Environmental Science Principles and Practices

The goal of Environmental Science: Principles and Practices provides the scientific principles, concepts, applications, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions, such as renewable energy sources, for resolving and even preventing them. This work introduces the science related to all of the environmental mediums of air, water, soil and biota to the undergraduate student in environmental science and related disciplines. Interdisciplinary by nature, environmental science embraces a wide array of topics from different areas of study. Environmental Science: Principles and Practices, however, unifies several major themes that cut across the many topics encompassed in the study of environmental science. These include grasping ·How energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.·How the earth's environment functions as an integrated system.·How human activities alter natural systems.·How the role of culture social and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.·How human survival depends on practical ideas of stewardship and sustainability. Environmental Science: Principles and Practices is an ideal work for students and even scholars of science in the classroom and at home, in the library and in the lab.