Our Changing Planet

'… 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

• 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.