science of sustainability review

science

observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena

environment

all living and nonliving things that influence organism

what is the scientific method?

observation, question, data collection/experiment, analysis, tentative conclusion, repeat

what counts as sound science?

transparent and peer reviewed

what counts as junk science?

heavily biased and selective data

what are the three types of inferences?

deduction, induction, and statistical

deductive inferences

apply general rules to infer something about a specific case

example of deductive inference

all men are mortal, socrates is a man; therefore, socrates is mortal

inductive inferences

observe specific cases to infer a general rule

example of inductive inference

i’ve bitten several people, no one i bit liked it; therefore, people don’t like to get bitten

statistical inferences

probabilistic relationships

deductive statistical inference

smoking increases the likelihood of getting lung cancer, Bill smokes; therefore, Bill is more likely to get lung cancer than if he didn’t smoke

inductive statistical inference

when comparing 1000 smokers to 1000 non smokers, the smokers had higher rates of lung cancer; therefore, smoking increases the likelihood of getting cancer

hypothesis

a testable explanation for an observed phenomenon

theory

a broad explanation of a group of phenomena, supported by vast evidence and many observations

evidence

observations and measurements made to understand phenomena

what are different forms of environmental media?

atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere

what are some components of an ecosystem?

producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, decomposers

good science

apply the scientific method to gain insight about environmental problems, transparent, repeatable, and bias-free

feel-good science

biased and has foregone conclusions

what are the 4 tenets of ecology in the 21st century?

the future consists of human-dominated ecosystems; a combination of conserved, restored, and invented ecosystems; ecological science as a critical component of decision making; and there is a need for partnerships between scientists, gov’ts, corporations, and the public

better environmental decisions result when choices are _____

informed by dialogue

will problems in the coming century be solved only by science?

no, collaborative approaches and knowledge are also necessary

what happens when advocacy is too heavily relied upon?

you lose credibility and the power of insights generated through environmental science

ecosystem

the interacting system made up of all the living and nonliving objects in a specified volume of space

what are some properties of an ecosystem?

structure, function, controlling aspects, and dynamics

how do ecosystems create order?

they only create order locally, where they continually get new, high-quality energy from the sun

what are the types of energy?

light, heat, chemical potential energy, kinetic, and potential

what are some controlling aspects in an ecosystem?

herbivory, predation, construction, temperature, sunlight, and movement of air, water, and nutrients

what are external forces that can act on an ecosystem?

nutrient inputs and increased temperatures

what do ecosystem scientists measure?

how connections between the structure and function of an ecosystem change over time and what’s driving that change

what are some approaches to studying ecosystems?

natural history, long-term studies, cross-ecosystem comparisons, experiments, and theory/conceptual models

examples of mental models

statistical regression, box-and-arrow diagrams on a napkin, detailed simulation models

what are some tools for studying ecosystems?

surrogate measures (indicators), mass balance, charge balance, tracers, and spatial data

primary production

storage of energy through the formation of organic matter from inorganic compounds

Net Primary Production

GPP - Ra

NEP

GPP - Re; NPP - Rh

dCorg

NEP + I + CM - Ex - Oxnb

what are some variables that impact primary production?

bottom-up controls (light, nutrients, precipitation) and top-down controls (herbivory)

what are the fates of primary production?

consumed by herbivores, converted to detritus, stored in biomass or soil, lost through non-biological mechanisms, or exported

what are the energetic functions of consumers?

to break down organic molecules and secondary production

why do we study carbon?

it’s the building block of life, the second most important element by mass, it’s the main component of CO2 and CH4, and no element cycles in isolation

does photosynthesis reduce or oxidize carbon?

reduce

what organism was the start of oxygenic photosynthesis?

cyanobacteria

does respiration reduce or oxidize carbon?

oxidize

where does anaerobic respiration occur?

wetland sediments and landfills without oxygen

allochthonous

deposits that originated elsewhere and were imported to the system

autochthonous

deposits generated within the system

example of detection

demonstrating that climate has changed in a defined, statistical sense

example of attribution

identifying the most likely causes of observed changes with some level of confidence

evidence of global warming

sea level rise, increasing global surface temperature, increasing ocean temperature, declining in polar ice sheets, and declining glacial ice

albedo

energy that enters the system but is reflected out immediately

milankovitch cycles

changes in the shape of earth’s orbit, level of tilt, and precession

why is solar irradiance not attributed to climate change?

milankovitch cycles are too slow and there has been a slight decrease in sunspot activity

what are the key greenhouse gases?

carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide

if temperatures were warming, would we really have cold days?

conflates weather with climate

it’s such a low concentration of CO2, it can’t matter, right?

small amounts can be consequential

climate has changed before, this is no different, right?

the rate of change matters, it’s more difficult to adjust to quick changes

CO2 concentrations lag behind temperature in prior climatic changes, so how can CO2 be driving temperature?

temp increases prior to atmospheric CO2 and then a feedback loop kicks in

what are the two main carbon sinks?

land and ocean

what is the main source of carbon sequestration on land?

photosynthesis

what are the two sources of carbon sequestration on land (mentioned)?

photosynthesis and weathering

what is the main source of carbon sequestration in the ocean?

diffusion pump

what are the two sources of carbon sequestration in the ocean (mentioned)?

biological pump and diffusion pump

what is the equation for partial pressure?

Pi = Xi (proportion) \* Ptotal

what is the equation for henry’s law?

C = P/kH

what does henry’s law assume?

constant temperature

what are the key factors in the ocean’s weakening ability to draw down atmospheric CO2?

increasing ocean temperature and response to less CO2 in the air

how does the ocean’s ability to drawn down atmospheric CO2 respond to less CO2 in the air?

as the partial pressure of atmospheric CO2 decreases, the ocean’s ability to draw down CO2 also decreases

how does the ocean’s ability to drawn down atmospheric CO2 respond to increasing ocean temperatures?

the ability to dissolve the gas decreases; as temperature rises, CO2 solubility decreases

what are some impacts of climate change?

wildfires, melting ice sheets, hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, drought

how have humans changes wildfire patterns?

fire suppression has left a lot of underbrush and woody fuel that makes fires more intense

how has anthropogenic carbon affected hurricane impact?

ocean temperature has increased, and hurricanes get their energy from warm water

what will happen with increased loss of the himalayan glaciers?

increased import of food without them because they help woth 60% of pre-monsoon irrigation in the Indus basin; less renewable energy source b/c they account for 52% of India’s hydroelectric power

trapped heat, atmospheric temperature, atmospheric water vapor feedback loop

positive

atmospheric temperature, ice surface area, albedo feedback loop

positive

trapped heat; atmospheric temperature; droughts, pests, floods; forests; atmospheric GHGs feedback loop

positive

atmospheric GHGs and forests feedback loop

negative

climate justice definitions

finding solutions to the climate crisis that not only reduce emissions or protect the natural world, but do so in a way which creates a fairer, more just and more equal world in the process

climate change _____ pre-existing inequities

exacerbates; reinforces

what are two responses to climate change?

mitigation and adaptation

mitigation of climate change

measures taken to decrease climate impacts by reducing and stabilizing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases

is the Paris Agreement an example of climate change mitigation or adaptation?

mitigation

what is the temperature change proposed by the Paris Agreement?

less than 2 degrees celsius

climate change mitigation examples

renewable energy and afforestation

adaptation to climate change

measures taken to adjust to current or expected changes in climate

examples of adaptation to climate change

shifting to different crops and raising roads

which countries have historically contributed the most to anthropogenic carbon?

US, China, Russia, Brazil, and Indonesia

the poorest 50% of population are responsible for what percent of total lifestyle consumption emissions?

10%

the richest 10% of population are responsible for what percent of total lifestyle consumption emissions?

almost 50%

what are the two arguments presented for historic climate contributions?

who’s most responsible and who’s better to respond

what are some disproportionate burdens of climate chaneg?

flood-prone areas and difficulty moving away, low quality infrastructure, and location near industrial facilities

transformative mitigation co-benefits

afforestation adds habitat, increased air quality alongside renewable energy

transformative adaptation co-benefits

improved institutions, food security, wider adoption of cultural values

types of mitigation policies

command and control and market-based

command and control policy definition

mandate specific actions and/or limits on what can be emitted from a facility

examples of command and control policies

Clean Air Act, prohibitions on certain substances, requirement of a catalytic converter in cars

what are command and control policies useful for?

local health risks and clear threshold limits

criticisms of command and control policies

no incentives for exceeding government requirements and provide little flexibility for innovation

market-based policy definition

use price or other market forces to address environmental externalities; provide financial incentives for desired behavior and encourage competition and innovation to develop cost-effective solutions