Final answer:
The author of the article is Dr. Elizabeth Smith. The article discusses the environmental externalities of human activities, specifically focusing on the effects of human activity on glaciers. Option a is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked a question regarding the authorship of an article on glaciers and their ecological implications. Although the provided excerpts discuss various elements of climate change and environmental science, they don't explicitly credit any author with the production of the entire piece.
The best course of action in this instance is to carefully examine the references given, such as “Earth” by Collins, W., et al., in Scientific American and Physical Geology by Steven Earle. Despite this, it's important to note that none of the provided excerpts directly correlate with the options given (a. Dr. Elizabeth Smith, b. Professor John Davis, c. Environmentalist Lisa Thompson, d. Geologist Michael Adams).
Thus, without clear evidence from the text, we cannot confidently identify the author from the multiple-choice options presented in the question.