Introduction to the Environment - Courses · INTRODUCTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT. UNIT 1 VOCABULARY PAGES 6-12 Environment Genetic Diversity Accuracy Environmental Science Species Precision

INTRODUCTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT

UNIT 1 VOCABULARY PAGES 6-12

Environment Genetic Diversity Accuracy

Environmental Science Species Precision

System Speciation Uncertainty

Ecosystem Background Extinction Inductive Reasoning

Biotic Components Ecosystem Diversity Deductive reasoning

Abiotic components Biome Critical Thinking

Environmentalist Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) Theory

Environmental Scientist Anthropogenic Natural Law

Urban Development Experimental Group

Suburban Sustainable Development Control Group

Agricultural Ecological Footprint Natural Experiment

Ecosystem Services Hypothesis Baseline Data

Environmental Indicators Null Hypothesis Subjectivity

Sustainability Replication Environmental Equity

Biodiversity Sample Size Per Capita

KEY QUESTIONS PAGE 6

What are the major abiotic and biotic factors which drive and influence the distribution of different ecosystems.

What are the main components and characteristics of ecosystems and how they are structured.

UNIT 1 ASSIGNMENTS

Answer the following questions in your interactive notebook in complete sentences:

1. Read about the Neuse River. Describe the problem in the river and the probable cause. In your opinion do you think this would be an easy problem to solve? Justify your answer using evidence from the article. If you were the elected official in charge of solving this problem, what steps would you take to revitalize this river?

2. What are the 5 global environmental indicators described in this chapter? For each, briefly describe how it is used to analyze the health of the Planet.

3. Select one terrestrial or aquatic biome that interests you. Create a fact sheet for this biome (construction paper will be provided) including all important information about flora and fauna, soil type, climate, potential resources, etc.

4. Write a 3 paragraph statement in your interactive journal, answering the following questions: Why should this biome be preserved? How threatened is the biome currently? What efforts are humans taking to manage the biome?

5. Write a brief paragraph outlining the science of global climate change and why we should be concerned about it.

BIOSPHERE

The biosphere or the living organisms that have established themselves in the other three spheres.

LITHOSPHERE

The lithosphere or the upper mantle of rock and crust, that forms the tectonic plates upon which the continents lie.

HYDROSPHERE

The hydrosphere or the body of water, present as ice, liquid water or water vapor.

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere or the gaseous shell outside these two non-living components.

HUMANS AFFECT THIS COMPLEX SYSTEM

Environmental management is…. The human management of all

biological, physical and chemical components in both biotic and abiotic areas of the environment.

The interaction of social, cultural, and economic environment with the bio-physical environment.

MONITOR EFFECTS WITH“ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS”

Five major global indicators: Biological diversity (genetic, species,

ecosystem diversity)

Food production (need to be able to feed people)

Temperature and CO2 concentrations (increasing due to human activity)

Resource depletion (how much stuff we’ve used)

Human population: Number one environmental issue. Why?

WHY IS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

Human population growth is rapid

More people = more needs on the same amount of space

People tend to crowd together, which leads to a host of problems: Loss of arable land

Over fishing

Water shortage

Air and water pollution

Stress on cities’ infrastructure

Per capita decrease in facilities like health care

WHY IS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

Humans use more of the environment, in more ways, than every other species on Earth combined.

Resources come in two forms: Renewable: replaceable within a human

lifetime (typically replacement of <30 years) Biosphere resources (trees, animals) and regenerating

resources (wind and solar power, etc.)

Non-renewable: not replaceable within a reasonable time period-Hundreds to millions of years to generate Metals, fossil fuels, water, etc. -> non-living or finite

resources

WHY IS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

Ecological footprint: a measure of an individual’s consumption, measured in land

Per capita ecological footprint: a country’s total footprint divided by population

WHY IS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

Humans are using resources rapidly and unevenly.

More Economically Developed Countries (MEDC’s) use much more per capita resources than Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDC’s) or Newly Industrialized Countries (NIC’s)

Huge lack of access to the basic energy requirements in certain parts of the world Energy poverty is one of the main

factors of overcrowding of urban areas in LEDC’s

The two groups use resources differently for reasons we learn, and thus have different impacts on the environment. You will see these acronyms discussed in every sphere, so it is important that you understand the basic difference before we even begin.

MEDCS:Australia, the UK, USA, Switzerland, Canada, France, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Japan , Republic of Korea

LEDCS:Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan, Peru, Fiji, Cambodia, Nigeria, Egypt, Zimbabwe

WHY IS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?

Human consumption of resources gives off greenhouse gases (more to come)

Increases global temperatures

Slight increases in temperature can cause catastrophic changes.

CONCENTRATION OF GHGS

1. What happens to the concentration of GHGs over time?

2. Why are we concerned about the emission of GHGs in to the atmosphere?

3. Name another GHG that is not listed in the graph but also dramatically effects the temperature of the earth.

HUMAN BEINGS NEED RESOURCES

We are not going to stop using stuff, so we need to start using what we have sustainably

Cannot damage environment past its ability to recover.

Cannot use renewable resources faster than they become available naturally.

Need to limit the use of nonrenewable resources

HOME LEARNING

1. Complete the class activity on pages 16 and 17 of your interactive notebook

2. Read the case study entitled “Saving the reefs of Apo Island”