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Books in Earth and planetary sciences

Elsevier's Earth and Planetary Sciences collection brings together pioneering research on the complexities of our planet and beyond. Covering topics from Earth's structural dynamics and ecosystems to planetary exploration, these titles support advancements in geoscience, environmental science, and space studies, offering essential insights for researchers, professionals, and students.

  • Naming the Universe

    An Etymological Dictionary of Physics, Mathematics and Space Sciences
    • 1st Edition
    • Lorenzo Iorio
    • English
    Naming the Universe: An Etymological Dictionary of Physics, Mathematics and Space Sciences explores the Greek and Latin roots of scientific terminology used in physics, astronomy, and planetary sciences. It addresses the need for precise etymological understanding to improve clarity and communication in advanced research and education. The book systematically traces the origins of key terms, providing accurate translations, historical context, and visual aids like diagrams and figures of celestial bodies and concepts. Organized into chapters covering general terms, experimental techniques, mathematics, physics, optics, astronomy, and planetary features, it offers a comprehensive resource for researchers, educators, and students alike.By deepening understanding of scientific language’s historical foundations, the book enhances terminology mastery, supports pedagogical efforts, and fosters interdisciplinary knowledge, making it an invaluable tool for those seeking a richer comprehension of scientific concepts rooted in classical languages.
  • Science, Culture, and Climate

    Navigating Change
    • 1st Edition
    • Thomas Rickenbach
    • English
    Science, Culture, and Climate: Navigating Change is a timely textbook that makes an engaging, accessible case that solutions to the climate crisis require a deep embrace of science, infused with an understanding of the social constructs and history that forged our culture.The initial chapter calibrates the reader’s understanding and significance of science. The next chapters describe how climate and life on Earth are deeply interconnected, trace the nexus of climate change and the evolution of human society, and demonstrate how our energy choices have inadvertently triggered a climate crisis. Subsequent chapters explore how people process risk as they respond to challenges, reflect on how major change was accomplished in America’s past, and examine global approaches and U.S political response to climate change.The concluding chapter highlights the moral imperatives that form the basis of trust, to help pave the fraught road to lasting climate solutions.This textbook is ideal for undergraduate students in environmental science and non-science majors studying climate change within history, anthropology, ethics, political science, engineering, psychology, and other disciplines. It is also useful for professionals in areas related to environment and sustainability, for advanced high school students, as well as for a general readership. Supplementary resource materials to accompany the book include narrated videos, in-class activities, and PowerPoint slides.
  • Stratigraphy

    • 1st Edition
    • Octavian Catuneanu
    • English
    Stratigraphy provides a comprehensive review of various stratigraphy types in a consistent, systematic manner. Each chapter includes definitions, concepts, practical applications, and case studies. The book begins with an overview of the discipline's historical principles. Subsequent chapters delve into specific types of stratigraphy: lithostratigraphy (lithology), biostratigraphy (fossil content), chemostratigraphy (geochemical properties), magnetostratigraphy (magnetic polarity), chronostratigraphy (absolute age), cyclostratigraphy (relationship to astronomical forcing), allostratigraphy (lithological discontinuities), and sequence stratigraphy (stratal stacking patterns). This structured approach makes the book a convenient reference for quickly reviewing and comparing different stratigraphy types.Each chapter follows a consistent outline, making the text accessible and easy to navigate. This invaluable reference links theory with practice, and provides critical insights into the practical workflow that enables stratigraphic correlation in diverse geological contexts. The systematic presentation ensures that readers can efficiently compare and contrast the different stratigraphy types, enhancing their ability to integrate different stratigraphic methods in order to unravel the full array of physical and temporal complexities of the 3D stratigraphic framework.
  • Comprehensive Cryospheric Science and Environmental Change

    • 1st Edition
    • Richard Kelly + 1 more
    • English
    The cryosphere is where water is frozen on the Earth. It includes glaciers and ice sheets, sea ice and terrestrial snow cover, permanently and seasonally frozen ground, and frozen lakes and rivers. It is also where indigenous and non-indigenous communities reside across the high latitudes and at high altitudes. As a result of human-induced global warming, the cryosphere is shrinking in its coverage and changing in its temporal behavior, which will have profound implications for society.Comprehensiv... Cryospheric Science and Environmental Change, Four Volume Set provides a broad and comprehensive overview of the cryosphere and our understanding of its energy and mass processes. Containing approximately 80 chapters written by world-leading experts, it contextualizes the state of current cryosphere against past states over geologic time, explaining how and why the cryosphere is changing and what the implications are for the environment and society.Structured using an integrative approach, it draws together scientific understanding of the cryosphere from the perspective of fundamental physical principles, field experimentation, remote sensing observations and numerical modelling, to demonstrate how society will be impacted and respond to consequential environmental change. With the availability of sophisticated modelling tools and big data, scientific skill in modelling cryospheric systems has led to improved understanding of past cryospheric environments and increasingly skillful predictions of the future. With our evolving, yet not fully formed understanding of how society responds to environmental change, this work outlines current thinking around vulnerability, impact, adaptation and mitigation of cryosphere-induced environmental change, for example sea level rise, snow and sea ice season changes and permafrost degradation.Ideal for geoscience and earth/environmental science researchers of all levels, this one-stop reference work provides deep-level treatment of data science and the human responses to cryospheric change via a fully integrated, interdisciplinary approach.
  • Drought Dynamics

    Modeling and Assessment to Confront a Changing Climate
    • 1st Edition
    • Mir Jafar Sadegh Safari + 1 more
    • English
    Drought Dynamics: Modeling and Assessment to Confront a Changing Climate synthesizes the latest research findings and practical insights from leading experts in the field. The book provides the knowledge and tools necessary to understand the causes and impacts of drought, predict its occurrence, and implement practical measures to mitigate its effects. It begins with an in-depth review of fundamental drought theory followed by a closer examination of related aspects like social behavior, food security, health, climate, sediment, architecture, and education. Next, a close look at geography information systems including data assessment, models, maps, and visualizations is explored. Additional sections explore drought management, along with community resilience, adaptation, policy, and the economy. New trends in drought studies are presented, including the latest practical technologies and the use of artificial intelligence. Lastly, a series of detailed case studies offer practical insights on data assessment, modeling, experimental studies, and climate change. The editors and contributing authors offer this resource to help build resilience and sustainability in the face of one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
  • Health Geography

    Innovative Geospatial Epidemiology
    • 1st Edition
    • Andreas Tsatsaris + 4 more
    • English
    Health Geography: Innovative Geospatial Epidemiology presents a comprehensive exploration of the fundamental principles and methodologies underpinning remote sensing for spatial epidemiology. Organised in two parts, the first delves into the methodology of utilizing cutting-edge remote sensing technologies to detect, analyze, and predict the spatial distribution of infectious diseases through the process of extracting critical information and creating accurate geospatial models for disease mapping and monitoring. The second part provides numerous case studies that illustrate the real-world applications and transformative potential of the interdisciplinary approaches, allowing the book to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation. Health Geography is an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in spatial epidemiology, geospatial sciences, and geostatistics seeking to utilize the potential of remote sensing technologies in tackling spatial epidemiological challenges.
  • Agricultural Applications of Earth Observation

    • 1st Edition
    • Peng Fu
    • English
    Agricultural Applications of Earth Observation details the revolutionary impact of satellite and remote sensing technologies in enhancing agricultural practices. It bridges the knowledge gap by making advanced satellite and sensor data understandable and applicable, enabling readers to select the best tools for specific agricultural needs. Real-world case studies and practical examples demonstrate the successful implementation of Earth Observation technologies in agriculture, inspiring readers with tangible results and encouraging innovative thinking. Agricultural Applications of Earth Observation enables readers to apply Earth Observation technologies to enhance agronomical sustainability and contribute to more environmentally friendly practices. With detailed methodologies and a range of additional supplementary elements, the book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to drive the future of agriculture into a more sustainable era.
  • Global Physical Climatology

    • 3rd Edition
    • Dennis L. Hartmann
    • English
    Global Physical Climatology, Third Edition delineates the science of climate and climate change that spans the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces. The book begins with a detailed introduction of the climate system and then introduces its physics, including the principles and processes that determine the structure and climate of the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces. More advanced sections apply the basic knowledge introduced earlier in the text in understanding natural variability of the climate in both the present and past, the sensitivity of climate to external forces, explanations for the ice ages, and the science of human-induced climate change.The physical principles and computer models necessary for understanding past climate and predicting future climate are also discussed. This book is recommended for upper division undergraduates and graduates in meteorology, atmospheric science, oceanography, and other environmental fields. It is also suitable for students with a background of at least one year of college physics and calculus as well as researchers in academia, government (military, NOAA, NWS), and policymakers.
  • Spatial Statistics and Analysis

    Techniques and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Anzhelika Antipova
    • English
    Spatial Statistics and Analysis: Techniques and Applications is an essential resource for anyone interested in the theory and application of spatial statistics. This comprehensive text delves into the principles, tools, and methods used in spatial analysis, making it invaluable for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and professionals across various fields including geography, public health, engineering, and social sciences. With hands-on exercises, the book guides readers through complex topics and ensures a deep understanding of spatial data analysis. In addition to covering key terms and tools, this valuable resource explores scales of measurement, data distributions, and spatial dataset visualizations.Other sections examine spatial statistical relationships, point and areal pattern analysis, complex spatial patterns, and geostatistical analysis. The text also addresses spatial error and uncertainty and includes practical applications of Markov chains. Supplementary resources such as instructional slides, lab activities, data sets, and graphic illustrations are provided to aid both teaching and learning.
  • Mineral Exploration

    Principles and Applications for a Sustainable Future
    • 3rd Edition
    • Swapan Kumar Haldar
    • English
    Mineral Exploration: Principles and Applications for a Sustainable Future, Third Edition presents the current state of mineral exploration, along with innovations that will power a sustainable future. Sections cover economic mineral deposits, photogeology, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. This is followed by a review of exploration geology, geochemistry, and geophysics. Next, from a more practical perspective, are chapters on sampling methods, mineral resources, ore reserve estimation, and statistical and geostatistical applications. Other topics include exploration modeling, mineral economics, and mineral processing. Looking ahead, the book closes with chapters on environmental system management for green energy and machine learning and artificial intelligence in mineral exploration. This leading text offers researchers and engineers the latest knowledge and understanding in mineral exploration with ample resources for sustainable development efforts.