HS Introduction to Environmental Science Study Guide PDF

Name: __________________________________ Period: ________________ Date: _____________ Unit 1 Study Guide Introduction to Environmental Science, Scientific Method, Atoms/Molecules, Dynamics 1. What is a commons? 2. Categorize each of these as a com...

Name: __________________________________ Period: ________________ Date: _____________ Unit 1 Study Guide Introduction to Environmental Science, Scientific Method, Atoms/Molecules, Dynamics 1. What is a commons? 2. Categorize each of these as a commons (C) or privately owned (P). For each commons, identify a tragedy that could happen if it is not protected. ______ International waters in the oceans. ______ The parking lot of a nearby drug store. ______ Groundwater (e.g. aquifers, springs). ______ A large soybean farm. ______ The atmosphere. ______ The apartments within a skyscraper. 3. For each of the public land designations below, list what is permitted and not permitted. National Park National Wildlife Refuge National Forest Allowed Not Allowed 4. Between 1908-1913, the government debated whether to build a dam in the Hetch Hetchy valley. Identify three anthropocentric arguments in favor of building the dam and three ecocentric arguments against building it. 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. Name: __________________________________ Period: ________________ Date: _____________ 5. Listed below are other significant environmental events besides the ones we discussed in class. Identify the central environmental issues behind each one. Choose from air pollution, water pollution, carcinogens, persistent chemicals, extinction, famine, hazardous waste. a. Leaded gasoline was used in cars until the late 1970s. It is now banned because lead released in car exhaust is a heavy metal that does not break down in the environment and causes neurological damage. b. A prolonged drought during the 1930s made much of the cropland in the Midwest unusable. c. Used fuel rods from nuclear reactors must be stored in thick steel cylinders because the radiation can cause cancer. d. An oil tanker called the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989, spilling millions of barrels of oil into the ocean and killing thousands of sea otters. 6. Identify each of these resources as inexhaustible (I), renewable (R), nonrenewable (N) and recyclable nonrenewable (RY). _____ Gasoline made from crude oil _____ Fuel made from corn-based ethanol _____ The lead (metal) inside of car batteries. _____ Electricity from coal-fired power plants. _____ Plastic made from plant matter _____ Photovoltaic solar panels. _____ Glass made from a mineral called silica. _____ Wind-powered electricity turbines. _____ Charcoal made from wood used as a heating source.  7. Explain what specifically is regulated by each environmental law. a. Antiquities Act – b. Safe Drinking Water Act – c. Clean Water Act – d. Clean Air Act – e. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act – f. Endangered Species Act – g. Environmental Policy Act – h. CERCLA – 8. Use google to find the following data about the countries of Mali and South Korea. At the end, classify each as either developed or developing. Mali South Korea GDP per capita Total Fertility Rate Life Expectancy Ecological Footprint Developed or Developing? 9. What does ecological footprint measure? 10. Circle/highlight each statement that would increase your ecological footprint. Printing hard-copies of all emails, receipts from online Saving digital copies of emails and receipts to an purchases, etc. online cloud service. Driving alone to school. Carpooling with two other people that live nearby to school. Eating a vegetable stir-fry for dinner. Eating steak for dinner. Keeping your thermostat in the winter set to 72F. Keeping your thermostat in the winter set to 66F. Drinking from a reusable water bottle and the school Drinking from a disposable single-use water bottle. refill stations. 11. Gross Domestic Product Review: At the grocery store, you see two different brands of Tuna, with two very different prices. American Tuna is harvested and canned in the United States. Starkist Tuna is harvested and canned in Indonesia. $4.99/can $1.99/can a. Explain why a cost-benefit analysis might favor tuna production in Indonesia, even though much of it is sold in the United States and Europe. b. The Starkist tuna is about $3.00/can cheaper than the other brand. What are some hidden costs behind this price difference? 12. Political Views: An incredibly productive area of the ocean is discovered off the western coast of North America, in a shallow sea ecosystem rich in biodiversity. The fish in this area are plentiful and highly valued. The most efficient method of harvesting these fish is with a large drift net. These nets have high rates of bycatch, meaning many other species are caught alongside the target one. Traditional pole-and-line fishing could also be used but the catch rates would be much lower. Describe the approach a person with each worldview would take with accessing and utilizing this resource. a. Planetary Management – b. Stewardship – c. Environmental Wisdom – 13. Scientific Method Review: In 1747, a doctor named James Lind was working to find a cure for a disease called scurvy. He questioned many sailors and realized that despite living together on the same ship for many months, not all of them would contract the disease. The biggest difference between them was their diet and some homemade remedies they tried. He believed that one or more of the treatments were successful, he just needed to narrow it down. He decided to take 12 men suffering from similar symptoms of scurvy, group them into six pairs, and give them… Group 1: An additional half a pint of water per day Group 2: 25 drops of a sulfuric acid solution, three times per day Group 3: A quart of cider per day Group 4: A paste of garlic, mustard, horseradish, balsam, and gum myrrh. Group 5: Two spoonful’s of vinegar, three times a day. Group 6: Two oranges and a lemon per day. Otherwise, the sailors ate the same foods, slept and worked the same number of hours, and lived in similar conditions. Within a week, the sailors who were eating oranges and lemons had recovered. The other groups showed no change. Identify each of the following: Initial Observation:  Hypothesis: Experiment: Independent Variable – Dependent Variable – Controlled Variables – What was the control group in this experiment? Was this experiment single-blind, double-blind, or not blinded? What would be a reasonable conclusion for this experiment? What should be the next step after a conclusion is reached? 14. Identify each of these as science (S) or pseudoscience (P) _____ Researchers took 100 soil samples from the United States and observed living organisms in 97 samples. They concluded that soil is a habitat for living organisms. _____ General Mills funds research to show that eating cereal is the healthiest breakfast for children 2-5 years of age. _____ A psychic predicts you will have three best friends by looking at the lines in your hands. ______ Newton’s first law of motion states, an object will not change its motion unless a force acts on it. 15. Identify each statement as describing a proton (p), neutron (n), or electron (e). _____ Positively charged. _____ Negatively charged. _____ No charge. _____ Orbit the nucleus.  16. Fill in the table below. (atoms review) Chemical Element, Visual # of atoms Total # of # of # of Formula/Symbol Molecule, Representation of EACH atoms molecules elements Compound? element (write ALL that apply) Na2CO3 3H2O Co 2Fe2O3 Al(OH)2  17. positive and negative feedback loops Use the figure below to answer the following questions about human thermoregulation. Consider the feedback loop that cools the body when it is too warm. a. Identify the stimulus and response in the feedback loop. b. Is this a negative or positive feedback loop? Explain your reasoning.