Our Changing Planet: The View from Space

For over 40 years, satellites have been orbiting the Earth quietly monitoring the state of our planet. Unseen by most of us, they are providing information on the many changes taking place, from movements in the land and volcanic eruptions, to human-caused changes such as the growth of cities, deforestation and the spread of pollutants in the atmosphere and oceans. Led by four editors with support from a production team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, many of the world's top remote sensing scientists showcase some spectacular and beautiful satellite imagery along with informed essays on the science behind these images and the implications of what is shown. This is a stunningly attractive and informative book for anyone interested in environmental issues and the beauty of our home planet, providing inspiration for students, teachers, environmentalists and the general public alike.

Table of Contents:
Foreword; Preface; Introduction; Part I. Dynamic Atmosphere: 1. The dynamic atmosphere: introduction; 2. Clouds: are the shutters of the Earth changing?; 3. Cloud optical and microphysical properties; 4. Clouds and the Earth's radiation budget; 5. Water vapour; 6. A world of rain; 7. Hurricanes: connections with climate change; 8. Lightning; 9. Warming and cooling of the atmosphere; 10. Dust in the wind; 11. Atmospheric pollution: a global problem; 12. Ship tracks; 13. Airplane contrails; 14. Weekly cycle of nitrogen dioxide pollution from space; 15. The ozone hole; 16. The chlorine threat to Earth's ozone shield; Part II: Vital Land: 17. The vital land: introduction; 18. The San Andreas Fault: adjustments in the Earth's crust; 19. Mount Pinatubo: an enduring volcanic hazard; 20. Extreme floods; 21. Satellite monitoring of Ebola virus hemorrhagic fever epidemics; 22. Snow cover: the most dynamic feature on the Earth's surface; 23. Glaciers: scribes of climate; harbingers of change; 24. Boreal forests: a lengthening growing season; 25. Soil moisture: a critical underlying role; 26. The sunlit Earth; 27. Temperature of the land surface; Part III. The Restless Ocean: 28. The restless ocean: introduction; 29. Ocean bathymetry and plate tectonics; 30. Ocean surface topography and circulation; 31. Heat in the ocean; 32. Sea level rise; 33. Tides; 34. Winds over ocean; 35. The stormy Atlantic; 36. The ocean biosphere; 37. Coccolithophores and the 'Sea of Milk'; 38. Coral bleaching; 39. Hunting red tides from space; 40. Marine sediments; 41. Tsunamis; Part IV. The Frozen Caps: 42. The frozen caps: introduction; 43. Antarctica: a continent revealed; 44. Ice sheets on the move; 45. Ice sheets and the threat to global sea level; 46. The great white ocean: the Arctic's changing sea ice cover; 47. Bound together: Arctic sea ice, ocean and atmosphere; 48. Sea ice: the shifting crust of the southern ocean; 49. Antarctic polynyas: ventilation, bottom water, and high productivity for the world's oceans; Part V. Evidence of our Tenure: 50. Evidence of our tenure: introduction; 51. Mapping the ancient Maya landscape from space; 52. Global land use changes; 53. The changing role of fire on Earth; 54. The tropical rain forest: threatened powerhouse of the biosphere; 55. The green wave; 56. Monitoring urban areas globally and locally; 57. Gray wave of the great transformation; 58. Urban heat islands; 59. Urbanization in China: The Pearl River Delta example; 60. Water issues in the fertile crescent: irrigation in south-eastern Turkey; 61. Chronicling the destruction of Eden: the draining of the Iraqi marshes; 62. Destruction of the Aral Sea; 63. The desiccation of Lake Chad; 64. Industrial pollution in the Russian Arctic; 65. Oil spills at sea; Epilogue; Glossary; Appendix A; Appendix B; Appendix C; Index.

Review :
'… an awe-inspiring collection of images of the Earth from space. This wonderful volume provides a masterful association of imagery and explanation. You will have difficulty closing it once opened. I give it my highest recommendation.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Internationally renowned explorer and adventurer 'Our understanding of the world radically changed when we first saw it from space. It became at once precious yet vulnerable, romantic yet realistic … As tiny ephemeral creatures on the surface, we can also see the alarming effects our activities are having, whether on the land, in the seas or in the atmosphere … an excellent guide to greater understanding of the fundamental issues of our time.' Sir Crispin Tickell, Director of the Policy Foresight Programme at the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization at Oxford University, former British Ambassador to the United Nations, former President of the Royal Geographical Society 'Great, readable book with spectacular space views of how our home planet is changing - the land, atmosphere, oceans and ice.' James Hansen, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies 'Even though the book looks like, and can serve as, a coffee table item, it is much more: it is a window into understanding the Earth from space.' EOS '… nothing helps us think more about the globe than the wonder of viewing the whole and all its changeable parts from space. This book tells us what is happening to our world in graphic detail and it is truly an eye opener.' William Ruckelshaus, First Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency '… the emphasis is on change, and here the images of shrinking glaciers are particularly impressive …This volume illustrates …how much can be learned from integrated views of large areas, up to the planetary dimension.' Walter Munk, Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography '… extremely well illustrated…breathtaking satellite images and Space Shuttle images alongside very well drawn graphics that can be used nicely for teaching purposes in undergraduate classes. …a very fine compilation of System Earth through the eyes and experience of remote sensing experts - beautifully made and a pleasure to read.' Environmental Geology 'The book provides a compilation of stunning images that will appeal to the human and the aesthetic in each of us, as the world is a staggeringly beautiful place at almost every scale we choose to observe … the planet is truly beautiful - small, precious, intricate, detailed and complex.… the book is equivalent to a medical report on the health of the Earth.' From the Foreword and Epilogue by astronaut Piers Sellers 'Our Changing Planet expresses a vision the Earth System Science community has pursued for a generation. By observing the earth from space as completely as science knows how, we would document the state of our planet in the midst of the tremendous changes wrought by our burgeoning global society. We hoped our work would be a landmark; the beauty revealed here goes beyond our dreams.' Charles F., Kennel, Former Associate Administrator at NASA for Mission to Planet Earth, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Vice Chancellor of Marine Sciences at the University of California, San Diego 'One book that capably captures the Big Changes is 'Our Changing Planet: The View From Space' … This is a thoughtful survey, full of stunning photos – both satellite and earthbound – and illuminating charts and graphs. The editors have done a splendid job of organizing a daunting array of material into a genuinely engaging, sobering and informative work that will appeal to even the most science-challenged reader.' L. K. Hanson, Minneapolis Star Tribune 'There are dozens of coffee table books available featuring stunning images of the earth which appeal to the aesthetic in all of us, since the world is indeed beautiful at any scale on which we choose to observe it. What allows NASA's Our Changing Planet to distinguish itself in the competitive field is the accompanying chapters which contextualise the images, explaining not only their geographical significance but also enriching our scientific, environmental and even political knowledge. In a series of short and highly accessible chapters, the book combines stunning satellite imagery with succinct explanations, taking care to avoid an excess of scientific mumbo jumbo. … what raises Our Changing Planet head and shoulders above similar books is the accompanying explanations … The book conclusively demonstrates that, beyond enhancing our appreciation of the natural world with revealing and vibrant pictures, satellite imagery can also contribute toward emergency responses and even prevention of accidents through effective monitoring. These photographs which draw us into the wonders of our planet should also inspire us to safeguard its future - then this book is out of this world.' Robert Wilkinson, Lloyd's List 'The attractive presentation and detailed analysis will combat glum feelings about the Earth's prospects and inspire action to improve them.' American Scientist On-line 'The book is very unlike the … coffee-table picture books that have preceded it onto bookstores … This … book … takes us several miles deeper (higher?) into the technical and scientific realm of Earth remote sensing … a plethora of contributors … have … put together a visually stunning and technically informative textbook (yes, it is a textbook) that can rightly take its place both on the university desktop as well as the home coffee table … This is a benchmark publication. The last time I used those words to describe such a book was in 1976.' Washington Remote Sensing Letter 'It is the kind of book that ought to be a basic reference in every high school and university library everywhere because of the clear and informative way so much information about the planet is both illustrated and explained.' The Society for Marine Mammalogy Newsletter ' “A butterfly's flapping wings may alter the weather a thousand kilometres away. This marvel of chaos also symbolizes Earth's many interconnections. Such connections appear again and again in the book Our Changing Planet – The View From Space …Through glowing illustrations and bright essays within it, our Earth becomes much more complete and more precious.' Mark Mortimer, Universe Today