Science assessment task 4 section 4: environmental science

sustainability

meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

3 pillars of sustainability

environment, economic, social

environmental sustainability

earth, living things, ecosystems

economic sustainability

money, business, industry

social sustainability

behavious, culture, government

3 scientific principles

dependence on solar energy, biodiversity, chemical cycling (nutrient cycling)

biodiversity

the variety of life on Earth

high biodiversity

lots of variety - good

low biodiversity

small variety - not good

how many native species is Australia home to?

600000-700000

what percentage of plants are found nowhere else but australia?

85%

how many Australian species of plants, animals and fungi are still undiscovered and unnamed?

around 400000

how many australian species are extinct?

100 species, extinct or extinct in the wild

how many Australian species are known to be threatened or at the risk of extinction?

1900 species

carbon cycle

it outlines how carbon moves between the atmosphere, living organisms, earth’s surface layer and ocean

state the carbon of conservation lol

carbon is recycled, not created or destroyed

how is radiant energy from the Sun is transformed and emitted by the Earth’s surface and atmosphere?

some is reflected, the rest is absorbed by the earth’s surface and re-emitted as infrared (heat) radiation back into the atmosphere

how much energy is abosrbed by the earth’s surface?

51%

how much energy is reflected off the earth’s surface?

6%

how much energy is reflected by clouds?

20%

how much energy is absorbed by clouds?

4%

how much energy is absorbed by water, vapour, dust?

19%

how do greenhouse gases keep the earth warm?

they absorb infrared (heat) energy and re-emit it

what would earth’s average temperature be without greenhouse gases?

-18C

what are some examples of greenhouse gases?

CO2, CH4, H2O, N2O

natural greenhouse effect

natural greenhouse gases keep earth warm, maintaining a stable climate by balancing heat in and out

enhanced greenhouse effect

human activities increase greenhouse gases, causing extra gases to trap more heat, disrupting natural processes

climate change

the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns

climate is often

the average pattern of weather conditions observed over a long period (typically 30 years or more)

weather

the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere in a specific place

what is a cause of climate change?

enhanced greenhouse effect

industrialisation

the shift from handmade production to machine-based manufacturing, staring in late 1700s

industrialisation required huge amounts of…

coal, oil and gas for energy, causing a major rise in fossil fuel use

how does burning fossil fuels create extra co2

it releases extra co2 faster than it can be removed

why isnt the co2 absorbed by other processes?

natural processes (like oceans and plants) can’t absorb all the extra carbon being added

how is the carbon imbalanced

more carbon is in the atmosphere than in the natural carbon cycle