Volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change deals with the fundamental science that underpins the understanding of quantities and processes that control the basic biogeochemical cycles, and the associated changes in ecosystem physiology and structure under current and predicted human-driven global environmental change. These changes also include the dramatic loss of species, and the world's reorganization of biota towards higher homogenization.
Main themes covered includes:
- spatial scales of the biosphere including species, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the Earth system as a whole
- a description of the most important efforts of a number of international programs, fundamental in the development of thinking in this new field of science
The new understanding provided in this volume forms the basic building blocks allowing:
- integration of the biospheric processes and quantities with the Earth's physical system into one single Earth system
- detection of changes in the world's ecosystems' function and structure, both as already visible impacts of global change and also as indicators of change
- development of the capability to predict impacts on the biosphere brought about by global environmental changes over the next few decades to century.
The information within this volume will enable scientists to develop the technical capabilities and policy tools to mitigate and adapt to undesirable changes.
About the Author: Editor-in Chief
Professor Ted Munn, Associate, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, Canada. He has over 50 years research/teaching experience in the areas of boundary layer meteorology, environmental impact assessment, environmental management and policy formulation. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE). Wiley publish their research monographs (52 titles published to date).
Associate Editors
Professor Michael MacCracken (Volume 1) - Director of the Office of the US Global Change Research Programme (USGCRP), Washington DC, USA. He is a world-renowned academic with over 30 years teaching and research experience in climate modelling.
Dr John S Perry (Volume 1)
Professor Harold A Mooney (Volume 2) - Paul S Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, Stanford University, USA. He has over 30 years experience in the areas of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. He is Secretary General of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and past President of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.
Dr Joseph Canadell (Volume 2) - GCTE International Project Office, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra, Australia.
Professor Ian Douglas (Volume 3) - Professor of Physical Geography, University of Manchester, UK. He has over 30 years experience looking at environmental problems, specializing in tropical geomorphology, hydrology and urban environmental management. He is President of Section E Geography of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and past Co-Chairman of SCOPE.
Dr Mostafa Tolba (Volume 4) - President, International Center for Environment and Development, Egypt. He has led more than 1000 international projects in various areas of environmental planning, management and sustainable development and was Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for over 17 years.
Mr Peter Timmerman (Volume 5) - Programme Co-ordinator and Research Director, International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study (IFIAS) and Research Associate, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, Canada. He has published widely in the area of environmental ethics.
