Environmental Science Overview

Environmental Science Defined

• The study of living organisms and how they interact with their environment.
• Focuses on nature, technology, and culture

Key Terms

• Organisms: Living things
• Natural Resources: Materials found in nature that are useful to humans
• Applied Sciences: Fields of study that use scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
• Anthropology: The study of human societies
• Built Environment: What humans have made, such as roads and buildings
• Culture: Languages, religions, customs, and arts of people
• Natural Environment: All living and nonliving things found in nature.

First Fossil Discovery

• Found in East Africa (Ethiopia)
• Fossil named “omo1”

Agricultural Revolution

• Occurred in the 18th century
• Lasted for 100 years
• Sumeria relied heavily on irrigation for crop growth
• Irrigation brought salt (salinization) which negatively impacted the environment.

Law of Unintended Consequences

• Main reason for resource depletion

Tragedy of the Commons

• Commons are resources that are shared and not owned.
• Examples include stocks and flows
• The commons can be depleted due to overuse, a concept known as the "Tragedy of the Commons".

Citizen Science

• Public participation and collaboration in scientific research.
• Increases scientific knowledge.
• People contribute to data monitoring and collection programs.

Systems of Thinking

• A language used to discuss problems in society as a whole.
• Encourages a “Big Picture” approach to complex issues.

System Dynamic Model

• Encourages thinking about the bigger picture rather than focusing on a single solution.

Causal Loop Diagram

• Used to understand and identify problems and find solutions
• Composed of variables, arrows, links, polarities (s+, o-), and loop types.

Reinforcing Loop

• A compound loop that begins and ends at the same point.
• Amplifies change.

Balancing Loop

• Starts and ends at different points
• Dampens change.

Conservation of Matter

• Matter can change form and be combined in different ways, but it cannot disappear.
• Explains the physical principle of conservation of matter: “Everything goes somewhere”.

Energy Defined

• Defined as the ability to produce change or do work.

Forms of Energy

• Potential Energy: Stored energy
• Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion

The Principle of Conservation of Energy

• Energy can be changed from one form into another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.
• Total energy is always conserved.