As the human population increases, many decisions concerning our use of natural resources will determine our standard of living and the quality of our environment. This reader-friendly book helps readers develop an understanding of how geology interacts with major environmental problems facing society. Focuses on five fundamental concepts of environmental geology: Human Population Growth, Sustainability, Earth as a System, Hazardous Earth Processes, and Scientific Knowledge and Values. Features new chapters on Impacts of Extraterrestrial Objects (Chapter 10) and Waste as a Resource: Waste Management (Chapter 16). Presents new or extensively revised discussion of human population growth, Alaska earthquake of 2002, emerging global water shortage, cleaning Boston Harbor, and much more. Revises many figures to more clearly illustrate the topics under discussion, based on user feedback. An informative reference for anyone interested in learning more about the environment.
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The main objective of Introduction to Environmental Geology, third edition, is to help equip students—particularly those who intend to take only a single science course—with an understanding of the interactions between geologic processes and society. During the first half of the twenty-first century, as the human population increases and the use of resources grows, many decisions concerning our use of those resources, such as water, soil, air, minerals energy, and space to live will determine our standard of living and the quality of our environment. Scientific knowledge combined with our values will dictate those decisions. Your charge, whether as a future leader or simply an informed citizen, is to choose paths of development that are good for people and the environment, that larger community that includes plants, animals, water, and air—in other words, the environment consisting of ecosystems that we and all living things depend upon for our well-being.
Earth's dynamic and changing environment constitutes one of the most compelling and exciting areas of study. Environmental geology is the application of geologic information to the entire spectrum of interactions between people and the physical environment. During a course in environmental geology, you will develop an understanding of how geology interacts with major environmental problems facing people and society. This is the essence of Introduction to Environmental Geology, third edition. Our strategy with this text is to:
After finishing your course in environmental geology, you will be better prepared to make decisions concerning where you build or buy a home, what resources you choose to utilize, and appropriate environmental actions relevant to society and Earth's ecosystems from a local to a global scale.
Five Fundamental Concepts
To this end, this book introduces a device we call the "Fundamental Concepts of Environmental Geology." These five concepts are designed to provide a memorable, transportable framework of understanding that you can carry away from the class and use throughout life to make informed choices about your interaction with and effect upon geologic processes:
These concepts are introduced in the first chapter and then highlighted throughout the text (look for the "Revisiting the Fundamental Concepts" section at the end of every chapter). By tying the content to these five principles, the text provides a framework for understanding that will extend far beyond the confines of this course and into your everyday life.
Organization
Introduction to Environmental Geology, third edition, is well suited to your study of environmental geology, whether you are a geology major or are taking this class as a science elective. I have organized Introduction to Environmental Geology, third edition, to naturally flow from the introduction of fundamental principles of environmental science and geology, to more specific information concerning how Earth works, to natural processes and hazards, to understanding natural resources and their management, with the objective of minimizing environmental degradation. We end with a detailed discussion of global change, focusing on climate and some important interactions between society and the geologic environment.
Introduction to Environmental Geology, third edition, consists of 19 chapters arranged in four parts:
Major New Material in the Third Edition
The third edition benefited greatly from feedback from instructors using the text—most of the changes reflect their thoughtful reviews. Two new chapters—Impacts of Extraterrestrial Objects (Chapter 10) and Waste as a Resource: Waste Management (Chapter 16)—recognize the potential hazard from the former and importance of the latter to society. In addition to these new chapters, new or extensively revised discussions include:
In addition to the above mentioned new chapters and new or revised discussions, the discussion of many topics has been updated. At the request of reviewers, many figures have been revised to more clearly illustrate the topics under discussion.
Features of the Text
This book is sensitive to the study needs of students. Each chapter is clearly structured to help you understand the material and effectively review the major concepts. To help you use the material from the book, each chapter is organ~,zed with the following study aids:
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