This brief, paperback version of the best-selling Earth Science by Lutgens and Tarbuck is designed for introductory courses in Earth science. The text's highly visual, non-technical survey emphasizes broad, up-to-date coverage of basic topics and principles in geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. A flexible design lends itself to the diversity of Earth science courses in both content and approach. As in previous editions, the main focus is to foster student understanding of basic Earth science principles. Used by over 1.5 million science students, the Mastering platform is the most effective and widely used online tutorial, homework, and assessment system for the sciences. This is the product access code card for MasteringX and does not include the actual bound book. Package contains: MasteringGeology standalone access card

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" God asks Job in the "Whirlwind Speech," but Job cannot reply. This passage—which some environmentalists and religious scholars treat as a "green" creation myth—drives renowned ecologist H. H. Shugart's extraordinary investigation, in which he uses verses from God's speech to Job to explore the planetary system, animal domestication, sea-level rise, evolution, biodiversity, weather phenomena, and climate change. Shugart calls attention to the rich resonance between the Earth's natural history and the workings of religious feeling, the wisdom of biblical scripture, and the arguments of Bible ethicists. The divine questions that frame his study are quintessentially religious, and the global changes humans have wrought on the Earth operate not only in the physical, chemical, and biological spheres but also in the spiritual realm. Shugart offers a universal framework for recognizing and confronting the global challenges humans now face: the relationship between human technology and large-scale environmental degradation, the effect of invasive species on the integrity of ecosystems, the role of humans in generating wide biotic extinctions, and the future of our oceans and tides.

Thermodynamics sets fundamental laws for all physical processes and is central to driving and maintaining planetary dynamics. But how do Earth system processes perform work, where do they derive energy from, and what are the limits? This accessible book describes how the laws of thermodynamics apply to Earth system processes, from solar radiation to motion, geochemical cycling and biotic activity. It presents a novel view of the thermodynamic Earth system explaining how it functions and evolves, how different forms of disequilibrium are being maintained, and how evolutionary trends can be interpreted as thermodynamic trends. It also offers an original perspective on human activity, formulating this in terms of a thermodynamic, Earth system process. This book uses simple conceptual models and basic mathematical treatments to illustrate the application of thermodynamics to Earth system processes, making it ideal for researchers and graduate students across a range of Earth and environmental science disciplines.

The outside layer of our planet is an active place. Earth's crust is always growing and changing. But do you know how Earth's crust forms? And what happens when its plates shift suddenly? Find out more about the moves that make mountains and ocean ridges in this interesting book!

"An easy-to-navigate, comparative book on state and local government. Very student-friendly and well-organized." —Jane Bryant, John A. Logan College The trusted and proven Governing States and Localities guides students through the contentious environment of state and local politics and focuses on the role that economic and budget pressures play in issues facing state and local governments. With their engaging journalistic writing and crisp storytelling, Kevin B. Smith and Alan Greenblatt employ a comparative approach to explain how and why states and localities are both similar and different. The Seventh Edition is thoroughly updated to account for such major developments as state versus federal conflicts over immigration reform, school shootings, and gun control; the impact of the Donald Trump presidency on intergovernmental relations and issues of central interest to states and localities; and the lingering effects of the Great Recession. A Complete Teaching and Learning Package SAGE coursepacks FREE! Easily import our quality instructor and student resource content into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Learn more. SAGE edge FREE online resources for students that make learning easier. See how your students benefit.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has played a key role over the past several decades in advancing understanding of Earth's systems by funding research on atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, geologic, polar, ecosystem, social, and engineering-related processes. Today, however, those systems are being driven like never before by human technologies and activities. Our understanding has struggled to keep pace with the rapidity and magnitude of human-driven changes, their impacts on human and ecosystem sustainability and resilience, and the effectiveness of different pathways to address those challenges. Given the urgency of understanding human-driven changes, NSF will need to sustain and expand its efforts to achieve greater impact. The time is ripe to create a next-generation Earth systems science initiative that emphasizes research on complex interconnections and feedbacks between natural and social processes. This will require NSF to place an increased emphasis on research inspired by real-world problems while maintaining their strong legacy of curiosity driven research across many disciplines ? as well as enhance the participation of social, engineering, and data scientists, and strengthen efforts to include diverse perspectives in research.

FOUNDATIONS OF CHEMISTRY A foundation-level guide to chemistry for physical, life sciences and engineering students Foundations of Chemistry: An Introductory Course for Science Students fills a gap in the literature to provide a basic chemistry text aimed at physical sciences, life sciences and engineering students. The authors, noted experts on the topic, offer concise explanations of chemistry theory and the principles that are typically reviewed in most one year foundation chemistry courses and first year degree-level chemistry courses for non-chemists. The authors also include illustrative examples and information on the most recent applications in the field. Foundations of Chemistry is an important text that outlines the basic principles in each area of chemistry - physical, inorganic and organic - building on prior knowledge to quickly expand and develop a student's knowledge and understanding. Key features include: Worked examples showcase core concepts and practice questions. Margin comments signpost students to knowledge covered elsewhere and are used to highlight key learning objectives. Chapter summaries list the main concepts and learning points.

Designed to accompany Tarbuck and Lutgens' Earth Science and Foundations of Earth Science, this manual can also be used for any Earth science lab course and in conjunction with any text. It contains twenty-four step-by-step exercises that reinforce major topics in geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy.