Post on 19-Dec-2015
Define:
What is the Environment?
The study of how humans interact with the environment
Invasive species???Species that are introduced from another
location and then thrive in the absence of predatorsZebra mussels 1989Give some examples of invasive species
What is environmental science?
Kudzu
Invasive Species
Hydrilla
To understand and solve environmental problems
Environmental Scientist study two main types of interactions between humans and their environmentHow we use our natural resourcesHow our actions alter our environment
Goals of Environmental Science
The study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment
Ex: Ecologist may study the relationship between bees and the plants they pollinate
Ex: An environmental scientist may study how the nesting behavior of bees is influenced by human activities such as the planting of suburban landscaping
Ecology
Biology Zoology Botany Microbiology Ecology
Earth Science Geology Paleontology Climatology Hydrology
Physics Engineering
Chemistry Biochemistry Geochemistry
Social Sciences Geography Anthropology Sociology
Major Fields of Study that contribute to Environmental Science
Significant Global environmental problemsCreate a list of local environmental problems
within the realm of global issuesPropose ways to solve local problems
Hold a press conferenceStudents will research a global environmental
issue and hold a press conference
Create an Environmental Problems List
Hunter-Gatherers- people who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains
Agriculture- the practice of growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation and other purposesStarted over 10,000 years ago
Industrial Revolution-
Our environment through time
Allowed human populations to grow at an unprecedented rateAn area of land can support up to 500 times as many
people by farming as by hunting-gatheringPut pressure on local environments
Changed the food we eatFarmers collected seeds that exhibited the qualities they
desiredDomesticated plants became very different from their wild
ancestorsChanged the land
Habitat was destroyedSlash-and-burned agriculture
Soil loss, floods, water shortagesLand farmed poorly-no longer fertile
Agricultural Revolution
1700’s involved a shift from energy sources such as animal muscle and running water to fossil fuels and machines
Changed society and greatly increased the efficiency of agriculture, industry, and transportation
Large scale production became less expensive than locally handmade goods
Transportation of goods across great distancesUrban areas steadily grew
Industrial Revolution
PlasticsFertilizersPesticidesDeforestation
Did this improve the quality of life?
Resource depletionNatural resource- any natural material that is
used by humansRenewable- a resource that can be replaced
relatively quickly by natural processesNonrenewable- a resource that forms at a
much slower rate than the rate that it is consumed
What are our main environmental problems?
Pollution- an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.Biodegradable pollutants- pollutants that can
be broken down by natural processesHuman sewage, stack of newspapers
Nondegradable pollutants- pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processesMercury, lead, plastics
…main environmental problems
Loss of biodiversityBiodiversity- the number and variety of species
that live in an areaOrganisms are considered nonrenewable
resources
…main environmental problems
TreesCopperOilEnergy from the sunSoilSaltSandAirCoalWater
What type of resource is this?
Explain how hunter-gatherers affected the environment in which they lived.
Describe the major environmental effects of the agricultural revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
Explain how environmental problems can be local, regional, or global. Give one example of each
Identify an example of a natural source of pollutionHow did the Industrial Revolution affect Human
population growth?Fossil fuels are said to be nonrenewable resources, yet
they are produced by the Earth over millions of years. By what time frame are they considered nonrenewable? Write a paragraph that explains your answer.