Category: Global Systems Science

Chapter 3 { Ozone Contents } When the Earth was unprotected by the ozone layer, the full strength of the Sun’s ultraviolet energy prevented living things from existing outside of the protection of water.  After the ozone layer formed, life was able to evolve on land. Although the ozone absorbed most of the Sun’s ultraviolet […]

Chapter 2 { Ozone Contents } In order to understand the mystery of why ozone over the South Pole was being destroyed, it is necessary to learn more about ozone and other chemicals that affect it. This will be the subject of Chapters 2, 3, and 4. We’ll return to the mystery in Chapter 5. […]

Chapter 1 { Ozone Contents } Something strange is happening… There is the possibility of danger… Unknown forces are at work, but there are clues … These are the elements of a mystery, a mystery that cries out for investigation. Solving mysteries is exciting, and it is at the core of what the scientific endeavor is […]

OZONE is a success story about how people around the globe are cooperating to solve a serious environmental problem. See Overview. Contents Chapter Titles Investigations Stay Current 1. Strange Happenings Chapter 1 2. Ozone in Nature 2.1 Sun’s Spectrum Chapter 2 3. The Danger of UV to Living Things 3.1 Melanoma Increasing3.2 Sunscreens3.3 Sunglasses3.4 Effect […]

{ Life and Climate Contents } { All GSS Books }

Staying current for Chapter 13 { Life and Climate Contents } 2023-03-16. Tonga Eruption May Temporarily Push Earth Closer to 1.5°C of Warming. [https://eos.org/articles/tonga-eruption-may-temporarily-push-earth-closer-to-1-5c-of-warming] By J. Besl, Eos/AGU. Excerpt: The underwater eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai sent megatons of water vapor into the stratosphere, contributing to an increase in global warming over the next 5 […]

Staying current for Chapter 12 { Life and Climate Contents } 2025-04-09. More evidence a cold spell helped doom the Roman Empire. By ScienceAdviser. Excerpt: Historians have long debated the reasons why the Roman Empire—which once stretched across the Mediterranean sea and from northern Africa to the U.K.—collapsed. Recently, some have pointed to a sudden […]

Staying current for Chapter 11 { Life and Climate Contents } 2025-02-18. New Theory Increases Probability of Intelligent Life beyond Earth. By Science News. Excerpt: In 1983, the theoretical physicist Brandon Carter concluded that the time it took for humans to evolve on Earth — relative to the total lifespan of the Sun — suggests […]

Staying current for Chapter 10 { Life and Climate Contents } 2024-11-08. Centennial-Scale Jumps in CO2 Driven by Earth’s Tilt. By Katherine Kornei, Eos/AGU. Excerpt: Human activity is pumping carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere at an unprecedented rate. But centennial-scale increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide—albeit significantly smaller—also persisted in the past. These so-called carbon dioxide jumps […]

Staying current for Chapter 9 { Life and Climate Contents } 2023-04-26. Do Volcanoes Add More Carbon Than They Take Away?. [https://eos.org/research-spotlights/do-volcanoes-add-more-carbon-than-they-take-away] By Saima May Sidik, Eos/AGU. Excerpt: In a new study, Zhong et al. discovered that a volcano in northeast China emits a small net amount of carbon each year. Over geological timescales, that could have […]