This text is an introduction to the interrelationships of the atmosphere, air quality, people, and plants. Ideal as a textbook, it makes an excellent guide to this important topic for a wide audience that includes anyone interested in environmental change, climactic change, or natural resource management.

The author draws on his career of more than 25 years of scientific research to present a multidisciplinary approach to the interactions of the atmosphere and the biosphere. This approach combines science, historical accounts, and an examination of issues that span pollution control, technology, education, health, agriculture, forests, and international issues.

Interesting and easy-to-read, this text offers a wide-ranging account that extends from the pre-industrial era to the present, and it includes case histories of Los Angeles, London, and Mexico City. Emphasizing the international dimensions of this subject, the author offers clear explanations of scientific and technical concepts, significant historical events, social factors, and key issues like global warming and acid rain.

Readers will find all the background information needed for a well-rounded understanding of the many different ways in which the atmosphere and the biosphere interact. Included are a glossary of technical terms, notes within each chapter, and color pictures, including images that illustrate how to detect air pollution injury in plants as an early sign of poor air quality.

Topics include:

• The earth's atmosphere
• The impact of human activities on the atmosphere
• The effects of poor air quality on crops, forests, and human health
• The history of air pollution from the nomads to the present
• The sources and types of air pollution
• The transport of air pollution across national and international boundaries
• Phenomena such as acid rain and global climate change
• How to control air pollution
• International concerns, including differences between developed and developing nations

Air Pollution, People, and Plants

Chapter 1

The Atmosphere

Introduction
Relationships Between Physical and Chemical Factors of the Atmosphere

Chapter 2

Nature, Types, Sources, and Ambient Concentrations of Air Pollutants

Introduction
Sources of Primary Pollutants in the Atmosphere
Sources of Secondary Pollutants in the Atmosphere
Ambient Concentrations of Air Pollutants

Chapter 3

An Historical Perspective of Air Quality

Introduction
Before the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution
The Twentieth Century
The Fog of London, and the Smog of Los Angeles and Mexico City: A Brief Analysis

Chapter 4

Transport of Air Pollution Across Regional, National, and International Boundaries

Introduction
Long-range Transport of Ozone and Fine Particles
Acidic Precipitation (Rain)
A Brief Analysis of the Acidic Rain Phenomenon

Chapter 5

Air Pollution and Global Climate Change

Introduction
The Processes and Products in Global Climate Change
A Brief Assessment

Chapter 6

Air Quality and Human Health

Introduction
Health Effects of Some Air Pollutants
Minor Air Pollutants Hazardous to Human Health
A Brief Assessment

Chapter 7

Air Quality and Crops

Introduction
Effects of Select Air Pollutants on Crops
Crop Responses to Multiple Air Pollutants
Crop Responses to Global Climate Change
A Brief Assessment

Chapter 8

Air Quality and Forests

Introduction
History of Forest Damage
Recent Forest Damage
Damage in North America
Damage in Europe
Impacts of Air Pollutants on Forest Ecosystems: An Integrated Analysis with Emphasis on Ozone
Landscape Level Ecological Responses

Chapter 9

Control Strategies for Air Pollution

Introduction
Air Pollution Control Through Process or Engineering Technology
Air Pollution Control Through Government Regulation
A Brief Assessment

Chapter 10

Education, Research and Technology Transfer: An International Perspective

Introduction
Strategies for Improving Air Quality
A Growing Concern about Poor Air Quality and Its Impacts on Human Health
Global Climate Change Versus Global Change
Balancing the World’s Food Supply
Preserving Biological Diversity
Environmental Literacy
Opportunities for International Cooperation
A Brief Assessment of the Limitations