Atmosphere

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-A general overview of how atmospheric gases effect Earth and how the actions of people are changing the atmosphere's composition. The authors cover ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect, global warming, and international efforts related to solving such threats, as well as provide suggestions as to what individuals can do. Some of the captioned, full-color diagrams and photographs complement the text, but others are not well chosen or are not clearly tied to the topic. Some have appeared in other volumes in the series. Boxed items (e.g., on Rowland and Molina's 1974 report warning that CFCs were causing serious ozone loss) offer additional information and may be what will interest students the most. There is a list of organizations, but no suggestions for further reading. Laurence Pringle's Vanishing Ozone (Morrow, 1995) has a similar scope and offers a more balanced view of the scientific activity and economic and political forces related to this global problem.-Carolyn Angus, The Claremont Graduate School, CA