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Planet Earth
Editors' Picks
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Mass Extinction
What caused the Permian extinction—the mother of all extinctions—250 million years ago?
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Profile: Gavin Schmidt
Climate scientist Gavin Schmidt has a passion for juggling, unicycling, and circus tricks of all sorts.
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Expedition to Greenland
Watch a video clip and slide show about a 2005 expedition to study the world’s fastest-moving glacier.
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Risking It All for Science
What drives scientists to delve into flooded caves where they face rock falls, nitrogen narcosis, even drowning?
Planet Earth in the News
Links
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U.S. Geological Survey
www.usgs.gov
Authoritative analysis and updates on earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and other natural hazards
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
www.noaa.gov
Monitor severe storm warnings, fisheries management, coastal restoration, and much more.
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Earth Observatory
earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Explore a rich repository of global maps, satellite photos, and other stunning and information-rich imagery.
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USGS Volcano Hazards Program
volcanoes.usgs.gov
The latest on volcanoes of current concern around the world
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Worldwatch Institute
www.worldwatch.org
Learn about strategies to combat poverty, population growth, climate change, and other critical global issues.
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People & the Planet
www.peopleandplanet.net
Browse 16 topic areas concerned with humans on Earth, ranging from reproductive health to poverty and trade.
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NASA Science: Earth
science.nasa.gov/earth-science/
Take a tour of the cryosphere on this site dedicated to the study of our planet from space.
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Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
www.ldeo.columbia.edu/
Find out about the work of more than 200 scientists researching our planet’s origin, evolution, and future.
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
www.whoi.edu/
The world’s largest nonprofit ocean research organization, concerned also with hot-button topics such as oil spills and red tide
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Byrd Polar Research Center
bprc.osu.edu/
Follow a web expedition to Antarctica, learn about cutting-edge polar and alpine research, and more.
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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Earth
www.jpl.nasa.gov/earth/
Track Earth-observing missions, from one revealing the inner secrets of clouds to another measuring Earth’s gravitational field.
Books
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Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth
by James Lovelock
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Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth
by Andrew H. Knoll
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Earth: An Intimate History
by Richard Fortey
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The Complete Ice Age: How Climate Change Shaped the World
by Brian M. Fagan
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Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before
by Alastair Fothergill and David Attenborough
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The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth's Climate
by David Archer
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Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity
by James C. Hansen
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Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
by Elizabeth Kolbert
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The Carbon Age: How Life's Core Element Has Become Civilization's Greatest Threat
by Eric Roston
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The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind
by Kerry Sieh and Simon LeVay
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Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
by Simon Winchester
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Annals of the Former World
by John McPhee