The Atlas of Global Change

Worldwide environmental changes have increasingly become the subject of study, debate and public policy as we realize that many of these changes have the potential to cause long-term damage or destruction to the natural systems upon which human life depends. The Atlas of Global Change employs over 130 satellite photographs to depict the natural foundations and processes of global change as well as the destructive effects of human actions. Included are many case studies including - the El Nino effect, Mount St. Helens, the San Andreas Fault and other examples from around the world. 1 volume

Grade 6 Up-Designed to "sharpen our understanding of natural processes and of the consequences of human interventions in the natural environment," this atlas combines over 200 full-color photographs, mostly breathtaking satellite images, with a substantial descriptive text. Arranged topically, the photos not only depict landforms but, with the aid of special cameras, computer-generated enhancements, and other techniques, also document movements of wind and water, and cloud and temperature patterns, along with holes in the ozone layer and a number of other ominous, long-term changes in climate, atmosphere, and biosphere. Systematically adding background data, the authors explain in detail what viewers are seeing in each photo and what it all means. Because a quarter of the book is devoted specifically to Europe, smaller collections may opt for the equally dazzling, more widely focused National Geographic Satellite Atlas of the World (National Geographic, 1998), but the depth and drama of this presentation earn it a place in larger reference departments next to The Macmillan Encyclopedia of the Environment (Macmillan, 1997).
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

What a delight! Drawn from a larger work put together by the Bertelsmann Cartographic Institute, this atlas presents 130 satellite photographs taken by the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing and then digitally manipulated and enhanced through the use of digital imagery processing, digital cartography, and geographic information systems. The resulting book is superior to the few similar sources presently available (see, e.g., Satellite Atlas of the World, National Geographic Society, 1998). The atlas uses a combination of image and text to explain natural processes and the consequences of human interventions in the natural environment. Each topic or "case study" contains a large satellite image, a location map insert with scale, several smaller time-sequenced satellite images, and a descriptive table when necessary. A sample of topics includes "The World's Largest Power Station," "Irrigation in Saudi Arabia," "The El Ni?o Phenomenon," and "Air Pollution Caused by Air Traffic." This work should be in all libraries where patrons are interested in global environmental issues, natural science, climatology, and conditions of the earth.AMichael R. Blake, Godfrey Lowell Cabot Science Lib., Harvard Univ.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.