The effects of human interference in the grand biospheric cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur evidenced by concerns about global climatic change, nitrates in the water and food, and acid rain have come to international attention inside and outside the scientific community. Here, Vaclav Smil brings to bear more than twenty years of experience in researching these cycles, presenting a broad overview of the enormous advances made in recent years in understanding both the intricacies of the cycles themselves and the effects of human interfernce in them. Smil assess the situation as it now stands and offers a critical perspective of what might be done and what should not be done in the future. A signal achievement in the field, this book will be essential reading for those involved in environmental engineering, chemical engineering, pollution research, ecology, and related fields of inquiry.

ISBN: 0306420260