The Environmental Awareness Series is a major project in AGI's
Environmental Affairs program. The series booklets cover major topics
of environmental and societal concern and demonstrate the complexity
and interconnection of natural systems that we use and depend upon.
Each booklet is an effective educational tool that provides a readable,
well-illustrated introduction to a topic. Target audiences for the booklets
include general readers, legislators, teachers, and students. The ten
booklets below are published and several other booklets are in review
or under development. Guidelines
for authors are available online.
Environmental Awareness Series
Sustaining
Our Soils and Society describes soils, their importance to society,
soil-forming processes, and strategies for sustained usage of soils.
It was published in 1998 in cooperation with the Soil Science Society
of America and the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource
Conservation Service. Extensive color illustrations combine with the
text to effectively communicate the nature of soils, soil forming processes,
and their importance to mankind. A poster, related educational materials,
and a bookmark complement the booklet. Download
a PDF of the entire book (17.7MB)
Metal
Mining and the Environment describes the natural sources of metals,
why metals are important to society, how mining and related mineral
processing extracts metals from the Earth, the environmental concerns
that are associated with metal extraction, and how these environmental
concerns can be prevented or mitigated. The publishing partners are
the U. S. Geological Survey, the Society of Economic Geologists, and
the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration. Distribution partners
are the Arizona Mining Association, Nevada Mining Association, Colorado
Geological Survey, and National Energy Institute. This booklet was published
in 1999 and is accompanied by a poster and related educational materials.
Download a PDF of the entire book (1.4MB)
Living
With Karst: A Fragile Foundation describes the origins and distribution
of karst, the resources provided by karst terrains, and the environmental
concerns associated with developmnt, recreation, and land use around
karst. AGI's publishing partners for this booklet are the National Speleological
Society, American Cave Conservation Association, National Park Service,
Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Illinois
Basin Consortium (State geological surveys of Illinois, Indiana, and
Kentucky), the U. S. Geological Survey, and the U. S. Forest Service.
This booklet was published in 2001 and is accompanied by a poster and
related educational materials. Download a PDF of
the entire book (2.2MB)
Water
and the Environment, the 5th publication in the AGI Environmental
Awareness Series, provides information about water and its importance;
where water comes from; water-related environmental concerns; water
protection, policies and regulations; and our future needs for water.
After all, water – not oil or minerals – is the most controlling
resource on Earth. Its distribution, quantity, availability, and quality
are the controls for the development of agriculture, industry, rural,
urban, and municipal use. This richly illustrated, non-technical publication
is appropriate for the general public, educators, and policymakers.
This booklet was published in 2002 and is accompanied by a poster and
related educational materials. Produced in cooperation with the Bureau
of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
USDA Forest Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Download
a PDF of the entire book (2.7MB)
Petroleum
and the Environment provides an introduction to the major environmental
concerns associated with petroleum exploration, production, transportation,
and use. It helps to understand petroleum importance, where it comes
from, how it is processed for our use, the policies and regulations
designed to safeguard natural resources, and global energy needs. Publishing
partners for this book are the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, Minerals Management Service,
USDA Forest Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and the USGS. This book
was published in 2003 and is accompanied by a poster and related educational
activities. Download
a PDF of the entire book (3.5MB)
Meeting
Challenges with Geologic Maps provides information about the value
and usefulness of geologic maps. This book explains the meaning of the
colors, patterns, and symbols on geologic maps, and provides sixteen
examples that show how geologic maps are helping to delineate fragile
habitat and ecosystems, protect agains natural hazards, and find needed
resources. Publishing partners for this book are the American Association
of State Geologists, the Geological Society of America, the National
Park Service, and the USGS. This book was published in 2004. An accompanying
website provides infromation from the book and additional examples
of geologic maps helping to solve problems. Download
a PDF of the enitre book (8.3MB)
Aggregate
and the Environment is designed to help understand our aggregate
resources. This book explains the importance, origins, processing, environmental
concerns, how those concerns are addressed, and the policies and regulations
related to aggregate production. Publishing partner for this book is
the US Geological Survey. This book was published in 2004 and is accompanied
by an aggregate poster. Download a PDF of the
entire book (8.3MB)
Soils,
Society, and the Environment focuses mainly on soil as society’s
primary source of food and fiber (such as cotton and wood). Growing
plants in soil is the only known way to produce large quantities of
these necessities, and the implications of that fact are profound. How
societies manage their soils can directly impact their environments
and may even be a determining factor in a society’s long-term success
or failure. This publication provides a global view of soil resources
and was prepared in conjunction with the 18th World Congress of Soil
Science to be held July 9-15, 2006, in Philadelphia. The American Geological
Institute produced the 64-page book in cooperation with the Soil Science
Society of America, the USDA Natural Resources Service and the U.S.
Geological Survey. The publication includes an 18” x 24” double-sided
poster with information about the World Congress of Soil Science on
the front and an activity for students on the back. This book was published
in 2005.
Coal and the Environment covers issues related to coal mining and combustion, as well as the methods, technology,
and regulation currently in use, or planned for the future, to meet our nation's energy
needs, while caring for the environment around us. Coal is our most important domestic fuel resource. It accounts for nearly 25% of our country's
total primary energy production and produces half of our electric power. The objective in writing about coal is to relate the mining and use of this vital energy
resource to the environmental concerns that affect our society. The publication includes an 18” x 24” double-sided
poster with information about the mining cycle, from exploration through land reclamation. This book was published
in 2006. Download a PDF of the
entire book (2.8MB)
Living with Unstable Ground, the 10th publication in AGI's Environmental Awareness Series, is a practical guide and will increase your awareness and understanding of how you can build safely in areas with unstable ground and what society can do to reduce the impact of unstable ground. Most of us take the stability of the ground for granted. However, many ongoing natural processes and human activities, and occasionally complex combinations of both, displace the ground. Whether ground displacements are large and catastrophic or small and slow, their cumulative impact during the lifetimes of humans or civilizations may be large and destructive. As the demand for land grows and humans increasingly modify their environment, more and more people will be exposed to these instabilities and suffer the consequences. This publication was produced by the American Geological Institute in cooperation with Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists, Applied Technology Council with support from the ATC Endowment Fund, and the U.S. Geological Survey. This book was published
in 2009.
Meeting Environmental Challenges with Remote Sensing Imagery explains what remote sensing imagery is and how it is obtained, processed, and analyzed. This book, published in 2013 and the eleventh in the Environmental Awareness Series, is over 80 pages long and includes 22 case studies that illustrate how remote sensing imagery is applied to meeting challenges presented by natural hazards such as severe weather and volcanic eruptions, surface and groundwater quality assessment, agriculture and forest management, climate variability, and resource development. AGI's publishing partners for this book are AmericaView, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS).
Other Environmental Publications
The American Geological Institute published an Environmental
Geoscience Directory in 1996. While the publication is no longer
available in print, two of the listings from the directory are provided
online.
Role of Geosciences
in the Environment is a white paper prepared by AGI's Environmental
Geoscience Advisory Committee for the National Institute for the Environment.
It is available online.
The Ground
Water and Soil Contamination Data Base was released in 1996. It
now contains over 100,000 citations and is updated weekly. This database
is available online.
Glossary
of Hydrology was published in 1998 and contains over 4,000 terms.
The glossary provides a listing of the most frequently used hydrologic
terms and their definitions for hydrologists, engineers, environmentalists,
geoscientists, and others working in the field.
Groundwater
- A Primer This booklet will increase your understanding of groundwater
occurrence and distribution, flow and relation to surface water, water
use and quality, and contamination and protection.
Environmental Research Needs of Metal Mining was published jointly
by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy,
and Exploration (SME) and AGI in 1998. This booklet reports on the
priority environmental problems encountered at mining-related Superfund
sites and uses this as a basis for defining related research needs and
potential research directions for consideration by the academic, government,
and private sectors.
Remediation of Historical Mine Sites was published jointly by
the Society
for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) and AGI in 1998. This
publication identifies existing or developing environmental remediation
methods that may have current or future application to historical hard-rock
mining sites. It is intended as an introduction to the currently known
range of methods.
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