Environmental Science

Environmental Science

What is it????

Unit. 1 Vocabulary Terms (20)

• Applied science (& example)

• Biosphere• Consumption Crisis• Developed nation• Developing nation• Ecology• Environment• Experiment, scientific• Extinction• Hypothesis, scientific

• Natural resource• Nonrenewable

natural resource• Observations• Pollution• Population Crisis• Pure science (& ex.)• Renewable natural

resource• Statistics• Sustainable world• Theory, scientific

Types of Science:• Pure science

– Science that seeks answers to questions about how the world works

– Ex. – Biology, Physics, Chemistry• Applied science

– Uses the information provided by pure science to solve problems

– Ex. – Engineering, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Environmental Science is the study of how humans interact with the environment.

• Focus is on the influence of humans on the environment.

• What is the environment?• It is everything that surrounds us

Ecology•The study of how living things are related to each other

•Is it a pure or applied science?

•Pure Science

Biodiversity•The number and variety of species

living on Earth•Since the Industrial Revolution, we

are losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate!!!!

•Scientists predict within this 400 year period we will lose over 25% of the species on Earth

•Environmentalists protest this loss.

Environmental Problems1. Resource Depletion – when a large part of a

resource has been used up– Natural resource – any natural substance that

living things use (sunlight, air, water, soil, minerals, plants, fossil fuels, etc……)

– Nonrenewable resource – cannot be replaced, naturally formed slower than we use it (ex. – fossil fuels, old growth trees, mines, etc…)

– Renewable resource – continually being replaced by nature (ex. – wave energy, wind energy, solar energy, fast growing trees, etc…)

2. Pollution – poisoning of our air, water or soil3. Extinction – the last individual member of a

species has died and the species is gone forever

Globally:•Coal-fired electric generators

release SO2 to create acid rain•Cars release CO2, causing

worldwide climate changes•Destruction of tropical rain

forests, causing climate changes globally

•Chlorofluorocarbons destroy ozone

Biosphere• Thin layer of life around the Earth

Two Types of Countries• Developed countries

– Highly industrialized countries– Higher average income/personal wealth– Stabilized/slower growing population– Ex. – Japan, U.S., Australia, Canada

• Developing countries– Less industrialized, agriculturally based– Lower average income/personal wealth– Population increasing most rapidly– Ex. – India, Kenya, Columbia

Population CrisisWhat is it?

The number of people is growing too quickly for the Earth to support it

Root of all Environmental Problems:

1. Consumption crisis – people are using up, wasting or polluting natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced or cleaned up

2. Sustainable world – world in which human populations can continue to exist indefinitely with a high standard of living and health

• Our resource consumption has increased dramatically in the last several hundred years!!!!!

Agricultural Revolution

• During this period, plants & animals were domesticated.

• Humans altered their habitats during this time, as well as during the hunter-gatherer & Industrial Revolution.

• Because humans depend upon other organisms for food & oxygen, the world’s loss of biodiversity is a source of concern.

Industrial Revolution• Increased the burning of fossil fuels with

the birth of industry.• Began the first steps of global warming

as CO2 was released in such large unnatural quantities.

• As nations developed, they increased their personal wealth as well as their ecological footprints.

• Most of today’s environmental problems began during this period.

Result of Indust. Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution improved quality of life, created a shift in the use of fossil fuels, & cities grew.

• Ecological Footprint: the amount of land & ocean area needed to support one person

• At the moment, a resident of the USA is likely to leave the largest ecological footprint.

Tragedy of the Commons

• Page 11 in your textbook• Based on public pastures or

“commons”• Resources left unregulated motivates

individuals to increase their resource consumption, resulting in resource depletion

• It is a conflict between individuals and society, that if left unregulated will result in everyone losing

Scientific Method:(summary)

1. Observing & Questioning2. Hypothesizing and Predicting3. Experimenting4. Organizing and Interpreting

Data5. Using Graphics and Sharing

Information6. Communicating Results

The Scientific Method

•All events in the universe can be explained by physical laws

•Scientists proceed according to time-tested procedures known as the scientific method

•The goal of science is to discover facts about the natural world and the laws that explain these facts

• It assumes that the natural world works according to rules that do not change unpredictably.

•We learn about our outside world through our senses

•Uses procedures to learn about our world

Two ways of thinking:

•Induction – one starts with a number of separate observations and then arrives at a general principle–Observe a sailfish, a shark and a tuna all have gills, since all 3 are fishes you might conclude that all fish have gills

•Deduction – reason from general principles to specific conclusions–If all marine animals have gills, and whales are marine animals, then whales must have gills.

Hypothesis• Both inductive & deductive

reasoning lead scientists to make statements that might be true & are testable (a hypothesis)

• All hypotheses are tested, & incorrect ones are quickly weeded out &discarded.

• Must be stated in a way that allows them to be tested (ex. – “somewhere in the ocean there are mermaids” cannot be proven to be false)

Testing the Hypothesis

• Scientists use scientific thinking to test hypotheses.

• Scientists spend most of their time trying to disprove, not prove, hypotheses

• When comparing 2 hypotheses, often by rejecting one it strengthens the other

• Usually simple observation is the best way to test a hypothesis

• Experiments create situations to test hypotheses instead of relying on naturally occurring events

• Controlled experiments have only 1 variable, which changes during the course of the experiment (the independent variable). Ex. – amount of fertilizer.

• The dependent variable is the experimental data, and is dependent on the independent variable. Ex. – how tall the plant grows.

• Variables are factors that might affect observations

The Scientific Theory

•Theory is a hypothesis that has passed so many tests that it is generally regarded as true (it has undergone extensive, rigorous testing)

•Like any hypothesis, it is still subject to rejection if enough evidence accumulates against it

Data• Science relies on measurable data

(How tall, how many, how much, etc.)• Qualitative results may help explain,

but cannot be considered data (Which flower is prettier, smells nicer, etc.)

• Quantitative data is measurable (3 roses, % of people, color based on a chart, etc.)

• We use the metric system to measure data to compare results

Scientists use the Metric System

•Distance: Meters, meter stick•Volume: Liters, graduated cylinder•Mass: Grams, triple beam balance•Temperature: degrees CelsiusStatistics (a branch of

mathematics) is often used to report your findings (%, fractions), usually in scientific journals.

Experimental Design• In order to compare the effects of an independent

variable, you would need a way to measure the data.

• Hypothesis: If I use different types of soil, then my plants will grow in height at different rates.

• If the pots, location/sunlight, and water were the same (the control or constant) and only the soil type changes, soil type is the independent variable.

• The dependent variable is how much the plant grows in height (it depends on the soil type)

• Quantitative observation: height (centimeters)• Qualitative observation: soil appearance, green

vegetative matter, …

Scientific Views• Changes in scientific thought

demonstrate a key strength of science: the ability to self-correct and improve!

• Scientists are open to results that change, or even refute, a previously accepted idea.

• If your results are different the second time you do an experiment, then you repeat the experiment.

Limitations of the Scientific Method:

• Scientists are people with human shortcomings.

• No one can be completely objective all the time.

• The insistence on direct observation and testable hypotheses does not allow for value judgments (ex – what is beautiful?). Science does not include ethics, morals, or values!

Decision-Making Model

1.Gather information2.Consider values3.Explore consequences4.Make a decision

Decision-Making Model Template

Names in your group1. Identify the Problem2. Your Proposed Solution3. Values Pros Cons4. Short-term Effects5. Long-term Effects6. Group’s Position (regarding the

solution)• Defend/Justify your solution!

Remember,these are Worldwide

Problems

Unit 1 Decision-Making Model Situation• There is a 100 acre parcel of land that

Lake County is deciding how to rezone.• A developer wants to bring in a family-

friendly neighborhood with 150 homes on ½ acre sites, plus roads & storm drainage.

• An entrepreneur wants to put in a solar farm that will sell electricity to the existing power grid. She has also agreed to give power to the neighboring subdivision to help lower their electric bills.

• This has been a predominantly rural area within the Wekiva Springs Protection Area.

Chapter Review• Be able to cite or pick out examples

describing the use of renewable resources

• Know the difference between developing and developed countries– Be prepared to pick out a list of

countries from either one– Which type would the population be

increasing the slowest? Fastest?– Which country uses up the most natural

resources in the world today?

• Know examples of pure sciences, as well as the definitions for ecology and environmental science

• Know the steps involved in a scientific experiment, including careful control of the experimental conditions, examples of what would constitute observations, and what makes an accurate prediction about the outcome or a correct scientific conclusion.

• Be able to pick out an example of how people’s values affect environmental decision making

• Be able to interpret a data table correctly. Independent variable, dependent variable, quantitative, qualitative,…

• Know the different unit of the metric system and what scientific tools are used in their measurement.