Contents	6
	Figures	8
	Tables	12
	Preface to the Second Edition	14
	How to Use This Book	16
	1 Introduction	18
	1 What is environmental science?	18
	2 Environmental interactions, cycles, and systems	21
	3 Ecology and environmentalism	24
	4 History of environmental science	27
	5 Changing attitudes to the natural world	30
	2 Earth Sciences	36
	6 Formation and structure of the Earth	36
	7 The formation of rocks, minerals, and geologic structures	40
	8 Weathering	44
	9 The evolution of landforms	47
	10 Coasts, estuaries, sea levels	51
	11 Energy from the Sun	54
	12 Albedo and heat capacity	59
	13 The greenhouse effect	61
	14 The evolution, composition, and structure of the atmosphere	68
	15 General circulation of the atmosphere	71
	16 Oceans, gyres, currents	76
	17 Weather and climate	81
	18 Glacials, interglacials, and interstadials	85
	19 Dating methods	90
	20 Climate change	93
	21 Climatic regions and floristic regions	98
	3 Physical Resources	107
	22 Fresh water and the hydrologic cycle	107
	23 Eutrophication and the life cycle of lakes	112
	24 Salt water, brackish water, and desalination	116
	25 Irrigation, waterlogging, and salinization	120
	26 Soil formation, ageing, and taxonomy	124
	27 Transport by water and wind	128
	28 Soil, climate, and land use	132
	29 Soil erosion and its control	136
	30 Mining and processing of fuels	140
	31 Mining and processing of minerals	147
	4 Biosphere	154
	32 Biosphere, biomes, biogeography	154
	33 Major biomes	158
	34 Nutrient cycles	164
	35 Respiration and photosynthesis	168
	36 Trophic relationships	172
	37 Energy, numbers, biomass	177
	38 Ecosystems	180
	39 Succession and climax	185
	40 Arrested successions	189
	41 Colonization	193
	42 Stability, instability, and reproductive strategies	196
	43 Simplicity and diversity	200
	44 Homoeostasis, feedback, regulation	205
	45 Limits of tolerance	209
	5 Biological Resources	217
	46 Evolution	217
	47 Evolutionary strategies and game theory	223
	48 Adaptation	227
	49 Dispersal mechanisms	231
	50 Wildlife species and habitats	235
	51 Biodiversity	239
	52 Fisheries	244
	53 Forests	250
	54 Farming for food and fibre	256
	55 Human populations and demographic change	262
	56 Genetic engineering	267
	6 Environmental Management	278
	57 Wildlife conservation	278
	58 Zoos, nature reserves, wilderness	282
	59 Pest control	286
	60 Restoration ecology	291
	61 World conservation strategies	294
	62 Pollution control	298
	63 Hazardous waste	304
	64 Transnational pollution	305
	End of book summary	315
	Glossary	317
	Bibliography	324
	Index	333