Book Description
Geosystems is written, organized, and illustrated to give new learners an accessible, systematic, and visually appealing start in the study of physical geography. This edition includes the brand new Geography Animations CD.
A four-part organization of chapter covers the energy-atmosphere system; the water, weather, and climate systems; the earth-atmosphere interface; and soils, ecosystems, and biomes.
For individuals with an interest in physical geography.
Customer Reviews:
Fun to read.......2007-08-17
Fun to read?! A textbook!? That's right. I'm reading this for my own edification, not for a class, and I'm enjoying it. This book is amazingly well organized. It flows from topic to topic, and learning is enhanced. With most textbooks, you know the routine. Read it, hope the teacher can explain it better, then reorganize the material in your notes into some more understandable fashion. With Geosystems, it's just "read and learn."
I used to hate geography, now I love it. For more detailed info on this book, read the excellent Amazon reviews by steele and nmatzke.
Ignore the Dullards, This is a World-Class Book for Serious People.......2007-06-30
I picked this gem up at the University of Colorado bookstore. I do not have the time for a third graduate degree, but if I did, it would be in Environmental Science.
Unlike most textbooks, this hardcover version is worth every penny, and the paperback is a bargain. This is a large book, 8.5 x 11, crammed with photos, extraordinarily well organized, illustrated, and presented, and it includes a CD ROM that the previous owner never opened that I find to be priceless: a series of illustrations and animations keyed to every chapter, with a non-punitive self-test. Also provided free are an online study guide. Supporting materials include a Student Study Guide and a Student Lecture Notebook that provides illustrations and diagrams to be integrated into the class binder. All are identified by ISBNs, but if you miss page xviii, which outlines "the package," you will be unaware of the other resources.
Each chapter has the base material, a focus study, a news item, and more often than not, a career link. Each chapter ends with self-study questions. My bottom line: this book, taken seriously, *is* a self-taught graduate program in Geosystems.
The only think I do not see in the book, and it may be in the study guide, is "Recommended Reading." BUT a complete array of current sources are fully cited as easily visible footnotes on most pages.
The only gap in this book, and it could probably be quickly developed as a supplementary paperback guide and CD, is the avoidance of an integrated discussion of costs and consequences. The entire study of Geosystems is irrelevant unless it can be explained to people in "true cost" terms. While the book excels, for example, at showing the severe drop in aquifers across specific places, it does not provide a guide to calculating current and future costs to society for ignoring these problems and allowing corporations and individuals to continue to externalize to the public and to future generations, the costs of being stupid and greedy today.
First rate book. One of the most serious textbooks, one of the best illustrated, explained, supported, and presented, I have every seen. For serious adults and emerging adults only--this is not a book, nor a class, for dolts just trying to meet a requirement for graduation.
Other recommended book:
High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them
The Future of Life
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
The Ecology of Commerce
Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications
Valuing the Earth: Economics, Ecology, Ethics
Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource
Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a New Environmental Strategy
Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict With a New Introduction by the Author
A well done text. Top notch photos and diagrams........2007-03-21
I thought this was well organized and easy to understand for the most part. There were only a few parts (pages, really) that were sort of ho-hum. The diagrams and photos were top notch and really went well with the text. This text would be interesting to read just for the sake of it. I don't have another text to compare it to, which I imagine is a good thing. I've had other texts that were so bad that I only used them for the problem sets (Zill's diff eq text!) but the only external source I used with this book was the internet --and that was usually because something in the book sparked more curiosity.
I would have preferred more technical information (such as wave dynamics or quantative analysis) but I do understand this is an intro text and that I am a math geek.
Our instructor combined this text with the geography of the Pacific NW where I reside, and I certainly do look at the landscape quite differently after taking this course. For that, I give it a five.
Kudos to Christopherson for a well designed book.
Schoolbook with pleasant pictures.......2006-11-04
I know I bought this book for a class I'm taking and while the data is something I need to learn what I really like about this book is all the beautiful photography both in the book and in the accompaning CD have on them.
The authors wife is a professional photographer and he uses that to illustrate the concepts with asthetics.
Is the book a bit of a hard read? Yes but again it's a college level textbook so this isn't surprising but if you have to buy it for class don't despair you'll have a book full of beautiful pictures of mother nature to look at well after the college class is done.
Book.......2005-10-28
I have still failed to recieve the Book Geosystems: An Intoduction to Physical Geography. This is the only book that i have not yet recieved out of the books i have ordered. It has been 2 months and still no book. I will be asking for a full refund if the book is not in my possession by the end of this month.
Thank you. . . Very Concerned Customer
Book Description
To understand timely issues such as natural disasters and environmental challenges—and to evaluate solutions to related problems—the average citizen needs a basic awareness of the scientific principles that influence our planet. This trusted book makes an often-complex subject accessible to readers with a strong focus on readability and illustrations.
Offers a meaningful, non-technical survey that is informative and up to date for learning basic principles and concepts. Includes a revised and expanded GEODe Earth CD-ROM. Updates and revises art and illustrations to include dozens of new high-quality, photographs carefully selected to aid understanding and add realism. Provides a wealth of new special-interest boxes, including "Earth as a System," "People and the Environment," and "Understanding Earth."
A useful reference for anyone interested in learning more about Earth's geology.
Book Description
Trusted for its timeliness and readability, this book introduces geography by emphasizing the relevance of geographic concepts to human problems. Two years after Rubenstein's Update Edition was created to encompass the events of September 11, 2001, this revision also begins the careful process of putting those events into perspective. Provides new "Global Forces and Local Impacts" boxes in each chapter that explore in depth an issue related to chapter material, focusing on particular regions of the world. Includes new material on medical geography, terrorism, mineral resources, sustainable development, conservation, and biodiversity. Presents new information on gender differences in development . Expands material on Ethnicity, relating ethnicity problems to political conflict; also incorporates material previously found elsewhere in the book, such as U.S. urban patterns and South Africa's history of apartheid. For anyone interested in learning more about world geography.
Customer Reviews:
Too tedious and unorganized.......2005-12-06
Although I recognize the intelligence of the author, I would not recommend this book to anyone who is not assigned to have it. The book does very little to help the reader comprehend the information beyond the "Key Terms." I, too, am taking an AP/IB Human Geography Course, and I found this textbook utterly useless. Please, save your money and time and buy a better book. Of course, if you are in college and like to waste your time reading tedious books, then this is your ticket!
Refund.......2004-08-25
I realized after placing the order that I wasn't quite ready to buy the book and my money was refunded instantly.
Great customer service and quick response time.
Great for AP Human Geography.......2003-12-29
Currently I am taking an AP Human Geography class in my high school and this is the book we were assigned to buy. This book has wonderful charts and pictures along with descriptions. This book goes into depth and doesn't only touch the surface. I recomend this book to AP Human Geography teachers and students!
Book Description
An Introduction to the World's Oceans, 8/e is an introductory oceanography text intended for students without a background in mathematics, chemistry, physics, geology, or biology. It emphasizes the role of basic scientific principles in helping understand the processes that govern the ocean and the earth.
A major objective of
An Introduction to the World's Oceans is to stimulate student interest and curiosity by blending contemporary information and research with basic principles to form an integrated introduction to the sciences of the oceans. To keep the text as current as possible, the authors conduct their own research and examine other findings such as analyzing satellite data and large-scale oceanographic programs. From this vast amount of data, they select interesting, relevant, and understandable examples that illustrate contemporary principles of oceanography.
An Introduction to the World's Oceans places greater emphasis on the physical and geological aspects of the oceans than on the chemical and geochemical properties, because the latter disciplines require more specific background knowledge. An ecological approach helps integrate the biological chapters with other subjects. Students are encouraged to look at oceanography as a cohesive and united discipline rather than a collection of subjects gathered under a marine umbrella. As with all previous editions, the authors continue to make each chapter stand as independently as possible, so that professors can assign chapters in the order that best suits their classrooms.
Customer Reviews:
The Worlds Oceans.......2006-08-31
It Looks great and cheap price!!!I never used a highlighter... Need to sell
Average customer rating:
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Our Changing Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science and Global Environmental Change (3rd Edition)
Fred T. Mackenzie
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ASIN: 0130651729 |
Book Description
This book offers a general, interdisciplinary discussion of global environmental change oriented toward the non-specialist in science. The unifying theme of the book is consideration of aspects of both natural and human-induced global environmental change. The two part organization according to this distinction allows for easy reading on specific topics. This book is useful for anyone interested in learning more about Earth's systems.
Book Description
Providing enough background to be rigorous, without being exhaustive, it gives readers good preparation in the techniques of modern petrology; a clear and organized review of the classification, textures, and approach to petrologic study; and then applies these concepts to the real occurrences of the rocks themselves. Requires only a working knowledge of algebra, and makes extensive use of spreadsheets. Includes an accompanying diskette of programs and data files. This book offers unique, comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of both igneous and metamorphic petrology in a single volume and provides the quantitative and technical background required to critically evaluate igneous and metamorphic phenomena.
Customer Reviews:
Intro to Ig and Met Petro.......2007-03-09
It is a well written book, but there are no color pictures. If I spend that amount of money on a hardcover textbook, I expect some color photos, especially since mineralogy and petrology deal with birefringence colors and such.
Great intro to igneous/metamorphic petrology.......2006-09-15
This book is one of those rare things that isn't painful to read for the sometimes heady subject matter. Winters style is even humorous at times and he keeps it very simple and straightforward. Phase diagrams are explainied in detail and there are just a lot of great visuals that help students understand the evolution of magmas and the significance of isotopes and trace elements present. We use this book at GMU and I was very happy with Winter's PP slides that are available online. Very clear, very concise and fairly easy to read.
This is the book.......2006-04-20
The book is excellent. This is the book that you have to have if you are studying igneous petrology. Plain and simple.
One of the best resources on this subject!.......2002-02-16
As a former student of John Winters, I can honestly say that this book does a terrific job with a subject that can be very complicated! After reading this text (and taking his class!) I came away with a clear understanding of the concepts discussed. And, of course, a little humor here and there helps. The chapters flow well together yet can be read individually, and I plan on keeping this text for future reference. Highly recommended!
A great book for all studing geology.......2001-11-16
This is a really great book for all students who want to learn sometfing about igneous and metamorphic petrology. Written exeptionally well, with good sence of humor, it covers all the topics related to the formation and evolution of igneous and metamorphic rocks, gives you comprehensive (and comprehensible -- that is also inportant) information about rock types, their classification, textures, structures, rock forming minerals, magmaism, volcanism, metamorphism, their relationships to the tectonic settings and global lithosphere plate motion, etc. It contains so much useful information that can even been used as a handbook for those who work in or study geology, petrology, geochemistry, and geophysics. Reading this book greatly improves your understanding of the subject, so, eventually, you feel you can easily get complicated concepts and ideas, even find beauty in them, and hence enjoy your reading -- the situation which is not usually met for petrology texts.
I used this book as a textbook when I took a course in petrology last year -- and it was great help for me. And I would like to say thanks to John Winter for his really good work.
Book Description
More than any other, this up-to-the-minute book is dedicated to helping readers understand the world around them. The authors introduce the major tools, techniques, and methodological approaches of geography, and present a wide range of positions currently debated about provocative current issues. Weaves the theme of human-environmental interaction throughout. Demonstrates applications of GIS and GPS in physical geography - includes urban planning, registration of urban and rural landholding, farming techniques. Covers the aging of the human population, and the different ramifications of this fact in rich and poor countries. Expands discussion of Islam, church and state in Islam - includes relations between church and state in various religions. Discusses Islam in Europe and its cultural, religious, and political impact. Covers the spread of Islamic Sharia law across North Africa, the Near East, and Indonesia. An interesting reference for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of major world issues.
Customer Reviews:
Exellent text for introducing college students to Geography.......2000-05-20
I have used this text for approximately a year and found that the students are able to comprehend geography better with a systematic approach than a regional one. One of the things that sold me on this text was the auxillary material, particularly the webpage. The book is very easy to read and has excellent illustrations and photos. Needless to say, I highly recommend this text.
Book Description
This market-leading book introduces college students to the breadth and spatial insights of the field of geography. The authors' approach allows the major research traditions of geography to dictate the principal themes. Chapter 1 introduces students to the four organizing traditions that have emerged through the long history of geographical thought and writing: earth science, culture-environment, location, and area analysis. Each of the four parts of this book centers on one of these geographic perspectives.
Book Description
This revised text presents a cogent explanation of the fundamentals of meteorology, and explains storm dynamics for weather-oriented meteorologists. It discusses climate dynamics and the implications posed for global change. The Fourth Edition features a CD-ROM with MATLAB® exercises and updated treatments of several key topics. Much of the material is based on a two-term course for seniors majoring in atmospheric sciences.
* Provides clear physical explanations of key dynamical principles
* Contains a wealth of illustrations to elucidate text and equations, plus end-of-chapter problems
* Holton is one of the leading authorities in contemporary meteorology, and well known for his clear writing style
* Instructor's Manual available to adopters
NEW IN THIS EDITION
* A CD-ROM with MATLAB® exercises and demonstrations
* Updated treatments on climate dynamics, tropical meteorology, middle atmosphere dynamics, and numerical prediction
Customer Reviews:
Extraordinarily good text.......2007-03-08
I have to say I'm not sure if texts on atmospheric dynamics get better than this. Physics books in general, in fact, rarely provide an understanding of phenomena that is so concise, intuitive, and yet mathematically robust. I highly recommend it for children, as a gift, and for pleasure reading.
I also very seriously recommend it as a graduate textbook. Five stars all the way.
feedback from rmd.......2007-01-19
it's a very analytic book; it's strongly related to anaysis. all the models are very well explaned; perhaps there is not a good relationship between models and pratical meteorology. phenomena are quite 'hidden' by equations, and only a good experienced physicist has the tools to extract the pratical approach deriving from model behaviours.
however it remains a 'must' for meteorologists.
Renato Medini
The most exellent textbook in dynamics of the atmopshere.......2007-01-18
This book, in my opinion, is the most valuable book on dynamical aspects of the atmosphere insofar, especially from pedagogical point of views. As a foreign student, I understand well Holton's writings. Simple but very concise sentences, no wordy explanations. The first 3 chapters provide you the basic equations used in meteorology and their common approximations. The next 5 chapters, to me, are the most interesting chapters. They give you wide range of knowledge from boundary layer, synoptic scale phenomena, to instabilities. Equations are of great usefulness because THEY bring into the light physical contents of the dynamics of the atmosphere. To me, any analytical equation and its explicit solution provide us a more complete understanding than numerical models do (because you never know some unpredictable behaviour of numerical solutions). So, try to understand carefully the simplest cases that Holton selected. This gives you a lot of deeper understandings. Chapters 9 to 11 provide the dynamics of meso- to large-scale circulations. You will see why the Hadley circulation descends around 35N in very clear way. However, simple Poisson eqn with the argument of "positive forcing, negative solution" that is applied throughout the text should be paid especial attention because this conclusion is not always true. As a whole, the contents, explanations and derivations will be very well constructed if you see the main point of each section.
To get to the heart of this book, read and derive all the skips in Holton's derivations. The gaps are not too hard to fill out in math but require some thinking. DO ALL OF THE EXERCISES at the end by yourself and you will double your knowledge. For any math-related physical book, transparent derivations are the first thing you should figure out, physical explanations will follow subsequently. From my experience, people tend to skip any chapter what they thought they knew it already. If you apply this method here, you may be in trouble. Read carefully the first 5 chapters, understand approximations used in the each situation. Simply apply equations without judgments of their assumptions will take you into the nightmare.
I give this book 5 stars +. It is really classic....
you can't find an alternative........2006-03-15
when i was a student, i used to think, like many other reviewers, that the book is extremely dry. but now as a researcher in atmospheric-oceanic dynamics, i realise that the book is useful in explaining the most essential and elementary theories behind the dynamics one can encounter in meteorology or climate dynamics.
use the book as a reference and revision of elementary concepts. if you encounter a process you need to understand in your research, this is the book which will tell you the basics. then you go on and learn more from journal articles and your own research.
this new edition of the book, especially with the matlab models, makes studying with it more fun because you can visualise the dynamics and play with the m-files yourself.
An Underrated Text.......2003-10-01
This book, often simply referred to as "Holton", has been roundly cursed by undergraduates since it was first published. I know, because I was one of them. However, as the years went by, and as the number of classes requiring Holton as a text went by, I realized two things. First, that this book was not meant to hold your hand through all the derivations. It requires a competent instructor who can use Holton as a detailed companion to rigorous coursework. This book is NOT for the average person who wishes to study alone. The second thing is that this book was written to fill a gap. There were no similar atmospheric dynamics texts. As a consequence, it must cover a large amount of material in a rather small, college textbook-sized space. It does this well. Yes, the author's writing style is dry to the extreme, and yes, physical explanations are often lacking. However, if you have access to a competent professor, neither of these are problems. One final thought... as we call the book simply "Holton" remember that Frankenstein's monster is often called simply "Frankenstein", but we will leave comparisons to the reader - and to the author!
Customer Reviews:
This is pretty good!.......2002-02-09
I bought this study guide to help me in my geology class. It isn't the same edition as my textbook but it is still the same. The chapters are the same and it has really helped me remember the material. The pages have fill in the blank and multiple choice and practice quizzes. All the answers are at the end of the book. I recomend this for anyone who is taking geology and is using the "Earth" book.
An outstanding introductory textbook in physical geology.......2000-05-23
Despite the proliferation of introductory physical geology textbooks in recent years, none have surpassed the quality of Tarbuck and Lutgens' "Earth". The text is accurate, up-to-date, well-organized, and exceptionally lucid. The writing flows nicely and presents complex topics and ideas in a way that is easy for non-scientists to understand, while at the same time resisting the trend toward "dumbing-down" that has recently affected many introductory textbooks in Earth sciences. The book is also illustrated wonderfully with diagrams that are effectively designed, beautifully executed, and perfectly matched to the accompanying text. The photographs are likewise outstanding in subject and quality, with great efforts obviously having been made to find excellent pictures that complement the text and clearly illustrate the features and processes being described. The overall quality of the photographs is far better than in most other textbooks of this kind. Substantial improvements have been made for the sixth edition, including the addition of helpful illustrations to the glossary and the addition of many new photographs throughout the book (for example, compare the 5th and 6th edition pictures of drumlins, moraines, igneous rock textures, tsunamis, sinkholes, etc.). After examining many textbooks, I have decided to use this one in the undergraduate course I will teach next year.
Earth - an average introductory textbook.......2000-01-27
This book has dozens of errors, but in its defense, I must say that every introductory textbook I've used or reviewed has similar errors. For example, thermal expansion due to daily temperature fluctuations does NOT fracture rocks. Fire fractures rocks, and local fires can occur in many deserts. The photo of a rock split is actually due to ice (not frost) wedging. Deserts can be freezing. The book does not address the importance of past climates. Most of North America's landforms were formed under wet, warm climates, not today's. The hydrologic cycle should be expanded to the geohydrologic cycle, which incorporates plate tectonics. Plate tectonics, as presented, is rather primitive. We're in, I'd say, 3rd generation plate tectonics, but it is not being taught. Mountain glacial landscapes are entirely misinterpreted, based on a false paradigm originating in the 1840s. Yosemite Valley is far more a relict tropical landscape than a glaciated one, and Bridalveil Falls has existed for 10s of millions of years before glaciation. Evolution of desert landscapes is equally as bad. The authors don't understand pediments, which are exhumed weathering fronts (as in Joshua Tree National Park) or exhumed detachments (as in the Mojave Desert). Etc., etc.
Lots of fun for rocks!.......1999-10-28
This book is an excellent introductory text, with a wide scoop and a clear and descriptive style. The pictures are gorgeous and informative, and the side notes (Boxes) are powerful examples of the topics being discussed, as well as fascinating sources of trivia (do you know what Bingham Canyon is?) that add flavor to the book! My only complaint was that there are no chapter summaries, but as the material was clear and concise, I had no need for them!
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