Environmental Science Overview

General

• Mildred L. Tabaosares is a person to remember
• There will be a quiz in every meeting; preparing a quarter of information

Grading system

• MTE and FTE is 40% of grade
• Individual and chapter quizzes are 30% of grade
• Report assignments, group activities, presentations and attendance is 30% of the grade

Topics

• Environmental Science (Envisci), ecology and systems approach
• Ecosystem components, structure, and functions
• Basic ecological principles
• Population concepts and principles
• Natural resources and environmental problems - nay roleplay
• Sustainable development

Exams

• Midterm is 100 points and multiple choice
• Final exam is 100 points and multiple choice

Environmental science notes

• Environmental science studies the interactions between natural and human Earth systems
• It seeks the truth on how humanity interacts with the environment
• It studies the environment and the relationships between its components, and how people impact the environment

Planetary boundaries

• Planetary boundaries are all the things that affect Earth and society
• Johan Rockstorm defined them
• These include:
  • Climate change
  • Ocean acidification
  • Ozone depletion
  • Changes in biochemical cycling (increasing nitrogen and phosphorus cycle)
  • Freshwater use availability
  • Deforestation
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Particle pollution
  • Chemical pollution

Ecological footprint

• Estimates the biologically productive land and sea area needed for a population to provide renewable resources and absorb generated wastes
• Indicates the pressure humans apply to available natural resources

Geographical entities

• Aral Sea was the 4th largest lake; it died due to irrigation

Energy

• Energy is the ability to do work
• James Joule first quantified it

Thermodynamics

• The 1st law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed
• The 2nd law states that at each interaction along a pathway, some useful energy becomes heat

Steady state

• Steady state means that the amount of input equals the amount of output, maintained through a feedback loop

Geology

• Geology is the study of rocks and how they change over time
• The inner core is solid
• The outer core is liquid
• The mantle is the ring of fire, with hot spots and volcanoes
• The crust comprises rocks, minerals, and oceanic plates

Rock cycle

• Igneous rock forms from magma crystallization
• Erosion turns it into sediment, a process called sedimentation
• Sedimentary rock (sandstone) becomes metamorphic rock with heat/pressure

Convection

• Convection moves heat through liquids or gases

Plate tectonics

• Continental and oceanic plates, the latter being denser
• Convergent plate boundaries occur when plates run into each other:
  • Continental plate is subducted underneath by the oceanic plate, creating volcano chains
  • Oceanic plate runs under oceanic plate, creating island arcs
• Transform plate boundaries occur when plates slide past one another; such as the San Andreas Fault
• Divergent plate boundaries occur when plates move apart, forming mid-oceanic ridges (OP<>OP) or rift valleys (CP<>CP)
• No boundary has a hot spot where the mantle is close to the surface, like Hawaii

Natural Hazards

• Include volcanic eruptions
• Earthquakes can be strike-slip faults, normal faults, or reverse/convergent faults
• Tsunamis are caused by subducting oceanic plates building up pressure

Atmosphere

• Stratospheric ozone is good ozone; which protects from UV radiation
• Chlorofluorocarbons have 3 chlorine carbons which destroy the ozone, increasing cancer and crop damage when hit by UV
• The 1987 Montreal Protocol banned CFCs

Atmosphere structure

• Includes the Earth
• Followed by the troposphere where mankind lives
• The ozone layer
• The stratosphere
• The mesosphere
• The thermosphere
• Exosphere

Weather and climate

• Weather
• Climate is driven by orbit/tilt
• Seasons

Chapter 1: Environmental Science, Ecology and Systems Approach

• Students in Environmental Science learn how humans interact with/impact the environment
• The goal is to reduce stress and degradation of the environment

Environmental science as a discipline

• Studies the interactions of the life-support system and the human sphere

Environmental science

• Is the study of how the environment works, how humans interact with it, and how to improve it
• It combines scientific methods and disciplines from many areas

Ecology

• The study of how living things interact with their environment with abiotic and biotic relationships

Systems

• Systems involves components that interact together

Environmental science understanding

• Examines various knowledge, perspectives, technologies and policies to decide solutions to environmental problems
• The understanding is anchored on different disciplines from natural and social sciences

Major fields of study related to Environmental Science

• Biology is the study of living things (organisms), including subfields like Ecology, Botany, and Zoology
• Chemistry studies chemicals and their interactions, including biochemistry
• Earth science studies the planet and its systems, including climatology, geology, and hydrology
• Social sciences studies human societies, including anthropology, demography, geography, economics and political science
• The humanities includes ethics and philosophy and concern humans in the physical and social sciences

Global warming

• Refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature because of human activities, like burning fossil fuels and deforestation
• Release of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) are the main cause
• Rising sea levels, heatwaves, weather pattern changes, biodiversity loss are all consequences

Ozone depletion

• Refers to the ozone layer thinning in Earth's stratosphere, especially over the poles
• Human-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons were responsible for ozone depletion

Climate change

• Refers to long-term changes in Earth's climate patterns, including temperature, precipitation, and weather events
• Encompasses changes in the Earth's climate system, including ocean currents and ecosystems

Environmental ethics

• Revolves around morality and humans values toward the environment which includes air, water, soil and organisms
• Humanity needs to view and act on environmental problems

Broken windows theory

• The Broken Windows Theory suggests visible signs of disorder can lead to crimes
• Addressing small disorders like fixing broken windows, signals intolerance of crime

Rachel Carson

• Is a marine biologist
• Studied DDT and its negative consequences in her book Silent Spring

Meadows study

• Meadows, et al (1972) called for a basic change of values to respond to environmental crises
• This influenced the birth of environmentalism and action advocacy

Environmentalism

• Is about campaigning and advocating for the environment

Environmental heroes

• Gina Lopez
• Loren Legarda

Environmental Groups

• Green peas opposes mining and lead
• ABS is Bantay Kalikasan group
• The NASA Scientist opposes petroleum industry due to the causes

Tipping point

• The tipping point is a 1.5-2 °C global temperature increase

Environmental science approach

• Integrates biology, chemistry, earth science, social sciences, and humanities
• Integrates knowledge from various disciplines in concepts, theories, principles and applications

Interdisciplinarity

• Integrates contributions from various sciences
• A team will be formed where members come from various disciplines with holistic understanding of the problem and solution plans

Multidisciplinarity

• Each member just contributes without clear interaction with other members of the team

Transdisciplinarity

• Does not recognize boundaries in disciplines, they blend to understand real-world problems
• Members learn from each other's perspectives

Environment

• Encompasses all the physical/biological conditions affecting an organism's growth and development
• Encompasses the life-support system of all organisms, including humans
• Materials and energy for sustaining life are taken from it
• Has physical/biological components constantly interacting and includes interactions with physical components, others species, and same species

Anthropocentrism

• Is a human-centered perspective that sees the environment as benefitting humanity

Biocentrism

• Is a life-centered view that puts equal importance on biological components, with humans
• Respect to all living things

Ecocentrism

• Is a nature-centered view that includes living/non-living components, all interconnected

Ecology

• Studies organisms' relationships with their environment and each other

Environmental Science

• Explains issues and finds solutions to problems caused by human/natural world interaction

Case study

• Contemporary/emerging issues confront us daily and affects how we live/relate
• Problems can be linked at community, national, or global levels

Contemporary environmental issues

• Solid and liquid wastes
• Eutrophication
• Fish kill
• Flooding and urban flooding
• Landslide and erosion
• Food scarcity
• Diseases
• Deforestation and forest conversion
• Pest infestation
• Drought and desertification
• Urban heat
• Climate change
• Loss of biodiversity
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Ozone layer depletion
• Plastic pollution

Eutrophication - Applying fertilizers

• Nutrients lead to algae death and decomposition
• Oxygen then decreases and suffocating fish

Urban heat island effect

• Surfaces absorb heat
• Less ground storage of rainfall
• Less cooling from evaporation/plant transpiration

Depletion of ozone

• Caused by CFCs that depletes earth's atmosphere and shields from Ultra Violet
• Can also be caused by HCFC, halons, or methyl bromide

Sources of environmental issues

• Occurs by nature with things like Landslides or typhoons
• Some issues are from humanity with things such as plastic pollution

Tools and Applications

• Environmental valuation puts monetary value on environmental resources when there is no price in the market

Valuation

• Important because the environment provides ecosystem services, such as benefits that humanity derives

Ecosystem services

• Provisioning
• Regulating
• Supporting
• Cultural/spiritual

Tools of environmental valuation

• Involves market-based and non-market based approach using stated/revealed preference

Environmental valuation

• Puts a market price, allowing clear cost/benefit decisions

Critical thinking skills

• Enhance rational analysis of environmental issues to arrive at informed decisions
• Involves distinguishing between beliefs/knowledge/facts supported by accurate observation and valid experimentation

Steps for critical thinking

• Gather all information by digging deeper and learning
• Understand all terms by defining all terms and be sure their use is understood
• Question how information/facts were derived and were they from scientific studies and well-conceived
• Question the source, and see if bias is present
• Question the conclusions, check that the facts support
• Tolerate uncertainty and be comfortable with not knowing
• Examine the big picture and whole system to avoid simplistic thinking

Chapter 2: Ecosystem

• Biotic and Abiotic components that interacts together

Ecosystems

• It refers to an interacting natural elements and organism groups in a given environment
• Involves a unit of interrelationships between living and non-living things
• Contains both Living and non-living components of the environment
• Living things respond and adapt with the non-living conditions to remain in their environment to maintain their homeostasis or steady-state

Biotic components

• Includes all living things in the ecosystem

Autotrophs

• Requires only inorganic nutrients and an outside energy to produce organic nutrients for other organisms
• Also called producers that produces their energy
• Photosynthetic produce most of the nutrients for the biosphere

Heterotrophs

• Requires preformed of nutrients
• They depend with consumers to consume food
• They're called Consumers
• This Includes:
  • Herbivores
    • Animals that grazae directly
  • Carnivores
    • Feed on animals
  • Omnivores
    • Feed on both Plants and Animals
  • Scavengers
    • Feed on the dead remains of animals and also of plants that have recently begun to decompose - Detritus Feeders - Marine fanworms that feed on the water and also Earthworms feed in the soil Decomposers
• Chemical Brake down of Dead and organic materials like animal material waste
• Produces detritus Without Decomposers Plant depend on physical process of minerals due to Inorganic process

Abiotic components of an ecosystem

• Sunlight provides energy all for the processes
• CO2 is used by Green Plants to create atmosphere. water
• Water is the universal solvent and in most animals and also the basis of our life, planet
• Temperature helps or effects Organisms of the Interaction with the Ecosystem, it also has high effect in the Growth and algae water
• Wind helps equalize the lateral diff of the temperature and pressure

Photoperiodism

• Response to Day and Night

Categories

• Short day Plants begin Flowering on Dec 21 (Winter)
• Long day Plants begin Flowering on Junn 12 (Summer)
• Day Nutriel depend on Cycles are light to dark and May flower Continuously

Crepuscular

• Derived from Twilight ;Active from twight hrs.
• Nocturnal ( Active as night ; Keen eyesight)
• Divinal
• Demonstrate daytime activity

Hydrosphere

• Contains about 75% 47 is from Ocean 2% Is solid form of like ice berg, glacier 1% Usable
• Usable and has chemical breakdown rock that is referred to weathering

Plan groups

• Hydrophytes ( in water )
• Mesoptiles ( Average amount of water)
• Epiphytes ( get their water from Air)
• Seraphites ( loving in day conditioned)
• SallowPhylels.( loving in water salinity).

Temperature Animals Regulations

• Thektherin ( cold blood ; vary environmental temperature)
• Homeothers ( warm blooded maintain temperature ) constant independent environmental temperature

Trophic level

• Is where is food that chain of ecosystem. in all of the energy level decrease

Chapter # 3 :Energy Flow

• Study of solar system

Energy Flow

• All About is the level organisms in seek their own energy Types and example
• The food chain from a final to a producer
• Gazer food are any animals and by Carnivore
• Detritus food change
• It is how to use of Heat from in energy Measurement

Thermodynamics

• Its study of energy
• 1st Cannot be Crated Only Transform in energy from energy and 2 cannot be destroy
• Energy use in any heat some can be transform to in uses that refered energy in solar system
• Energy level are used be chemical

Trophic Level

• Each level of energy gets lower
• Transfer Heat Loss the environment loss the form. Heat loss it refers to as Unstable form

Chapter4: BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

• (or cycle) Is a movement and cyclic if through matter
• By Matter there we mean its Carbon, oxygen molecules, water

Cycle Elements

• macronutrient in relative by the large amount if need that "big size"Carbon,hydrogen,sulfer,oxygen,Nitrogen,and phosphorus'

Hydrological cycle

• Mostly earth surface water is storted in the Ocean but solar energy continual every evaporates the water distribute wind a solar energy

Carbon cycle

• Carbon can is use as building block the is thing all, planet that living are carbon atoms all always are our body and all air from co2 atmospheric
• Plant take that make also light solar store insicde our food form
• our body animals carbon keept going animal to plant in
• all organism breath that come back with carbon air that

Nitrogen cycle

• It from the atmosphere by deposit a earth Surface by Specialized bacteria and high precipiration
• with addition Nith the earth its surface ,with waterbodies needs nutrient plant needs is a surface add much needed mutrical

Phosphorus Cycle

• Happens in land
• phosphate rock that with absorption also uptake ,
• transferring planet to can consumer phosphorus was a producted.

Sulfer cycle/Source is Voulcanic eruption/

• it mix to rain can caused the damage by marble