Chapter 1: Science and the Environment

Section 1: Understanding Our Environment

Warm-up

1.  How do you define the term environment? Are humans part of the environment?

______

______

______

______

2.  How can science help us understand and solve environmental problems?

______

______

______

______

ENVIRONMENT: ______

What is Environmental Science?

Example: Keene High School Students

-What they do: ______

______

______

-Keene HS Students’ work is an example of ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: ______

______

The Goals of Environmental Science

-One of the major goals of environmental science: ______

-To accomplish this goal, environmental scientists study two main types of interactions between humans and their environment.

-Areas of study:

-______

______

______

-How our actions alter our environment.

-To study these interactions, environmental scientists must ______

______

______

Many Fields of Study

-Environmental science is interdisciplinary.

-Important foundation of environmental science: ______

-ECOLOGY: ______

______

Ecologist may study….. Environmental scientist may study…..

…the relationship between bees …______

and the plants bees pollinate.

______

______

______

-Many sciences contribute to environmental science.

-______: helps us understand the nature of pollutants.

-Geology: ______

______

-______and ______: provide

information needed to preserve species.

-Paleontology (the study of fossils): ______

______

-Other disciplines: microbiology, climatology, hydrology, engineering, biochemistry,

geochemistry, geography, anthropology, sociology.

-Studying the environment also involves studying populations, so environmental

scientists may use information from the social sciences: economics, law, politics, and geography.

Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists

-Governments, businesses, and cities recognize that studying our environment is vital to maintaining a healthy productive society.

-Environmental scientists are often asked to share their research with the world.

-______

______

______

Section 1: Mid-Section Review

1. Describe the two main types of interactions that environmental scientists study. Give an example of each.

______

2. Describe the major fields of study that contribute to environmental science.

______

______

______

3. Explain why environmental science is an interdisciplinary science.

______

______

Critical Thinking

4. Making Comparisons What is the difference between environmental science and ecology?

______

______

______

______

5. Making Inferences Read the Ecofact below. Propose a solution to prevent the environmental problems of the seaport of Troy described in the Ecofact.

Solution:______

______

______

______

______

Our Environment Through Time

-Wherever humans have hunted, grown food, or settled, they have changed the environment.

Hunter-Gatherers

-People were hunter-gatherers for most of human history.

-HUNTER-GATHERERS: ______

______

-Early hunter-gatherers:

-Small groups

-Migrated from place to place as different types of food became available at different

times of the year.

-Ways in which hunter-gatherers affect their environment:

-______

______

______

-Helped spread plants to areas where the plants did not originally grow.

-Combination of rapid climate changes and overhunting by hunter-gatherers

led to the disappearance of some large mammal species.

The Agricultural Revolution

-Eventually, hunter-gatherers began

-______

-______

AGRICULTURE: ______

______

______(started over 10,000 years ago)

-Effects of the Agricultural Revolution:

-______

______

-Pressure on local environments increased.

-Changed the food we eat. Wild plants were selectively bred for desired traits.

-______

-Habitats were destroyed through slash-and-burn agriculture.

-Soil loss, floods, and water shortages.

-Poorly-farmed land is no longer fertile.

Field Activity-Germinating Corn: Many people do not realize how easy it is to grow corn plants from unpopped popcorn kernels. This ancient grass will sprout in a matter of days if it is watered frequently. Place a few popcorn kernels on a wet paper towl, and place the paper towel in a clear plastic cup so that the kernels are visible from the outside. Leave the cup on a windowsill for several days and water it frequently. As your plant grows, see if you can observe any grasslike features. Record your observations below:

Date: ______Observations: ______

Picture:

Date:______Observations: ______

Picture:

Date: ______Observations: ______

Picture:

The Industrial Revolution

-______

-Involved a ______

-Increased use of fossil fuels and machines changed society and increased efficiency of agrictulture, industry and transportation.

-Large-scale production of goods became less expensive.

-______(Fewer people grew food.)

-______

-Fossil fuels and motorized vehicles allowed food and other goods to be transported cheaply.

Improving Quality of Life

-Positive Changes Introduced by Industrial Revolution

-______

-______

______

-Environmental Problems Introduced by Industrial Revolution

-______

-Increased use of artificial substances (plastics, artificial pesticides, fertilizers)

Spaceship Earth

-Earth compared to a spaceship: ______

______

-Earth is a closed system.

-CLOSED SYSTEM: An isolated system that has no interaction with its external environment.

-Potential Problems with a Closed System

-As the population grows, ______

______

-Wastes could be produced more quickly than we can dispose of them.

-Environmental Problems Occur on Different Scales

-Community: “Where do we build a landfill?”

-Local Property Owners: ______

-Regional: contaminated drinking water from a polluted river hundreds of miles away.

-Global: ozone-depleting chemicals in Brazil destroying the ozone layer of Earth.

Population Growth: A Local Pressure

-Stabilizing a rapidly-growing population comes at a huge cost to the environment.

Case Study

Lake Washington: An Environmental Success Story

Critical Thinking

1.  Analyzing Processes: Explain how each person and group played a crucial role in the cleanup of Lake Washington.

______

______

______

2.  Analyzing Relationships: How was the scientists’ work similar to the work of the Keene High School students?

______

______

______

What Are Our Main Environmental Problems?

-______

-______

-______

Resource Depletion

NATURAL RESOURCE: ______

______

-Natural resources can be classified as renewable and nonrenewable.

RENEWABLE RESOURCE: ______

-Examples: fresh water, air, soil, trees, crops, and energy from the sun.

NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE: ______

______

-Examples: minerals and fossil fuels

______: when a large fraction of the resource has been used up.

Quick LAB: Classifying Resources

Procedure

1.  Choose five objects in your classroom.

2.  Observe your objects closely and list the resources that comprise them.

3.  Classify those resources as renewable or nonrenewable.

Objects

1.______4.______

2. ______5. ______

3. ______

Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
Renewable / Nonrenewable

Analysis

1. What percentage of the resources you observed are renewable? What percentage of the resources are nonrenewable?

Renewable:______

Nonrenewable:______

2. Hypothesize the origin of three of the resources you observed.

______

______

______

Pollution

-Industrial Revolution produced wastes faster than they could be disposed of.

-Wastes accumulate in the environment and cause ______.

POLLUTION: ______

-Much of the pollution today is produced by ______.

-Two main types of pollutants:

-______: pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes.

-Examples: human sewage or a stack of newspapers.

-Can become a problem when they accumulate faster than they can be broken

down.

-______: pollutatns that

cannot be broken down by natural processes.

-Examples: mercury, lead, and some types of plastic.

-Can build up to dangerous levels in the environment.

Loss of Biodiversity

BIODIVERSITY: ______

-Organisms that share the world with us can be considered ______

______.

-We depend on other organisms for ______, ______

and ______.

-Species can be considered ______.

-It is argued that ALL species have potential economic, ecological, scientific, aesthetic, and recreational value, so it is important to preserve them.

Section 1 Review

1. Explain how hunter-gatherers affected the environment in which they lived.

______

______

2. Describe the major environmental effects of the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution.

______

______

______

3. Explain how environmental problems can be local, regional or global. Give one example of each.

______

______

______

4. Identify an example of a natural source of pollution.

______

______

Critical Thinking

5. Analyzing Relationships: How did the Industrial Revolution affect human population growth?

______

Section 2: The Environment and Society

-One way to think about society and the environment is to consider how a society uses common resources.

“Tragedy of the Commons” (1968, Ecologist Garrett Hardin)

-“______

______”

-Point of Hardin’s essay: ______

______

-Social pressures influence how we use resources.

-Earth’s natural resources are our modern commons.

Economics and the Environment

-Economic forces influence how we use resources.

Supply and Demand

LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND: ______

______

MATH PRACTICE

In economics, the point where supply and demand are in balance is known as market equilibrium. Market equilibrium for oil was reached in 1986. What was the cost of a barrel of oil in that year? ______How many barrels of oil were produced in that year? ______By how much did the cost of a barrel of oil decline from 1981 to 1986?______

Costs and Benefits

-______

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS: ______

______

Risk Assessment

-One of the costs of any action is the risk of an undesirable outcome.

RISK ASSESSMENT: ______

______

Developed and Developing Countries

-Unequal distribution of wealth and resources around the world influences the ______

______

______

-The United Nations classifies countries as either developed or developing countries.

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES: ______

______

______.

______: lower average incomes, simple and agriculture-based economics, and rapid population growth.

Population and Consumption

-Almost all environmental problems can be traced back to:

-The human population is ______

______

-People are using up, wasting, or polluting many natural resources faster than they can

be replaced.

Local Population Pressures

-Rapid population growth leads to:

-______

-______

-______

-Constant threats in severely overpopulated regions:

-______

-______

-______

-Human population tends to grow rapidly in developing countries.

-______

______cannot keep pace with population growth do each person gets fewer resources. (Access to food, water, and proper sanitation is not available to many)

Consumption Trends

-People in wealthier/developed nations make up 20% of world’s population and use 75% of its resources.

Ecological Footprints

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT: ______

______

______

-Estimation of land used for crops, grazing, forest products, and housing.

-Includes ______

______, and forest area needed to absorb air pollution caused by fossil fuels.

Environmental Science in Context

-Environmental problems are complex.

-How do we balance rights of individuals with needs of society as a whole?

Critical Thinking and the Environment

-Information on environmental issues can be

-______

-______

-______

-______

-Exploring environmental science means:

-  analyzing multiple viewpoints

-  identifying biases

-  investigating the source of information you encounter

A Sustainable World

-Key goal of environmental science: ______

SUSTAINABILITY: ______

Section 2 Review

1. Describe three differences between developing nations using the examples in the “Indicators of Development” table.

______

______


2. Explain why critical thinking is an important skill in environmental science.

______

______

3. Explain the law of supply and demand, and give an example of how it relates to the environment.

______

______

Critical Thinking

4. Applying Ideas The law of supply and demand is a simplification of economic patterns. What other factors might affect the cost of a barrel of oil?

______

______

5. Evaluating Ideas Write a description of “The Tragedy of Commons.” Do you think Hardin’s essay is an accurate description of the relationship between individuals, society, and the environment?

______