EARTH AS A CRADLE FOR LIFE, THE: THE ORIGIN, EVOLUTION AND FUTURE OF THE ENVIRONMENT - Hardcover

Stacey, Frank D; Hodgkinson, Jane Helen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9814508322 ISBN 13: 9789814508322

Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company, 2013

Synopsis

The Earth as a Cradle for Life aims to fill the gap between readers who have a strong and informed scientific interest in the environment (but no access to the journal literature), and their desire for a basic understanding of the environment. It provides a comprehensive account, and requires no advanced mathematical skills. It will also satisfy a need for a textbook on fundamental science for students in tertiary environmental science courses that may otherwise neglect the underlying basis of their subject.The Earth as a Cradle takes a step back from common perceptions of the environment, and presents a new fundamental perspective. It draws attention to observations that have been neglected or discounted for reasons the authors found invalid, and which allow a more coherent account of the environment than is possible without them.Misunderstandings about the environment are common, even in the scientific community. They arise in part from the multi-disciplinary nature of the subject and the difficulty in keeping all relevant observations in mind and assessing their validity. These misunderstandings are often consequences of the band-wagon effect: when an idea is reinforced by repeated quotation and becomes difficult to contradict even when it is in obvious conflict with observations. This is especially so in a subject with strong media interest and conflicting commercial interests -- and Cradle sweeps these considerations aside and presents a new environmental scenario.This book draws on several decades of research by the authors on fundamental Earth science, and presents probing insights on environmental questions that are not widely recognized -- even in the professional community. For this reason it will become a landmark in the environmental science and Earth science literature.

About this title

About the Author

Frank Stacey studied Physics at Queen Mary College, London, and took appointments in Vancouver (UBC), Canberra (ANU) and Cambridge before joining the University of Queensland. As Professor of Applied Physics he taught geophysics at several levels and is most widely known for his textbook Physics of the Earth, which is now in its fourth edition. After retirement from the university Frank joined CSIRO to continue research on fundamental problems, especially the thermodynamics of Earth materials at high pressure.

Jane Hodgkinson turned to a career in geology after studying at Birkbeck College, London, during her first career in banking and the commodity markets. After completing her PhD in Brisbane (QUT), Jane joined CSIRO where she has worked with climate scientists and mining companies on climate change adaptation projects and assessing CO2 geostorage potential. Jane has also been involved in new mineral exploration techniques, remote geomorphological analysis.

Review

"The sense of seeking to convince the reader, however, lends the book a clear, decisive and ultimately highly readable tone. This book straddles the line between a textbook and a general-interest volume quite comfortably, making it suitable for anyone with a basic understanding of science that wants to place modern climate change in the context of the Earth's history." -- European Geosciences Union

"This enjoyable book takes a long-term view of Earth's development as a habitable planet, this is a good initiation to a broad and important topic nevertheless, accessible to readers with a general science education." -- Chemistryworld, Royal Society of Chemistry

"This interesting book is a history of Earth's physical and chemical evolution, with implications for life at almost every stage. It is replete with original thinking and probing insight (and occasional important oversights). Throughout, one is not allowed to forget that Earth is a special place in the family of planets we call the Solar System." -- Henry Pollack, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, University of Michigan

About this edition

• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 9814508322
• ISBN 13: 9789814508322
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 308