Environmental Chemistry

Chemical processes shape the world we live in; the air we breathe, the water we drink, the weather we experience. Environmental Chemistry: a global perspective describes those chemical principles which underpin the natural processes occurring within and between the air, water, and soil, and explores how human activities impact on these processes, giving rise to environmental issues of global concern.Guiding us through the chemical composition of the three key environmental systems – the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and terrestrial environment – the authors explain the chemical processes which occur within and between each system. Focusing on general principles, we are introduced to the essential chemical concepts which allow better understanding of air, water, and soil and how they behave; careful explanations ensure that clarity is not sacrificed at the expense of thorough coverage of the underlying chemistry.We then see how human activity continues to affect the chemical behaviour of these environmental systems, and what the consequences of these natural processes being disturbed can be.Environmental Chemistry: a global perspective takes chemistry out of the laboratory, and shows us its importance in the world around us. With illuminating examples from around the globe, its rich pedagogy, and broad, carefully structured coverage, this book is the perfect resource for any environmental chemistry student wishing to develop a thorough understanding of their subject.The eBook offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: Find the eBook on VitalSource.FeaturesStrikes a perfect balance between depth and breadth of coverage, making it a one-stop shop for students of environmental chemistryEmphasizes general principles, covered at just the right depth for readers to develop a thorough understanding of natural processesCarefully structured explanations ensure that students from a variety of backgrounds can master the important chemical conceptsIn-text questions and end-of-chapter problems encourage students to check their understanding,and apply what they have learned to new scenarios and issuesMain points given throughout each chapter highlight the key concepts being presentedOnline resources feature additional resources for lecturers to enhance the educational value of the textNew to this EditionNew topics now added, including asbestos, fracking, ocean acidification, and the chemistry of constructed wetlandsUpdated data and information throughout the book, particularly in chapters covering fast moving subjects such as stratospheric chemistry, the chemistry of urban and indoor atmospheres, and the chemistry of global climateA new Appendix explaining how to use online software to do speciation calculationsNew and improved learning features: more ‘Literature Links’ to direct students to the associated research in the field, additional ‘Fermi questions’ providing thought experiments which encourage strategic thinking, and new ‘Think about this’ boxes to encourage students to pause and reflect on the relevance of what they have learntExamples and quantitative problems now further clarified with additional labelling and explanations

Author Biography

Gary W. vanLoon, Emeritus Professor, School of Environmental Studies Queen’s University, Canada, Stephen J. Duffy, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Mount Allison University, Canada