A fresh and modern exploration of environmental geology designed for the undergraduate, introductory environmental geology course for majors and non-majors alike, Environmental Geology Today presents the core geological principles and explores the effects of humanity on the physical environment. Contemporary case studies throughout encourage students to use their critical thinking skills to dissect the subject matter as part of their overall analysis. The numerous case studies are drawn from topical current events that relate to the chapter material and contain numerical data. Using simple math, graphing, and critical thinking, the authors challenge students to analyze aspects of the data, honing their basic math and analytical skills. With a focus on teaching students to think critically about our environment, Environmental Geology Today is a fresh and modern exploration of this ever-evolving field.
Chapter 1 How to Approach the Issues in This Book: The Scientific Method, Critical Thinking, and Logical Fallacies
Chapter 2 The Language of Environmental Geology: Basic Assumptions and Principles
Chapter 3 Human Population Growth
Chapter 4 Global Tectonics and Geohazards
Chapter 5 Volcanic Hazards
Chapter 6 Earthquakes
Chapter 7 Water: The Ultimate Resource
Chapter 8 Groundwater
Chapter 9 Floods: Their Nature, Origin, and Impact
Chapter 10 Geohazards from Surface Failure: Mass Wasting and Subsidence
Chapter 11 The Coast and Coastal Hazards
Chapter 12 Soils and Agriculture
Chapter 13 Mineral Resources
Chapter 14 Energy and Emissions: Global Trends
Chapter 15 Fossil Fuels: Coal
Chapter 16 Fossil Fuels: Oil and Natural Gas
Chapter 17 Renewable and Alternative Energy
Chapter 18 Water Pollution: Today’s Challenges
Chapter 19 Air Pollution
Chapter 20 The Impacts of Global Climate Change
Chapter 21 Land Use, Development, and Zoning
Chapter 22 Waste Production, Reduction, and Disposal
Chapter 23 Geology and Environmental Health
Chapter 24 Development, Trade, and Environmental Quality
Appendix I Periodic Table of Elements
Appendix II Classification of Rocks
Appendix III Geologic Time and the Time Scale
Appendix IV Basic Math and Scientific Notation
Appendix V Population Math Made Easy
Dr Robert McConnell is a Senior Fellow with the U.S. Partnership, Education for Sustainable Development, and Professor (emeritus) of Environmental Science and Geology, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA. He is co-author of Environmental Issues, An Introduction to Sustainability (3rd ed.) and Environmental Issues in Oceanography (2nd ed.). He is also author of more than two dozen commentary articles in major newspapers such as the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Atlanta Constitution, Philadelphia Enquirer, and Richmond Times-Dispatch. He lives and works in Corvallis, Oregon
Dr. Daniel C. Abel is an Associate Professor of Marine Science at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC, where his research focuses on ecology of sharks along the southeast Atlantic coast. He earned his Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of California San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He is co-author of the textbooks Environmental Issues: An Introduction to Sustainability (3rd ed.) and Environmental Issues in Oceanography (2nd ed.), and writes the weekly environmental column Sea Level for the Myrtle Beach Sun News. Dr. Abel is a Fellow of the SC Sustainable Universities Initiative and a Senior Fellow of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development. He is the founding director of CCU's Campus and Community Sustainability Initiative. He resides in Pawley's Island, SC.