This book provides a comprehensive coverage of the major topics within undergraduate study programmes in geosciences, environmental science, physical geography, natural hazards and ecology. This text introduces students to the Earth's four key interdependent systems: the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, focussing on their key components, interactions between them and environmental change.
Hydrosphere: Freshwater Sytems and Pollution (Our Fragile Planet)Earth is the water planet, but only a tiny amount of the planet's water is fresh and usable, and water pollution has become a monumental dilemma as we enter the 21st century. Though developed nations now regulate some pollutants and as a result their waterways are cleaner, new chemicals are increasingly being released into the environment, resulting in a toxic soup that may be causing cancers, development problems, and other concerns in people and wildlife.
