Concentrating on the environment and its response to both natural and human influences, some 200 articles ( acid rain to zooplankton ) not only examine environmental problems, but also report on the various activities and technologies that have been developed to solve these problems, explaining both the basic concepts involved and important recent research and advances. Full discussions are devoted to such subjects as the dynamics of ecosystems; the causes and consequences of climate modification; pollution, land use, and resources as factors in energy production; crop losses caused by insects and the weather; the ways in which industrial, agricultural, and domestic wastes upset the balance of nature; and the role of technology in environmental science and engineering. Most of the material has been published previously in the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, 7th ed. (1992) and in the McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology (1992). Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. Read Less