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Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (January 30, 2018) © 2019

  • Jay H Withgott
  • Matthew Laposata Kennesaw State University

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For courses in introductory environmental science.

Engage students in science through current environmental issues

Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories by Jay Withgott and Matt Laposata is known for its student-friendly narrative style, integration of real stories and case studies, and presentation of the latest science and research.

The 6th Edition features new opportunities to help students see connections between integrated case studies and the science in each chapter while highlighting sustainable solutions that have successfully helped address environmental problems.

Hallmark features of this title

Real people, places and data

  • The chapter opener design engages students and helps them to better visualize the global nature of environmental issues.

Hands-on data

  • Data Qs in figures challenge students to practice quantitative skills of interpretation and analysis.
  • Coverage of topical issues keeps pace with and incorporates the most recent data available and enhances discussion of emerging issues.

Scientific literacy skills

  • Weighing the Issues questions help develop critical-thinking skills needed to navigate multifaceted issues at the juncture of science, policy, and ethics.
  • Calculating Ecological Footprint activities conclude each chapter and enable students to quantify and measure the impacts of their choices.

New and updated features of this title

Real people, places and data

  • Success Story feature shares successful efforts to address local, national and global environmental problems and shows sustainable solutions are within reach.
  • Closing the Loop revisits the chapter-opening Case Study at the end of the chapter. This feature encourages students to think critically about the issue and to summarize the relationship between chapter concepts and the case study itself.
  • UPDATED: Integrated Central Case Studies start and are woven throughout each chapter, highlighting real people, real places, and real data behind environmental issues.

Hands-on data

  • EXPANDED: Data Qs in figures challenge students to practice quantitative skills of interpretation and analysis.

Scientific literacy skills

  • UPDATED: Science Behind the Story essays use real examples to highlight how scientists develop hypotheses, test predictions, analyze and interpret data.
  • Case Study Connection questions at the end of every chapter prompt students to think about both the problems and solutions to the environmental issue explored in the chapter.

Highlights of the DIGITAL UPDATE for Mastering Environmental Science (available for Spring 2021 classes)

Instructors, contact your sales rep to ensure you have the most recent version of the course.

  • NEW: BIAS test activities help students think critically about the validity of environmental science-related statements in the news and on social media.  
  • NEW: DataGraphics are assignable as Coaching Activities in the Mastering item library.

Features of Mastering Environmental Science for the 6th Edition; published 2018

  • Process of Science coaching activities by coauthor Matt Laposata help students think critically about environmental research featured in the in-text Science Behind the Stories.
  • Success Story Coaching activities complement in-text Success Story features and allow students to explore the data behind sustainable solutions.
  • Case Study Video Tours use Google Earthâ„¢ and striking images delivered in highly engaging videos to bring chapter-opening Case Studies to life.
  • GraphIt! coaching activities help students read, interpret and create graphs that explore environmental issues using real data.
  • Video Field Trip activities give students behind-the-scenes tours of real environmental concerns and the strategies and solutions used to address them.

Features of Pearson eText for the 6th Edition; published 2020

  • NEW: Every chapter of the eText is updated for currency with the latest data and developments.
  • NEW: DataGraphics are Infographic-style illustrations that enable students to see the data behind complex issues and understand how to tie it all together. Topics include:
    • Can We Save the World's Biodiversity?
    • How Can We Stop Global Warming?
    • Will Ocean Plastic Pollution Get Worse?

1. Science and Sustainability: An Introduction to Environmental Science

  • Our Island, Earth
  • The Nature of Environmental Science
  • The Science Behind the Story: What Are the Lessons of Easter Island?
  • The Nature of Science
  • Environmental Ethics
  • Sustainability and Our Future

2. Environmental Systems: Matter, Energy, and Ecosystems

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY The Vanishing Oysters of the Chesapeake Bay
  • Earth's Environmental Systems
  • Matter, Chemistry, and the Environment
  • Energy Fundamentals
  • Ecosystems
  • The Science Behind the Story: "Turning the Tide" for Native Oysters in Chesapeake Bay
  • Biogeochemical Cycles

3. Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Saving Hawaii's Native Forest Birds
  • Evolution: The Source of Earth's Biodiversity
  • Ecology and the Organism
  • Population Ecology
  • The Science Behind the Story: Monitoring Bird Populations at Hakalau Forest
  • Conserving Biodiversity

4. Species Interactions and Community Ecology

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Black and White, and Spread All Over: Zebra Mussels Invade the Great Lakes
  • Species Interactions
  • Ecological Communities
  • The Science Behind the Story: Determining Zebra Mussels' Impacts on Fish Communities
  • Earth's Biomes

5. Economics, Policy, and Sustainable Development

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Costa Rica Values Its Ecosystem Services
  • Economics and the Environment
  • Environmental Policy: An Overview
  • The Science Behind the Story: Do Payments Help Preserve Forest?
  • U.S. Environmental Law and Policy
  • International Environmental Policy
  • Approaches to Environmental Policy
  • Sustainable Development

6. Human Population

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • China's One-Child Policy: Is It a Population "Time Bomb"?
  • Our World at Seven Billion
  • Demography
  • Population and Society
  • The Science Behind the Story: Did Soap Operas Reduce Fertilityin Brazil?

7. Soil, Agriculture, and the Future of Food

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Farm to Table-And Back Again: The Commons at Kennesaw State University
  • The Race to Feed the World
  • The Changing Face of Agriculture
  • Soils
  • Maintaining Healthy Soils
  • Watering and Fertilizing Crops
  • Controlling Pests, Preserving Pollinators
  • Raising Animals for Food
  • Genetically Modified Food
  • The Growth of Sustainable Agriculture
  • The Science Behind the Story: How Productive Is Organic Farming?

8. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Farm to Table-And Back Again: The Commons at Kennesaw State University
  • The Race to Feed the World
  • The Changing Face of Agriculture
  • Soils
  • Maintaining Healthy Soils
  • Watering and Fertilizing Crops
  • Controlling Pests, Preserving Pollinators
  • Raising Animals for Food
  • Genetically Modified Food
  • The Growth of Sustainable Agriculture
  • The Science Behind the Story: How Productive Is Organic Farming?

9. Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Certified Sustainable Paper in Your Textbook
  • Forest Ecosystems and Forest Resources
  • Forest Loss
  • Forest Management
  • Parks and Protected Areas
  • The Science Behind the Story: Forest Fragmentation in the Amazon

10. Environmental Health and Toxicology

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Bisphenol A Is Everywhere-But Is It Safe?
  • Environmental Health
  • Toxic Substances and Their Effects on Organisms
  • The Science Behind the Story: Testing the Safety of Bisphenol A
  • Toxic Substances and Their Effects on Ecosystems
  • Studying Effects of Hazards
  • Risk Assessment and Risk Management

11. Geology, Minerals, and Mining

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Mining for … Cell Phones?
  • Geology: The Physical Basis for Environmental Science
  • Geologic and Natural Hazards
  • Earth's Mineral Resources
  • Mining Methods and Their Impacts
  • The Science Behind the Story: Can Acid Mine Drainage Reduce Fracking's
  • Environmental Impact?
  • Toward Sustainable Mineral Use

12. Fresh Water, Oceans, and Coasts

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Starving the Louisiana Coast
  • Freshwater Systems
  • The Oceans
  • Marine and Coastal Systems
  • Effects of Human Activities on Waterways
  • Solutions to Depletion of Fresh Water
  • Water Pollution and Its Control
  • The Science Behind the Story: Predicting the Oceans' "Garbage Patches"
  • Emptying the Oceans

13. Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, and Pollution Control

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Clearing the Air in L.A. and in Mexico City
  • The Atmosphere
  • Outdoor Air Quality
  • The Science Behind the Story: Measuring the Health Impacts of Mexico City's Air
  • Pollution
  • Ozone Depletion
  • Addressing Acid Deposition
  • Indoor Air Quality

14. Global Climate Change

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Rising Seas May Flood the Maldives
  • Our Dynamic Climate
  • Studying Climate Change
  • The Science Behind the Story: How Do Climate Models Work?
  • Current and Future Trends and Impacts
  • Responding to Climate Change

15. Nonrenewable Energy Sources, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Hydrofracking the Marcellus Shale
  • Sources of Energy
  • Fossil Fuels: Their Formation, Extraction, and Use
  • Reaching Further for Fossil Fuels … and Coping with the Impacts
  • The Science Behind the Story: Discovering Impacts of the Gulf Oil Spill
  • Energy Efficiency and Conservation
  • Nuclear Power

16. Renewable Energy Alternatives

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Germany Goes Solar
  • Renewable Energy Sources
  • The Science Behind the Story: Comparing Energy Sources
  • Solar Energy
  • Wind Power
  • Geothermal Energy
  • Ocean Energy Sources
  • Hydroelectric Power
  • Bioenergy
  • Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

17. Managing Our Waste

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • A Mania for Recycling on Campus
  • Approaches to Waste Management
  • Municipal Solid Waste
  • The Science Behind the Story: Tracking Trash
  • Industrial Solid Waste
  • Hazardous Waste

18. The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities

  • CENTRAL CASE STUDY
  • Managing Growth in Portland, Oregon
  • Our Urbanizing World
  • Sprawl
  • Creating Livable Cities
  • Urban Sustainability
  • The Science Behind the Story: Baltimore and Phoenix Showcase Urban Ecology
  • Epilogue: Sustainable Solutions

APPENDICES

  • A. Answers to Data Analysis Questions
  • B. How to Interpret Graphs
  • C. Metric System
  • D. Periodic Table of the Elements
  • E. Geologic Time Scale 
  • Glossary
  • Credits
  • Index

About our authors

Jay Withgott has authored Essential Environment as well as Environment: The Science behind the Stories since their inception. In dedicating himself to these books, he works to keep abreast of a diverse and rapidly changing field and continually seeks to develop new and better ways to help today's students learn environmental science.

As a researcher, Jay has published scientific papers in ecology, evolution, animal behavior, and conservation biology in journals ranging from Evolution to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As an instructor, he has taught university lab courses in ecology and other disciplines. As a science writer, he has authored articles for numerous journals and magazines including Science, New Scientist, BioScience, Smithsonian, and Natural History. By combining his scientific training with prior experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, he strives to make science accessible and engaging for general audiences. Jay holds degrees from Yale University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Arizona.

Jay lives with his wife, biologist Susan Masta, in Portland, Oregon.

Matthew Laposata is a professor of environmental science at Kennesaw State University (KSU). He holds a bachelor's degree in biology education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree in biology from Bowling Green State University, and a doctorate in ecology from The Pennsylvania State University.

Matt is the coordinator of KSUs two-semester general education science sequence titled Science, Society, and the Environment, which enrolls over 5000 students per year. He focuses exclusively on introductory environmental science courses and has enjoyed teaching and interacting with thousands of nonscience majors during his career. He is an active scholar in environmental science education and has received grants from state, federal, and private sources to develop and evaluate innovative curricular materials. His scholarly work has received numerous awards, including the Georgia Board of Regents highest award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Matt resides in suburban Atlanta with his wife, Lisa, and children, Lauren, Cameron, and Saffron.

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