Chapter 1-5 (Unit1) Flashcards
And interdisciplinary field of research that draws on the natural and social sciences and humanities in order to understand the natural world and our relationship to it
Environmental science
The biological and physical surroundings in which a given living organism exists.
Environment
A scientific approach that investigates the natural world through systematic observation and experimentation
Empirical science
Research who’s findings are used to help solve practical problems
Applied science
A basic understanding of how ecosystems function and impact of our choices on the environment
Environmental literacy
Trade-offs
The imperfect and sometimes problematic responses that we must at times choose between when addressing complex problems
Triple bottom-line
The combination of the environmental social and economic impacts of our choices
Sustainable development
Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same
Carrying capacity
The population size that a particular environment can support indefinitely
Ecological footprint
The land needed to provide the resources and assimilate the waste of a person or population
Anthropogenic
Caused by or related to human action
A method of using resources in such a way that we can continue to use them indefinitely
Sustainable
Renewable energy
Energy that comes from an infinitely available or easily replenished source
Biodiversity
The variety of species on earth
Nonrenewable resources
Resources who’s supply is finite or not replenished in a timely fashion
Social traps
Decisions by individuals or groups that seem good at the time and produce a short-term benefit, but that hurt society in the long run.
Tragedy of the commons
The tendency of an individual to abuse commonly held resources in order to maximize his or her own personal interest.
Time delay
Actions that produce a benefit today set into motion events that cause problems later on
Actions that are beneficial at first but that changed conditions such that their benefit declines overtime
Sliding reinforcer
The personal philosophy that influences how a person interacts with his or her natural environment and thus affects how one responds to environmental problems
Environmental ethic
A human centered view that assigns intrinsic value only to humans
Anthropocentric worldview
The value or worth of objects, organism, or species is based on its usefulness to humans
Instrumental value
A life centered approach that views all life as having intrinsic value regardless of it’s usefulness to humans
Biocentric worldview
The value or worth of an object, organism, or species is based on it’s mere existence
Intrinsic value
A system centered view that values intact ecosystems not just the individual parts
Ecocentric worldview
Replication within a study is a hallmark of…
Good science
Observations
Information detected with the senses or with equipment that extends our senses
Inferences
Conclusions we draw based on observations
Atmosphere
Blanket of gases that surrounds the earth and other planets
Region of the atmosphere that starts at ground level and extends upward about 7 miles
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Region of the atmosphere that starts at the top of the troposphere extends up to about 31 miles; contains the ozone layer
Three types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation
UVC, UVB, UVA
Science
A body of knowledge (facts and explanations) about the natural world, and the process used to get that knowledge
Empirical evidence
Information gathered via observation of physical phenomena
Correlation
Two things occur together, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that one caused the other
Cause and effect relationship
An association between two variables that identifies one, the effect, occurring as a result of or in response to the other, the cause
Limits of science
Limited to asking questions about the natural world. Using data that could be collected by anyone in the same place using the same equipment
Scientific method
Procedure scientists use to empirically test a hypothesis
Hypothesis
A possible explanation for what we have observed that is based on some previous knowledge
Testable
A possible explanation that generates predictions for which empirical evidence can be collected to verify or received the hypotheses
Prediction
A statement that identifies what is expected to happen in a given situation
Falsifiable
An idea or prediction that can be proven wrong by evidence
Observational study
Research that gathers data in a real-world setting without intentionally manipulating a very
Experimental study
Research that manipulates variable and a test group and compares the response to that of a control group that was not exposed to the same variable
Control group
The group in an experimental study that the test groups results are compared to
Test group
The group in an experimental study that is manipulated somehow such that it differs from the control group in only one way
The variable in an experiment that the researcher manipulates or changes to see if it produces an effect
Independent variable
The variable in an experiment that is evaluated to see if it changes due to the conditions of the experiment
Dependent variable
Theory
A widely accepted explanation of a natural phenomenon that has been extensively and rigorously tested scientifically
Scientists often represent their data on a graph on which the X axis (horizontal axis) displays the _______ variable and the y-axis (vertical axis) shows the response or ________ variable.
Independent, dependent
Both observational and experimental studies gather data___________ to produce scientifically valid evidence
Systematically
Statistical analysis of the data allows us to quantitatively assign a level of certainty to our conclusions. in statistics this probability is expressed as a _______, that represents the likelihood our conclusions are wrong
P value (p
Scientist generally require a high probability that their conclusions are correct, at least _______%.
95
Statistics
The mathematical evaluation of experimental data to determine how likely it is that any difference observed is due to the variable being tested
Montreal protocol
International treaty that laid out plans to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals like CFC
Precautionary principle
Acting in a way that leaves a safety margin when the data is uncertain or severe consequences are possible
Adaptive management
A plan that allows room for altering strategies as new information comes in or the situation itself changes
Policy has been described as translating our values into _______.
Action
Toxins
Chemicals that cause direct damage upon exposure
Persistent chemicals
Chemicals that don’t readily degrade over time
Environmental Protection Agency EPA
The federal agency responsible for setting policy and enforcing U.S. Environmental laws
Risk assessment
Weighing the risks and benefits of a particular action in order to decide how to proceed
Information literacy
The ability to find and evaluate the quality of information
Primary sources
Sources that present new and original data or information, including novel scientific experiments or observations and first-hand accounts of any given event.
Secondary sources
Sources that present and interpret information from primary sources. Secondary sources include newspapers, magazines, books, and important information from the Internet.
Tertiary sources
Sources that present interpret information from secondary sources