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Pure Appl. Geophys. 167 (2010), 367368 2010 Birkhauser Verlag, Basel/Switzerland
DOI 10.1007/s00024-009-0049-5 Pure and Applied Geophysics
Book Review
The Earth System by L. R. Kump, J. F. Kasting, and R. G. Crane, second edition, Prentice Hall, 2004, ISBN: 0-13-142059-3
A system-based approach to understanding the Earth has become a major philosophy in the Earths science currently. There are increasingly more textbooks on the market treating individual components of the Earth system in an integrated manner, instead of deliberating on the solid Earth, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere as more or less independent subjects, with little consideration of the interplay among them. The Earth System is a modern textbook, which features a multidisciplinary approach to the Earth science. It is excellently organized and planned, employing a number of pedagogical features to ease the learning process.
Since the rst edition has been printed out, atmospheric CO2 has increased, freon-11 concentrations have decreased, and global surfaces have continued rising. At the same time, new clues on snow-ball Earth episodes appeared, the importance of CH4 for the greenhouse effect at the early stages of the Earths evolution has been proven, the signicance of human activities on climate change has been supported, and astrobiology has made us even more aware of the tight connections between the evolving Earth and biota. These data and evidence alone are enough justication for the writing of an updated version of this volume. It resulted in two new chapters (on Global Climate Models and on the Biota, Ecosystems and Biodiversity). Also, discussion of the early Earth has been expanded, devoting two chapters to the topic with a signicant contribution of new material. Discussion on Precambrian paleoclimates has also been revised.
Chapter 1 is an introduction to global change problems, discussing the subject-both in the short and
long time scales. Chapter 2 is an introduction to the systems approach, employing Lovelock and Watsons model of the hypothetical planet Daisyworld. Chapter 3 discusses the greenhouse effect in a context of the global energy balance. This chapter also includes an introduction to climate modeling and discusses climate feedbacks. Chapter 4 presents an atmospheric circulation system and subsystems, while in Chap. 5 causes and patterns of oceans circulation are discussed, explaining how radioactive isotopes can be used to trace the oceanic current circulation. Fundamentals of modeling of the atmosphereocean systems and their importance for our understanding of the planet climate evolution are deliberated in Chap. 6. Since the solid Earth is one of the key forcing elements in the geosystem, its role is discussed at length in next Chap. 7, explaining the principles of plate tectonics and responsible driving forces, the process of rock cycle and paleogeographic evolution deciphered by a paleomagnetic method. A concept of reservoirs and discussion on recycling of the elements among the components of the Earth system, exemplied by a carbon cycle, are the subject of Chap. 8. It is clearly shown how the interaction between the organic and inorganic carbon cycle are inextricably linked as part of the global carbon cycle, controlling the climate and life on the Earth. Metabolism, ecosystems and biodiversity, a structure of biosphere and interactions between the biota and the physical world are presented in Chap. 9. Chapter 10 is devoted to the origin of the Earth, formation of the atmosphere and oceans, and origin of life. A consequence of the latter, expressed in O2 rise in the atmosphere, is a subject of Chap. 11. A history of the
368 Book Review Pure Appl. Geophys.
climate changes in geologic time-scale, including both the snow-ball Earth and global warming episodes, is illustrated in Chap. 12, while Chap. 3 discusses biodiversity variation through Earth history. Peculiarity of Pleistocene glaciations in a context of the last 300 million years is described in Chap. 14, clearly indicating that we are living in a rather exceptional climatic condition. More detailed, short-term climate variability within the last 12,000 years, is discussed in Chap. 15. A role of anthropogenic CO2 in a global warming process, as well as projections on climate and sea-level changes in the nearest future and possible response of ecosystem to CO2 rise, are included in Chap. 16. Consequences of ozone depletion and mechanisms for halting it are discussed in Chap. 17. Chapter 18 treats human threats to biodiversity, while the concluding Chap. 19 considers possible scenarios for climate evolution in the distant future on Earth and Earthlike planets and discusses the chances that life exists elsewhere in the universe.
Each chapter begins with Key Questions and Chapter Overview, and concludes with a Chapter Summary. They also include boxed essays, providing additional information on current progress in a
related branch of science. Additional assistance in the education process is provided by Suggested Readings and Key Terms lists, as well as A Closer Look and Important Concepts boxes, which offer a closer examination of topics discussed and more in-depth presentation of important paradigms of Earth sciences. The potential of mathematics in providing a better understanding of geosystem is exemplied in Thinking A Quantitatively boxes. The book also includes four Appendixes (Units Conversion, Temperature Conversion, Periodic Table of the Elements, Useful Facts), glossary and index. Selected gures are illustrated in colors. The book will be a valuable reference for students in geosciences at different levels of education, as well as for those who are dealing with natural sciences and are eager to better understand how the Earth system works.
Marek Lewandowski Institute of Geological Sciences, P.A.S.
Twarda St. 51/55 00-818 Warsaw
Poland
Birkhäuser / Springer Basel AG 2010