Exam 1 Review: Part One

Environmental Science

What were one of the key factors that started the environmental revolution?

“Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson

What is the most prominent environmental issue?

Overpopulation

Why is overpopulation such an environmental issue?

It exacerbates all others.

What is sustainability?

The ability to support the current use of resources without impacting the ability of an environment to continue to provide those resources at the same rate

What are some ways we can control human population growth?

• Make contraception and other reproductive technology available/accessible

• More industrialization —> decreases # of children per couple

• Provide career opportunities for women

How can we achieve sustainability given the trends in population growth?

1. Populations should not exceed the ability of the environment to sustain them.

2. Create energy policies that do not contribute to environmental degradation.

3. Use resources in a way that they are not depleted.

4. Carefully ration the use of non-renewable resources.

5. Economic and political will to pass legislation and regulations that value sustainability

6. Plan for changes BEFORE they happen.

What is Carrying Capacity (K)?

The maximum number of individuals an environment can sustainably handle.

What is Earth’s carrying capacity?

2.5 - 40 billion, depending on the standard of living and technological developmemts.

What is the precautionary principle?

If there is a threat of serious, irreversible environmental damage, we should take precautionary steps even if the scientific proof is not overwhelming.

What standards do we use for reviewing scientific literature?

Accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, logic, and fairness.

What are the steps of the scientific method?

Observation, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, revision

What is a theory?

A hypothesis with a lot of data to back it up.

What are the justifications for preserving the environment?

1. Utilitarian

2. Ecological

3. Moral

4. Aesthetic

5. Recreational

6. Inspirational

7. Creative

8. Cultural

Static system

Does not change much or at all over time

When a system is at a steady state of

Input = Output

What is lag time?

The delay between a cause and its effect.

What represents the growth of a constrained population (with a carrying capacity)?

The logistic curve

The expansion of a population is initially

Exponential

What is Uniformitarianism?

The idea the processes occurring today operated in the same way in the past

ex: “The present is the key to the past and the past is the key to the future.”

What does uniformitarianism have to do with ice cores?

Assuming that ice accumulates at the same rate as it did thousands of years ago.

What are the key factors of any population?

Abundance, birth rate, death rate, growth rate, and age structure.

What is doubling time?

The time required for a population growing exponentially to double in size.

(T=70 / annual growth rate)

ex: a population growing at 2% has a doubling time of 35 years (70/2)

What is age structure?

A representation of how the ages of the members of the population are distributed.

• Pyramid = members die young

• Inverted pyramid = Many elders, few young

• Even distribution = Healthy population

What are the stages of population growth that most societies go through?

1. Non-industrial countries: high death rates = low pop. no growth

2. Industrialization: improvements in medicine and hyginee. Death rate drops, but birth rate stays high.

3. Living standards increase: Birth rate decreases

4. Technological advances: cures for diseases, death rate drops but birth rate stays where it is

   1. Sustainability becomes at issue, birth rate drops to match death rate

When was the Big Bang?

13.75 billion years ago

What are the most common elements in the universe?

Hydrogen and Helium

What is the core of the Big Bang Theory?

The distance between galaxies is increasing.

What is the Goldilocks Theory?

Earth is “just right” in conditions in comparison to the other planets which are either “too hot” or “too cold”