Physics Of The Environment

With examples from the environment and the ways in which people interact with it, Brinkman (physics and environmental science, Durham U.) fills the gap generally left by other texts on environmental science. He explains the physical concepts that govern the environment and describes how power generation and transport impact it as he describes the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere, the global climate, solar ultraviolet radiation and its effect on life forms, heat transfer processes, generation of power from fossil fuels, nuclear power generation, and dispersal of pollutants in the environment, and the relationship of physics to stewardship of the environment. His chapters on renewable energy, transportation, and transport are particularly interesting, with information on photovoltaic solar cells, thermal solar power, wind power, biomass energy, hydroelectric power, steam-powered transport, and vehicles powered by hydrogen or electricity. Designed for undergraduate courses. Distributed by World Scientific. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)