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Earth and Environmental Sciences: Databases

Aerial view of landscape

Databases provide access to high-quality peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, dissertations and many other resources. 

These databases have been especially selected for this subject area. When carrying out your research for a piece of work, you will need to search more than one database to find all of the journal articles relevant to your topic, as each database covers different journal titles.

Database Spotlight

Global Issues Library, promotional image with the words 'an essential resource for examining the major global challenges of today'.

Global Issues Library

Global Issues Library is an extensive resource examining major societal challenges such as migration, preservation of human rights, security, and environmental issues. It provides diverse content, such as reports, essays, and letters, documentaries, photographs, and case studies to help analyse historical and current events. Curated by scholars worldwide, it takes an interdisciplinary approach encompassing historical, political, sociological, anthropological and ethical perspectives. Collections include:

This extensive multidisciplinary resource is a valuable resource for teaching and research across Geography, Global Development, Humanitarian and Conflict Response, Politics, Sociology, and Earth and Environmental Sciences. It also aligns closely with the University's Social Responsibility and sustainable development goals.

Image from Environmental History database

Widening the range of our digital resources: Environmental History - Colonial Policy

and Global Development 1896-1993 (Gale) 

Environmental History is a rich resource of primary sources and information on environmental issues and human-environment interactions throughout the globe, with a particular focus on regions connected to the British Empire. 

Documents, sourced from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and the Ministry of Overseas Development and Overseas Development Administration, cover a wide range of topics including: 

  • The exploitation of natural resources and colonial land use 

  • Agriculture 

  • Urban development 

  • The technological revolution 

  • Industrial change and urbanization 

  • Conservation 

  • Pollution 

  • Climate 

  • Development programmes and sustainability 

  • Natural resources and industries such as forestry and mining  

This archive is particularly valuable to students, staff, and researchers within Geography, Planning, Property and Environmental Management, Global Development Institute and School of Natural Sciences. Use alongside Environment Issues Online (Global Issues Library) to provide broader perspectives and deeper insights into environmental and developmental challenges. 

 

screenshot from royal geographical society archive

Royal Geographical Society Archive

Following extensive consultation with academics, the Library is delighted to announce the purchase of the Royal Geographical Society Archive (with the Institute of British Geographers - IBG).

From its formation in 1830 the Royal Geographical Society has served as the leading organisation and support network for the discipline in both the UK and wider field of study.

This new digital collection compiled from the society’s comprehensive archives gives researchers online access to a wealth of material extending from 1482-2010, much of which is available online for the first time. Handwritten documents are made decipherable by the typeset transcripts feature and a special function makes it easy to keep an eye on your bibliography with the onscreen citations tab.

The archive not only bolsters studies in the conventional fields of geography and geology but also aligns seamlessly with the interdisciplinary investigations carried out by a wide range of research teams within the University.

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) digital archive, divided into two parts covering the periods 1482-1899 and 1900-2010, boasts a collection of over 150,000 maps, charts, and atlases. This extensive archive is enriched with valuable additions such as manuscripts, field notes, expedition reports, scrapbooks, correspondence, diaries, illustrations, and sketches.

With a particular focus on resources related to Agricultural Geography, Anthropology, Cartography, Borders, Nations & Power, Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, among many others, the Royal Geographical Society archive has played an influential role throughout its history.

Furthermore, it augments the Library’s digital resource collections and complements the rich reserves of the “Maps, Travel and Discovery” holdings at The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, offering researchers potentially new ways of addressing the respective collections. As the archive of a leading professional body, the RGS holdings also throw an interesting sidelight on the activities of contemporary scientific organisations; those housed on the same platform (British Association for the Advancement of Science) and those at Rylands, which will be of particular interest to historians of science.  

Georef logo

GeoRef

The GeoRef database, established by the American Geosciences Institute in 1966, provides access to the geoscience literature of the world. GeoRef is the most comprehensive database in the geosciences and continues to grow by about 100,000 references a year. The database contains over 4.4 million references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports and theses.

Major areas of coverage include areal geology, economic geology, engineering geology, environmental geology, extraterrestrial geology, geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology and hydrology, marine geology and oceanography, mathematical geology, mineralogy and crystallography, paleontology, petrology, seismology, stratigraphy, structural geology, surficial geology (Provided by Publisher).

Essential databases

The following are important databases for this subject area, however if you don't see what you're looking for, please go to the Database Directory for Earth and Environmental Sciences to browse a wider selection.

 

Key database categories

Follow the links below to browse databases for specific types of resources.

Database Directory

You can use our Database Directory to browse a broader range of databases that are relevant to Earth and Environmental Sciences as well as other subjects. The directory also allows you to identify databases that provide access to specific types of resources (e.g. Full Text Articles, Streaming Video, Patents, Theses and Dissertations, and much more).

Database Directory: Earth and Environmental Sciences

 

Research at the University of Manchester

The University of Manchester's research is internationally recognised. Go to Research Explorer, Manchester's research database, to discover the breadth of research produced by staff across the University.

Browse research publications from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (please note: whilst many of the publications listed are available to access/Open Access, some records are for forthcoming titles awaiting publication).

 

Research Explorer Search Interface