CHAPTER 1
The meaning of the term environment
The field and interdisciplinary nature of environmental science
The importance of natural resources and ecosystem services
The scientific method and the process of science
Some pressures on the global environment
Concepts of sustainability and sustainable development
& CHAPTER 2
The fundamentals of matter and chemistry
Energy and energy flow
Photosynthesis, respiration, and chemosynthesis
Plate tectonics and the rock cycle
Geologic hazards and ways to mitigate them
Terms : Hide Images
| 677645582 | Our island: Earth | Earth is enormous but its systems are finite and limited. We can change the Earth and damage its systems | |
| 677645583 | Environment | all the living and non-living things around us | |
| 677774604 | Environmental Science is the study of | Interrelationships between human activities and the environment. We examine effects of human actions on the environment, and the means by which policies, regulations, and decisions influence human actions. We also examine human behavioral, cultural, and sociological interactions that affect the environment. Civilizations succeed or fail according to how they intercat with the environment. | |
| 677774606 | Natural resources | substances and energy sources needed for survival | |
| 677774607 | renewable vs. nonrenewable resources | Renewable resources can be replenished Perpetually renewed: sunlight, wind, wave energy Renew themselves over short periods: timber, water, soil These can be destroyed. While nonrenewable natural resources: unavailable after depletion Oil, coal, minerals. | |
| 679583577 | The ecological footprint | Masures the area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the renewable resources/ecological services for, and absorb the waste of, a given population at a given average level of resource consumption | |
| 679583578 | Biocapacity | Is the biologically productive capacity of an area - cropland, grazing land, forest, fresh water etc. It does not include non-renewable resources like fossil fuels and other minerals, so tends to underestimate dependency. | |
| 679583579 | Overshoot | occurs when a population exceeds the long term carrying capacity of its environment. Humans have surpassed the earth's capacity to support us. We are using renewable resources 30% faster than they are being replenished. | |
| 679583580 | Environment | All the living and non-living things around us | |
| 679583581 | Environmentalism | Concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements. | |
| 679583582 | Environmental science | The branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment. All of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development. Biotic factors include the organisms themselves, their food, and their interactions. Abiotic factors include such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, climate, and pollution. Organisms respond to changes in their environment by evolutionary adaptations in form and behavior. | |
| 679583583 | Why is environmental science a multidisciplinary field? | Because it integrates physical and biological sciences, (including but not limited to ecology, physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, atmospheric science and geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. | |
| 679583584 | Easter Island (Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui, Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. | The Rapanui population reached its highest around the middle of the 2nd millennium. There were between 10k -20k Rapanui people at this time. But, beginning around the year 1600 their culture began to fall apart. By the middle of the nineteenth century they had almost disappeared completely. Scientists believe that the Rapanui culture rose and fell with the island's trees. They used the island's trees for everything; ate the fruit the trees, ate the birds that lived in the trees, used the leaves to build houses, used the trees' outer parts to make clothes, burned the wood to cook their food and to keep warm. They used the trees tall centers to make small boats for fishing in deep water, they used fiber from the wood to create ropes. The Rapanui used every part of the island's trees. Scientists believe that without trees the Rapanui suffered greatly. The Rapanui had to eat the smaller fish they found closer to land, most of those small fish was consumed quickly. They had nothing left to eat so,the chiefs believed building more Moai structures would save their people but they were tire and hungry, so they could not build more Moai and their old stone gods did nothing for them. Scientists say that a civil war began on Easter Island the Rapanui tribes began to fight each other for resources. Scientists believe that people should think seriously about the events on Easter Island. Jared Diamond, a scientist, has studied the history of Easter Island. | |
| 679583585 | Human population growth amplifies impacts | There are over 6.9 billion humans Agricultural revolution: Crops, livestock, Stable food supplies. Industrial revolution:Urbanized society powered by fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) Sanitation and medicines Pesticides and fertilizers. | |
| 679583586 | The Tragedy of the commons | Free access and unrestricted demand for a finite resource ultimately reduces the resource through over-exploitation, temporarily or permanently. This occurs because the benefits of exploitation accrue to individuals or groups, each of whom is motivated to maximize use of the resource to the point in which they become reliant | |
| 679583587 | tragedy of the commons | Unregulated exploitation of public resources leads to depletion and damage Soil, air, water. Resource users are motivated by self interest . They increase use until the resource is gone Solutions to the tragedy of the commons? Private ownership? Voluntary organization to enforce responsible use? Governmental regulations? | |
| 679583588 | Countries Have Relatively Large Footprints, And Which Have Relatively Small Footprints | The US, Japan, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates are all in ecological deficit, using more global hectares than their own land mass provides. Countries with an ecological reserve include Australia, Mongolia, and Gabon. | |
| 680992794 | world vs. US average foot print | The worlds avarage foot print equivalent of 1.5 planets while the US Ecological Footprint is 4.5 Planets. or World average 2.7 ha vs. USA 9.4 ha | |
| 680992795 | Ecological Footprint | Is the environmental impact of a person or population. The area of biologically productive land+water, to supply raw resources and dispose/recycle waste. People in reach nations have much larger ecological footprints. | |
| 680992796 | What is DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)? | is an organochlorine insecticide which is a white, crystalline solid, tasteless and almost odorless chemical compound. Technical DDT has been formulated in almost every conceivable form including solutions in xylene or petroleum distillates, emulsifiable concentrates, water-wettable powders, granules, aerosols, smoke candles, and charges for vaporisers and lotions | |
| 680992797 | Why is DDT Controversial? | DDT and other pesticides may cause cancer and that their agricultural use was a threat to wildlife, particularly birds. Its publication was one of the signature events in the birth of the environmental movement, and resulted in a large public outcry that eventually led to DDT being banned in the US in 1972.[5] DDT was subsequently banned for agricultural use worldwide under the Stockholm Convention, but its limited use in disease vector control continues to this day and remains controversial | |
| 680992798 | The Pestecide DDT | In malaria-infested Africa is welcome because it kills malaria carrying mosquitoes. In America is not welcome, due to health risks. | |
| 680992799 | Environmental Sciences Vs. Environmentalism | Environmentl science persues knowladge about the environment and our interaction with it, scientists try to remain objective and free from bias; while Environmentalism is a social movement that tries to protect the natural world from human-caused changes. | |
| 680992800 | Science | Is a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it. Civilization depend on science and technology. Science is essential to sort fact from fiction. | |
| 680992801 | Applications of science | Policy decisions and management practices, developing technology, restoration of forest ecosystems altered by human suppression of fire and energy-efficient electric car. | |
| 680992802 | Science ask and answer questions | Science is an incremental approach to the truth. Scientists do not simply accept conventional wisdom, they judge ideas by the stregth of their evidence. | |
| 680992803 | Observational (descriptive) science | Information is gathered about organisms, systms, processes, etc. Cannot be manipulated by experiments, phenomena are observed and mesured and is used in astronomy, paleontology, taxonomy, genomics, etc. | |
| 680992804 | Hypothesis-driven science | Targeted research, experiments test hypotheses using the scientific method. | |
| 680992805 | Scientific Method | Observations -> Questions -> Hypothesis->(recject hypothesis)->Predcitions/(fail to reject hypothesis) ->Test->Results | |
| 680992806 | The scientific methon | A scientis makes an OBSERVATION and ask QUESTIONS of some phenomenon. HYPOTHEIS: a statement that tries to explain the quesiton, the hypothesis generates PREDICTIONS : specific statements that can be directly TESTED, the test RESULTS either support or reject the hypothesis. | |
| 680992807 | Esxperimentss test the validity of a hypothesis | VARIABLE: a condition that can change, IDEPENDENT VARIABLE: can be manipulated, DEPENDENT VARIABLE: dependes on the independent variable, CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT: the effects of all variables are controlled, except the independent variable whose effects is being tested. CONTRO: an unmanipulated point of comparison, QUANTITIVE DATA: uses numbers, QUALITATIVE DATA: does not use numbers. | |
| 680992808 | Manipulative experiments | yield the strongest evidence, reveals casual relationships, lots of things can't be manipulated. | |
| 680992809 | Natural testes | show real-world complexity, results are neat and clean, answers aren't black and white. | |
| 680992810 | Theories and paradigm shifts | THEORY: a well-tested and widely accepted explanation, consolidates widely-supported, related hypotheses. PARADIGM SHIFT: a dramatic upheaval in thought, it changes the dominant viewpoint. | |
| 680992811 | Populations & consumption | Populations growth amplifies all human impact, the growth rate has slowed, but we still add more that 200,000 people to the planet each day. Resource consumption has risen faster than population. | |
| 680992812 | How do some agricultural practices cause environmental problems? | Nearly half of the land surface is used for agriculture, chemical fertilizers and pesticides pison and change natural systems, erosion, climate change and poor management destroy millions of acres each year. | |
| 680992813 | Pollution challenges that we face | Waste products and artificial chemicals, are used in farms, industries, and households; it contaminate land, water and air and kill millions of people. Humans are affecting the earth's climate; the glaciers are melting, rising sea levels, impacted wildlife, forests, health and crops; as a result we have changed rainfall and increased storms. | |
| 680992814 | Biodiversity | The cumulative number and diversity of living things, human actions have driven many species extinct. Biodiversity is declining dramatically, we are setting in motion mass extinction event. Biodiversity loss may be our biggest problem; once a species is extinct, is is gone forever. | |
| 680992815 | findings of the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment | - Humans have drastically altered ecosystems. - These changes have contributed to human well-being and economic development, but a a cost. - Environmental degradation could get much worse. - Degradation can be reversed, but it requires work. | |
| 680992816 | Why is fossil fuel use a problem | Fossil fuels are non-renewable and we have used up 1/2 of the world's oil supplies. | |
| 680992817 | What are some "sustainable solutions"? | Renewalbe energy and efficiency, organic agriculture, legislation and technology to reduce pollution, protect species and their habitat, recycling, decreasing waste and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. | |
| 680992818 | Cornucopians Vs. Cassandras about the planet environmental conditions. | Cornucopians: Human ingenuity will solve any problem. Cassandras: Predict doom and disaster. | |
| 680992819 | Sustainable Development | The use of recources to satisfy current needs without compromising future availability of recources. | |
| 680992820 | What is the "triple bottom line" as it applies to sustainability? | Sustainable solutions that meet: Environmental protection, economic goals and social equality. Humans must apply knowladge from the sciences to; limit environmental impacts and maintain fuctioning environmental systems. | |
| 681077419 | Chapter 2 | The Fundamental of matter and Chemistry | |
| 681077420 | Chemistry | Studies types of matter along with how they interact. | |
| 681077421 | Chemistry is crucial for understanding | How gases contribute to global climate change, how pollutants cause acid rain, the effects of health of wildlife and people, water pollution, wasterwater treatment, atmopheric ozone depletion and energy issuses. | |
| 681077422 | Matter | All material in the universe that has mass and occupies space. | |
| 681077423 | The Law of concervation of matter | Matter can be transformed from one type of substance into others; but it cannot be destroyed or created. The amount of matter stays constant; It is recycled in nutrient cycles and ecosystems, we cannot simpy wish pollution and waste away. | |
| 681077424 | Elements | ELEMENT: a fundamental type of matter, a chemical substance with a given set of properties. | |
| 681077425 | Atoms | The smallest components that maintain an element's chemical properties. The atom's nucleus (center) has PROTONS positively charged particles and NEUTRONS particles lacking electric charge. | |
| 681077426 | Atomic Number | The number of protons | |
| 681077427 | Electrons | Negatively charged particles surroundign the nucleus. | |
| 681077428 | Isotopes | Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. Isotopes of an element behave differently. | |
| 681077429 | Mass Number | The conbine number of protons and neutrons. Atoms that gain or lose electrons become electrically charged IONS | |
| 681077430 | Entropy | a measure of a system's thermal energy per unit temperature that is unavailable for doing useful work | |
| 681077431 | Radioactive decay of isotopes | Rocks and water are heated within the Earth. Radioactive istopes decay until they become non-radioactive stable isotopes. Emit high-energy radiation. | |
| 681077432 | Half-Life | the amount of time it takes for one-half of the atoms to give off radiation and decay. Different radioscopes ahve different half-lives ranging from fractions of a second to billions of years. | |
| 681077433 | Uranium-235 | Used in commercial nuclear power, has a half-life of 700 million years. | |
| 681077434 | Molecules | Combinations of two or more atoms. Oxygen gas= O2 | |
| 681077435 | CompouCnd | A molecule composed of atoms of two or more different elements. Water = two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom: H2O. Carbon dioxide = one carbon atom with two oxygen atoms CO2 | |
| 681077436 | Ionic Compounds (salts) | An electron is transferred, table salt (NaCI): the Na+ ion donated an electron to the CI-ion. | |
| 681077437 | Solutions | A mixture of substances. eg. air, ocean, water, petroleum, ozone. | |
| 681077438 | covalent bond | is the chemical bond that involves the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms when they share electrons is known as covalent bonding | |
| 681077439 | Water's chemistry facilitates life | Water's strong cohesion allows trsport of nutrients and waste. Water absorbs heat with only small changes in its temperature, which stabilize water, organisms and climate. | |
| 681077440 | Hydrogen bond | Oxygen from one water molecule attracts hydrogem atoms of another. | |
| 681077441 | Additional properties of water | Less dense ice floats on liquid water insulating lakes and ponds in winter. Water dissolves other molecules that are vital for life. | |
| 681077442 | Hydrogen ion determine acidity | Ranges from 0 to 14. ACID solution: pH<7, BASIC solution: pH>7, NEUTRAL solution: pH=7. A substance with pH of 6 contains 10 times as many hydrogen ions as a substance with pH of 7. | |
| 681077443 | Matter is composed of compunds | Organic compunds: carbon (and hydrogen atoms joined by bonds and may include other element such as; ntrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Inorganic Compunds: lack the carbon-carbon bond. | |
| 681077444 | Polymers | Long chains of carbon molecules, the building blocks of life. | |
| 681077445 | Hydrocarbons | Contain only carbon and hydrogen. The simplest hydrocarbon is methane (natural gas) Hydrocarbons can be gas, liquid or solid. Fossil fuels consist of hydrocarbons, some can be harmful to wildlife. | |
| 681077446 | Macromolecules: building blocks of life | Large sized molecules. 3 types of polymers are essential to life; proteins, nucleic acids and carbohydrates. Lipids are not polymers, but are alos essential; fats, oil and waxes. | |
| 681077447 | Proteins | Provide structural support, storage, transport energy, make up skin, hair, muscles and tendons, antibodies, hormones, receptors and enzymes. | |
| 681077448 | Nucleic Acids | Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). Long chains of nucleotides that contains sugar, phosphate and a nitrogen base. | |
| 681077449 | Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) | Carries the hereditary information of organisms. Permanent storage molecule of genetic code, passed on to daughter cells when cell divides. | |
| 681077450 | Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) | Directs amino acid assembly into proteins, information in DNA is rewritten to RNA | |
| 681077451 | Genes | Regions of DNA that code for proteins that perform certain functions. | |
| 681077452 | Genome | An organism's genes, divided into chromosomes. | |
| 681077453 | Carbohydrates | Consist of atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. (1:2:1 ration) Sugar: simple carbohydrates. Glucose: provides enery for cells. Complex carbodydrates build structures and store energy. Starch: a complex carbohydrate. | |
| 681077454 | Lipids | A chemically diverse group of compounds grouped together because they don't dissolve in water. For energy, cell membranes, structural support and steroids. | |
| 681112481 | We create synthetic polymers | Plastic: synthetic (human-made) polymers. eg. nylon, teflon, kevlar. resist chemical breakdown but cause long-lasting waste and pollution. | |
| 681112482 | Organization of matter in living things | cell, eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Cell: The basic unit of life's organization | |
| 681112483 | Eukaryotes | Multi-celled organisms containing internal structures (organelles) eg: plants, animals, fungi, protists, ribosomes synthesize proteins, Mitochondria extract enery from sugars and fats. Nucleus houses DNA | |
| 681112484 | Prokaryotes | Single-celled organisms, lacking organelles and a nucleus. | |
| 681112485 | Hierarchy of matter in organisms | Matter is organized in a hierarchy of levels, from atoms through cells trhough organ systems. | |
| 681112486 | Energy fundamentals | Energy; the capacity to change the position, physical composition, or temperature of matter; involved in physical, chemical and biological processes. | |
| 681112487 | Potential, Kinetic and Chemical Energy | Potential energy: energy of position. Kinetic energy: energy of motion and Chemical energy: Potential energy held in the bonds between atoms. | |
| 681112488 | Potential Vs. Kinecti energy | Changing potential energy into kinetic energy produces motion, action and heat. | |
| 681112489 | Energy is conserved but changes in quality | 1st law of thermodynamica: Energy can change froms, but cannot be created or destroyed. 2nd Law of thermodynamics: energy chages from a more-ordered to a less-ordered state. Entropy: an increasing state of disorder. Inputting energy from outside the system increases order. | |
| 681112490 | People harness energy | Fossil fuels provide lots of efficent energy while sunlight is spread out and difficult to harness. Only 16% of the energy released is used to power a car the rest is lost as heat. only 5% of a lightbulb's energy is converted to light. Geothermal's 7-15% efficiency is not bad. | |
| 681112491 | The sun's energy powers life | The sun releases radiation from the electromagnetic spectrum. Some is visible light. Solar energy drives weather and climate, and powers plant growth. | |
| 681112492 | Using solar radiation to produce food | Autotrophs / primary producers: organisms that produce their own foof. eg: green plants, algae, cyanobacteria. | |
| 681112493 | Photosynthesis | the process of turning the sun's diffuse light energy into concentrated chemical energy. Sunlight converts carbon dioxide and water into sugars. | |
| 681112494 | Photosynthesis produces food | Chloroplasts: organelles where photosynthesis occurs. Contain chlorophyll; a light absorbing pigment. Light reaction; splits water by using solar energy. Calvin cycle; links carbon atoms from carbon dioxide into sugar (glucose) | |
| 681112495 | Heterotrophs | Organisms that gain energy by feeding on others. eg: animals, fungi, microbes, the energy is used for cellular tasks. | |
| 681112496 | Geothermal energy powers earths's systems | Other sources of energy iclude; the moon's gravitational pull, geothermal heat powered by radioactivity. Radioisotopes deep in the planet heat inner earth. Heated magma erupts from volcanos. | |
| 681112497 | Hydrothermal vents | host communities that thrive in high temperature and pressure. Lack of sun prevents photosynthesis. | |
| 681112498 | Chemosynthesis | uses energy in hydrogen sulfide to produce sugar. | |
| 681112499 | Geology | Physical processes at and below the earth. Shape the landscape, lay the foundation for environmental systems and life and provides energy from fossil fuels and geothermal sources. | |
| 681112500 | Geology | The study of earth's physical features, processes and history. A human lifetime is just the blink of an eye in geologic time. | |
| 681112501 | Our planet consist of layers | core, mantle, crust and lithosphere | |
| 681112502 | Core | Solid iron in the center, molten iron in the outer core. | |
| 681112503 | Mantle | Less dense, elastic rock. Aesthenosphere; very soft or melted rock. Area of geothermal energy. | |
| 681112504 | Crust | The thin, brittle, low density layer of rock | |
| 681112505 | Lithosphere | The uppermost mantle and the crust. | |
| 681112506 | Plate tectonics | movement of lithospheric plates. Heat from earth's inner layer drives convention currents. Pushing the mantle's soft rock up and down like a conveyor belt. | |
| 681112507 | Pangaea | All landmasses were joined into 1 supercontinent 225 million years ago. | |
| 681112508 | Divergent plate boundaries | Magma rises to the surface, pushing plates apart, creating new crust. Has volcanoes and hydrothermal vents. | |
| 681112509 | Transform plate boudaries | two plates meet, slipping and grinding, friction spawns earthquakes along strike-slip faults. | |
| 681112510 | Tectonic plates can collide | Convergetn plate boudaries; where plates collide. Subduction: the oceanic plates slides beneath continental crust. eg. cascades, andes mountains. | |
| 681112511 | Continental collision | Two plates of continental crust collide. Built the Himalaya and appalachian mountains. | |
| 681112512 | Rock cycle | The heating, melting cooling, breaking and reassembling of rocks and minerals. | |
| 681112513 | Rock | Any solid aggregation of minerals | |
| 681112514 | Mineral | Any element or inorganic compound. Has a crystal structure. specific chemical composition and distinct physical properties. | |
| 681112515 | Igneous rock | Magma: molten, liquid rock. Lava: magma released from the lithosphere. Igneous rock: froms when magma cools. Intrusive igneous rock: magma that cools slowly below earths surface. eg. granite. Extrusive igneous rock: magma ejected from a volcano basalt. | |
| 681112516 | Sedimentary rock | sediments; rock particles blown by wind or washed away by water. Sedimentary rock: sediments are compacted or cemented. Lithification: formation of rock through compaction and crystallization. | |
| 681112517 | Metamorphic rock | Great heat or pressure on a rock changes its form. High temperature reshapes crystals. Changing rocks appearance an physcial properties. Marbel: heated and pressurized limestone. Slate: heated and pressurized shale. | |
| 681112518 | Geological and natural hazards | Some consequences of plate tectonics are hazardous, plate boundaries closely match the circum-pacific belt. An arc of subduction zones and fault systems. Has 90% of earthquakes and 50% of volcanoes. | |
| 681112519 | Earthquake | A release of energy along plate boundaries and faults, it can be cause by enhanced geothermal systems. Drill deep into rock, fracture it, pump water in to heat, then extract it. Affects greatlyF to life and property. | |
| 681112520 | Volcano | Molten rock, hot, gas, or ash reputs through earth's surface. Cooling and creating a mountain. Lava can flow slowly or erupt suddenly. | |
| 681112521 | Landslide | A severe, sudden mas wasting. Large amounts of rock or soil collapse an dflow downhill. | |
| 681112522 | Mass wasting | The dowslope movement of soil and rock due to gravity. Rain sturate soils and trigger mudslides, erodes unstable hillsides and damages property, cuased by humans when soil is loosened or exposed. |
