Powerpoint of lecture notes - Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Lecture: Global Perspectives on Ecology CEE 210 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY FOR ENGINEERS Instructor: L.R. Chevalier Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Southern Illinois University Carbondale Objectives Environmental Biology for Engineers Describe the different biomes found on earth Review the findings of the study on global ecology commissioned by the United Nations Identify facts and challenges of global ecology Understand the role of civil and environmental engineering in global ecology What is Ecology? The study of Environmental Biology for Engineers Adaptation of life to the environment The cycle of materials and energy through living communities Changing environments Abundance and distribution of biodiversity in context of the environment. Biomes: Our ecological communities Freshwater Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwate r Freshwater Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest Water, is a major natural resource. Freshwater biomes supply us with our drinking water and water for crop irrigation Countless species live in it for all or part of their lives. Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwater: Ponds and Lakes A view across Manzanita Lake toward Mt. Lassen, California A forest pond near Donnelly, Idaho Great Blue Heron Paranagat Lake, southeastern Nevada Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwater: Streams and rivers McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, California Trout Green River, Utah Brooks River, Alaska. Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwater: Wetlands Pescadero Marsh, California Coastal marsh at Umpqua Dunes, Oregon Trees and bogs on Esther Island, Alaska. Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwate r Marine Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest The world's oceans have an even greater effect on global climate than forests do. Water has a high capacity for heat, and because the Earth is mostly covered with water, the temperature of the atmosphere is kept fairly constant and able to support life. In addition to this climate-buffering capacity, the oceans contain several billion photosynthetic plankton which account for most of the photosynthesis occurring on Earth. Without these, there might not be enough oxygen to support such a large world population and complex animal life. Environmental Biology for Engineers Marine: Ocean Ocean: mussels, worms, and a spider crab at a hydrocarbon seep community in the Gulf of Mexico A sea fan and brain coral in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary A school of Atlantic amberjack off North Carolina. Environmental Biology for Engineers Marine: Coral Reefs Reef life in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea Reef at Fanning Island atoll in the central Pacific Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Environmental Biology for Engineers Marine: Estuaries Mangrove roots, south Florida Wetlands and tidal streams in the Ashe Island area, ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve, South Carolina Salt marsh in Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, South Carolina Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwate r Desert Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest Environmental Biology for Engineers Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year. Most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia, occur at low latitudes, Cold deserts, occur in the basin and range area of Utah and Nevada and in parts of western Asia. Most deserts have a considerable amount of specialized vegetation, as well as specialized vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Soils often have abundant nutrients, they need only water to become productive Desert Environmental Biology for Engineers Average Rainfall in Different Land Biomes Environmental Biology for Engineers Desert: Hot and Dry Baja, Mexico Uluru National Park, Australia Kofa Mountains, Arizona Environmental Biology for Engineers Desert: Semi-arid Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, southern Nevada Sagebrush near Bridger, Montana Castle Valley, Utah, east of Arches National Park. Environmental Biology for Engineers Desert Coastal Desert Namibia’s coastal desert Environmental Biology for Engineers Desert: Cold Lichen growing on Torgerson Island, Antarctica Kangaroo rat Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwate r Forest Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest Occupy approximately one-third of Earth's land area Account for over two-thirds of the leaf area of land plants Contain about 70% of carbon present in living things Threatened by deforestation, product demand, and pollution Environmental Biology for Engineers Tropical Forest Olympic Peninsula rain forest, Washington Patria River, Costa Rica Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar Hawaiian forest. Environmental Biology for Engineers World Map of Tropical Forest Environmental Biology for Engineers Forest: Temperate Deciduous Wisconsin woods Forest along California's north coast Forested hills of the Adirondacks, New York. Environmental Biology for Engineers World Map of Temperate Deciduous Forest Environmental Biology for Engineers Forest: Boreal forest (taiga) Taiga in Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada; forest west of Stockholm, Sweden. Environmental Biology for Engineers World Map of Taiga Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwate r Grasslands Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest Grasslands are characterized as lands dominated by grasses rather than large shrubs or trees Savannas ◦ Cover almost half the surface of Africa (about five million square miles, generally central Africa) and large areas of Australia, South America, and India. Temperate grasslands ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Environmental Biology for Engineers veldts of South Africa, the puszta of Hungary, the pampas of Argentina and Uruguay, the steppes of the former Soviet Union, plains and prairies of central North America. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. World Map of Grasslands Environmental Biology for Engineers Grassland: Savannah Savanna in the Samburu Game Preserve, Kenya Environmental Biology for Engineers Grassland: Temperate Colorado prairie Environmental Biology for Engineers Freshwate r Tundra Tundra Marine Grassland Desert Forest Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain Characteristics ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Environmental Biology for Engineers Extremely cold climate Low biotic diversity Simple vegetation structure Limitation of drainage Short season of growth and reproduction Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material Large population oscillations World Map of Tundra Environmental Biology for Engineers Tundra: Arctic tundra Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Environmental Biology for Engineers Tundra: Alpine tundra Alpine tundra in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington Dall Sheep in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Environmental Biology for Engineers Global Perspective: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Commissioned by the United Nations Assessed the consequences of ecosystem change Study conducted from 2001 to 2005 Involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Report provides a global view of ecosystems ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Environmental Biology for Engineers State-of-the-art scientific research Trends Human demands Sustainability http://www.maweb.org/en/Index.aspx References The World’s Biomes ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ University of California Museum of Paleontology On-Line Exhibit http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php Accessed April 2010 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ◦ http://www.maweb.org/en/Index.aspx Environmental Biology for Engineers Images The World’s Biomass ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ University of California Museum of Paleontology On-Line Exhibit http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php Accessed April 2010 Namibia Desert ◦ NASA Earth Observatory Collection Maps of Land Biomes ◦ Missouri Botanical Gardens ◦ http://www.mbgnet.net/index.html ◦ Accessed April 2010 Environmental Biology for Engineers Sources of photographs and images in sidebar Human brain ◦ X-rays images ◦ http://www.healthnak.com/mind/ http://martingallerycharleston.com/index.html Cold Virus (altered in Photoshop) ◦ http://medphoto.wellcome.ac.uk/ About the Instructor Environmental Biology for Engineers Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Diplomat, Water Resources Engineering, American Academy of Water Resources Engineering (AAWRE) Board Certified Environmental Engineer, American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) Licensed Professional Engineer, State of Illinois
