Transcript Environmental Science - Effingham County Schools

Environmental Science
What is Environmental Science?
Environment
• Environment: two definitions:
–The circumstances or conditions that
surround an organism or group of
organisms
– The complex of social or cultural
conditions that affect an individual or
community
Environmental Science
• Environmental
Science:
–The systematic study
of our environment
and our place in it.
– Interdisciplinary!
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The Major Fields that Contribute to Environmental
Science
Let’s Make a Concept Map!
Materials
Sheet of white paper
Coloring utensils
Major Fields
Includes…
Zoology: study of animals
Biology: study of living
organisms
Botany: study of plants
Microbiology: study of microorganisms
Ecology: study of how organisms interact with their environment & each other
Geology: study of the Earth’s surface, interior processes, and history
Earth science: study of the
Earth’s nonliving systems &
the plantet as a whole
Paleontology: study of fossils & ancient life
Climatology: study of the Earth’s atmosphere & climate
Hydrology: study of water resources
Physics: study of matter &
energy
Engineering: the science by which matter & energy are made useful to humans in
structures, machines & products
Chemistry: the study of
chemicals & their interactions
Biochemistry: study of the chemistry of living things
Geochemistry: study of the chemistry of rocks, soil, & water
Social Sciences: study of
human populations
Geography: study of the relationship between humans & Earth’s features
Anthropology: study of the cultural, geographical, & historical aspects of mankind.
Sociology: study of human population dynamics & statistics
History of Environmental Science: Timeline
Project – Due Friday, 8/26
• Title……………………………………………………………………………………….10
• 11 Environmentalist:
Rachel Carson, Paul and Ann Ehrlich, Lois Gibbs, Aldo Leopold, James
Lovelock, Amory Lovins, George Perkins Marsh, John Muir, Eugene &
Howard Odum, Theodore Roosevelt, Edward O.
Wilson……………………………………………………………………………………22
• Chronological Order…………………………………………………………………10
• 2 sentences on each person w/the date and what they did when they
contributed to history of environmental science …22
• Resources/ Web Addresses for information found on each….. 22
• Creativity (incorporated natural elements)……………………………14
Environmental Problems Today
1. Resource Depletion:
– Renewable resources: resources normally
replaced/ replenished by natural processes;
not depleted by moderate use
• Solar energy, forests, fisheries, air, soil, etc.
– Nonrenewable resources: minerals, fossil
fuels & other materials present in fixed
amounts (within human time scale) in our
environment
2. Energy:
– Fossil fuels (oil, coal, & natural gas) provide
80% of energy used in industrialized countries
– Problems with acquisition & use
3. Pollution: any physical, chemical, or biological
change that adversely affects the health, survival, or
activities of living organisms or that alters the
environment in undesirable way
–Air, water
–At least 1.1 billion people lack an adequate
supply of safe drinking water
–More than twice that don’t have modern
sanitation
Environmental Problems Today
4. Climate change:
– Human activities release carbon dioxide (CO2) & other
“green-house gases” that trap heat in the atmosphere
– Over the past 200 years, atmospheric CO2 has increased
by 35%
– By 2100… global temps will probably warm 1.5 to 6C
(2.7-11 F)
5. Loss of Biodiversity: the genetic, species, and ecological
diversity of the organisms in a given area
– Over the past century, more than 800 species have gone
extinct & at least 10,000 species are now threatened
– Includes half of all primates
Ecological Footprint
Ever wondered how much “nature” your
lifestyle requires?
The Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates the
amount of land and ocean area required to
sustain your consumption patterns and absorb
your wastes on an annual basis.
Ecological Footprint
Carbon footprint: area needed to absorb carbon emissions
generated by your
home energy use & transportation
Food footprint: area needed to grow crops, fish, & graze
animals and absorb carbon emissions from food processing
and transport.
A plant-based diet is significantly less land and energy intensive than a diet with a high
proportion of meat, seafood, and dairy. A recent study found that a low-fat vegetarian
diet needs 0.18 hectares per person per year while a high-fat diet with lots of meat
needs 0.85 hectares because animals need so much more room. And because meat
production drives deforestation and requires high inputs of energy for processing and
transportation, it also comes with a high carbon footprint price tag. Globally, it has
been estimated that up to 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions are associated with
animal product consumption.
Ecological Footprint
Housing footprint: area occupied by your
home & the area needed to supply resources
used in construction and household
maintenance
Goods and services footprint: area needed to
supply consumer items you purchase and
absorb carbon emissions from their
manufacturing, transport, and disposal
My Ecological Footprint
Our Relationship with the Environment Over
Time
A. Hunter- Gatherers: people who obtain food by
collecting plants & hunting wild animals or scavenging
their remains
• Humans prevented growth in grasslands, overhunted
some large mammals, & spread plants to new areas
Giant ground sloth
Bison
B. Agricultural Revolution: ~10,000 years ago
• Agriculture: practice of growing, breeding, & caring for
plants & animals used for food, clothing, etc.
• Lead to exponential growth of humans
• Grasslands, forests & wetlands destroyed for farmland
 soil loss, floods, & water loss
• According to the World Wildlife Fund, rain forests
are being cleared for agriculture at a rate of 26
hactares per minute. Calculate how many hectares
of rainforest are being cleared:
– Per hour:
– Per day:
– Per year:
• How big is Effingham County? ~125,000 hectares
• How big is the state of Georgia? ~15,300,000
hectares
C. Industrial Revolution: ~1700s +
1. Involved conversion from using
animal power to fossil fuels for energy
2. Inventions: light bulb, steam engine,
factory
machinery
3. Cities grew
• 1900s: began using artificial substances (plastics) instead
of animal/plant products
Revolutionhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/edison/lightbulb.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution