Feature Summary

• Shorter size
• Reasonable price
• Better coverage of scientific principles
• Critical thinking/active learning emphasis
• Internet projects/exercises that teach modern research

This book is an effort to strengthen the science content of environmental science textbooks, while at the same time reducing the unwieldy size--and cost--that some books in the field have achieved over the years. We have written this book in response to professors who have called for more, better coverage of scientific principles, and to calls for a book small enough that most of it can be used in a semester-long course. We understand that one environmental science course is sometimes a student's only exposure to science, while for other students an environmental science course needs to provide a firm foundation for further science courses. In either case, students often want a reasonable coverage of science as it is applied to environmental problems and solutions. Accordingly, this book presents an introduction to a wide range of topics in environmental science. At the same time we have worked to keep a strong critical thinking and active learning component of this work, so that students might become independent, reasoning thinkers.

Science is becoming ever more important and omnipresent in modern life. In our highly technological society, every citizen needs some understanding of how the scientific process works as well as how to interpret scientific information. In recent years, an increasing number of instructors have called for textbooks that give students a strong foundation in the basic principles of environmental science. In this book, we have made the question of how scientists approach important contemporary environmental problems a central theme that weaves through every chapter. An introductory story begins each chapter to introduce some important problems and show how they relate to practical concerns. These stories also begin the process of exploring how scientists study complex issues. In addition to these introductory articles, case studies and examples of how scientists investigate our environment appear periodically throughout the book to remind readers about the practical importance of these issues.

What does it mean to be scientifically literate? And how can we convey basic scientific principles to students who have had little exposure to science courses before reading this book? We assume that the majority of our audience is composed of undergraduate non-science majors. Consequently, we've tried to describe the essential questions that scientists address in environmental studies without getting bogged down in details that may be incomprehensible to our readers. For instructors who want more detail and greater depth in particular areas, we have provided links to web resources that can help students learn more. Also, the relatively modest length of this book allows for additional resources that individual professors may want to add in order to enhance their topics of particular interest.

Students come to environmental science with a wide range of backgrounds and expectations. No single book can meet all needs, but as much as possible we've tried to provide a solid foundation--enough to give a good grounding in methods and ideas, but not so much that students will give up in frustration.

With the communication revolution in which we now find ourselves immersed, we find that competing claims and contradictory ideas battle for our attention. How can we make sense out of the deluge of information and misinformation that inundates us daily? For every expert there seems to be an equal and opposite expert to deny whatever they say. How can we know what or whom to believe?

Learning how scientists approach problems can help students develop habits of independent, orderly, and objective thought. But it takes active involvement to master these skills. Throughout this book, we encourage students to practice thinking on their own. Data and interpretations aren't presented as immutable truths, but rather as evidence to be examined and tested. We try to give a balanced view of controversial topics. Inevitably, our preferences and worldviews color how we see issues, but we attempt to either set aside our own biases or make them clear to the reader.

Because we think a discouraged student is unlikely to take positive action, we also strive to avoid the "gloom and doom" or "shame and blame" attitude found in many environmental science textbooks. Instead, we adopt a balanced but cautiously optimistic view that will encourage readers to look for ways that we can solve problems and make our world a better place to live. In nearly every chapter, we include "What can you do?" boxes that give practical suggestions for things individuals can do to make a difference. Most chapters also have short applications boxes that invite the reader to stop for a moment and practice using the principles they've learned.

Every chapter ends with a summary of main points, a list of key terms, and review questions that help the student review material and prepare for tests. A more challenging, open-ended set of questions titled "Thinking Scientifically" encourages students to think more deeply and creatively about issues and principles presented in the chapter. These questions make excellent starting points for discussion sections. They also could be used to practice for essay exams, or might even serve as an essay exam themselves.

As the field of environmental science has matured, textbooks have gotten more encyclopedic and more expensive. Increasingly, both instructors and students call for more concise and affordable texts. This book attempts to fill that need. Rather than the 25 to 30 chapters found in most environmental science textbooks, we've limited this book to only 15 chapters, or about one chapter per week for a typical semester course. To do this we have had to condense the book to focus on key principles that are essential to the majority of environmental science courses. Inevitably many instructors will feel that their favorite topic is given too little space. Unfortunately, everyone has a different favorite topic. The chapter that you want to drop is the crucial one for someone else, while the chapter they suggest discarding is the one you can't do without. We hope that this book provides a reasonable compromise in giving a broad introduction to major topics that will enable students to read other sources and follow current events on their own. The moderate size and price of this book should also allow instructors to add supplementary materials to fill out their own class objectives.

At the same time that we've reduced the coverage of specific issues and concentrated instead on principles in this book, we haven't abandoned current events entirely. We believe that students need examples to add interest and to bring ideas to life. Additional case studies and examples are also available on the book's web site. In addition to what we hope is a lively, accessible writing style, we've filled this book with nearly 400 full color photographs and line-art figures to illustrate the ideas in the text.

The outline of Principles of Environmental Science follows a widely used order of topics, but we know that many instructors choose to organize their courses around their own outlines. We've written each chapter in a way that doesn't assume that students have already read other chapters in any particular order. If instructors prefer a different organization of course topics, chapters can be presented in any order suits their needs.

The World Wide Web has become a vast and valuable resource for students. You can find a wealth of information there to update or supplement topics in environmental science. We incorporate this resource more fully in this text than in any other environmental science book currently available. Every chapter opens with a list of web-based resources that relate to and enrich the chapter contents. At the end of each chapter a web-based exercise invites students to visit specific web pages and use the data found there to create graphs, make comparisons, or do some other creative, analytical thinking. These aren't simplistic exercises that just ask the reader to visit a site and report on what it contains. Rather, we ask the student to really explore these resources and use the information they find in practical ways. Note that these exercises are just a beginning: instructors and students can modify or add to these exercises if they wish. One of our objectives in these exercises is simply to expose students to important data sources. Another is to encourage students to work with data, create graphs, map data, and experience some of the ways that scientists create and share information today.

At the same time that the Internet is a wonderful resource, it can also be chaotic, contradictory, and completely without any quality control. On the positive side, alternative groups that ordinarily wouldn't have access to mainstream media can have a voice. People with unusual interests can find each other to share ideas and information. It also means, however, that anyone can post rumors, myths, speculation, or outright lies anonymously and inexpensively. This is why we emphasize learning to think independently and critically as essential skills in becoming an informed environmental citizen.