Our Changing Planet: The View from Space - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521828708 ISBN 13: 9780521828703

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007

Synopsis

For over 40 years, satellites have been orbiting the Earth quietly monitoring the state of our planet. Unseen by most of us, they are providing information on the many changes taking place, from movements in the land and volcanic eruptions, to human-caused changes such as the growth of cities, deforestation and the spread of pollutants in the atmosphere and oceans. Led by four editors with support from a production team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, many of the world's top remote sensing scientists showcase some spectacular and beautiful satellite imagery along with informed essays on the science behind these images and the implications of what is shown. This is a stunningly attractive and informative book for anyone interested in environmental issues and the beauty of our home planet, providing inspiration for students, teachers, environmentalists and the general public alike.

About this title

Reviews

It has been just over 60 years since the first satellite pictures of earth were recorded, and since that time, the increasing number and sophistication of photographs from space have enabled scientists to see changes in earth’s atmosphere, land, and water with greater accuracy. This book covers a wide range of topics, from seasonal changes in foliage in North America to sea-surface temperature changes worldwide. Content is organized in sections treating the atmosphere, the land, the ocean, the ice caps, and human activities. Fairly short subsections focus on particular issues or geographic areas. For example, one subsection in “Evidence of Our Tenure,” which discusses human activities, deals with the drainage of Iraqi marshlands. In addition to satellite photos and photographs of landscapes on earth, most sections include graphs and charts to further explain or interpret the views from space. Captions offer considerable detail that supplements the information found in the text. Appendixes contain an explanation of satellite orbits and remote sensing and a glossary. The index provides many access points to the information.  A browser interested in global change would find much fascinating material in the exceptional photographs and diagrams and in the explanations found in the captions and text. A researcher could use this as a starting point. Firefly’s Earth from Space (2007) contains some of the same images but does not have as much analysis on planetary change as Our Changing Planet. Many libraries will want both. --Elaine Lindstrom

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521828708
• ISBN 13: 9780521828703
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400
• Editor: King Michael D., Parkinson Claire L., Partington Kim C., Williams Robin G.