Envi Sci Midterms

Boring

According to _____,

A person’s environment consists of the sum

total of the stimulation which he receives from his

conception until his death

environment

A person’s ______consists of the sum

total of the stimulation which he receives from his

conception until his death

environment

comprises various types of forces such as physical, intellectual, economic, political, cultural, social, moral and emotional.

environment

is the sum total of all the external

forces, influences and conditions, which affect

the life, nature, behaviour and the growth,

development and maturation of living

organisms.

Douglas and Holland

according to ____, the term environment is used to

describe, in the aggregate, all the external forces,

influences and conditions, which affect the life, nature,

behaviour and the growth, development and maturity of

living organisms.’

• atmosphere

• hydrosphere

• litosphere

• biosphere

scope of environment

atmosphere

Implies the protective blanket of gases,

surrounding the earth

atmosphere

Sustains life on the earth.

○ Saves it from the hostile environment of outer

space.

○ Absorbs most of the cosmic rays from outer

space and a major portion of the

electromagnetic radiation from the sun.

300 to 2500 nm

ultraviolet, visible, near infrared radiation nm?

0.14 to 40 m

radio waves m?

hydrosphere

Comprises all types of water resources:

oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, polar

icecaps, glaciers, and ground water

97%

how much percent of the earth’s water supply is in the

oceans?

2%

about how much percent of the water resources are locked in

the polar icecaps and glaciers?

1%

about how much of the earth’s water is available as fresh surface

water-rivers, lakes, streams, and ground water

fit to be used for human consumption and

other uses?

Litosphere

The outer mantle of the solid earth. It

consists of minerals occurring in the earth’s crusts and

the soil e.g. minerals, organic matter, air and water

Biosphere

Indicates the realm of living organisms and

their interactions with environment, viz atmosphere,

hydrosphere and lithosphere.

• physical

• biological

• cultural

elements of environment

physical elements

space, landforms, water

bodies, climate soils, rocks and minerals.

physical elements

determine the variable character of the human habitat, its opportunities as well as limitations.

biological elements

plants, animals,

microorganisms and men constitute the

biosphere.

cultural elements

economic, social and

political elements are essentially manmade

features, which make cultural milieu.

Kurt Lewin

According to ______, the environment is of three types

which influence the personality of an individual

physical environment

Refers to geographical climate and weather or

physical conditions wherein and individual

lives.

climate

The human race is greatly influenced by the ___.

human working efficiency

also depends on

the climatic conditions.

social environment

includes an individual’s

social, economic and political condition

wherein he lives

social environment

The moral, cultural and emotional forces

influence the life and nature of individual

behavior

• open society

• closed society

Society may be classified into two

categories as under:

open society

very

conductive for individual

development

closed society

is not very conductive for development.

psychological environment

enables us

to understand the personality of an

individual. Both the person and his goal

form a _____.

life space

Kurt Lewin has used the term ______ for explaining the psychological

environment.

• physical man

• social man

• economic man

aspects of man (biotic environment)

physical man

component of organismic population; requires basic elements of physical environment

social man

establishes social institution, form rules, policies to safeguard his existence, interest, and social welfare

economic man

derives and utilizes resources from biotic and abiotic environment with skills and technologies

environment

means that surrounding external conditions influencing development or growth of people, animals or plants: living or working conditions

clouds

are visible accumulations of tiny

water droplets or ice crystals in Earth’s

atmosphere.

• cirrus

• stratus

• cumulus

• nimbus

cloud type based on properties

• high clouds

• middle clouds

• low clouds

• clouds with with extensive vertical development

cloud types based on height

cirrus, cirrostratus, cirroscumulus

high clouds

altostratus and altocumulus

middle clouds

stratus, stratocumulus, and nimbostratus

low clouds

cumulus and cumulonimbus

Clouds with extensive vertical development

high clouds

have low cloud temperature and

low water content and consist mostly of ice

crystals

middle clouds

are usually composed of liquid

droplets.

They block more sunlight to the surface than

the high clouds

low clouds

Low, thick, layered clouds with large horizontal extends, which can exceed that of several states

clouds with vertical development

They are clouds with substantial vertical development and occur when the air is absolute or conditionally unstable.

environmental science

The study of the human impact on the physical and

biological environment of all organisms

environmental science

It is an interdisciplinary study of how the Earth works,

how we are affecting the Earth’s life-support systems

(environment), and how to deal with the environmental

problems we face

environmental science

it deals with the study of the processes in water, air, soil, and organisms which lead to pollution or environmental damage and to know a scientific basis for establishing a standard which can be considered acceptably clean, safe, and healthy for human beings

1. environmental quality

2. human population and well-being

3. natural resources

major themes in environmental science

climate change

Concentrations of heat-trapping “greenhouse

gases,” especially CO2, increased

dramatically,

280 ; 410

CO2 levels from from ____ parts per million (ppm)

200 years ago to about ____ ppm in 2019

greenhouses gases

molecules in

the atmosphere that block long-wave energy

from escaping to space

extreme weather events

most of the ill effects of climate

change are linked to _____,

such as hot or cold spells of temperature, or

wet or dry spells of rainfall, or cyclones and

floods

greenhouse effect

a natural

phenomenon that plays a central role, in

determining the earth’s climate.

■ keeps average earth temperatures

warm enough to support life

acid rain / acid deposition / acid precipitation

the presence of excessive acids in rain waters

acid rain / acid deposition / acid precipitation

is a mixture of

sulphuric acid (H2SO4), nitric acid (HNO3) and in some locations,

hydrochloric acid (HCl).

anthropogenic activities

Acid rain problem is a result of ____

chemical and physical consequences of acid rain

increased leaching

of calcium from terrestrial soils,

mobilization of heavy metals such

as aluminium, zinc, and manganese

and an increase in the transparency

of lake waters

biological consequences

market

changes in communities of aquatic

plants and animals, with a

progressive lessening of their

diversity

ozone layer depletion

several

months of the year a hole forms in the ozone

layer, which protects animals and plants from

ultraviolet solar radiation

water pollution

the result of adding

anything to water that diminishes its quality

air pollution

the result of adding

compounds or particles to the air that are

harmful to human health or the environment.

air pollution

leads to lung and respiratory

illnesses — including asthma,

bronchitis, and emphysema — and

various cancers including lung,

breast, and pancreatic cancer.

● Population Growth

● Hunger and Food

● Information and Education

human population and well-being

● Biodiversity Loss

● Conservation of Forests and Nature Preserves

● Marine Resources

● Energy Resources

natural resources

throughput

the amount of resources we

use and dispose of

ecosystem services

refers to services

or resources provided by environmental

systems

provisioning

resources derived

from nature,

supporting

processes

necessary for the production of

other services, such as

photosynthesis and nutrient cycling

regulating

processes that

moderate natural phenomena, such

as pollination, erosion control, and

carbon storage.

planetary boundaries

thresholds of abrupt or

irreversible environmental change

• climate change

• biodiversity loss

• nitrogen cycling

Calculations are that we have already passed

the planetary boundaries for three:

sustainability

search for ecological

stability and human progress that can last

over the long term

sustainable development

“meeting

the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations

to meet their own needs.”

sustainable development goals (SDGs)

a set of 17 universal goals adopted

by the United Nations in 2015 as a blueprint

for peace and prosperity by 2030.

millenium development goals

were

eight international development goals

established by the United Nations in 2000,

aiming to reduce extreme poverty, hunger,

disease, and inequality by 2015.

• Skill

• Participation

• Evaluation ability

• Attitude

• Knowledge

• Awareness

SPEAK Awareness

skill

acquire these for identifying and solving environmental problems

participation

to provide an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in working towards the solution of environmental problems

evaluation ability

develop the ability to evaluate environmental measures and education programs in terms of ecological, economic, social, and aesthetic factors

attitude

acquire set of values and feelings of concern; motivation for active participation to improve and protect environment

knowledge

gain a variety of experiences and acquire a basic understanding of the environment and its associated problems

awareness

acquire this of the environment as a whole and its allied problems and sensitivity

awareness

environmental protection starts by creating ____

ecology

is the scientific study of how organisms relate

to their natural environments

Hurd Lawrence

According to _______ there are two

primary questions that ecologists aim at and are asking

questions about the distributions of living things in an

area and its abundance in that area or place.

1. The question about distribution asks: “Why

are the organisms found where they are?”

2. The question about abundance of species

asks: “Why are some species common

while others are rare or not that common?”

hurd lawrence two questions

(individual) Organism -> Population ->

Community -> Ecosystem -> Biome ->

Biosphere

levels of organization

natural selection

An ecologist views organisms as products of _____ 一 the process by which traits that enhance

survival and reproduction become more common over

successive generations

evolutionary link

Modern ecology and evolutionary biology are

inseparable because of the ______ that exists

between them wherein although they are not exactly the

same however, it is undeniable that they share that

similar perspective wherein the organisms are viewed as

the result of past natural selection

adaptation

the fact that every organism possesses

physical or behavioral traits that enhances their ability to

survive;

resources

the tangible, consumable

requirements for life, such as food, water, and

physical nesting space.

conditions

the abiotic (non-living)

environmental factors like temperature,

moisture, and pH levels

ecological niche

the total range of resources and

conditions that a species requires to survive and

reproduce;

ecological niche

also a "multi-dimensional space" where the

organism can successfully exis

Energy Budget

Because energy is a finite currency

principle of allocation

Because energy is a finite currency, organisms must make strategic

"decisions" (shaped by evolution) on how to spend it.