This new addition to Barron"s Easy Way series introduces the concept of Earth System Science and explains how the new emphasis on the Earth System approach is revolutionizing our understanding of global-scale Earth processes and changes. Separate chapters cover the Earth’s major systems (atmosphere, hydrosphere cryosphere, geosphere, and biosphere); the Big Bang and alternate theories of the universe’s origin; galaxies, stellar evolution, and other space phenomena; our solar system; the Earth–Moon system; geology and the geolologic time scale; plate tectonics and continental drift; weathering and erosion; the world’s oceans and atmosphere; and environmental considerations.