xv, 896 pages : 29 cm

Earth Environments provides a comprehensive introduction to Earth's four key interdependent systems: the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, focusing on their key components, interactions between them and environmental change. Tailored specifically to undergraduate students, the book is a one-step textbook for major topics in geosciences, environmental science, physical geography, natural hazards and ecology courses. Topics covered include: atmospheric systems; oceanography; endogenic and exogenic geological systems, biogeography and global environmental change. The impacts of climate and environmental change are integrated in a final summary chapter which draws together Earth's systems and their evolution and looks to the future of the planet

Includes bibliographical references (pages 877-878) and index

Introduction to earth systems -- Atmospheric and ocean systems. Structure and composition of the atmosphere -- Energy in the atmosphere and the earth heat budget -- Moisture in the atmosphere -- Atmosphere motion -- Weather systems -- World climates -- Ocean structure and circulation patterns -- Atmospheric evolution and climate change -- Principles of climate change -- Endogenic geological systems. Earth materials: mineralogy, rocks and the rock cycle -- The internal structure of the earth -- Plate tectonics and volcanism: processes, products and landforms -- Geotectonics: processes, structures and landforms -- Exogenic geological systems. Weathering processes and products -- Slope processes and morphology -- Fluvial processes and landform-sediment assemblages -- Carbonate sedimentary environments and karst processes and landforms -- Coastal processes, landforms and sediments -- Glacial processes and landsystems -- Periglacial processes and landform-sediment assemblages -- Aeolian (wind) processes and landform-sediment assemblages -- Principles of ecology and biogeography. Principles of ecology and biogeography -- Soil-forming processes and products -- World ecosystems -- Global environmental change: past, present and future. The earth as a planet: geological evolution and change -- Atmospheric evolution and climate change -- Change in ocean circulation and the hydrosphere -- Biosphere evolution and change in the biosphere -- Environmental change: greenhouse and icehouse phases and climates prior to recent changes -- Global environment change in the future

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