The Earth System

Thefirst book that addresses the issues of global change from a true Earth systemsperspective,this new book offers a solid emphasis on lessons from Earthhistory that may guide decision-making in the future. Offersan innovative systems theory approach that allows for a new way of organizinginformation from a variety of disciplines as well as of predicting responses ofsystems to disturbance. Utilizes an Earth history perspective that links theEarth sciences closely with modern global change problems. Includes two boxedfeatures throughout the book that address topical issues related to thematerial in the text, of high appeal and that discuss advanced, especiallyquantitative, treatments. Features several computer modules available on theWorld Wide Web and free when packaged with the book. For Earthscientists who would like a formal introduction to Earth Systems Science.

Booknews

A non-traditional introductory text for non-science majors, using a top-down approach to unifying principles in the natural sciences. Components of the Earth system are treated with consideration of the interplay among them and interactions with living organisms, and environmental problems such as global warming are understood through past events in Earth's history that illuminate how the Earth system responds under stress. Pedagogical features include chapter overviews and summaries, key terms, review questions, and critical thinking problems, plus boxed readings on recent advances. Includes a glossary. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)

Lee R. Kump received his AB degree in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago in 1981 and his PhD in marine sciences from the University of South Florida in 1986. He has been on the faculty of the Department of Geosciences at Penn State since 1986, where he now serves as Professor of Geosciences and affiliate of the NASA Astrobiology Institute and Penn State's Earth System Science Center (ESSC). Dr. Kump is the former coeditor of the preeminent Earth sciences journal Geology and is now editor of the Virtual Journal of Geobiology and associate editor of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, and received the Distinguished Service Medal from the Geological Society of America in 2000. Dr. Kump's research interests include the behavior of nutrient and trace elements in natural environments, the evolution of ocean and atmosphere composition on geologic time scales, biogeochemical cycling in aquatic environments, and environmental change during extreme events (mass extinctions, extreme warm periods, glaciations) in Earth history.

James F. Kasting is a Professor at Penn State University, where he holds joint appointments in the Departments of Geosciences and Meteorology and is an affiliate of the NASA Astrobiology Institute and Penn State's ESSC. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in Chemistry and Physics and did his PhD in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to Penn State in 1988, he spent 7 year§ in the Space Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Dr. Kasting is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the InternationalSociety for the Study of the Origin of Life. His research focuses on the evolution of planetary atmospheres, particularly the question of why the atmospheres of Mars and Venus are so different from that of Earth. Dr. Kasting is also interested in the question of whether habitable planets exist around other stars and how we might look for signatures of life by doing spectroscopy on their atmospheres.

Robert G. Crane received his PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After working as a Research Associate in the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the World Data Center-A for Glaciology in Boulder, he spent a year teaching at the University of Saskatchewan before moving to Penn State in 1985. Dr. Crane's research has been on microwave remote sensing of sea ice, ice-climate interactions, and, more recently, regional-scale climate change, climate downscaling techniques, and climate change and variability in southern Africa. He is coeditor of a text on the applications of artificial neural networks in geography. Currently Dr. Crane holds the position of Professor in the Department of Geography and an affiliate of the ESSC. He also serves as the Associate Dean for Education in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State.