The 5th Edition of Visualizing Environmental Science provides students with a valuable opportunity to identify and connect the central issues of environmental science through a visual approach. Beautifully illustrated, this fifth edition shows students what the discipline is all about—its main concepts and applications—while also instilling an appreciation and excitement about the richness of the subject. This edition is thoroughly refined and expanded; the visuals utilize insights from research on student learning and feedback from users.

Table of Contents:
1 The Environmental Challenges We Face 2 Human Impacts on the Environment 4 Envirodiscovery 1.1: Green Roofs 8 Sustainability and the Environment 12 Environmental Science 16 How We Handle Environmental Problems 20 Envirodiscovery 1.2: Getting Past NIMBY 22 Case Study 1.1: The New Orleans Disaster 23 2 Sustainability and Human Values 26 Human Use of the Earth 28 Human Values and Environmental Problems 31 Environmental Justice 35 An Overall Plan for Sustainable Living 36 Case Study 2.1: The Loess Plateau in China 44 3 Environmental History, Politics, and Economics 48 Conservation and Preservation of Resources 50 Environmental History 51 Envirodiscovery 3.1: Environmental Literacy 58 Environmental Legislation 59 Environmental Economics 62 Case Study 3.1: Tradable Permits and Acid Rain 68 4 Risk Analysis and Environmental Health Hazards 72 A Perspective on Risks 74 Environmental Health Hazards 77 Movement and Fate of Toxicants 81 Determining Health Effects of Pollutants 85 Envirodiscovery 4.1: Smoking: A Significant Risk 88 The Precautionary Principle 90 Case Study 4.1: Endocrine Disrupters 92 5 How Ecosystems Work 96 What Is Ecology? 98 The Flow of Energy Through Ecosystems 100 The Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems 106 Ecological Niches 113 What a Scientist Sees 5.1: Resource Partitioning 115 Interactions Among Organisms 116 Envirodiscovery 5.1: Bee Colonies Under Threat 118 Case Study 5.1: Global Climate Change: How Does It Affect the Carbon Cycle? 122 6 Ecosystems and Evolution 126 Factors That Shape Biomes 128 Describing Earth’s Major Biomes 132 Envirodiscovery 6.1: Using Goats to Fight Fires 138 Aquatic Ecosystems 142 What a Scientist Sees 6.1: Zonation in a Large Lake 143 Population Responses to Changing Conditions over Time: Evolution 147 Community Responses to Changing Conditions over Time: Succession 151 Case Study 6.1: Wildfires 154 7 Human Population Change and the Environment 158 Population Ecology 160 Human Population Patterns 165 Demographics of Countries 168 Stabilizing World Population 173 Envirodiscovery 7.1: Microcredit Programs 176 What a Scientist Sees 7.1: Education and Fertility 177 Population and Urbanization 178 Case Study 7.1: Urban Planning in Curitiba, Brazil 184 8 Air and Air Pollution 188 The Atmosphere 190 Types and Sources of Air Pollution 194 What a Scientist Sees 8.1: Air Pollution from Volcanoes 197 Effects of Air Pollution 199 Envirodiscovery 8.1: Air Pollution May Affect Precipitation 201 Controlling Air Pollutants 204 Indoor Air Pollution 207 Case Study 8.1: Curbing Air Pollution in Chattanooga 210 9 Global Atmospheric Changes 214 The Atmosphere and Climate 216 What a Scientist Sees 9.1: Rain Shadow 219 Global Climate Change 220 Ozone Depletion in the Stratosphere 229 Envirodiscovery 9.1: Links Between Climate and Atmospheric Change 231 Acid Deposition 232 Case Study 9.1: International Implications of Global Climate Change 236 10 Freshwater Resources and Water Pollution 240 The Importance of Water 242 Water Resource Problems 245 Water Management 252 Water Pollution 256 What a Scientist Sees 10.1: Oligotrophic and Eutrophic Lakes 257 Improving Water Quality 262 Case Study 10.1: China’s Three Gorges Dam 267 11 The Ocean and Fisheries 270 The Global Ocean 272 Major Ocean Life Zones 276 Envirodiscovery 11.1: Otters in Trouble 280 Human Impacts on the Ocean 282 What a Scientist Sees 11.1: Modern Commercial Fishing Methods 284 What a Scientist Sees 11.2: Ocean Warming and Coral Bleaching 287 Addressing Ocean Problems 289 Case Study 11.1: The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico 291 12 Mineral and Soil Resources 294 Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle 296 Economic Geology: Useful Minerals 300 Environmental Implications of Mineral Use 304 Envirodiscovery 12.1: Not-So-Precious Gold 305 Soil Properties and Processes 307 What a Scientist Sees 12.1: Soil Profile 308 Soil Problems and Conservation 310 Case Study 12.1: Coping with “Conflict Minerals” 315 13 Land Resources 318 Land Use in the United States 320 Forests and Forest Management 322 Envirodiscovery 13.1: Ecologically Certified Wood 324 What a Scientist Sees 13.1: Harvesting Trees 326 Deforestation 327 Rangelands 331 National Parks and Wilderness Areas 334 Conservation of Land Resources 339 Case Study 13.1: The Tongass Debate over Clear-Cutting 342 14 Agriculture and Food Resources 346 World Food Problems 348 The Principal Types of Agriculture 351 Challenges of Producing More Crops and Livestock 353 Solutions to Agricultural Problems 358 Controlling Agricultural Pests 362 What a Scientist Sees 14.1: Pesticide Use and New Pest Species 364 Case Study 14.1: Organic Agriculture 366 15 Biodiversity and Conservation 370 Species Richness and Biological Diversity 372 Endangered and Extinct Species 376 Envirodiscovery 15.1: Is Your Coffee Bird Friendly®? 378 What a Scientist Sees 15.1: Where Is Declining Biological Diversity the Most Serious? 379 Conservation Biology 384 Conservation Policies and Laws 388 Case Study 15.1: The Challenges of Protecting Rare Species 391 16 Solid and Hazardous Waste 394 Solid Waste 396 What a Scientist Sees 16.1: Sanitary Landfills 399 Envirodiscovery 16.1: The U.S.–China Recycling Connection 402 Reducing Solid Waste 402 Hazardous Waste 407 Envirodiscovery 16.2: Handling Nanotechnology Safely 408 Managing Hazardous Waste 410 Case Study 16.1: High-Tech Waste 413 17 Nonrenewable Energy Resources 416 Energy Consumption 418 Coal 419 Oil and Natural Gas 421 Nuclear Energy 428 Envirodiscovery 17.1: A Nuclear Waste Nightmare 435 What a Scientist Sees 17.1: Yucca Mountain 436 Case Study 17.1: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 437 18 Renewable Energy Resources 440 Direct Solar Energy 442 What a Scientist Sees 18.1: Photovoltaic Cells 444 Indirect Solar Energy 448 Other Renewable Energy Sources 454 Energy Solutions: Conservation and Efficiency 456 Envirodiscovery 18.1: Deep Energy Retrofits 456 Case Study 18.1: Green Architecture 461 Graphing Appendix 464 Glossary 473 Index 478