What's special about Natural Disasters, 4/e?

Organization
The primary organization of the book is based on an energy theme. Chapter 1 leads off with data describing death and destruction, and then examines the energy sources underlying disasters. Earthquake and volcano disasters fueled by Earth's internal energy are addressed in Chapters 2 through 7 and are organized on a plate-tectonics theme. Disasters powered primarily by gravity are covered in Chapter 8 on mass movements. Disasters fueled by the external energy of the Sun are examined in Chapters 9 through 13 on climate change, severe weather, floods, and fire. Chapter 14 examines the great dyings encased in the fossil record. Chapter 15 examines impacts from asteroids and comets and includes plans to protect Earth from future impacts. Chapter 16 looks at population growth, the unprecedented exponential increase in the human population.

Comprehensiveness
The text covers the most significant natural hazards from geologic to oceanographic to atmospheric to space debris and their associated phenomena. The broad range of natural disasters topics allows each instructor to select those chapters that cover their interests and local hazards.

Case Histories
The text aims to explain important principles about the Earth and then develop further understanding through numerous case studies.

Boxed Readings
Each chapter contains at least one boxed reading to further develop some aspect of a topic.

End-of-Chapter Learning Aids
Learning aids at the conclusion of every chapter include Terms to Remember, Questions for Review and Questions for Further Thought. Also at the end of each chapter, you'll find a list of Suggested Readings and References, as well as Videos, that provide important recent and classic considerations of the chapter's subject matter.