What's Happening to the Frogs?

Understanding Our Environment

A Marvelous Planet

What is Environmental Science?

Science As a Way of Knowing

Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Hypothese and Theories

Natural Experiments and Modeling

Statistics and Probability

Intuition and Inspiration

Paradigms and Scientific Consensus

Applied Science

Restoration Tools

Restoration Back to What?

Creating Artificial Ecosystems

Thinking about Thinking

Approaches to Truth and Knowledge and Meaning

Applying Critical Thinking

Some Clues for "Unpacking"an Argument

Using Critical Thinking

Investigating Our Environment: Don't Believe Everything You See on the Internet

Current Environmental Conditions

Causes of Environmental Degradation

Signs of Hope

Human Dimensions of Environmental Science

Rich and Poor Countries

A Fair Share of Resources?

Sustainability

Indigenous Peoples

Environmental Perspectives

Pessimism and Outrage

Hopeful Optimism

Pragmatic Realism

2 Principles of Ecology: Matter, Energy, and Life

Measuring Energy Flows in Cedar Bog Lake

Energy and Matter in the Environment

What Are Matter and Energy?

Conservation of Matter

Thermodynamics and Energy Transfers

Atoms, Molecules, and Compounds

Chemical Reactions

Acids and Bases

Organic Compounds

Cells: The Fundamental Units of Life

Sunlight: Energy for Life

How Does Photosynthesis Capture Energy

C3 and C4 Photosynthesis

The Miracle of Water

Organizing Living Things: Species and Ecosystems

Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems

Food Chains, Food Webs, and Trophic Levels

Ecological Pyramids

Investigating Our Environment:Bioaccumulation and the Mystery of Lake Laberg

Biogeochemical Cycles and Life Processes

The Carbon Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

The Phosphorus Cycle

The Sulfur Cycle

3 Populations, Communities, and Species Interaction

Who Lives Where, and Why?

Critical Factors and Tolerance Limits

Evolution: Natural Selection and Adaption

Speciation

The Taxonomic Naming System

The Ecological Niche

Weedy Species

Species Interactions

Predation

Competition

Symbiosis

Defensive Mechanisms

Keystone Species

Population Dynamics

Population Growth

Boom and Bust Population Cycles

Growth in Stable Populations

Limiting Factors of Population Growth

K-adapted and r-adapted Species

Community Properties

Productivity

Abundance and Diversity

What Can You Do? Developing a Sense for Where You Live

Complexity, Resilience, and Stability

Case Study:Biodiversity and Stability

Community Structure

Edges and Boundaries

Communities in Transition

Ecological Succession

Climax Communities or Individualistic Succession?

Introduced Species and Community Changes

4 Human Populations

Population Growth

Human Population History

Population Doubling Times

Limits to Growth:Some Opposing Views

Malthusian Checks on Population

Marx on Population Growth

Malthus and Marx Today

Can Technology Make the World More Habitable?

Could More People Be Beneficial?

Investigating Our Environment: Interpreting Graphs

Human Demography

How Many of Us Are There?

Investigating Our Environment: Getting to Know the Neighbors

Fertility and Birthrates

Mortality and Death Rates

Life Span and Life Expectancy

Living Longer: Demographic Implications

Population Growth: Opposing Factors

Pronatalist Pressures

Birth Reduction Pressures

Demographic Transition

Development and Population

An Optimistic View

Case Study: Family Planning in Iran

A Pessimistic View

A Social Justice View

Infant Mortality and Women's Rights

Family Planning and Fertility Control

Traditional Fertility Control

Current Birth-Control Methods

New Developments in Birth Control

The Future of Human Populations

5 Biomes and Biodiversity

Using GIS to Protect Biodiversity

Biomes

Climates and Biomes

Deserts

Grasslands: Prairies and Savannas

Tundra

Conifer Forests

Broad-Leaved Deciduous and Evergreen Forests

Mediterranean/Chaparral/Thorn Shrub

Tropical Moist Forests

Tropical Seasonal Forests

Freshwater Ecosystems

Wetlands

Estuaries

Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Biodiversity

How Many Species Are There?

Biodiversity Hot Spots

How Do We Benefit from Biodiversity

Food

Drugs and Medicines

Ecological Benefits

Aesthetic and Cultural Benefits

What Threatens Biodiversity?

Natural Causes of Extinction

Human-Caused Reductions in Biodiversity

Habitat Destruction

Fragmentation

Hunting and Fishing

Commercial Products and Live Specimens

What Can You Do? Avoid Participating in the Endangered Species Trade

Predator and Pest Control

Exotic Species Introductions

Diseases

Pollution

Genetic Assimilation

Protecting Biodiversity

Hunting and Fishing Laws

The Endangered Species Act

Recovery Plans

Minimum Viable Populations

Private Land and Critical Habitat

Reauthorizing the Endangered Species Act

International Wildlife Treaties

6 Environmental Conservation: Forests, Grasslands, Parks, and Nature Preserves

Assessing Biodiversity

World Forests

Forest Distribution

Forest Products

Tropical Forests

Temperate Forests

What Can You Do? Lowering Your Forest Impacts

Rangelands

Range Management

Rangelands in the United States

New Approaches to Ranching

Parks and Nature Preserves

North American Parks

Park Problems

Wildlife Issues

Pars and Ecosystems

Case Study: Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone

World Parks and Preserves

Protecting natural Heritage

Size and Design of Nature Preserves

Conservation and Economic Development

Indigenous Communities and Biosphere Reserves

What Can You Do? Being a Responsible Ecotourist

7 Food and Agriculture

Golden Rice

Nutrition and Food Supplies

Chronic Hunger and Food Security

Essential Nutrients

Eating a Balanced Diet

Famines

Major Food Sources

Major Crops

Meat, Milk, and Seafood

Soil: A Renewable Resource

Soil Organisms

Soil Profiles

Soil Types

Ways We Use and Abuse Soil

Land Resources

Land Degradation

Erosion: The Nature of the Problem

Mechanisms of Erosion

Erosion Hot Spots

Other Agricultural Resources

Water

Fertilizer

Energy

Pest Control

What Can You Do? Reducing the Pesticides in Your Food

New Crops and Genetic Engineering

The Green Revolution

Genetic Engineering

Pest Resistance

Weed Control

Public Opposition

Sustainable Agriculture

Soil Conservation

Managing Topography

Providing Ground Cover

Reduced Tillage

Case Study: Organic Farming in Cuba

Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture

8 Environmental Health and Toxicology

Rachel Carson—A Voice for Nature

Types of Environmental Health Hazards

Infectious Organisms

Morbidity and Quality of Life

Emergent Diseases and Environmental Change

Antibiotic Pesticide and Resistance

Toxic Chemicals

Diet

What Can You Do? National Health Recommendations and Diet Goals

Movement, Distribution, and Fate of Toxins

Solubility

Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

Sensitivity and Developmental Stage

Investigating Our Environment: Soft Vinyl Toys and Medical Supplies

Persistence

Chemical Interactions

Mechanisms for Minimizing Toxic Effects

Metabolic Degradation and Excretion

Repair Mechanisms

Measuring Toxicity

Animal Testing

Toxicity Ratings

Acute Versus Chronic Doses and Effects

Detection Limits

Risk Assessment and Acceptance

Assessing Risks

Accepting Risks

Establishing Public Policy

9 Air: Climate and Pollution

The Discovery of Global Warming

The Atmosphere and Climate

Energy and the "Greenhouse Effect"

Convection and Atmospheric Pressure

Why Does it Rain?

Coriolis Effect

Jet Streams

Ocean Currents

Seasonal Winds and Monsoons

Climate Change

El Nino/Southern Oscillation

Human-Caused Global Climate Change

Feedback Effects

Winners and Losers

Debate and Solutions

Case Study: Science and Policy in the Kyoto Protocol

Climate and Air Pollution

Major Kinds of Pollutants

Sources and Problems of Major Pollutants

Indoor Air Pollution

Interactions between Climate Processes and Air Pollution

Long-Range Transport

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Signs of Progress

Urban Climates

Effects of Air Pollution

Human Health

Plant Pathology

Visibility Reduction

Acid Deposition

Air Pollution Control

Reducing Production

What Can You Do? Saving Energy and Reducing Pollution

Clean Air Legislation

Current Conditions and Future Prospects

Air Pollution in Developing Countries

Signs of Hope

10 Water: Resources and Pollution

Where Has the River Gone?

Water Resources

Where Does Our Water Come From?

Major Water Compartments

Groundwater

Rivers, Lakes, and Wetlands

The Atmosphere

Water Availability and Use

Water-Rich and Water-Poor Countries

Types of Water Use

Quantities of Water Used

Freshwater Shortages

A Precious Resource

Case Study: Rural Water Programs in Malawi

Depleting Groundwater

Can We Increase Water Supplies?

Dams, Reservoirs, and Canals

Dams and Justice

Water Management and Conservation

What Can You Do? Saving Water and Preventing Pollution

You Can Make a Difference: Domestic Conservation

Signs of Progress

Water Pollution

Point and Nonpoint Source Pollution

Biological Pollution

Infectious Agents

Investigating Our Environment: How Do We Test Water?

Inorganic Pollutants

Organic Chemicals

Sediment and Thermal Pollution

Water Quality today

Progress in the United States and Canada

Watershed Approaches

Remaining Problems in the United States and Canada

Problems and Progress in Other Countries

Groundwater Pollution

Ocean Pollution

Pollution Control

Nonpoint Sources and Land Management

Sewage Treatment

Remediation

Water Legislation

The Clean Water Act

11 Environmental Geology and Earth Resources

Death in a Mine Pit

A Dynamic Planet

A Layered Sphere

Tectonic Processes and Shifting Continents

Minerals and Rocks

Rock Types of How They Form

Weathering and Sedimentation

Economic Geology and Mineralogy

Metals

Nonmetal and Mineral Resources

Oil, Coal, and Uranium

Strategic Metals and Minerals

Environmental Effects of Resource Extraction

Mining

Processing

Conserving Geologic Resources

Recycling

Steel and Iron Recycling: Minimills

Substituting New Materials for Old

Geologic Hazards

Earthquakes

Volcanoes

Floods

Erosion

12 Energy

Buffalo Ridge

Energy Sources and Uses

Current Energy Sources

Per Capita Consumption

How We Use Energy

Fossil Fuels

Coal

Oil

Natural Gas

Nuclear Power

How Do Nuclear Reactors Work?

Nuclear Reactor Design

Nuclear Wastes

What's the Future of Nuclear Power?

Energy Conservation

Using Energy More Efficiently

Case Study: Hybrid Automobile Engines

What Can You Do? Some Things You Can Do to Save Energy

Solar Energy

Passive Solar Heat

Active Solar Heat

High-Temperature Solar Energy

Photovoltaic Energy

Storing Electrical Energy

Promoting Renewable Energy

Fuel Cells

Biomass

Fuelwood Crisis in Less-Developed Countries

Dung and Methane As Fuels

Alcohol from Biomass

Energy from the Earth's Forces

Hydropower

Wind Energy

Geothermal, Tidal, and Wave Energy

An Alternative Energy Future?

13 Solid and Hazardous Waste

Garbology: The Science of Trash

Waste

The Waste Stream

Waste-Disposal Methods

Open Dumps

Ocean Dumping

Landfills

Exporting Waste

Incineration and Resource Recovery

Shrinking the Waste Stream

Recycling

Composting

Energy from Waste

Demanufacturing

Reuse

Producing Less Waste

What Can You Do? Reducing Waste

Hazardous and Toxic Wastes

What Is Hazardous Waste?

Hazardous-Waste Disposal

Investigating Our Environment: Environmental Justice Options for Hazardous-Waste Management

14 Sustainability and Human Development

Curitiba: An Environmental Showcase

Sustainability and Resources

Sustainable Development

Can Development Be Sustainable?

Resources in Classical Economics

Neoclassical Economics

Ecological Economics

Scarcity and Limits to Growth

Communal Property and the Tragedy of the Commons

Cost-Benefit Analysis and Natural Resource Accounting

Accounting for Nonmonetary Resources

Discount Rates

Internal and External Costs

Trade and Development

International Trade

International Development and the World Bank

Microlending

Green Business and Green Design

Design for the Environment

What Can You Do? Personally Responsible Consumerism

Jobs and the Environment

Urban Development and Sustainable Cities

Urban Growth

Third World Cities

Case Study: A Model Sustainable City

Causes of Urban Growth

Urban Problems in Developing Countries

Air and Water Pollution

Housing

Urban Problems in the Developing World

Urban Decay and Sprawl

Transportation

What Can You Do? Join Community Projects

City Planning and Sustainability

Urban Sustainability in the Developed World

Investigating Our Environment: Urban LTERS

Sustainable Development in the Third World

15 Environmental Science and Policy

The Christmas Bird Count

Making Decisions in an Uncertain World

Adaptive Management

"Wicked" Problems

The Precautionary Principle

Environmental Education

Environmental Literacy

Environmental Careers

Citizen Science

Environmental Policy

The Policy Cycle

Political Decision Making

NEPA and EIS

Environmental Law

Statutory Law: The Legislative Branch

Case Law: The Judicial Branch

Administrative Law: The Executive Branch

International Treaties and Conventions

Investigating Our Environment: Reasoned Judgment and Scientific Uncertainty

Dispute Resolution and Community-Based Planning

Arbitration and Mediation

Collaborative Approaches to Community-Based Planning

Citizen Participation

Collective Action

Student Environmental Groups

Mainline Environmental Organizations

Radical Environmental Groups

International Nongovernmental Organizations