Bernhard Edmaier (b.1957) trained as a civil engineer and geologist and has photographed the earth's surface for over 15 years. The result of meticulous planning and research, his extraordinary travels take him from the endless deserts of Africa to the ice plains of Iceland and the coral cliffs of the Great Barrier Reef. His abstractly beautiful compositions offer an awe-inspiring view of our planet

Aerial Photographs of the World's MostUntouched and Beautiful Places"Edmaier raises the art of aerial photography to new heights." -NaturalHistory Magazine"The abstract, painterly images show a shrinking national environment thatcries out for preservation." -Photo District News Science meets art in the new book PATTERNS OF THE EARTH by BernhardEdmaier, a fascinating exploration of the earth's surface by one of theworld's top aerial photographers.This compact collection featuresstunning pictures of natural phenomena such as volcanoes, glaciers, coralreefs, dunes, rivers, craters, canyons and salt flats, revealing the beautyof the dwindling unspoiled areas of our planet.PATTERNS OF THE EARTH features over 400 color photographs, many previouslyunpublished, of "off the beaten path" regions such as the Bahamas, Iceland,New Zealand, Ecuador, Greenland, Ethiopia, The Maldives, Canada andYellowstone National Park and Bryce Canyon in the USA.Grouped in chaptersaccording to pattern, the images make us look at the world in a new way, byshowing us surprising similarities and unexpected links between differentparts of the globe. Traveling to uninhabited and remote areas, Edmaier's photographs offer aunique view of these extraordinary locations.He takes his images from ashigh as 20,000 feet in the air, far higher than most aerial photographers,exposing natural patterns and documenting the geological processes at work. Originally a geologist and engineer before turning to photography, he hasa rare gift for catching the aesthetic side of our dynamic earth.PATTERNS OF THE EARTH quietly acknowledges the effects of global warming. With rising temperatures, areas of permafrost are melting as are someglaciers and ice sheets in Alaska, Canada and Siberia.The book providesamazing photographs of these locations and more, providing a newperspective from above revealing the effects of the natural and humanforces that shape our future. PATTERNS OF THE EARTH is divided into five chapters: Bands, Stripes,Ripples; Circles, Spots, Grains; Forks, Branches, Webs; Curves, Ribbons,Swirls; and Spikes, Grids and Cracks.Each image is accompanied by a briefcaption by science writer Dr. Angelika Jung-Huttl, describing the locationof the pattern depicted and where and why a variety of these formationsoccur in nature. This is Bernhard Edmaier's second book with Phaidon. His first book,EARTHSONG was an oversize collection of his aerial photographs, firstpublished to great acclaim in 2004, followed up by EARTHSONG POSTCARDS. PATTERNS OF THE EARTH is a fascinating source of inspiration for thoseworking in creative industries as well as environmentalists, scientists,photographers and armchair travelers who marvel at the world around them.