Library

Environmental Science

Below are suggested resources to use when researching an Environmental Science topic. For research strategies and techniques, visit the resources linked from the menu at the left.

Getting Started | Finding Articles | Getting Fulltext | Demographics and Statistics

Specific Research Topics: Various | Environmental Protection |
Natural Resources Planning/Management

 

Getting Started

Before jumping in and looking for research, it is a good idea to have a refined topic and to know a little about it. Start with broad resources like encyclopedias, bibliographies, and handbooks to start to get a sense of what is available on your topic in the universe of information.

Environmental Encyclopedia
Main Reference GE10 .E38 2003, volumes 1 and 2.
Topics the editors feel are of the greatest importance to understanding the environment and our relation to it. Nearly 2000 pages in two volumes.

The Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Environmental Change
Main Reference GE10 .E534 2001
An advanced reference work for academics, teachers, students, and others who may encounter environmental change in a wide range of disciplines and from a variety of perspectives.

Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia
Main Reference GE10 .C68 1995
Conservation and environmentalism have begun to change the ways in which governments, corporations, organizations, and individuals behave on a daily basis. Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia attempts to bring together in a succinct way the many dimensions of this transformation in the worlds of ideas and practice.

The Encyclopedia of the Environment
Main Reference QH540.4 .E53 1994
The Encyclopedia of the Environment is based on the legacy of Rene Dubos, the world renowned scientist and humanist. Entries reflect the interplay between humans and the environment in that humans always transform the environment in which they live and function and in that the environment shapes human cultures.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ecology
Main Reference QH540.4 .C66 1994
This work focuses on the terminology of the environment, rather than the politics associated with it. In addition to plants, animals, and the environment, there are biographical notes on eminent ecologists and other scientists.

 

Finding Articles

Search the following indexes to find articles on the topic of Environmental Science. See individual Resources by Subject guides for more specific indexes covering topics within the broader field of Environmental Science.

For journal articles on environmental issues throughout the world, see these journals:

  • Environment and Urbanization
    http://eau.sagepub.com/archive
    This twice-yearly journal focuses on urban and environmental issues and their interconnections, with a particular emphasis on Africa, Asia, and Latin America (where most of world's urban population now lives).

  • Environmental Management and Health
    http://0-www.emeraldinsight.com.library.simmons.edu/Insight/
    viewContainer.do?containerType=JOURNAL&containerId=12152
    Purpose: To examine the various environmental factors and their impact on the overall quality of ecosystems and quality of life, to suggest possible remedies to environmental problems, and to adopt an inter-disciplinary approach to the problem of managing the environment.

 

Getting Fulltext

Because not all indexes are fulltext -- or 100% fulltext -- you may have to look elsewhere to find an article for which you have a citation. Consult the resources below to find out how to get access to the articles you need.

 

Demographics and Statistics

Statistics and demographics are important to many research projects, but they can be hard to find. Try some of the resources below when looking for statistics. If you still cannot find what you need, contact a librarian.

Earth Trends
http://earthtrends.wri.org/
Earth Trends: The Environmental Information Portal, from the World Resources Institute, is a one-stop, online collection of information on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. Includes a searchable database, maps, country profiles, data tables, and other features on marine, freshwater, and land ecosystems, and on climate, population, economics, energy, agriculture, and governance.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-1995_2000.html
or Main library HA202 .U5
Includes statistics from 2000 on the environment, energy, agriculture, natural resources, and parks.

Environment page of the Librarians' Internet Index
http://www.lii.org/pub/topic/environ
See Web sites under the individual topic for which you want information.

 

Finding Information on Specific Research Topics

Various Topics

The Environment page of the Librarians' Internet Index contains links to several hundred Web sites on more than 35 topics on the environment. The LII is publicly-funded and features high-quality Web sites that a team of librarians carefully selected, described, and organized.

For more information on more specific topics within the discipline, contact a librarian.

Environmental Protection

Life Support: The Environment and Human Health
Main RA565 .L54 2002
People's impact on the earth has reached such a magnitude and environmental degradation has proceeded to such a point that we are well into a global environmental crisis. This book's 17 chapters spell out the aspects of this crisis and offer some ideas for dealing with it.

Global Environment: Water, Air, and Geochemical Cycles
Main QC880.4.A8 B47 1996
Provides an integrated approach to global geochemistry and environmental problems and introduces the reader to fundamental concepts of geology, biogeochemistry, oceanography, meteorology, and limnology.

World Resources: A Report by the World Resources Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development
Main Reference HC10 .W827 1994-95
Statistics and discussion of the problems associated with the interaction between human populations and natural resources; also, the role of women in sustainable development.

Water Resources: Health, Environment & Development
http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.simmons.edu/lib/simmons/Doc?id=5002855
Among the natural resources indespensible for human welfare and socioeconomic development, water ranks as number one. This eBook covers critical issues related to water resources development in the context of food security, health and environment; notably, policy perspectives, multi-disciplinary research, health opportunities in water resources developments, environmental health monitors and indicators in fresh water systems, and socio-economic and health impacts of water resources developments.

The Complete Book of Pesticide Management: Science, Regulation, Stewardship, and Communication
Main RA1270.P4 C65 2002
Expanding from initial work in the Indiana Cooperative Extension Service, this book focuses on current pesticide issues, regulations, inventory management, use on Indiana specialty crops, and use in and around the home.

Environmental Health Science
Main RA566 .L55 2003
An advanced book used as an inroductory text in graduate schools, Environmental Health Science presents an overview with an emphasis on preventing the spread of harmful agents and exposures that can cause adverse health effects.

Natural Resources Management / Planning

Political Waters: The Long, Dirty, Contentious, Incredibly Expensive but Eventually Triumphant History of Boston Harbor--A Unique Environmental Success Story
Main TD225.B7 D65 2004
The book's name says it all concerning what was in the 1980s considered to be the most polluted harbor in the country.

Inventing for the Environment
Main T173.8 .I6185 2003
This book describes the many ways in which invention affects the environment, specifically looking at nature itself, the built environment, and specific technologies in areas such as public health and energy.

Ecoregion-Based Design for Sustainability
http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.simmons.edu/lib/simmons/
Top?id=10047720&layout=document
Many designers, land-use planners, hydrologists, developers, and others look at the environment piecemeal by focusing on the environmental impact on a small area. This eBook author argues that we must consider the larger environment.

Land and Limits: Interpreting Sustainability in the Planning Process
http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.simmons.edu/lib/simmons/Doc?id=5005179
The eBook Land and Limits analyzes the impact of sustainable development on those people and rules that affect the use of land. Despite increasing attention to sustainability, conflict over the use of land flourishes.

Planning for a New Century: The Regional Agenda
http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.simmons.edu/lib/simmons/Doc?id=10081843
Today 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in 277 metropolitan areas and accounts for 85 percent of the national economy. Planning for a New Century covers transportation and land-use planning, zoning and design, housing, public education, welfare reform, public safety, downtown revitalization, pollution control, and protection of open spaces and natural areas. This eBook includes specific policy recommendations.

Green Urbanism: Learning from European Cities
http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.simmons.edu/lib/simmons/Doc?id=10064672
According to the author of this eBook, cities are the key element in any effective agenda for confronting our many environmental challenges. The author looks to the most progressive green cities of Europe as models to make American cities more sustainable, more resource-efficient, and less environmentally damaging.

 

Page updated: April 17, 2007

 

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