Coats and Microscopes: Thinking Scientifically 19
Asking and Answering Questions with the Scientific Method 19
Reasoning one way or another: Inductive versus deductive 20
Working through the scientific method 20
Presenting Data Graphically 25
Quantifying Uncertainty 27
Recognizing Good Science When You See It 28
Chapter 3: What's the Matter? Living and Nonliving Material 31
Changing States of Matter 31
Examining Atomic Structure 32
Making and Breaking Chemical Bonds 33
Ionic bonding 34
Covalent bonding 35
Hydrogen bonding 36
Oxidizing and reducing compounds 37
Surveying the Properties of Water 37
Taking a closer look at the water molecule 37
The unbearable lightness of ice 39
What's pH Got to Do with It? Acids and Bases 40
Defining acids and bases 40
Measuring reactivity with the pH scale 40
It's Alive! Organic Matter and Compounds 41
Proteins 42
Nucleic acids 43
Carbohydrates 43
Lipids 43
Building Organisms One Cell at a Time 44
Working together: Cell specialization 44
Separating plant cells from animal cells 44
Chapter 4: Making Things Happen: Energy 47
Identifying the Different Types of Energy 47
Transferring heat: Thermal energy 48
Setting things in motion: Work and kinetic energy 50
Storing potential energy 50
Moving in waves 51
Defining the Thermodynamic Laws 52
Counting Calories (And Joules) 52
Converting the Sun's Energy to a Useable Form 53
Spinning sugar from sunlight: Photosynthesis 54
Waiting to exhale: Respiration 55
Part II: Planting the Seed: Foundational Concepts in Environmental Science 57
Chapter 5: Studying the Environment and Your Place in It 59
Integrating Multiple Disciplines 60
Applying Common Tools of Environmental Science 61
Reviewing case studies 61
Assessing environmental indicators 61
Measuring human impacts: The ecofootprint 62
Tracing the Development of Modern Environmental Ethics 64
Managing for use: Utilitarian conservation 64
A life of its own: Preservation of wilderness 65
Reducing pollution: Battling pesticides and other toxins 66
It's a small world after all: Global environmentalism 66
The Overall Goal: Seeking Sustainability 67
To Be or Not to Be a Tree-Hugger: Looking Past Political Debates 68
Chapter 6: Exploring Ecosystems 71
Understanding Systems 71
Defining open and closed systems 72
Mapping out system dynamics 73
Systematically Understanding the Earth's Environment 74
Flowing through the hydrologic cycle 75
Recognizing important nutrient cycles 76
Transferring Energy and Matter through an Ecosystem 81
Defining ecosystem boundaries 82
Getting caught in the food web 82
Measuring productivity 85
Building ecological pyramids: Illustrating energy and biomass flow 86
Chapter 7: Biogeography: How Earth's Climate Shapes Global Ecosystem Patterns 89
Positioning Ecosystems: Latitude and Altitude 89
Recognizing Major Climate Drivers 90
Bringing on the heat: Differential absorption of the sun's energy 91
The wide blue yonder: Atmospheric circulation 93
Making waves around the globe: Patterns of ocean circulation 96
Separating the Globe into Biomes 98
Tundra to tropics: Terrestrial biomes 99
Depending on depth: Aquatic biomes 103
Swimming out to sea: Ocean ecosystems 104
Chapter 8: Playing Well with Others: Population Biology 107
Characterizing a Population 107
Predicting Population Change 109
Regulating populations with different growth factors 109
Modeling population growth 109
Reproducing strategies 112
Watching Species Interact 114
Survival of the fittest: Competition 114
Eat or be eaten: Predation 115
Mutually surviving: Symbiosis 117
From Indicator Species to Ecosystem Engineers: Filling Every Niche 117
Working Together: Biological Communities 119
Succeeding through different stages 119
Responding to disturbances 120
The People Principle: Human Population Biology 122
Tracking exponential growth 122
Calculating population size 123
Diagramming age structure 124
Experiencing a demographic transition 126
Getting caught in a demographic trap 127
Understanding human impacts 128
Part III: Getting Your Needs Met: Earth's Natural Resources 129
Chapter 9: Water, Water Everywhere: Freshwater Resources 131
Thirsty for More: The Never-Ending Need for Fresh Water 131
Withdrawal versus consumption 132
Scarcity and stress 132
Meeting human water needs 133
Finding Fresh Water 136
Diverting surface flow 136
Tapping what flows below: Groundwater 137
Conserving Fresh Water 139
Creating Fresh Water 140
Chapter 10: This Land Belongs to You and Me: Land as a Resource 143
Sharing Land 143
Watching a tragedy unfold: Land resource depletion 144
Classifying shared land 144
Managing Land Resources 145
Timber! Harvesting the forest 146
Grazing the grasslands 147
Questioning Smokey the Bear: Fire management 148
Considering the Connection between Urbanization and Land Use 148
Sprawling across the horizon 149
Growing smarter 150
Chapter 11: Dishing it Up: Food Resources 153
Seeking Food Security 153
Identifying the factors that lead to famine 154
Eating for health 155
Feeding the world: The green revolution 156
Digging in the Dirt: Components of Healthy Soil 157
Learning the ABC's of soil 158
Considering erosion: The removal of topsoil 160
The Pitfalls of Pesticides 161
Concocting a formula for every pest 161
Running in circles: The pesticide treadmill 161
Spreading poisons far and wide 162
"Frankenfood": Genetically Modifying Food 164
Splicing and dicing chromosomes 164
Debating GMOs 165
Considering the ethical issues related to GMOs 166
Farming Fish and Other Animals 167
Eating less efficiently 167
Confining animals for mass production 168
Farming fish 169
Establishing Sustainable Agriculture 169
Conserving soil 169
Integrating pest management 170
Defining Organic 172
Chapter 12: Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Biodiversity 175
Variety is the Spice of Life: Defining Biodiversity 175
Examining species richness and evenness 176
Benefitting from biodiversity 177
Becoming Biodiverse: Evolution by Natural Selection 178
Combining genetic material 178
Selecting for survival 179
The HIPPO in the Room: Major Threats to Biodiversity 180
Habitat destruction 181
Invasive species 182
Pollution 183
Population growth (of the human variety) 183
Overharvesting 184
Creating Effective Conservation Plans 184
Of singular importance: The species approach to conservation 185
Size does matter: Preserving entire ecosystems 186
Chapter 13: Hitting the Hard Stuff: Geologic Resources and Energy 191
Getting to Know the Earth 191
Finding Value in Rocks 193
Rocks and minerals 193
Metals and ores 194
Extracting Geologic Resources 195
Scraping the surface: Surface mining 196
Digging deep: Subsurface mining 198
Forming and Depleting Fossil Fuels 199
Creating rocks from life 199
Down and dirty: Mining and burning coal 199
Perusing petroleum and natural gas resources 201
Reacting to Nuclear Energy 203
Splitting atoms: Nuclear fission 203
Fusing atoms: Nuclear fusion 204
The once and future fuel: Debating nuclear energy 204
Chapter 14: Shifting Gears: Alternative Energy 207
Looking for Alternative Energy 207
Farming Fuel: Biofuel Energy Sources 208
Biomass 209
Biodiesel, ethanol, and other liquid biofuels 209
Methane gas 210
Harnessing Energy from Water 211
Damming rivers: Hydropower 211
Feeling the pull: Tidal and wave energy 213
Getting Steamed: Geothermal Energy 213
Soaking Up the Sun: Solar Energy 214
Chasing Windmills: Wind Energy 216
Energy on Demand: Creating Fuel Cells 216
Making the Most of the Energy You Already Have: Energy Conservation 217
Cogenerating: A two-for-one deal 218
Building smarter power grids 218
Getting around town more efficiently 219
Capturing energy at home 220
Part IV: Giving a Hoot: Pollution and Environmental Quality 221
Chapter 15: Breathing Room: Addressing Manmade Air Pollution 223
Sorting Out Common Pollutants 223
Observing the Effects of Air Pollution 226
Losing vegetation 227
Tinting the sky a hazy shade of brown 227
Trapping pollutants: Temperature inversion and smog 227
Melting monuments: Acid rain 228
Holy Ozone! Remembering the Hole in the Ozone Layer 229
Creating ozone naturally 230
Depleting the ozone layer 232
Halting ozone depletion: The Montreal Protocol 233
The Air in There: Watching Out for Indoor Air Pollution 234
Clearing the Air 235
Chapter 16: Drip Drop Splash: Water Pollution 237
Polluting Water in Many Ways 237
Getting to the Point(And Nonpoint) Source 238
Endangering Human Health 239
Bacteria, viruses, and parasites, oh my! 239
Pesticides, drugs, and metals 240
Disrupting Ecosystems 241
Measuring dissolved oxygen 241
Creating zones in aquatic ecosystems 242
Growing to extremes: Nutrient pollution 243
Breaking with Tradition: Wastewater Treatment and Constructed Wetlands 245
Chapter 17: What's Your Poison? Toxins and Infectious Disease 249
Identifying Common Toxins 249
Sticking Around: Persistent Organic Pollutants 251
Understanding the Ins and Outs of Toxic Exposure 252
Accumulating in fatty tissue: Bioaccumulation 252
Magnifying up the food chain: Biomagnification 253
Risky Business: Assessing the Dangers of Chemicals 255
Measuring risk 255
Perceiving risk 256
Choosing a risk management strategy 258
Tracking Infectious Disease 258
Emerging on the scene: Modern infectious disease 258
Evolving resistance 260
Chapter 18: A River of Garbage Runs through it: Solid and Hazardous Waste 263
Wading into the Waste Stream 264
Disposing of Waste 265
Tossing it aside and covering it up: Dumps and landfills 265
Burning trash: Incineration 266
Exporting electronics: E-waste disposal 267
Swimming in Waste: The Ocean Garbage Patches 267
Swirling and whirling: Concentrating trash in ocean gyres 268
Fighting photodegradable flotsam 269
Stopping trash at the source 270
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and Compost): Shrinking the Waste Stream 271
Handling Hazardous Waste 272
Cleaning up the mess: The Superfund 273
Danger lying dormant: Bringing up brownfields 275
Chapter 19: Is It Getting Warm in Here? Modern Climate Change 277
Hothouse Humans: The Greenhouse Effect 278
Filling the air: The top six greenhouse gases 279
Recognizing human influences 280
The proof is in the isotopes 281
Considering Past, Present, and Future Climates 283
The ghost of climates past 283
Measuring carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere 284
Tracking patterns of variability 285
Predicting the future: Climate models 286
Feeling the Heat: Environmental Effects of Modern Climate Change 287
Facing a Warmer Future 290
Feeling the effects on human society 290
Turning down the heat: Mitigating human influences 291
Adapting along the way 293
Part V: Follow the Recycled Brick Road: A Sustainable Future 295
Chapter 20: Building a Sustainable Future 297
Overlapping Spheres of Sustainability 298
Looking at Ecosystem Lessons 299
Counting Coins: Mainstream Economics 300
Measuring Earth's capital 300
Going to the market 300
Calculating a nation's wealth 301
Tripling the Bottom Line 301
Taxing harmful practices 302
Instituting incentive-based regulations 302
Exercising the Precautionary Principle 303
Looking at the World in New Ways 304
Evolving economics 304
Reevaluating production and consumption 305
It Takes a Global Village: Poverty and Sustainability 307
Seeking justice 308
Microlending a hand 309
Chapter 21: Cooperating to Sustain the Earth 311
Understanding What's at Stake 311
Uniting Nations: International Agreements on Planetary Stewardship 312
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 312
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 313
The Convention on Biological Diversity 313
United Nations agreements 314
Other international agreements 315
From Sea to Shining Sea: Environmental Protection in the U.S. 316
Overseeing environmental regulations 316
Legislating for the environment 317
Part VI: The Part of Tens 321
Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Live Sustainably 323
Reducing Household Energy Use 323
Eating Locally 324
Disposing with Disposables 325
Planting Seeds 326
Recycling 326
Reselling and Donating Items 327
Drinking from the Tap 327
Saving Water 327
Relying Less on Your Car 328
Purchasing Fair-Trade Products 329
Chapter 23: Ten Real-Life Examples of the Tragedy of the Commons 331
Grand Banks Fisheries 331
Bluefin Tuna 332
Passenger Pigeons 332
Ocean Garbage Gyres 333
Earth's Atmosphere 333
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone 334
Traffic Congestion 334
Groundwater in Los Angeles 335
Unregulated Logging 335
Population Growth 335
Chapter 24: Ten Careers in Environmental Science 337
Marketing Sustainability 337
Restoring Natural Landscapes 338
Spreading the Word and Educating Others 338
Continuing Study and Research 339
Defending the Environment 339
Assessing Risk 339
Analyzing Policy 340
Engineering Solutions 340
Conserving Farm and Ranch Land 340
Advising Investment 341
Index 333
by "Nielsen BookData"
