Environmental Science Lecture Notes

Flashcards about Environmental Science, Natural Resources, and Human History

What is Environmental Science?

The study of the interaction of the living and non-living components of the environment with special emphasis on the impact of humans on these components.

What are Renewable Resources?

Vital to human survival, can renew themselves over short periods (timber, water, soil) or be perpetually available (sunlight, wind, wave energy), but can be destroyed.

What are Nonrenewable Resources?

Resources that cannot be renewed and thus can be depleted, such as oil, coal, and minerals.

What encompasses the Environment?

All the things around us with which we interact, including living things and nonliving things

What are Natural Resources?

Substances and energy sources needed for survival; can be renewable (sunlight, wind energy, fresh water, forest products, agricultural crops) or nonrenewable (crude oil, natural gas, coal, copper, aluminum).

What is the Agricultural Revolution?

A period in human history characterized by stable food supplies leading to population growth.

What is the Industrial Revolution?

A period marked by urbanized society powered by fossil fuels, advancements in sanitation and medicines, and increased food production.

What led to population growth during the Agricultural Revolution?

Stable food supplies.

What was a large contribution of the Industrial Revolution?

More food.

Ecological footprint

•The environmental impact of a person or population

•Amount of land and water for raw materials and to dispose/recycle waste

humans have surpassed the capacity

We are using 30% more of the planet’s resources

Agriculture problems

•Expanded food production led to increased population and consumption

•enormous environmental cost

•Nearly half of the planet’s land surface is used

•Chemical fertilizers Pesticides Erosion

Climate challenges

humans are changing the composition of the atmosphere

•The Earth’s surface is warming

•Melting glaciers Rising sea levels Impacted wildlife destructive weather

Biodiversity challenges

•Human actions have species extinct, and biodiversity is declining

biodiversity loss once a species is extinct, it is gone forever

Energy Choices

•fossil fuels Machines Chemicals Transportation

Sustainable solutions

•Organic agriculture Technology Reduces pollution Biodiversity Protect species Recycling Alternative fuels

Sustainability

•Leaves future generations with a rich and full Earth Conserves the Earth’s natural resources

•Maintains fully functioning ecological systems

the use of resources to satisfy current needs without compromising future availability of resources.

Biotic and abiotic

Biotic contains the living and abiotic is non living things that surround you and affect survival true for all living organisms

Air water food and shelter

The resources in environment that supports and sustains the life of that organism

Change for organisms vs humans

Organisms change is natural process to suit their need sometimes affecting other organisms while humans have the ability to cause change unequally cause they can live anywhere creating anything to suit their needs

Why is Lake Winnipeg is the most threatened lake of 2013

Poisoning by blue green algae created by toxic runoff

Energy resources

Provides energy to bring movement or change the amount created depends on how much is stored inside

Non renewable resources

Energy sources that is non replaceable once consumed theoretically renewable but take millions of years to replace

Renewable resources

Energy that is available continuously and not at risk of being used up

Types of renewable resources

Solar hydro wind tidal geothermal and biomass

Fossil fuel

Coal natural gas and oil they are concentrated chemicals energy source they relatively cheap is more 80% of worlds energy

Coal

Forms over millions years from ancient deposits of plants buried and needs to be mined cause water air pollution and land degradation relatively cheap

Oil

Pressure and heat over millions of years transformed the remains into oil pumped and transported by pipeline to refinery to separated and processed into gas and plastics pipe lines disrupted migration

Oil sands

In Alberta heavy oil is bound to particles of sand or clay extracting it degrades the land and requires lots of water and chemicals causing pollution and cancer in lakes

What is natural gas?

A gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane,. It is formed layers of decomposing plant and animal in intense heat and pressure over millions of years less environmental damage

What is hydraulic fracturing (fracking)?

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a process to extract natural gas from rock layers within the earth. done by drilling wells and injecting them with a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to create fractures in the rock, allowing the oil or gas to flow out. Concerns for environmental and human health

Nuclear

Splitting atom releases thermal rectors no carbon dioxide little air and water pollution but radioactive and costly and public concern

What are the advantages of uranium and nuclear energy?

*   High energy density: Nuclear fuel, like uranium, contains a tremendous amount of energy compared to fossil fuels.
*   Low greenhouse gas emissions: Nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases during electricity generation, helping to combat climate change.
*   Reliable baseload power: Nuclear power plants can operate continuously for extended periods, providing a stable and reliable source of electricity.
*   Small land footprint: Nuclear power plants require relatively small land areas compared to other energy sources like solar or wind farms.

What is energy efficiency?

Using less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. It involves technologies, practices, and behaviors that reduce energy consumption without sacrificing comfort or productivity.

Energy conservation

Reducing energy consumption through unplug phantom or use a power bar shorter showers

Energuide

Labelling system by government for information about energy consumption for major appliances and compares its rate with others

Energy star

International labelling system identifies if it meets or exceed energy efficiency criteria that highly efficient

Kilowatt hour

100×10 =1000 watt hours or 1 kWh

What are hybrid electric vehicles?

Hybrid vehicles combine an engine with an electric motor and battery pack. They improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

What are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles?

) are electric vehicles that use a fuel cell to generate electricity from hydrogen. They combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water as the only byproduct, offering zero tailpipe emissions and high fuel efficiency.

Solar energy

Solar energy offers several advantages, including being a renewable energy source, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. However, it also has disadvantages such as intermittency (dependent on weather

What are the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy?

Advantages: Renewable, clean energy source. Disadvantages: Intermittent, dependent on wind availability; visual and

What are the advantages and disadvantages of tidal energy?

Advantages: Renewable, predictable tides. Disadvantages: High initial costs, potential environmental impacts on marine ecosystems.

What are the advantages of geothermal energy?

such as being a renewable and sustainable resource, providing a constant and reliable supply of energy, and having a small environmental footprint compared to other energy sources. But are locations dependent

What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydro energy?

Advantages: Renewable high efficiency disadvantage high cost and environmental disruption

What are the advantages and disadvantages of biomass energy?

Advantages: Renewable, reduces waste. Disadvantages: Can lead to deforestation, air pollution from burning.

Component of soil

Mixture of mineral gains air water and organic material

Layers of soil

Horizontal layers that differ in chemical makeup texture the size of material particles clay silt and sand and porosity the particles of water and air and ph how acidic or basic the soil is

Typical livestock

Rangeland and enclosed pastures and CAFOS

Rangeland pros and cons

. Advantages: increased meat production disadvantage destruction of ecosystem overgrazing

CAFOs pros and cons

Pro meat production con make food to fatten the animals which produces more waste making unhealthy living conditions so they need large amounts of antibodies

Smart pasture operations

Requires less maintenance eliminating health problems less crowded

Rotational grazing

Confined animals that shifts each day help ecosystem

Polycultures

Graze on grassland for 5 years then grown grain for 3 seasons allows growth with naturally fertilized land

Canadian organic meant must be raised

Without hormones anitibiotics and additives preservatives

What is Aquaculture?

The breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae, and other organisms in all types of water environments.

What is longline fishing?

commercial fishing uses a long, with baited hooks attached at intervals catching lots of bycatch leaving many animals for dead

What are Trawlers

Drag heavy large nets across the ocean floor killing many organisms and clouds or sediments

Pots and traps

Cages on the ocean floor can cause damage when left there or dragged

Forest provide

Reduce soil erosion Storing carbon cycling nutrients purifying water and an habitat

Clear cutting

Method all trees are removed

Selective cutting

Cutting medium aged trees in small clusters

Silviculture

The development and management of forest

Shelterwood

Removing trees in a series of cutes over 10-30 years

Liquid waste

Flowing from sinks showers and toilets make way into sewers like human waste cooking oil and pesticides

Wastewater

Any waste that occurs or can be changed to liquid form

Stormwater

Waste water that drains from lawns roofs and driveways

Sewage

Material flushed down a toilet or drain

Treating sewage three steps

Primary remove soils and suspended sediment secondary treatment kills microorganisms and organic material third remove inorganic nutrients

Treatment storm water

Carry fertilizer and pesticides cites treat it in sewage facilities to protect aquatic life

Landfill

Creates greenhouse gas emissions and climate change destroys communities

Waste stream

The movement of waste from its source to final destination

3 soil waste sources

Agriculture (animal waste organic matter from crops) industrial ( chemical waste products from construction) municipal (garbage organic waste)

3 ways solid waste is disposed

Landfills (buried between layers) exportation (sending it to other countries) thermal (incinerator)

Leachate

Water seeps down the contents of landfills and the chemicals dissolve into it producing landfills gas creating toxic air pollution

3 types of thermal treatment

Incinerated the complete combustion (high co2 ) then gasification (uses limited oxygen) pyolysis (that uses no oxygen less air pollution)

Septic vs municipal

Septic (treat wastewater on site using a tank and drain field) municipal collect wastewater from many properties and treat it at a centralized plant)