Earth now is dominated by both biogeophysical and anthropogenic processes, as represented in these two images from a simulation of aerosols. Dust (red) from the Sahara sweeps west across the Atlantic Ocean. Sea salt (blue) rises into the atmosphere from winds over the North Atlantic and from a tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean. Organic and black carbon (green) from biomass burning is notable over the Amazon and Southeast Asia. Plumes of sulfate (white) from fossil fuel burning are particularly prominent over northeastern North America and East Asia. If present trends of dust emissions and fossil fuel burning continues in what we call the Anthropocene epoch, then we could experience high atmospheric CO2 levels leading to unusual warming rarely experienced in Earth's history. This book focuses on human influences on land, ocean, and the atmosphere, to determine if human activities are operating within or beyond the safe zones of our planet's biological, chemical, and physical systems.Volume highlights include:* Assessment of civic understanding of Earth and its future* Understanding the role of undergraduate geoscience research and community-driven research on the Anthropocene* Effective communication of science to a broader audience that would include the public, the K-12 science community, or populations underrepresented in the sciences* Public outreach on climate education, geoscience alliance, and scientific reasoningFuture Earth is a valuable practical guide for scientists from all disciplines including geoscientists, museum curators, science educators, and public policy makers.This volume was made possible with the support of the National Science Foundation through the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (EAR-0120914) and the Future Earth Initiative (DRL-0741760). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Contributors viiPreface ixAcknowledgments xi1. Welcome to the AnthropocenePatrick Hamilton 12. The Anthropocene and the Framework for K-12 Science EducationFred N. Finley 93. Teacher Professional Development in the AnthropoceneDevarati Bhattacharya, Gillian Roehrig, Anne Kern, and Melinda Howard 194. Climate Literacy and Scientific ReasoningShiyu Liu, Keisha Varma, and Gillian Roehrig 315. Evaluation and Assessment of Civic Understanding of Planet EarthJulie C. Libarkin 416. Community-Driven Research in the AnthropoceneRajul E. Pandya 537. Geoscience Alliance: Building Capacity to Use Science for Sovereignty in Native CommunitiesNievita Bueno Watts, Wendy Smythe, Emily Geraghty Ward, Diana Dalbotten, Vanessa Green, Mervyn Tano, and Antony Berthelote 678. New Voices: The Role of Undergraduate Geoscience Research in Supporting Alternative Perspectives on the AnthropoceneDiana Dalbotten, Rebecca Haacker-Santos, and Suzanne Zurn-Birkhimer 779. Shaping the Public Dialogue on Climate ChangeWilliam Spitzer 8910. Opportunities for Communicating Ocean Acidification to Visitors at Informal Science Education InstitutionsDouglas Meyer and Bill Mott 9911. City-Wide Collaborations for Urban Climate EducationSteven Snyder, Rita Mukherjee Hoffstadt, Lauren B. Allen, Kevin Crowley, Daniel A. Bader, and Radley M. Horton 10312. On Bridging the Journalism/Science DivideBud Ward 111Index 121Color plate section is located between pages 88 and 89.