This book offers a user-friendly overview of our physical environment with balanced, up-to-date coverage of geology, oceanography, astronomy, and meteorology. The emphasis is on readability, with clear, example-driven explanations refined by over twenty years of feedback. It takes full advantage of the subject's visual appeal. Discussions are reinforced with a superb collection of color photos along with newly redrafted illustrations by highly respected earth science illustrator, Dennis Tasa. Throughout the book, a stronger emphasis is placed on the themes of Earth as a system and the interactions between people and the natural environment. A designated home page at http: //www.prenhall.com/earthsci provides on-line review exercises, opportunities for further research, follow-up on items mentioned in the book, and links to a wealth of interesting sites related to the chapter material. The GEODe II CD-ROM will be packaged Free with each book, and icons within the text direct users to explore related material on the CD-ROM. Plus, content has been significantly up