Certain trace gases in the atmosphere are able to absorb electromagnetic energy from the reflection of solar radiation from the Earth's surface. These gases have been increasing steadily and there is concern that they will change global climatic conditions by warming the atmosphere--the so-called ``greenhouse effect.'' Many of these gases originate from biological systems. The Biogeochemistry of Global Change discusses the role of radiative trace gases in this process. The disciplines covered in the book include microbiology, geochemistry, atmospheric chemistry, plant physiology, oceanography and limnology, and soil science. This diversity allows for cross-fertilization, achieving a better understanding of the complex mechanisms for biological and chemical formation, the destruction of trace gases, and the manipulation of ecosystems. Some of the topics covered include: biological mechanisms of formation and destruction of various ``greenhouse'' gases (such as methane, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, dimethylsulfide, and chlorofluorocarbons); the outward and consumptive flux of trace gases from marine and terrestrial systems (including anthropogenic sources); global trace gas modeling studies; the atmospheric physical and chemical reactions of trace gases; and the environmental significance of various trace gases in ancient and current atmospheres. The Biogeochemistry of Global Change provides both reviews and primary source material for active researchers in this field and for microbiologists and atmospheric chemists.

The medieval worldview that regarded human beings as at the center of God's plans for His universe has long been regarded as obsolete; its synthesis of Christian theology and Greek philosophy having collapsed under the weight of Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin. The popular stereotype is that Science, both in the Copernican revolution that dethroned the earth-centered view of the cosmos and in subsequent developments in evolutionary theory and general relativity, has marginalized and trivialized human existence, revealing humanity's "place in the cosmos" to be accidental, peripheral, and ultimately meaningless. However, an investigation into both modern Christian theology and contemporary twenty-first century Science reveals just the opposite, providing solid evidence in the interdisciplinary dialogue concerning the significance of humanity within the universe. In this important study, Christopher Fisher analyzes several modern theologians, including Wolfhart Pannenberg, Karl Rahner, and John Zizioulas, to reveal how contemporary ecumenical theology is deeply and intrinsically committed to a high view of human cosmic significance as a consequence of Christianity's indelible Trinitarian and incarnational faith. Fisher then demonstrates how research in contemporary natural Science confirms this finding in its own way, as recent primate intelligence studies, artificial intelligence research, and even the quest for extra-terrestrial intelligence reveal the wonder of human uniqueness. A contemporary version of the teleological argument also resurfaces in consideration of cosmic evolutionary perspectives on human existence. Even ecological concerns take on a new poignancy with the realization that, among material creatures, only human beings are capable of addressing the world's situation. This interdisciplinary study uncovers the surprising coherence and convergence of Christian Theology and Natural Science on the subject of human existence and significance here at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and it highlights the very unique role of humanity in global and cosmic history.

This Special Issue of Water, Air, and Soil Pollution offers original contributions from BIOGEOMON, The Third International Symposium on Ecosystem Behavior, which was held on the campus ofVillanova University from June 21-25, 1997. Previous meetings were held in Prague in 1987 and again in 1993. The BIOGEOMON series was initiated in 1987 when a group of researchers from the Czech Geological Survey organized a conference called GEOMON, Geochemical Monitoring in Representative Basins. GEOMON was fairly narrowly focused on monitoring of element pools and fluxes on a small watershed scale. As signalled by the change in name to BIOGEOMON, the second conference explicitly recognized that assessment of anthropogenic effects on ecosystem processes requires a combination of geochemical monitoring with other approaches, including watershed-level manipulations, use of radioactive and stable isotopic tracers, and both empirical and process modeling. The 1997 BIOGEOMON conference was the largest, with over 240 participants from 28 countries on five continents in attendance, and broadest in scope. The conference featured a plenary speaker, six keynote speakers, 35 invited speakers, over 60 oral contributed presentations, and over 75 poster presentations.

First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.