Books » Earth Sciences Books

The inspirational true story of how one man led a football team-and a city-to triumph in Super Bowl XLIV.

In the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Superdome became a national symbol of misery and hopelessness, where the truly desperate rode out the storm.
Four years later, in that very stadium, the New Orleans Saints won the NFC championship and earned their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl.
Two weeks later, the Saints soundly defeated the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 in what would become the most-watched television event in history.
This is the inspirational story of a city recovering from disaster and a team with a history of heartbreak, seen through the eyes of the coach who taught them both how to win.

Droughts. Floods.
Climate refugees.
Global warming isn't just about polar bears anymore.

Let's assume we do nothing about climate change. Imagine that we just continue to emit carbon at our current levels or even exceed those levels. How would our weather change? What would our forecast be? Welcome to The Weather of the Future.

In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Heidi Cullen, one of the world's foremost climatologists and environmental journalists, puts a vivid face on climate change, offering a new way of seeing this phenomenon not just as an event set to happen in the distant future but as something happening right now in our own backyards. Arguing that we must connect the weather of today with the climate change of tomorrow, Cullen combines the latest research from scientists on the ground with state-of-the-art climate-model projections to create climate-change scenarios for seven of the most at-risk locations around the world.

From the Central Valley of California, where coming droughts will jeopardize the entire state's water supply, to Greenland, where warmer temperatures will give access to mineral wealth buried beneath ice sheets for millennia, Cullen illustrates how, if left unabated, climate change will transform every corner of the world by midcentury. What emerges is a mosaic of changing weather patterns that collectively spell out the range of risks posed by global warming?whether it's New York City, whose infrastructure is extremely vulnerable to even a relatively weak category 3 hurricane, or Bangladesh, a country so low-lying that millions of people could become climate refugees due to rising sea levels.

Provocative and convincing, The Weather of the Future makes climate change local, showing how no two regions of the country or the world will be affected in quite the same way, and demonstrating that melting ice is just the beginning.

To understand timely issues such as natural disasters and environmental challenges-and to evaluate solutions to related problems-the average citizen needs a basic awareness of the scientific principles that influence our planet. This trusted book makes an often-complex subject accessible to readers with a strong focus on readability and illustrations. Offers a meaningful, non-technical survey that is informative and up to date for learning basic principles and concepts. Includes a revised and expanded GEODe Earth CD-ROM. Updates and revises art and illustrations to include dozens of new high-quality, photographs carefully selected to aid understanding and add realism. Provides a wealth of new special-interest boxes, including "Earth as a System," "People and the Environment," and "Understanding Earth." A useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about Earth's geology.

"How do the oceans work?" To help readers find the answers, Trujillo and Thurman present in-depth and rigorous discussions of oceanographic concepts and demystify the science for the layperson. Highlights the interdisciplinary relationship between oceanographic phenomena and how those phenomena affect other Earth systems. Incorporates scientific information from geology, chemistry, physics, and biology to illustrate how each of these disciplines relates to the ocean. Updates content throughout to include some of the most recent developments in oceanography, such as the recent Indian Ocean tsunamis and Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. A readable, informative reference for anyone interested in learning more about our oceans.

Carrying forthTom L. McKnight's well-known thematic focus on landscape appreciation, this best-seller fosters a solid understanding of Earth and its physical geography. Its clear, user-friendly writing style, superior art program, and abundant pedagogy appeal to a wide variety of readers. Updates and expands coverage of global environmental change, including a new section on measuring and understanding climate change. Expands section on human alteration of the atmosphere, including ozone depletion and air pollution. Expands sections on tsunamis and human modification of shorelines. A useful reference for anyone interested in physical geography.

This nontechnical treatment is a great introduction to oil and gas production for anyone from beginning petroleum engineering and geology students to accountants, salespersons, and other professionals interested in the industry. Co-authored by Martin Raymond, a veteran production manager, and William Leffler, one of the top petroleum nontechnical writers, it is an easy-to-read reference for those who deal with petroleum industry personnel and production issues in their jobs, but need a quick overview of the technical and business issues. Complete with helpful charts and diagrams, this book covers everything from production equipment and processes to theory, business operations, and strategies.

Once again, Ms. Frizzle gets her class right in the "thick" of things--this time, they're right in the thick ooze of an underwater volcano's magma chamber! As Arnold and Carlos watch from a raft above, the Magic School Bus "erupts" with the magma and lava, and lands atop a brand-new island!

Global climate change is one of the most important issues humanity faces today. This book assesses the sensible, senseless and biased proposals for averting the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions on switching to more sustainable energy provision. Burton Richter is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who has served on many US and international review committees on climate change and energy issues. He provides a concise overview of our knowledge and uncertainties within climate change science, discusses current energy demand and supply patterns, and the energy options available to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. Written in non-technical language, this book presents a balanced view of options for moving from our heavy reliance on fossil fuels into a much more sustainable energy system, and is accessible to a wide range of readers without scientific backgrounds - students, policymakers, and the concerned citizen.