CH1-State-of-the-Earth

Question 0

Define the field of environmental science and discuss its importance.

Answer 0

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.

Question 1

Describe key environmental indicators that help us evaluate the health of the planet.

Answer 1

Five important global-scale environmental indicators are …

biological diversity,

food production,

average global surface temperatures and CO2 concentrations,

human population,

and resource depletion.

Question 2

Identify ways in which humans have altered and continue to alter our environment.

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

Define sustainability and explain how it can be measured using the ecological footprint.

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

Explain the scientific method and its applications to to the study of environmental science.

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Describe some of the unique challenges and limitations of environmental science.

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

Describe aspects of Data Collection including … Replication, Sample Size, Accuracy, Precision, and Uncertainty.

Answer 6

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.)

Question 7

Compare and contrast Inductive Reasoning and Deductive Reasoning.

Answer 7

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.)

Question 8

A scientific theory is …

Answer 8

… a hypothesis that has been affirmed by repeated testing by multiple groups of scientists, and reached wide acceptance.
[No experimental contradictions allowed.]

Question 9

Why do a hypothesis and its experimental data need to be presented at scientific conferences, published in journals, and reported publically?

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

What is an experimental “control group”?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

When the scientific process generates a theory that has been tested rigorously multiple times, without known exceptions, we then call it a …?

Answer 11

Natural Law (Example: Gravity)

Question 12

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?

Answer 12

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.)

Question 13

What are the steps of the scientific method?

Answer 13

1. Observe and Question
2. Form a Testable Hypothesis / Prediction
3. Collect Data / Conduct an Experiment to Test the Hypothesis
4. Interpret the Results (Perhaps Return to Step #2 and start again)
5. Accept Hypothesis and Disseminate Findings

Question 14

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?

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

List at least five resources that make up your Ecological Footprint.

Answer 15

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.]

Question 16

In order for humans to live “Sustainably” … there are three major requirements. What are they?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Our ENVIRONMENT is …

Answer 17

the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.

Question 18

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE is a field of study that …

Answer 18

looks at the interactions of human systems with those found in nature.

Question 19

An ECOSYSTEM is …

Answer 19

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)

Question 20

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?

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

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?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

Why is Environmental Science said to be Interdisciplinary?

Answer 22

It encompasses many scientific disciplines such as chemistry, biology, and Earth science.

Question 23

Is an Environmentalist the same thing as an Environmental Scientist?

Answer 23

No, “environmentalism” is a social movement involving politics, lobbying, education, and activities.

An Environmental Scientist follows the rules and limitations of the scientific method.

Question 24

Humans manipulate their environment more than any other species. List two major ways humans alter their environment?

Answer 24

a. Convert land into urban, suburban, and agricultural areas | b. Change the chemistry of air, water, and soil

Question 25

Biodiversity is the diversity (number and type) of life forms in an environment. There are three major ways to look at biodiversity; what are they?

Answer 25

a. Species Diversity (number of different species) b. Genetic Diversity (the breadth of the gene pool for a species.) c. Ecosystem Diversity

Question 26

The average rate at which species go extinct over the long term is called the ...

Answer 26

Background Extinction Rate ... which is about two species per year for the Earth.

Question 27

What is Speciation?

Answer 27

Speciation is when a organism goes through a genetic change (mutation) that allows it to reproduce as a new species. This is a rare event and hard to measure in nature. Perhaps only 1 or 2 new species per year on the Earth.

Question 28

What other branches of science (disciplines) are included in Environmental Science?

Answer 28

``` Biology Chemistry Toxicology Economics Politics and Law Earth Sciences Atmospheric sciences Literature and Writing Ethics ```

Question 29

Name some species where hunting by humans almost led to extinction.

Answer 29

American Bison | Sperm and Right Whales

Question 30

What is an environmental indicator?

Answer 30

... something that describes or indicates if the current state of an environmental system is healthy. ``` Examples: Species Diversity Extinction Rate Habitat Loss Food Production Ecological Footprint Water Quality Infant Mortality Rate Life Expectancy ```

Question 31

What are the five key global environmental indicators?

Answer 31

Biological Diversity ... extinction rate is increasing Food Production ... per capita production possibly leveling off Average Global Temperatures and CO2 ... increasing over last century Human Population ... still increasing, but rate is slowing Resource Depletion ... increasing, but ingenuity and efficiency helping

Question 32

What is a hectare? How is it calculated?

Answer 32

``` 1 Hectare (ha) is an area measuring 100 x 100 meters. Therefore 1 hectare is 10,000 sq. meters. ``` There are 2.47 acres in 1 hectare (ha) ....OR ... 1 acre = 0.40 hectares

Question 33

Three food grains supply more than half of all human calories. What are they?

Answer 33

Wheat, Corn, and Rice

Question 34

World grain production has leveled off over the past 50 years; what are some possible reasons?

Answer 34

Climate related: Drought, Flooding Energy needed to bring crops to market Grains being diverted to ethanol production Soil Degradation Crop Diseases Competition .. animal livestock consume more grains that humans

Question 35

Many scientists believe that the increase in atmospheric CO2 levels over the past two centuries in anthropogenic (derived from humans). If this is true, what are the two main causes?

Answer 35

Combustion of Fossil Fuels Net Loss of Forests that would take up and store CO2 from the atmosphere.

Question 36

Development is defined as improvement in human well-being through economic advancement. As economies develop, resources are used at a faster rate (more cars, bigger homes, etc.). The 'developed' countries; US, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the European countries have only 20% of the world's population, but use how much of the world's resources, energy, and food?

Answer 36

87% of the world's cars are found in the developed countries 58% of the world's energy is used by the developed countries 84% of all the paper ... 45% of all the meat and fish ...

Question 37

How fast are forests being cleared from the Earth?

Answer 37

About 1 acre per second 80,000 acres per day 32,000 ha (hectares) per day

Question 38

What are the 4 Basic Needs of humans; things that are essential for life?

Answer 38

Air Water Food Shelter

Question 39

What is Biophilia?

Answer 39

Humans have a need to "love life" ... meaningful relationships, access to natural areas, purpose. Long term goals of global sustainability must incorporate the "Biophilic" needs of humans ... not just food, water, air, and shelter.

Question 40

Although wealthier, more developed, countries use large amounts of resources, their wealth allows for some ecological benefits. What are some of these benefits?

Answer 40

They have money and resources to ... ... implement pollution controls ... invest to protect native species and establish land preserves ... use technology to increase efficiency ... educate their population on environmental concerns ... promote birth control ... assist underdeveloped countries ... use science to improve the environment

Question 41

What is a Natural Experiment; give an example?

Answer 41

... an event occuring in nature that acts to cause changes in an ecosystem. Example: a volcano levels thousands of hectares of a forest. Example: a tsunami damages a costal ecosystem. Example: a forest fire burns out a mountainside ravine.

Question 42

One of the greatest challenges to environmental science is that there is no "control planet", no baseline data to compare with when we try to evaluate the many inter-related factors affecting the environment. Is there any remote location on the Earth that is totally unaffected by humans?

Answer 42

No

Question 43

Aside from the lack of a "control planet" to evaluate environmental concerns, Environmental Science must deal with a high degree of "Subjectivity". Decisions in environmental science will almost always involve some choices, value judgements and personal opinions. Give an example?

Answer 43

The pesticide DDT was banned for good scientific reasons, but the consequences of that decision caused millions of children to die in sub-sahara Africa from malaria ... carried by mosquitos not killed by DDT. The competition between ideologies and pragmatic wisdom in decision making can be found in most areas of environmental science.

Question 44

The principle of "Environmental Equity" is that there should be equity in the distribution of the Earth's resources. This involves moral decisions and politics. If we say that there is no environmental equity in a particular comparison, we often say there is no "environmental justice". What is "Environmental Justice?'

Answer 44

Environmental Justice is a social movement and field of study that works toward the elimination of disparities, whether intended or unintended, in how pollutants and other environmentally harms are distributed among various socioeconomic and ethnic groups. Example: landfills with potentially toxic pollutants are often built on land inhabited by people from lower socioeconomic groups.

Question 45

The build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere could increase global temperatures, since CO2 acts like an insulating blanket that would trap heat from radiating into space. What is this effect named after?

Answer 45

A glass greenhouse is used by plant nurseries to start young plants growing earlier in the growing season. The glass walls allow light in, but the heat is trapped inside ... warming the plants earlier than if they were planted outdoors. Thus ... the "Greenhouse Effect".

Question 46

What is the First Law of Thermodynamics?

Answer 46

... that the energy of an isolated system is constant, meaning that energy cannot be created or destroyed ... just converted from one form to another.

Question 47

There was a bloom of growth of the species Pfiesteria in North Carolina rivers in 1991. The organism reproduced rapidly from extra nutrients flowing into the rivers from fertilizer runoff from farm fields and nutrient rich waste from barnyards. The organism releases a chemical toxin that killed millions of fish. Why were people upset?

Answer 47

... loss of recreational income ... loss of fishing and crabbing industries ... caused skin rashes and other symptoms on people ... loss of property values ... media overstating or understating the problem [This event is used as an example of how the scientific method eventually found the truth as it relates to this anthropogenic environment event.