BI -480 Environmental Science Ch 1 & @ Flashcards

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 [1]

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.