Environmental Science: Working with the Earth

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 8
Learning Skills......Page 24
Case Study: Living in an Exponential Age......Page 28
1-1 Living More Sustainably......Page 29
1-2 Population Growth. Economic Growth and Economic Development......Page 31
Economics Case Study: The Tragedy of the Commons......Page 33
1-4 Pollution......Page 35
1-5 Environmental Problems: Causes and Connections......Page 36
1-6 Cultural Changes and Sustainability......Page 39
1-7 Is Our Present Course Sustainable?......Page 40
Case Study: An Environmental Lesson from Easter Island......Page 42
2-1 The Nature of Science......Page 43
2-2 Matter......Page 45
2-3 Energy......Page 52
2-4 Matter and Energy Change Laws and Sustainability......Page 55
Case Study: Have You Thanked the Insects Today?......Page 58
3-1 The Nature of Ecology......Page 59
3-2 The Earth’s Life-Support Systems......Page 61
3-3 Ecosystem Components......Page 63
3-4 Energy Flow in Ecosystems......Page 69
3-5 Soils......Page 73
3-6 Matter Cycling in Ecosystems......Page 76
3-7 How Do Ecologists Learn about Ecosystems?......Page 83
Case Study: How Did We Become Such a Powerful Species So Quickly?......Page 86
4-1 Origins of Life......Page 87
4-2 Evolution and Adaptation......Page 88
4-3 Ecological Niches and Adaptation......Page 90
4-4 Speciation, Extinction, and Biodiversity......Page 93
4-5 What Is the Future of Evolution?......Page 97
Case Study: Blowing in the Wind: A Story of Connections......Page 101
5-1 Climate: A Brief Introduction......Page 102
5-2 Biomes: Climate and Life on Land......Page 106
5-3 Desert and Grassland Biomes......Page 108
5-4 Forest and Mountain Biomes......Page 112
5-5 Aquatic Environments: Types and Characteristics......Page 118
5-6 Saltwater Life Zones......Page 119
Case Study: Coral Reefs......Page 123
5-7 Freshwater Life Zones......Page 127
Case Study: Why Should We Care about the American Alligator?......Page 131
6-1 Community Structure and Species Diversity......Page 132
Case Study: Why Are Amphibians Vanishing?......Page 134
Case Study: Why Are Sharks Important Species?......Page 136
6-3 Species Interactions......Page 137
6-4 Ecological Succession: Communities in Transition......Page 141
6-5 Population Dynamics and Carrying Capacity......Page 143
6-6 Human Impacts on Ecosystems: Learning from Nature......Page 146
Case Study: Is the World Overpopulated?......Page 151
7-1 Factors Affecting Human Population Size......Page 152
Case Study: Fertility Rates in the United States......Page 154
7-2 Population Age Structure......Page 157
7-3 Solutions: In.uencing Population Size......Page 160
Case Study: India......Page 162
7-5 Population Distribution: Urbanization and Urban Growth......Page 163
Case Study: Urbanization in the United States......Page 165
7-6 Urban Resource and Environmental Problems......Page 167
Economics Case Study: The Urban Poor in Developing Countries......Page 169
Case Study: Motor Vehicles in the United States......Page 171
7-8 Making Urban Areas More Livable and Sustainable......Page 173
Case Study: Curitiba, Brazil—One of the World’s Most Sustainable Major Cities......Page 175
Case Study: Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone......Page 177
8-1 Human Impacts on Biodiversity......Page 178
8-2 Public Lands in the United States......Page 180
8-3 Managing and Sustaining Forests......Page 182
8-4 Forest Resources and Management in the United States......Page 188
8-5 Tropical Deforestation......Page 192
Case Study: Stresses on U.S. National Parks......Page 195
8-7 Nature Reserves......Page 196
Science Case Study: Costa Rica—A Global Conservation Leader......Page 197
Science and Politics Case Study: Wilderness Protection in the United States......Page 199
8-8 Ecological Restoration......Page 200
Science Case Study: Ecological Restoration of a Tropical Dry Forest in Costa Rica......Page 201
8-9 Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity......Page 202
8-10 What Can We Do?......Page 204
Case Study: The Passenger Pigeon: Gone Forever......Page 206
9-1 Species Extinction......Page 207
9-2 Importance of Wild Species......Page 211
9-3 Causes of Premature Extinction of Wild Species......Page 212
Science Case Study: A Disturbing Message from the Birds......Page 213
Science Case Study: Deliberate Introduction of the Kudzu Vine......Page 217
Economics Case Study: The Rising Demand for Bushmeat in Africa......Page 219
9-4 Protecting Wild Species: The Legal Approach......Page 221
Case Study: What Has the Endangered Species Act Accomplished?......Page 224
9-5 Protecting Wild Species: The Sanctuary Approach......Page 225
9-6 Reconciliation Ecology......Page 226
Case Study: Would You Eat Winged Beans and Bug Cuisine?......Page 229
10-1 Food Production......Page 230
Science and Economics Case Study: Industrial Food Production in the United States......Page 232
10-2 Soil Erosion and Degradation......Page 234
Science Case Study: Soil Erosion in the United States......Page 236
10-3 Sustainable Agriculture through Soil Conservation......Page 239
10-4 Food Production, Nutrition, and Environmental Effects......Page 240
10-5 Increasing Food Production......Page 243
Science Case Study: Some Environmental Consequences of Meat Production......Page 246
10-6 Protecting Food Resources: Pest Management......Page 250
10-7 Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture......Page 257
Case Study: Water Con.icts in the Middle East......Page 259
11-1 Water’s Importance, Use, and Renewal......Page 260
Science Case Study: Freshwater Resources in the United States......Page 262
11-2 Supplying More Water......Page 263
Politics and Ethics Case Study: Who Should Own and Manage Freshwater Resources?......Page 264
Science Case Study: The Aral Sea Disaster......Page 267
11-3 Reducing Water Waste......Page 271
11-4 Too Much Water......Page 274
Science and Poverty Case Study: Living on Floodplains in Bangladesh......Page 275
11-5 Water Pollution: Types, Effects, and Sources......Page 277
11-6 Pollution of Freshwater Streams, Lakes, and Aquifers......Page 278
11-7 Ocean Pollution......Page 282
Science Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay......Page 284
11-8 Preventing and Reducing Surface Water Pollution......Page 286
Science Case Study: Using Wetlands to Treat Sewage......Page 288
11-9 Drinking Water Quality......Page 289
Case Study: The General Mining Law of 1872......Page 292
12-1 Geologic Processes......Page 293
12-2 Internal and External Geologic Processes......Page 294
12-3 Minerals, Rocks, and the Rock Cycle......Page 297
12-4 Finding, Removing, and Processing Nonrenewable Minerals......Page 299
12-5 Environmental Effects of Using Mineral Resources......Page 301
12-6 Supplies of Mineral Resources......Page 303
Science Case Study: Using Nanotechnology to Produce New Materials......Page 305
Case Study: The Coming Energy-Efficiency and Renewable-Energy Revolution......Page 308
13-1 Evaluating Energy Resources......Page 309
13-2 Nonrenewable Fossil Fuels......Page 313
Science, Economics, and Politics Case Study: How Much Oil Does the United States Have?......Page 12
13-3 Nonrenewable Nuclear Energy......Page 321
Science Case Study: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident......Page 323
Science and Politics Case Study: High-Level Radioactive Wastes in the United States......Page 326
13-4 Improving Energy Efficiency......Page 329
13-5 Using Renewable Energy to Provide Heat and Electricity......Page 335
13-6 Geothermal Energy......Page 344
13-7 Hydrogen......Page 345
13-8 ASustainable Energy Strategy......Page 347
Case Study: The Big Killer......Page 350
14-2 Biological Hazards: Disease in Developed and Developing Countries......Page 351
Science Case Study: The Growing Global Threat from Tuberculosis......Page 352
Science Case Study: HIV and AIDS......Page 353
Science Case Study: Malaria......Page 354
14-3 Chemical Hazards......Page 357
14-4 Toxicology: Assessing Chemical Hazards......Page 358
14-5 Risk Analysis......Page 363
Case Study: When Is a Lichen Like a Canary?......Page 368
15-1 Structure and Science of the Atmosphere......Page 369
15-2 Outdoor Air Pollution......Page 370
15-3 Photochemical and Industrial Smog......Page 371
15-4 Regional Outdoor Air Pollution from Acid Deposition......Page 375
15-5 Indoor Air Pollution......Page 380
Science Case Study: Exposure to Radioactive Radon Gas......Page 381
15-6 Harmful Effects of Air Pollution......Page 382
15-7 Preventing and Reducing Air Pollution......Page 384
Economics Case Study: Using the Marketplace to Reduce Air Pollution?......Page 385
Case Study: Studying a Volcano to Understand Climate Change......Page 390
16-1 Past Climate Change and the Natural Greenhouse Effect......Page 391
16-2 Climate Change and Human Activities......Page 393
16-3 Factors Affecting the Earth’s Temperature......Page 397
16-4 Possible Effects of a Warmer World......Page 398
16-5 Dealing with the Threat of Global Warming......Page 401
16-6 Ozone Depletion in the Stratosphere......Page 406
Science Case Study: Skin Cancer......Page 407
16-7 Protecting the Ozone Layer......Page 409
Case Study: Love Canal: There Is No “Away”......Page 411
17-1 Wasting Resources......Page 412
17-2 Producing Less Waste......Page 413
17-3 The Ecoindustrial Revolution and Selling Services Instead of Things......Page 415
17-4 Reuse......Page 417
17-5 Recycling......Page 419
Science and Economics Case Study: Problems With Recycling Plastics......Page 420
17-6 Burning and Burying Solid Waste......Page 421
17-7 Hazardous Waste......Page 424
Science, Economics, and Ethics Case Study: A Black Day in Bhopal, India......Page 426
17-8 Toxic Metals......Page 429
17-9 Achieving a Low-Waste Society......Page 432
Case Study: Biosphere 2: A Lesson in Humility......Page 435
18-1 Economic Systems and Sustainability......Page 436
18-2 Using Economics to Improve Environmental Quality......Page 439
18-3 Reducing Poverty to Improve Environmental Quality and Human Well-Being......Page 444
18-4 Politics and Environmental Policy......Page 447
Case Study: Environmental Policy in the United States......Page 448
Case Study: Environmental Action by Students in the United States......Page 451
18-5 Global Environmental Policy......Page 453
18-6 Environmental Worldviews: Clashing Values and Cultures......Page 454
18-7 Living More Sustainably......Page 456
1 Units of Measurement......Page 460
2 Ecological Footprints......Page 461
3 Major Events in U.S. Environmental History......Page 468
4 Balancing Chemical Equations......Page 474
5 Classifying and Naming Species......Page 476
6 Weather Basics......Page 478
7 Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanic Eruptions......Page 482
8 Brief History of the Age of Oil......Page 484
9 Environmental Science: Concepts and Connections......Page 486
Glossary......Page 488
Index......Page 508