apes unit one

ez dubs

enviornmental science

an interdisciplinary field of science that integrates natural science and social science
How nature works
How the environment affects us
How we affect the environment
Causes of and solutions to environmental problems

enviornment

the sum total of all living and nonliving things that affect an organism

ecology

a biological science that studies the interrelationships between living organisms and their environments

enviornmentalism

a social movement dedicated to protecting Earth's life-support systems for humanity and all other species

natural capital

: the combination of natural resources and natural services that keep humans and other species alive and support our economies

natural resources

air

natural services

air and water purification

solar capital

energy from the sun

perpetual resources

On a human time scale are continuous.
Solar energy

renewable resources

On a human time scale can be replenished rapidly (e.g. hours to several decades).
Forests

sustainable yeild

The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply

nonrenewable resources

On a human time scale are in fixed supply.
Oil and natural gas
Become economically depleted when the costs of extracting and using what is left exceed its economic value

sustainability

the ability of the earth's various systems to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely
Includes human cultural systems and economics

trade-offs

example: must replant or protect forests in return for cutting down trees for paper products

intrinsic values

organisms and natural capital have their own right to exist

4 scientific priciples of sustainability

Reliance on Solar Energy
Biodiversity
Population Control
Nutrient Recycling

enviornmentally sustainable society

meets the basic resource needs of its people in a just manner without degrading or depleting natural capital

tragedy of the commons

Term coined by biologist Garrett Hardin to describe the degradation of free-access renewable resources
Occurs when sustainable yield is exceeded

IPAT equation

Impact \= Population x Affluence x Technology
Mathematical model to assess impact of different human actions
Can be used to work towards sustainability by identifying key problems and initiating development of solutions

exponential growth

growth in which a quantity increases at a fixed percentage per unit time
Starts off slowly

Economic growth

an increase in the capacity of a country to provide people with goods and services
Measured by the gross domestic product

gross domestic product (GDP)

annual value of all goods and services produced within a country
Economic development uses economic growth to improve living standards

Gross national product (GNP)

the value of all goods and services produced by a country in one year from all national and international business
Per capita: divided by among the population
Flaw in that it assumes everyone has an equal share Changes in economic growth measured in per capita GDP (per person)

Affluenza

unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism

Wealth gap

Uneven distribution of wealth
Between developed and developing countries
Between upper and lower classes

Planetary management worldview

humans are separate from nature

Stewardship worldview

earth can be managed for human benefit

Environmental wisdom worldview

humans are a part of and totally dependent on nature

nature exists for all species

economic growth should be earth-sustainable

Null hypothesis (H0):

Assumes the variable you choose will have no effect or that there will be no difference between the variables and the controls
(independent variable has no effect on dependent variable).

Alternate hypothesis (HA):

suggests there WILL be an effect

Variables

different factors that can influence the results of an experiment
A good experiment tests one variable at a time

Independent variable

also known as experimental or manipulated variable

Dependent variable

also known as responding variable

Statistical analysis

a quantitative method of analyzing data in order to disprove the null hypothesis

P-value

probability that your results are due to chance and that there is no correlation between your independent and dependent variable
The p-value will be a number between 0 and 1
The higher the p-value

chi squared tests

(observed value-expected value)^2 divided by the expected value
Determine the number of degrees of freedom for your test by
taking the total number of terms (columns from data table)
and subtracting one

Paradigm shifts

massive revisions in scientific thought due to new discoveries or observations

Scientific consensus

sets of data

Closed system

all matter or energy in system stays within system

Open system

matter or energy is lost from the system

Matter

anything that has mass and takes up space
Matter usually cycles in closed systems
Mineral nutrients like phosphorous or nitrogen
Plant and animal life (biomass)
Pollutants to air

Energy

the ability to do work
Usually open systems
No mass or volume
Any form of electromagnetic radiation including heat

Kinetic energy

energy of motion
Includes heat: total kinetic energy from all moving atoms

electromagnetic radiation

wave form of energy in which wavelength and frequency are inversely related
Longer wavelength \= lower energy
EM radiation categorized according to wavelength/frequency

Potential energy

stored by matter and potentially available for use

Biomass

chemical bonds in organic molecules are a form of potential energy

Chemical energy

Energy stored in bonds between atoms
Chemical reactions release that energy
Chem energy drives organic life
Photosynthesis creates the bonds as glucose/carbohydrates
High-energy bonds broken and replaced by low-energy bonds in respiration
Energy released

used to drive cellular/body functions in organisms

biomass

living matter

The First Law of Thermodynamics

states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed in any chemical or physical process
Can be converted from one form to another
AKA "Law of Conservation of Energy"

Second Law of Thermodynamics

when energy changes from one form to another

High-quality energy

concentrated and can perform useful work (electricity

Low-quality energy

dispersed and has little ability to do useful work (temperature change in ocean)- HEAT

entropy

tendency of energy in a system to lost the ability to do work and thereby increase the disorder of the system
Once high-quality energy has been degraded into low-quality energy

Solstices

days when the Earth is tilted the most and the least towards the sun

Summer solstice (Northern hemisphere)-

June 21st

sun is directly overhead at Tropic of Cancer at noon. Furthest tilt towards the sun.
Longest day of the year (most sunlight hours)

Winter solstice (Northern hemisphere)

December 21st

sun directly over Tropic of Capricorn at noon. Furthest tilt away from the sun.
Shortest day of the year

Right ascension

movement of the sun on the x-axis

right-left motion

Declination

movement of the sun on the y-axis relative to the lines of the Equinoxes (0° declination)
How high the sun is in the sky
Sun has a fixed declination at solstices and equinoxes

Altitude

movement of the sun on y-axis relative to the horizon

4 days with fixed declination

Summer solstice: declination +23.5°
Winter solstice: declination -23.5°
Spring equinox (March 21st): declination 0°

measuring latitude

90 - sun's altitude + declination

Geology

the study of dynamic processes occurring in the Earth's interior

Core

innermost zone

solid surrounded by molten/semisolid rock

Mantle

surrounds core

semi-solid rock surrounded by upper asthenosphere of hot

pliable melted rock

Crust

outermost and thinnest zone

lithosphere

continental and oceanic crust plates and rigid outer layer of mantle

asthenosphere

Top of mantle is asthenosphere

tectonic plates

rigid plates that make up the crust of the Earth

Convergent plate boundaries

occur when internal forces

subduction

Collision between a continental plate and a denser oceanic plate will result in the oceanic plate being pushed down into the mantle

Subduction zone

area where collision and subduction take place

Trench

forms at the boundary between two converging plates

Divergent plate boundaries

occur when two plates move apart from one another
When two oceanic plates move apart

Transform faults

occur when plates slide and grind past one another along a fracture in the lithosphere
Lithospheric fractures are also known as fault lines
Most occur under the ocean

Volcanoes

occur where magma rises to the surface through a central vent or long crack (fissure)
Eruptions release rock debris

Hot spots

areas of volcanic activity that are not associated with plate boundaries

Earthquakes

occur when stress in the crust causes rocks to warp and fracture
Fault is created
Earthquake occurs when internal stress is released as shock waves
Measured on the Richter scale

Tsunamis

are large waves generated when part of the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops
Mostly due to movement of thrust faults

Weather

a region's short term conditions

Climate

a region's general pattern of atmospheric or weather conditions over a long period of time

major factors that contribute to a region's climate

The uneven heating of the Earth by the sun
Due to tilt on axis causes seasons
The rotation of the Earth around its axis
Earth spins faster at the Equator and slower at the Poles
Creates the Coriolis Effect
Properties of air

Coriolis Force

as air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure

prevailing winds

major surface winds that blow continuously and distribute air

Jet streams

hurricane-force winds that circle Earth at the top of the troposphere and are a large influence on weather patterns

Fronts

the leading edges of warm and cold air masses

Upwelling

an upward movement of ocean water that can produce a mixing of various temperatures of water
Cool

El Niño/ENSO

El Niño-Southern Oscillation

occurs when prevailing tropical tradewinds that normally blow westward either weaken or reverse direction
Causes surface water along South and North American coasts to warm up

Thermocline forms

zone of gradual temperature change in the ocean that separates warm and cold water
Supresses normal upwellings

Tropical cyclones

formed from low-pressure cells over air over warm tropical seas
Hurricanes are tropical cyclones that form in the Atlantic Ocean
Typhoons are tropical cyclones that form in the Pacific Ocean

Microclimates

created by land and man-made formations that interrupt the normal flow of air and water currents

Atmospheric pressure

created by the weight of air pressing down on Earth's surface