Bellringer/Section 1 Notes
1.
What is the environment?
2.
Is the environment something that can be:
A. Harmed
B. Saved
C. Preserved
D. Destroyed
If so, give examples of each.
Environmental
Science
Chapter 1
I. Understanding our Environment
A. Which of the following pictures qualify as an
environment? Why or why not?
B. Environmental Science – The study of how humans
______
interact with the environment.
1. What is the main goal of environmental science?
a. Solve environmental problems by studying the
interaction of humans and the environment.
II. Fields of study
A. Environmental science incorporates many disciplines:
1.
Ecology
2.
Biology
3.
Earth Science
4.
Physics
5.
Chemistry
6.
Social Science
7.
Economics
Bellringer/Section 2 Notes
1. Economists value the environment at 33 trillion dollars (that’s
$33,000,000,000,000). Make a list of 5 services that the Earth’s
ecosystems provide.
The Tragedy of the Commons
I. The Tragedy of the Commons
A. Common – areas of land that belonged to a whole
village.
1. Short term strategy – use resources w/out
sharing.
Why?
People thought that if they didn’t use the
resources, someone else would.
2. Results – no resources for anyone.
B. Commons were replaced individually owned fields.
What is the benefit of doing this?
1. Over use meant destroying your own field.
C.
What are the “commons” of today?
II. Economics and the Environment
A. Supply and Demand
1. The greater the demand, the more it’s worth.
2. Demand for oil increases what happens?
a.
b.
c.
Pay higher prices
Use less oil
Find new energy sources
III. Costs and Benefits
A. Balances the cost of action against the expected
benefits.
Example:
Industry – The cost of pollution control is too expensive.
Community – The benefit is worth the cost.
IV. Developed vs. Developing Countries
A. Developed – Higher average income
Examples:
Slower population growth
U.S.A.
Canada
Diverse industrial economies
Japan
Korea
Stronger social support systems
B. Developing – Agricultural based economy
Examples:
Afghanistan
Haiti
Rapid population growth
C. Population Pressures
1.
Populations increase rapidly resources aren’t
available.
2. Food production cannot keep up with the pop.
growth.
3. Little to no government support.
Your teacher has given you the following assignment: Investigate the impact on plant
growth of adding various amounts of fertilizer to potted plants. Think about what you
would need to do to be certain that the fertilizer was having the impact on the plant
growth. Then answer the items below.
1.
Place a Y besides items that would be part of your plan to investigate plant height
and fertilizer. Place a N besides items that will not help you investigate this
particular connection.
a. __ Put one plant in a sunny windowsill and one in a dark corner.
b. __ Give plants the same amounts of water.
c. __ Give different plants different amounts of fertilizer without keeping track of
which plant got extra fertilizer.
d. __ Use some new plants from seeds and some old plants that have been
growing for months.
e. __ Start with plants that are the same size.
f. __ Keep all plants in a similar location.
g. __ Carefully note amounts of fertilizer each plant is given.
h. __ Keep one plant fertilized but with no water.
2. Name at least five tools or supplies will you need to perform this experiment
The Scientific
Method
I. The Scientific Method
A. The ______________
scientific method is a way to solve problems
B. Scientific Method Steps
1. Observe
2. Ask a Question
3. Research/Collect Data
4. Form a Hypothesis
a. Hypothesis - A possible answer
5. Experiment (test hypothesis)
6. Draw conclusion
II. The experiment
A. Experiments contain VARIABLES – a factor that can change.
B. There are 2 types of variables:
1. Independent variable – variable that is changed by
the scientist.
2. Dependent variable – Variable that changes as the
independent variable changes.
C. Experiments also contain:
1. Controls: a standard of comparison
2. Constant: things that DO NOT change in an experiment.
III. Making a graph
A. Independent variable – variable plotted on the x-axis
B. Dependent variable – variable plotted on the y-axis
C. Linear graph – plots make a straight line.
1. Ask a question
2. Draw Conclusion
3. Form hypothesis
Observation
Form
hypothesis
4. Observation
5. Research and collect data
6. Experiment
Ask a
Question
Experiment
Research
and collect
data
Draw
Conclusion
Class Work
What you need: Notebook paper
Textbook
Make your
paper look like
this:
The Scientific Method
Definition
My Definition
Picture
To me, it’s
like…