Environment
a sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.
Environmental Science
the field that looks at interactions among humans and nature.
System
a set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials.
Ecosystem
the living and non-living components of a particular place on earth
Biotic
the living part of the earth (animals and plants)
Abiotic
the non-living part of the earth (soil, air, water)
Environmental studies
includes environmental science, the study of interactions among human systems and those found in nature along with other subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature and ethics.
Ecosystem services
environments provide life supporting services such as clean water, timber, fisheries, crops.
Environmental indicators
describe the current state of the environment.
sustainability
living on the Earth in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources.
5 key global environmental indicators
Biological Diversity
Biodiversity - the diversity of life formed in an environment
Biological diversity includes genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity
Genetic diversity
A measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population
Populations with high genetic diversity are better able to respond to environmental change than populations with lower genetic diversity
Species Diversity
The number of species in a region or in a particular type of habitat
Ecosystem Diversity
A measure of the diversity of ecosystems or habitats that exist in a particular region
Food Production
Our ability to grow food to nourish the human population
We use science and technology to increase the amount of food we can produce on a given area of land
Average Global Surface Temeperatures and CO2 Concentrations
Greenhouse gases - gases in our planets atmosphere that act like a blanket, trapping heat near Earths surface
The most important greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2)
Anthropogenic - caused by human activities
The current population is...?
7.2 billion people
Resource Depletion
As human population grows, the resources necessary for our survival become increasingly depleted
Some natural resources such as coal and oil are finite and cannot be renewed or reused
Others, such as aluminum or copper, can be recycled
Sustainable Development
development that balances current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations
In order to live sustainably
Environmental systems must not be damaged beyond their ability to recover.
Renewable resources must not be depleted faster than they can regenerate.
Nonrenewable resources must be used sparingly.
The ecological footprint
A measure of how much a person consumes, expressed in area of land
The Scientific Method
Hypothesis
an educated guess that can be proved or disproved through controlled experimentation
A null hypothesis is a statement that can be proved wrong
Replication
repeating the measurement many times
Sample Size
the number of times the measurement is repeated
Accuracy
how close a measured value is to the actual or true value
Precision
how close to one another the repeated measurements are
uncertainty
how much the measure differs from the true value
Interpreting results
Once results have been obtained, analysis of the data begins. This process involves two types of reasoning: inductive and deductive
Inductive reasoning
the process of making general statements from specific facts or examples
Deductive reasoning
the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations
theory
a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and is widely accepted
Natural Law
When a theory has been tested multiple times and there are no known exceptions. Ex. Law of gravity and laws of thermodynamics.