Environmental Science
What is it????
Unit. 1 Vocabulary Terms (20)
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• Natural resource
Applied science (&
• Nonrenewable
example)
natural resource
Biosphere
• Observations
Consumption Crisis
• Pollution
Developed nation
• Population Crisis
Developing nation
• Pure science (& ex.)
Ecology
• Renewable natural
Environment
resource
Experiment, scientific • Statistics
Extinction
• Sustainable world
Hypothesis, scientific • Theory, scientific
Types of Science:
• Pure science
– Science that seeks answers to
questions about how the world
works
– Ex. – Biology, Physics, Chemistry
• Applied science
– Uses the information provided by
pure science to solve problems
– Ex. – Engineering, Medicine,
Environmental Science
• Environmental Science is the study of
how humans interact with the
environment.
• Focus is on the influence of humans on
the environment.
• What is the environment?
• It is everything that surrounds us
Ecology
• The study of how living
things are related to each
other
• Is it a pure or applied
science?
• Pure Science
Biodiversity
• The number and variety of species
living on Earth
• Since the Industrial Revolution, we
are losing biodiversity at an
unprecedented rate!!!!
• Scientists predict within this 400
year period we will lose over 25% of
the species on Earth
• Environmentalists protest this loss.
Environmental Problems
1. Resource Depletion – when a large part of a
resource has been used up
– Natural resource – any natural substance that
living things use (sunlight, air, water, soil,
minerals, plants, fossil fuels, etc……)
– Nonrenewable resource – cannot be replaced,
naturally formed slower than we use it (ex. –
fossil fuels, old growth trees, mines, etc…)
– Renewable resource – continually being replaced
by nature (ex. – wave energy, wind energy, solar
energy, fast growing trees, etc…)
2. Pollution – poisoning of our air, water or soil
3. Extinction – the last individual member of a
species has died and the species is gone forever
Globally:
• Coal-fired electric generators
release SO2 to create acid rain
• Cars release CO2, causing
worldwide climate changes
• Destruction of tropical rain
forests, causing climate changes
globally
• Chlorofluorocarbons destroy
ozone
Biosphere
• Thin layer of life around the
Earth
Two Types of Countries
• Developed countries
– Highly industrialized countries
– Higher average income/personal wealth
– Stabilized/slower growing population
– Ex. – Japan, U.S., Australia, Canada
• Developing countries
– Less industrialized, agriculturally based
– Lower average income/personal wealth
– Population increasing most rapidly
– Ex. – India, Kenya, Columbia
Population Crisis
What is it?
The number of people is
growing too quickly for the
Earth to support it
Root of all Environmental Problems:
1. Consumption crisis – people are using
up, wasting or polluting natural
resources faster than they can be
renewed, replaced or cleaned up
2. Sustainable world – world in which
human populations can continue to
exist indefinitely with a high
standard of living and health
• Our resource consumption has
increased dramatically in the last
several hundred years!!!!!
Agricultural Revolution
• During this period, plants & animals
were domesticated.
• Humans altered their habitats during
this time, as well as during the
hunter-gatherer & Industrial
Revolution.
• Because humans depend upon other
organisms for food & oxygen, the
world’s loss of biodiversity is a source
of concern.
Industrial Revolution
• Increased the burning of fossil fuels with
the birth of industry.
• Began the first steps of global warming as
CO2 was released in such large unnatural
quantities.
• As nations developed, they increased their
personal wealth as well as their ecological
footprints.
• Most of today’s environmental problems
began during this period.
Result of Indust. Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution improved
quality of life, created a shift in the
use of fossil fuels, & cities grew.
• Ecological Footprint: the amount of
land & ocean area needed to support
one person
• At the moment, a resident of the USA
is likely to leave the largest ecological
footprint.
Tragedy of the Commons
• Page 11 in your textbook
• Based on public pastures or “commons”
• Resources left unregulated motivates
individuals to increase their resource
consumption, resulting in resource
depletion
• It is a conflict between individuals and
society, that if left unregulated will
result in everyone losing
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Scientific Method:
(summary)
Observing & Questioning
Hypothesizing and Predicting
Experimenting
Organizing and Interpreting
Data
5. Using Graphics and Sharing
Information
6. Communicating Results
The Scientific
Method
• All events in the universe can
be explained by physical laws
• Scientists proceed according
to time-tested procedures
known as the scientific
method
• The goal of science is to discover
facts about the natural world and
the laws that explain these facts
• It assumes that the natural world
works according to rules that do
not change unpredictably.
• We learn about our outside world
through our senses
• Uses procedures to learn about
our world
Two ways of thinking:
• Induction – one starts with a
number of separate
observations and then arrives
at a general principle
– Observe a sailfish, a shark and a
tuna all have gills, since all 3 are
fishes you might conclude that
all fish have gills
• Deduction – reason from
general principles to
specific conclusions
–If all marine animals have
gills, and whales are marine
animals, then whales must
have gills.
Hypothesis
• Both inductive & deductive reasoning
lead scientists to make statements that
might be true & are testable (a
hypothesis)
• All hypotheses are tested, & incorrect
ones are quickly weeded out &discarded.
• Must be stated in a way that allows
them to be tested (ex. – “somewhere in
the ocean there are mermaids” cannot
be proven to be false)
Testing the Hypothesis
• Scientists use scientific thinking to
test hypotheses.
• Scientists spend most of their time
trying to disprove, not prove,
hypotheses
• When comparing 2 hypotheses, often by
rejecting one it strengthens the other
• Usually simple observation is the best
way to test a hypothesis
• Experiments create situations to test
hypotheses instead of relying on naturally
occurring events
• Controlled experiments have only 1 variable,
which changes during the course of the
experiment (the independent variable).
Ex. – amount of fertilizer.
• The dependent variable is the experimental
data, and is dependent on the independent
variable. Ex. – how tall the plant grows.
• Variables are factors that might affect
observations
The Scientific
Theory
• Theory is a hypothesis that has
passed so many tests that it is
generally regarded as true (it
has undergone extensive,
rigorous testing)
• Like any hypothesis, it is still
subject to rejection if enough
evidence accumulates against it
Data
• Science relies on measurable data (How
tall, how many, how much, etc.)
• Qualitative results may help explain,
but cannot be considered data (Which
flower is prettier, smells nicer, etc.)
• Quantitative data is measurable (3
roses, % of people, color based on a
chart, etc.)
• We use the metric system to measure
data to compare results
Scientists use the Metric System
• Distance: Meters, meter stick
• Volume: Liters, graduated cylinder
• Mass: Grams, triple beam balance
• Temperature: degrees Celsius
Statistics (a branch of
mathematics) is often used to
report your findings (%, fractions),
usually in scientific journals.
Experimental Design
• In order to compare the effects of an independent
variable, you would need a way to measure the data.
• Hypothesis: If I use different types of soil, then
my plants will grow in height at different rates.
• If the pots, location/sunlight, and water were the
same (the control or constant) and only the soil
type changes, soil type is the independent variable.
• The dependent variable is how much the plant
grows in height (it depends on the soil type)
• Quantitative observation: height (centimeters)
• Qualitative observation: soil appearance, green
vegetative matter, …
Scientific Views
• Changes in scientific thought
demonstrate a key strength of
science: the ability to self-correct
and improve!
• Scientists are open to results that
change, or even refute, a previously
accepted idea.
• If your results are different the
second time you do an experiment,
then you repeat the experiment.
Limitations of the Scientific
Method:
• Scientists are people with human
shortcomings.
• No one can be completely objective all
the time.
• The insistence on direct observation
and testable hypotheses does not allow
for value judgments (ex – what is
beautiful?). Science does not include
ethics, morals, or values!
Decision-Making Model
1. Gather information
2. Consider values
3. Explore consequences
4. Make a decision
Decision-Making Model
Template
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Names in your group
Identify the Problem
Your Proposed Solution
Values
Pros
Cons
Short-term Effects
Long-term Effects
Group’s Position (regarding the
solution)
• Defend/Justify your solution!
Remember,
these are Worldwide
Problems
Unit 1 Decision-Making Model Situation
• There is a 100 acre parcel of land that Lake
County is deciding how to rezone.
• A developer wants to bring in a familyfriendly neighborhood with 150 homes on ½
acre sites, plus roads & storm drainage.
• An entrepreneur wants to put in a solar farm
that will sell electricity to the existing
power grid. She has also agreed to give
power to the neighboring subdivision to help
lower their electric bills.
• This has been a predominantly rural area
within the Wekiva Springs Protection Area.
Chapter Review
• Be able to cite or pick out examples
describing the use of renewable resources
• Know the difference between developing
and developed countries
– Be prepared to pick out a list of
countries from either one
– Which type would the population be
increasing the slowest? Fastest?
– Which country uses up the most natural
resources in the world today?
• Know examples of pure sciences, as well
as the definitions for ecology and
environmental science
• Know the steps involved in a scientific
experiment, including careful control of
the experimental conditions, examples
of what would constitute observations,
and what makes an accurate prediction
about the outcome or a correct
scientific conclusion.
• Be able to pick out an example of how
people’s values affect environmental decision
making
• Be able to interpret a data table correctly.
Independent variable, dependent variable,
quantitative, qualitative,…
• Know the different unit of the metric
system and what scientific tools are used in
their measurement.