Earth Science in the City: A Reader

Abstract

More than half of Earth's population lives in cities today, a figure that is projected to grow to nearly 5 billion in the coming quarter‐century. A new AGU book edited by Grant Heiken, Robert Fakundiny and John Sutter, Earth Science in the City: A Reader, suggests that cities are becoming increasingly coupled with and vulnerable to their environment. The book explores the interrelationship between natural processes and the man‐made urban environment, and reports on research examining the effects on urban residents and their surroundings. Included are papers looking at water use, environmental sustainability, hazard mitigation, and atmospheric sciences that propose integrated solutions to city planning, population growth, and policy decisions. In this issue, Eos talks with lead editor Grant Heiken. Heiken recently retired from the Earth and Environmental Science divisions at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.