Earthsong (POPULAR SCIENCE)

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About Earthsong

Product Description There are wide expanses of the earth's surface that are untouched by human influence. Here nature reigns and natural phenomena dominate and define the landscape. Photographed from above, the sights of volcanoes, glaciers, coral reefs, canyons, sea beds and rivers reveal the delicate and monumental natural patterns that are etched on the earth's crust. Bernhard Edmaier's photographs capture the beauty of these unspoiled areas and document phenomena that may last for a few brief moments or remain for millions of years. Earthsong divides the planet into four parts reflecting the major environments that cover its surface - Aqua (water), Barren (tundra), Desert (lands with minimal precipitation), and Green (forest and grass land). Thus the frozen ice of the Arctic appears with the warm oceans of the Pacific; we see coastal deserts alongside underwater deserts, glacial deserts and sand deserts; the lush green forests of Europe are juxtaposed with desert flowers; and floating river algae and icy alpine summits appear with the barren wastelands of the far north. Earthsong celebrates the boundless beauty of our planet and covers areas from the Bahamas to Ethiopia, New Zealand to the United States, Europe, Ecuador and the Antarctic. Amazon.com Review Art meets earth science in Earthsong, a gallery of spectacular aerial photographs by Bernhard Edmaier. Reproduced in full color on oversized pages, the patterns of deserts, glaciers, volcanoes, and grassland often resemble abstract paintings. But the wisdom of this book lies in its pairing of beautiful images with brief explanations by geologist Angelika Jung-Huettl of the forces that produced these startling effects. Divided into four parts--Agua (water), Barren (tundra), Desert, and Green-- Earthsong is full of surprises. The action ranges from the brilliant, firecracker-like explosion of lava fields on Mt. Etna in Sicily to the sci-fi shapes of boiling mud pools in Waiotapu, New Zealand, powered by sulphur gas. On Disko Bay in western Greenland, a delicate embroidery of fine-grained ice has been shaped by wind, waves and frozen fog. The pristine clarity of early morning light reveals huge swaths of rolling and rippling orange-red sand in the Namib Desert of southwest Africa. Subtly meandering patterns worthy of a master etcher are carved into the icy wastes of Iceland by the action of volcanic dust, snow, sun and wind. While most of the book surveys sparsely inhabited regions, geologic action is also observed next door to major population centers. Cutting a dark ribbon through a lush meadow in eastern Germany, the Tollense River and its hungry algae will eventually erode and conquer the entire valley. Quietly acknowledging the effects of global warning, Earthsong literally hovers above the earth to reveal the effects of the interconnected forces that continue to shape our planet. --Cathy Curtis