Encyclopedia of Earth

Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Earth, an electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society. The Encyclopedia is a free, expert-reviewed collection of articles written by scholars, professionals, educators, and experts who collaborate and review each other's work. The articles are written in non-technical language and are useful to students, educators, scholars, professionals, as well as to the general public.

  • Featured Article

    What’s in Yellowstone’s Future?

    Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions—What’s in Yellowstone’s Future? Yellowstone, one of the world’s largest...

  • Featured Article

    Cats, Toxoplasma, and Schizophrenia

    In humans, acute infection withToxoplasmosis can produce psychotic symptoms similar to those displayed by persons with schizophrenia. This article written by E. Fuller Torrey and Robert H. Yolken*,...

  • Featured Article

    Phrynocephalus

    Phrynocephalus (Toad Headed Agamas) is the genus of Agamid lizards first described by Kaup in 1825. It includes over 40 species of small and medium sized lizards characteristic of arid regions of...

  • Featured Article

    Plants and Healthy Indoor Air

    Poor indoor air quality has been linked to health problems. This article, written by Dr. Luz Claudio*, appeared first in Environmental Health Perspectives—the peer-reviewed, open access journal...

  • Featured Article

    Drosera rotundifolia

    Drosera rotundifolia is an insectivorous plant that occurs in marshes, bogs and fens in a circumboreal distribution; common names for this species are Roundleaf Sundew or Common Sundew. This...

  • Featured Article

    Belarus

    Belarus is a landlocked nation of nine-and-a-half million people in eastern Europe between Poland (to the west) and Russia (to the east) and between Latvia and Lithuania (to the north) and Ukraine...

  • Featured Article

    Cleaner Cook Stoves, Better Health

    Where There’s Smoke, There’s Disease. This article, written by Tina Adler*, appeared first in Environmental Health Perspectives—the peer-reviewed, open access journal of the...

  • Featured Article

    Douglas-fir

    The Douglas-fir (scientific name: Pseudotsuga) is a genus of tree that includes ar least five species found in North America and Asia: ...

  • Featured Article

    Tristan da Cunha

    The Tristan da Cunha Island Group (37° 06' S, 12° 18' W) is an archipelago of five volcanic islands resting on the east slope of the mid-Atlantic ridge, midway between Africa and...

  • Featured Article

    Living in a contaminated world

    Humankind is now in its third generation since the chemical revolution—circa 1940. The myriad dimensions and implications of this worldwide phenomenon and its actual and potential consequences...

  • Featured Event

    January: Radon Action Month

    EPA Advice for National Radon Action Month: Test for Radon Gas to Protect Health 21,000 Americans die from radon related lung cancer each year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

  • Featured Event

    2 February: World Wetlands Day

    World Wetlands Day 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day (WWD). This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the...

Featured Resource

2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All

International Year of Sustainable Energy for All: 2012 On 16 February 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a Resolution (A/RES/65/151) declaring Year 2012 to be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. In that...

Latest News

National Ocean Policy Action Plan

National Ocean Policy Action Plan draft requests public comments on actions Federal agencies will take to improve the health of oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes. Federal Government Releases...

More in this Site…

Articles

  • In the 19th and early 20th centuries, several scientists suggested that the continental masses had the ability...
  • Commensalism is an ecological relationship, in which one species benefits from an association with another org...
  • Overview Dugongs were once common throughout the shallow coastal waters of East Malaysia (northeast ...
  • A single fragrance in a product can contain a mixture of hundreds of chemicals, some of which react with ozone...
  • A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z A back to top Aunger, Robert. 2010. Types of...
  • Introduction Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the processes and phenomena of Earth...
  • Introduction A herbivore is an animal that obtains its energy and nutrients by feeding on plants. Differen...

News Articles

Resources

Galleries

Videos