The Barnes & Noble Review
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of Environmental Science is an excellent reference book for anyone with the need to communicate clearly about the environment. It includes almost 9,000 environmental terms, their pronunciations, a concise definition of the expression, and a notation on which field of science it pertains to. A quick glance at this reference while reading or writing about the environment will facilitate precise communication.
Publisher Mark D. Licker covers terminology from more than 30 disciplines, including agriculture, botany, chemical engineering, civil engineering, climatology, ecology, forestry, genetics and evolution, geochemistry, geography and mapping, meteorology, microbiology, mycology, oceanography, petroleum and mining engineering, plant pathology, systematics, and zoology. The pronunciation of each term is provided along with synonyms, acronyms, and abbreviations where appropriate. A guide to the use of this dictionary is included, explaining the alphabetical organization of terms, the format of the book, cross-referencing, and how synonyms, variant spellings, abbreviations, and similar information are handled. Not only does this book provide a wonderful source of clearly defined terms, but the appendix is full of useful tables and charts, including the Periodic Table, Major Sources of Indoor Air Pollution, Structure of the Atmosphere, the Nitrogen Cycle, and much more.
Science is not particularly subjective; it is not open to nuance or interpretation. Facts are precise and the meaning of terms must be strictly defined, so that language can serve as a common denominator in analyzing and evaluating results. Thus, this outstanding book delivers the resources to quickly find the correct terms needed for scientists, students, readers and writers, to discuss environmental science without fear of being misunderstood.
John R. Vacca
John R. Vacca, the former computer security official (CSO) for NASA's space station program (Freedom), has written nearly 40 books about advanced storage, computer security, and aerospace technology.
