Environmental Forensics

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Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: I find myself referring to this book on a daily basis.
A must have for anyone in the Environmental Industry.

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Summary: Some mistakes make the book hard to believe
Review: It may be that the book is a good work, but some mistakes make it hard to believe. As a simple but illustrative example, on page 315 the author says that some synonyms of carbon tetrachloride (formula CCl4) are "carbon disulphide, carbon disulfide" and some others that are not, in any way, related to carbon tetrachloride but to other chemical (formula CS2). If this so obvious mistake is found, how many others, not so obvious might be in the book?

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Summary: Hydrogeologist finds this book lacking in many respects.
Review: The good points for this book are the scope of the discussion; Most of Chapter 3, Identification of Biased Environmental Data; and, the color plates. However, there are some notable errors in the book and strong statements that deserve quite obvious and important caveats. There is no discussion of the importance of effective porosity. Using the wrong porosity value is a common error used to bias analyses of contaminant transport velocity. There are errors such as stating that organic carbon is associated with clay content, which is completely wrong in many parts of the country where clay residuum dominates. Clay minerals have no carbon content themselves, but may be associated with organic materials in alluvial settings. There are many such problems with this book and I am hesitant to offer it to those learning the practice because of all the corrections I'd need to make.

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Summary: Environmental Forensics: A Glossary of Terms
Review: This glossary is the companion to Environmental Forensics: Principles and Applications. When used in conjunction with this book, it provides the practioner with the needed tools to understand and forensically review environmental reports and expert witness testimony. The glossary is easy to read and includes a section on acroymns used in the environmental sciences. This glossary is a bargain and can save the user a tremendous amount of time trying to discern text or testimony associated with environmental reports and environmental expert witness testimony.

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Summary: Environmental Forensics: Principles and Applications
Review: This is a tremendous, one of a kind book for environmental consultants and environmental attorneys. Dr. Morrison provides real world case studies and ideas concerning identifying the source and age of contaminants that are so often at issue in environmental cases dealing with subsurface contamination. The book is heavily referenced and includes numeous figures and tables which complement the text. This is the only book on this new and emerging science and I would recommend it to anyone practicing in this field.