CH1-State-of-the-Earth Flashcards
(48 cards)
Define the field of environmental science and discuss its importance.
Environmental science is the study of the interactions among human-dominated systems and natural systems and how those interactions affect environments. Studying environmental science helps us identify, understand, and respond to anthropogenic (derived from human) changes.
Describe key environmental indicators that help us evaluate the health of the planet.
Five important global-scale environmental indicators are …
biological diversity,
food production,
average global surface temperatures and CO2 concentrations,
human population,
and resource depletion.
Identify ways in which humans have altered and continue to alter our environment.
The impact of humans on natural systems has been significant since early humans hunted species to extinction. However, technology and population growth have dramatically increased both the rate and scale of human-induced change.
Define sustainability and explain how it can be measured using the ecological footprint.
Sustainability is the use of Earth’s resources to meet our needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The ecological footprint is the land area required to support a person’s (or country’s) lifestyle.
Explain the scientific method and its applications to to the study of environmental science.
The scientific method is a process of: Observation Hypothesis generation Data Collection Analysis of Results Drawing of Conclusions (Finding) Dissemination of Findings
Successful repetition of experiments is critical to determine the validity of the findings.
Describe some of the unique challenges and limitations of environmental science.
We lack an undisturbed “control planet” with which to compare conditions on Earth today. Assessments and choices are often subjective because there is no single measure of environmental quality. Environmental systems are so complex that they are poorly understood, and human preferences and policies may have as much of an effect on environmental systems as natural laws.
Describe aspects of Data Collection including … Replication, Sample Size, Accuracy, Precision, and Uncertainty.
Replication
… several sets of measurements taken at different times
Sample Size
… the number of samples taken (“n” in statistics)
Accuracy
… how close the data are to the correct value
Precision
… how reproducible the data are for repeated measurements
Uncertainty
… estimate of the difference from correct value (Both accuracy and precision affect Uncertainty.)
Compare and contrast Inductive Reasoning and Deductive Reasoning.
Inductive Reasoning … the process of making general statements from specific facts or examples. [An expansive understanding] (Example: My dog barks loudly … therefore all dogs bark loudly.)
Deductive Reasoning … the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations. [A smaller more focused understanding.] (Example: My dog has a sore throat .. it must be from the fact that all dogs bark loudly.)
A scientific theory is …
… a hypothesis that has been affirmed by repeated testing by multiple groups of scientists, and reached wide acceptance.
[No experimental contradictions allowed.]
Why do a hypothesis and its experimental data need to be presented at scientific conferences, published in journals, and reported publically?
A hypothesis can never be accepted based upon a single experiment or researcher. A hypothesis needs to be DISSEMINATED, so that others can reproduce the results experimentally to confirm or disprove the hypothesis.
What is an experimental “control group”?
It is a separate group of data sources from the experimental group. The control group experiences the same conditions as the experimental group except for a single variable. For example: two adjacent wheat fields, experiencing all identical conditions are observed for a growing season. The experimental field was watered by irrigated daily; the control field was not irrigated.
When the scientific process generates a theory that has been tested rigorously multiple times, without known exceptions, we then call it a …?
Natural Law (Example: Gravity)
Sometimes it is easier to prove that something is wrong or false, than it is to prove that it is correct or true beyond all doubt. What is this called?
It is called a “Null Hypothesis”
[Null in the mathematical world is an “empty set”.]
An example: “Fish deaths have no relationship to something in the water.” [You don’t have a hypothesis about what is actually killing the fish … you only know that the cause is not the water.)
What are the steps of the scientific method?
- Observe and Question
- Form a Testable Hypothesis / Prediction
- Collect Data / Conduct an Experiment to Test the Hypothesis
- Interpret the Results (Perhaps Return to Step #2 and start again)
- Accept Hypothesis and Disseminate Findings
A person’s Ecological Footprint is the measure of how much a person consumes, expressed as an area of land.
A person’s Ecological Footprint would increase rapidly with increased meat consumption. Why?
Eating plant foods directly only involves the resources needed to grow the plant. Eating more meat involves many more resources since the source chicken, or cow needed a lifetime of resources to sustain it prior to being killed as a human food source.
List at least five resources that make up your Ecological Footprint.
Wood to paper and home construction, Fuel for transportation and heat, Fish Industry for seafood, Ground Water … drinking and bathing, Oil for blacktop highways and tar shingle on your roof, Farmland to raise food such as wheat, Mining to provide metals for your car …….
[The more you buy and use … the bigger your Ecological Footprint.]
In order for humans to live “Sustainably” … there are three major requirements. What are they?
a. Environmental systems must not be damaged beyond their ability to recover.
b. Renewable resources must not be depleted faster than they can regenerate.
c. Non-renewable resources must be used sparingly.
Living sustainably means acting in a way such that activities crucial to human society can continue.
Our ENVIRONMENT is …
the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE is a field of study that …
looks at the interactions of human systems with those found in nature.
An ECOSYSTEM is …
a particuar location on the Earth whose interacting components include living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components.
The letter “a” added in front of a word usually means “without”.
biotic (having life) / abiotic (without life)
photic (sunlight present in ocean surfaces) / aphotic (deep water - no light penetrates)
Since the year 1900, the average global temperature of the Earth has risen from 13.5 degrees C to … 14.5 degrees C in the year 2000.
This 1 degree C increase represents how much of an increase on the Fahrenheit Scale?
1 degree C is equal 9/5 of a Fahrenheit degree.
Multiply the number of degrees C by 9/5 (or 1.8) to find the Fahren heit value.
1 degree C is equivalent to 1.8 degrees F.
NOTE: You CANNOT convert C to F directly using 9/5 … both scales have a different starting point. WE are only comparing the SIZE of a degree C to the size of degree F.
The human population is about 7 billion and growing! Every new person needs food, housing, water, and other resources. Even counting deaths, about a million additional people are added every 5 days! Environmental scientists estimate that the Earth population will stop growing around the year 2100. Why?
Diminished Finite Resources … food, water, non-renewable energy.
Scientists disagree on the “carrying capacity” of the Earth … how many people it can support and at what date human population will stabilize, but all agree there is a limit and that it is rapidly approaching.
Why is Environmental Science said to be Interdisciplinary?
It encompasses many scientific disciplines such as chemistry, biology, and Earth science.
Is an Environmentalist the same thing as an Environmental Scientist?
No, “environmentalism” is a social movement involving politics, lobbying, education, and activities.
An Environmental Scientist follows the rules and limitations of the scientific method.