Guides: Subject Guide ~ Environmental Studies: Background Information

Overview of your Topic

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences This link opens in a new window
An encyclopedia covering all aspects of the life sciences. Updated continually. Wiley.
Annual Reviews This link opens in a new window
Literature reviews providing overviews of the principal contributions to scholarship for 41 focused disciplines within the biomedical, life, physical, and social sciences.

Taking Sides: Clashing Views

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Full text reports to differing points of view on current social issues.
Provided by NOVELny.
Provided by the New York State Library, NOVELNY is a Statewide Internet Library connecting New Yorkers to 21st century information. NOVELNY is supported with temporary federal Library Services and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Green Issues and Debates
Sage Reference, 2011
Explores the multitude of threats to sustainable life on earth and the myriad of controversies surrounding potential solutions.
Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
Macmillan Reference, 2009
Examines the philosophical and ethical issues underlying contemporary and historical environmental issues, policies, and debates. Covers concepts, institutions, topics, events and people, including global warming, animal rights, environmental movements, alternative energy, green chemistry, industrial ecology, and eco-sabotage.

Handbooks and Dictionaries

Oxford Dictionary of Ecology
4th edition.
Over 6,000 entries on all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines such as biogeography, genetics, soil science, geomorphology, atmospheric science, and oceanography.
Standard Handbook of Environmental Science, Health, and Technology by Jay H. Lehr; Janet K. Lehr
Call Number: REFERENCE GE123 .S73 2000
McGraw-Hill
A comprehensive handbook for all areas of environmental science, including sampling methods, monitoring methods, testing methods, control techniques, and calculation methods.
Encyclopedia of Energy, Natural Resource, and Environmental Economics
Elsevier, 2013
Explores the relationship between economics and energy policy, environmental protection, and natural resource management.
Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry
6th edition, Wiley, 2003
Subject areas include inorganic and organic chemicals, polymers and plastics, metals and alloys, biotechnology, food chemistry and environmental protection. Chemical substances are described in detail: physical and chemical properties, production, applications, economic data, toxicology and occupational health data is provided for each substance.

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Documents & Data - International

World Ocean Database and World Ocean Atlas Series - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Worldwide data sets and products from NOAA's National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). The WODselect interface allows searching by user-specified criteria.
Coral Reef Information System
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA's Coral Reef Information System (CoRIS) is designed to be a single point of access to NOAA coral reef information and data products, especially those derived from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.
Global Invasive Species Database
Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), SSC- Species Survival Commission of the IUCN -International Union for Conservation of Nature. The GISD was developed as part of the global initiative on invasive species led by the Global Invasive Species Programme. The GISD focuses on invasive alien species that threaten native biodiversity and natural ecosystems and covers all taxonomic groups from micro-organisms to animals and plants in all ecosystems. Species information is either supplied by or reviewed by expert contributors from around the world.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) facilitates the collection, management and processing of species data for publication on the IUCN Red List.
NOAA National Climatic Data Center - Global Warming
Overview and links for: Green House Effect, Green House Gases, Global Temperatures, El Niño, Ocean Heat Content, Sea Level Rise, Hydrological Cycle, Cryosphere, Climate Variability and Extremes, Future Climate Projections and Additional Resources.
National Centers for Environmental Information - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) hosts and provides public access to one of the most significant archives for environmental data on Earth.

Statista This link opens in a new window
A statistics portal with data from over 18,000 sources -- private, public, and proprietary from North America, Europe, and Asia. Also included are U.S. industry reports, country reports, and colorful infographics.
All statistics can be downloaded as PowerPoint, Excel, and JPEG files, along with the original source with full citations in APA, Chicago, Harvard, and MLA formats.

Documents & Data - National & State

Water Resources of the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects information needed to understand the Nation's water resources, and provides access to water data, publications, maps, and recent water projects. Water data by state is also included.
Adirondack Ecological Center
The Adirondack Ecological Center was established in 1971 by the State University of New York College of Environmental Forestry in Syracuse to provide the science that underpins the management of Adirondack Park as one of the world's foremost experiments in conservation and sustainability.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Environmental Impact Statements: Digests This link opens in a new window
Abstract summaries of the environmental impact statements issued by the federal government. Each record includes a clear description of the project, sections on positive impact and negative consequences, and legal mandates. Coverage: 1985-present.
Note: Environmental Impact Statements: Digests is now part of Environmental Science Index. By default, your search will be limited to Environmental Impact Statements: Digests content only. Deselect the checkbox to expand your search and get more results.

Hazardous Substances Data Bank
Peer-reviewed toxicology data for over 5,000 hazardous chemicals.
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), United States Department of Labor
Material Safety Data Sheets
Internet Resources for MSDS - General Sites
These sites have large collections of MSDS and are a good place to start your search.
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Produced by individual manufacturers, data sheets vary widely. Try to locate applications, dates and countries of origin that fit your research.
New York State Department of Health
Study of State Soil Arsenic Regulations.
Conducted by the Association for the Environmental Health of Soils, Amherst, Massachusetts, 1998.
New York State Rural Soil Background Survey, 2005. Appendix D.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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Provided by by Peter Taylor, Oneida County Remediation Department and Jim Harrington, New York State Remediation Department, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Modern Shale Gas Development in the U.S.: An Update, 2013
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), U.S. Department of Energy, 2013
This Primer provides information on the technology advances and challenges that accompany deep shale gas development.
A Research Guide to the Marcellus and Utica Shales
A project of Carnegie Mellon and the PA State Association of Boroughs. Carnegie Mellon University, 2012. Debate on natural gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) of shale rock formations center on arguments about energy, the economy, and the environment.
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There has been considerably less attention paid to the societal and social impacts of hydraulic fracturing, including impacts on tourism, patterns of housing development, crime, social services usage, road quality, and urban planning and population issues. The urgency to understand these concerns brought together researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and officials from the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and the Chrostwaite Institute to create the Research Guide to the Marcellus and Utica Shales. The purpose of this project is to catalog the literature on natural gas extraction by hydraulic fracturing in order to help policymakers and researchers comprehend the existing research on this topic and identify issues for further study.
Revised Draft SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program (September 2011)
“Well Permit Issuance for Horizontal Drilling and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale and Other Low-Permeability Gas Reservoirs”.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
USDA US Plant Hardiness Zone Map
New York USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map