Indicators of environmental quality : proceedings of a symposium held during the AAAS meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 26-31, 1971 / edited by William A. Thomas.

Includes bibliographical references.

Indicators of Environmental Quality: An Overview / William A. Thomas -- Why Environmental Quality Indices? / Thomas L. Kimball -- Uses of Environmental Indices in Policy Formulation / Gordon J.F. MacDonald -- Urban-Environmental Indicators in Municipal and Neighborhood Policy Planning and Decision Making / John Berenyi -- The Uncommunicative Scientist: The Obligation of Scientists to Explain Environment to the Public / Peter Hackes -- Evaluation of Natural Environments / Martin Murie -- Indicators of Environmental Quality of Urban Life: Economic, Spatial, Social, and Political Factors / Chester Rapkin and Robert W. Ponte -- Establishing Priorities Among Environmental Stresses / Howard Reiquam -- Pollutant Burdens in Humans: A Measure of Environmental Quality / John H. Finklea, Douglas I. Hammer, Kenneth M. Bridbord, and Vaun A. Newill -- Aquatic Communities as Indices of Pollution / Ruth Patrick -- Plants as Indicators of Air Quality / C. Stafford Brandt -- Biochemical Indicators of Environmental Pollution / Gerald Goldstein -- Use of Sense of Smell in Determining Environmental Quality / Trygg Engen -- Development of Environmental Indices: Outdoor Recreational Resources and Land Use Shift / Robert P. Pikul, Charles A. Bisselle, and Martha Lilienthal -- A Water Quality Index: Crashing the Psychological Barrier / Robert M. Brown, Nina I. McClelland, Rolf A. Deininger, and Michael F. O'Connor -- Indices of Air Quality / Lyndon R. Babcock, Jr. and Niren L. Nagda -- Statistically Based Air-Quality Indices / W.D. Shults and John J. Beauchamp -- Indicators of Environmental Noise / David M. Lipscomb -- Developing a Soil Quality Index / Richard H. Rust, Russell S. Adams, Jr. and William P. Martin -- Environmental Indices for Radioactivity Releases / Paul S. Rohwer and Edward G. Struxness -- Plant Indicators in Ecology / David F. Grigal -- Index.

Researchers and agencies collect reams of objective data and authors publish volumes of subjective prose in attempts to explain what is meant by environmental quality. Still, we have no universally recognized methods for combining our quantitative measures with our qualitative concepts of environ­ ment. Not all of our environmental goals should be reduced to mere numbers, but many of them can be; and without these quantitative terms, we have no way of defining our present position nor of selecting positions we wish to attain on any logically established scale of environmental values. Stated simply, in our zeal to measure our environment we often forget that masses of numbers describing a system are insufficient to understand it or to be used in selecting goals and priorities for expending our economic and human resources. Attempts at quantitatively describing environmental quality, rather than merely measuring different environmental variables, are relatively recent. This condensing of data into the optimum number of terms with maximum information content is a truly interdisciplinary challenge. When Oak Ridge National Laboratory initiated its Environmental Program in early 1970 under a grant from the National Science Foundation, the usefulness of environmental indicators in assessing the effects of technology was included as one of the initial areas for investigation. James L. Liverman, through his encouragement and firm belief that these indicators are indispensable if we are to resolve our complex environmental problems, deserves much of the credit for the publication of this book.

GRETA POINT: 502.175 IND