Environmental Science: Physical Principles and Applications

Preface

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction: A Physical Approach to Environmental Problems

What are Environmental Problems -
Pollution

The Economic and Social Context

Sunlight and the Solar Spectrum

The Greenhouse Effect

Transport of Pollutants

The Carbon Cycle

2. Weather and Climate

Energy Transport

The Atmsophere, Vertical Structure and Motion

Horizontal Motion of Air

The Oceans

3. Climate Change

Natural Changes of Climate

Human induced changes

Consequences of Climate Change

Reactions to Climate Change

4. Conventional Energy

Physics of Heat

Heat and Power: Thermodynamics

Converting Heat into Power: Problems and 'Solutions'

5. Carbonfree Energies

Renewable energies

Nuclear Power

6. Making up the Balance

Greenhouse Gases, Pollution and Resources

Defining the task

7. Transport of Pollutants

Basic Concepts

Dispersion in the Air

Dispersion in Surface Waters

Dispersion by Groundwater

8. Noise

Physics of Sound

Human hearing

Reducing Sound Levels

9. Environmental Spectroscopy

Basic Spectrospcopy

The Solar Spectrum at Ground Level

Experimental Techniques in Environmental Spectroscopy

Solar UV, Ozone and Life

10. Geophysical Methods

Radioactive Clocks

Isotope Ratios as Environmental Sensors

Magnetic Surveys

Seismic Probing

11. Science and Society

Finite Resources of Energy

Pollution and Health Effects

Environmental Policy

Thinijhng about the Environment and Human Life

The Responsibility of the Scientist

Appendices

References

Index