ES 101 Environmental Sciences Notes

Course Description

• Identifies ecological concepts and principles governing the environment.
• Focuses on preservation and conservation of biological and physical aspects.
• Examines human influence: population growth, pollution, resource overuse, ecological degradation, and biodiversity loss.
• Aims to provide students with the confidence to take action for a healthy, sustainable community.
• Final output: real-world project implemented at home, in the community, or at work.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Explain the concept of ecosystem and holistic perspective of the environment.
• Articulate insights and stand regarding environmental issues, listen critically, and formulate solutions.
• Translate knowledge into practice through environmental programs/projects.
• Perform laboratory procedures and identify the basic tenants of the scientific method.

Chapter 1: Ecological Foundations of Environmental Science

• Environment: Circumstances/conditions surrounding an organism or social/cultural conditions affecting a community.
• Environmental Science: Study of interactions between physical, chemical, and biological components, including their effects on organisms; interdisciplinary using physics, chemistry, social science, environmental laws, and economics.

1.1 The Ecosystem Concept

• Ecosystem: Community and nonliving environment; network of biological, chemical, and physical interactions sustaining a community.
• Valid if referring to an area with basic structures and functions.
• Ecology: Study of systems where individual organisms are elements of interaction.
• Population: Group of organisms of the same kind in a location; adapts to environmental changes.
• Organism: Any living thing composed of cells, capable of growth and reproduction.
• Habitat: Place where an organism naturally lives.
• Biotic Community: Populations of different species interacting in a place.
• Biosphere: Ecosystem with a defined material boundary; other ecosystems are open.

1.2 Ecosystem Structure

• Functional elements occupying a habitat and relationships between components.
• Composed of abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) components.
• Abiotic Factors: Resources or regulators in the chemical and physical environment.
• Biotic Factors: All living organisms in an environment; interactions among them.
• Trophic Structure: Food relationships and energy transfer between organisms.
• Producers (Autotrophs): Manufacture their own organic compounds via photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
• Consumers (Heterotrophs): Obtain nutrients by feeding on producers or other consumers.
  • Primary consumers (herbivores).
  • Secondary/tertiary consumers (carnivores/omnivores).
• Decomposers (Detritivores): Feed on dead organic matter; detritus feeders ingest, decomposers absorb.

1.3 Ecosystem Functions

• Processes linking structural elements: production, consumption, and decomposition.
• Production: Buildup of organic structures using nonliving materials.
• Decomposition: Degradation of organic structures.
• Consumption: Buildup in consumers using broken-down food materials.
• Photosynthesis: Trapping solar energy to produce food molecules.
• Cellular Respiration: Releasing chemical bond energy.

1.4 Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• Governed by thermodynamics.
• First Law: Energy is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed.
• Second Law: Energy transformations are not 100% efficient; some energy is lost as heat.
• Food Chain: Transfer of food energy through organisms; energy lost as heat at each transfer.
• Food Web: Interconnected food chains.
• Trophic Level: Organisms obtaining food from plants by the same number of steps.
• Ecological Pyramid: Illustrates distribution of matter and energy; energy, biomass, and numbers.
• Pyramid of Energy shows decreasing available energy at each level.
• Biomass Pyramid represents total dry weight at each trophic level.
• Pyramid of Numbers represents the number of organisms consumed.

1.5 Biogeochemical Cycles

• Circulation of elements and compounds in the biosphere.
• Hydrologic Cycle: Water collection, purification, and distribution through evaporation, condensation, transpiration, precipitation, and runoff.
• Carbon Cycle: Conversion of $CO<em>2$ into organic compounds by producers, consumption by consumers, decomposition, and release of $CO</em>2$ back into the atmosphere.
• Nitrogen Cycle: Nitrogen fixation by microorganisms, conversion to ammonia and nitrates, assimilation by plants, and denitrification back to atmospheric nitrogen.
  • $NH<em>3$ and $NH</em>4$ are part of the conversion.
• Phosphorus Cycle: Weathering of rocks releases phosphates, absorption by marine algae, transfer through the food chain, and deposition as sediments.

Chapter 2: Ecosystem Types and Biomes

• Ecological succession: Species composition changes over time in a given area. Facilitated by the adaptation existing species vs species death. Decades/Centuries to complete and creates a stable biological community
• Primary Succesion: Barren land colonized by biological entity and forms a biological community. Pioneer species such as lichen convert barren land to fertile soil, enrch soil and sustains higher forms of living. Gradual and requires decades to achieve climax community.
• Secondary Succesion: Changes in a previously colonized community, rapid process.

Natural Ecosystem Types

• Terrestrial: Forest, desert, grassland, mountain.
• Aquatic: Marine, estuarine, freshwater.

Table 2.1 Ecosystem Types Found in the Philippines:

• Montane Forest ecosystem altitude ranges from sea level to 3000 meters above sea level (asl).
• Freshwater Ecosystem Hydrodynamic differences such as Lacustrine, Riverine and Palustrine.
• Estuarine Ecosystem has a mix of shorelines, extending seaward, rivermouths.
• Marine ecosystems classified based on species/taxa, physical features, and geography

Terrestrial Ecosystems

• Forest: classified according to their climate type – tropical, temperate, or taiga (Evergreen conifers).
• Desert: limited to grassland plants,shrubs and trees due to limited water.
• Mountain: Harseh environment conditions transition to mossy forest.
• Grassland: Tropical moist forest converted and prone to grasslands.

Aquatic Ecosystems

• Fresh water: Rivers, lakes, and bays.
• Estuarine: Mangroves and estuaries.
• Marine ecosystem: Open sea and the ocean bottom 71% of Earth surface.

Man - Made Ecosystem (fuel power Ecosystem)

• Agro-ecosystem: Plant life that creates food for human consumption.
• Urban ecosystem: Waste- recycling, urban forestry.

2.3 Biomes

• Major Earth communities, subdivisions shaped by climate, topography, soils characterized by a natural environment.
• Categories: Terrestrial or aquatic.
• Major Terrestrial: Deserts, tundra, grassland, savanna. Coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and tropical Biomes.
• Major Aquatic: Lakes and stream, Estuaries and mangroves. Shore line, coral reefs and ocean.

Terrestrial Biomes

• Tundra: The region near north pole, low species and diversity, permanent frozen structure of permafrost.
• Taiga: South of the Tundra, predominated by rows of trees called evergreen conifers.
• Desert: The dries biome in the world with less than 25cm of precipitation annually.
• Temperate Forest: Characterized seasonal weather, trees includes (maple, oak, elm, ash and birch).
• Rainforest : most species of organisms compared to biomes on earth.

Aquatic Biomes

• Marine: large proportion biomass called plankton.
• Esturaries: Transition zone between fresh and marine water and contains high level of organic matter.
• Freshwater: Ranges from lentic, lotic streams and rivers and has a cold water temperature.

Unifying Themes in ES. Economic and Envrionment

• Environment provides for its resident by using ecosystem services. Goods and services derive a product. "value" determined by man.
• development of rules to regulations in using the resources is the first step toward env restoration.
  *Rule and regulations for environmental concerns arising from unsustainable use natural resources must be addressed through concerted efforts of man as a collective whole.

Sustainable Economy

*One which embodies living within its means" disinclined depleting resources. that is disinclined in depleting resources and conscientiously uses resources that the environment is able to replenish. living within its means"

• UNEP defining it as: " an economy that results in improved human well-being, reduced environment risk and social equity. UNEP Coalition describing as resilient economy that a provides better quality of life"

The Envrionmental Movement

• Human Societies are recognizing nature gains by goods. However, comes the hazards for this naturality use.
• Therein comes the realization that man responsible for mitigating impacts on actions Environment in focus to better organize activities.
• The industrial revolution- pollution, and biodiversity loss, sparked with conservation Groups.
• 1960s marked social Awaking through Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring". Humanity's future and warning of expansions.

Environmentalism

• US Environment protection- 1970 marked active time of EPA Congress promoted wildlife protection and pollution restriction.
• Conventions key to implementing Environmental changes as concerns became national and environmental.
  Environmental policies set in place to manage and commit to management commitment.

Environmental policies

• 3 unifiying Themes (Sustainabilty, stewardship and Sound Science) used in international Agreements: The Sustainabilty priciple, The Polluter Pays Principle, The Equity Principle: and Human Rights Principle outlined for Environmnetal decisions.

Three Unifying Themes

• Sound Science: Environmental issues come from biological processes, tested ideas, and assessed data.
• Sustainability: Maintains productivity of the environment.
• Stewardship: Responsibility by all citizens of the Earth. Actions need environmental issues. Balance is a requirement.

Climate, Air and Energy Issues (Temperture variation)

• Factors like distance can cause seasonal variations, and bodies of water and the terrior of mountains.
• Variation of sun- contribute major Global changes, sunlight to different areas.
  Mountain tops can contribute to limiting sunlight penetration or the environment temperature setting Conditions.

Science of Climate Changes

• Warming to surface 0.94 degree celsius since 1880. humanity has begun to influence and due to human activity global average temp increasing 0.94 degrees and will keep increasing. Global warming is attributed more from the increased concentration of Greenhouse gases from climate changes.
• intergovernmental panel on Global climate- to make efforts of human activities the green house trapping radiation atmosphere by mitigation reducing emission and adaption. adjusted temperature to the coming change. The carbon incrementing rate need the go down so that is wont' catastrophic on the environment from simulation models.

Green house effect

• Refers to the Earth atmosphere. There are many green hose gases such as CO2 , Methane , Nitrous oxide. that increases planet heat.
• AR5 Identified it to being a driver and the main factor comes from Carbon Dioxide rising from 40% during the Industrial Revolution.

The Major Green House Gases Include

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) major factor relating in greenhouse gases from humans. Natural atmospheric (respiratory) by product and 110 parts of volume or 40% since the 18th century.
  *Water Vapor or coulds Absorb infrared( humidity) energy . increases of more humidity cause temp. in oceans and land.
• Mehtane: A gas produced through activities increases than pre-industrial levels with sources of agriculture and land.
• Nitrous Oxide: Same as Methane- but rapid increase toward toward fuel burning industries increased up to 18%. Ozone from photochemical Reactions pollutant. Has health issues and can damage ecosystems.

Halocarbons

• Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) contribute from global warming and the destruction of the ozone Layer halocarbons account to be 5%. High global potential and absorbs infrared radiation.
• Factors including lessening carbon sink from de-forestation excessive fuel, generation. CFC and growing population indirectly contributes by increasing gases fuel combustion to population

Observed Effects of Climate Change

• Healh- Contains fine particulates and cause asthma and cancer

• Loss of natural resources- Decine and Loss of species habitat due to decrease water and increases parasites
  *Threats to life and Property caused by greenhouse effects such as floods and droughts, hurricanes.
  *Changes of habits altered- food supply of phytoplankton being depleted due to irregular of ocean warming altering migration patterns.

• Adaptation- Anticipating change to humnasn and nature and planning adaptavive to lessen chances. bringing balance/sustainable by reducing by actively rate being released

Air pollution

• The mix of particles in the atmosphere that has undergone modifications from waste since the industrial revolution. self cleansing can clean pollutants depending on pollution strength
  May result in ozone depletion and may from natural or anthropocentric sources: mobile or Stationary
  Primary pollutants: Automative that leads to secondary by atmosphere reactions.
  Ozone- Ground levels smog ingredients ,Filtering tool also
  Carbon Monoxide: Odourless and colourless
  Lead: Very Very Toxic
  Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogren:

The key: Air Pollution on a Health, agricultural damage for agriculture and damage caused ozone exposure
Depletion and Ozone Layer: a screen filter that blocks UV Radiation - has created Ozone depletion.

Causes of ozone depletion

• Chloro, Hydeo (HCL or ClNO3) in free form chlorine/chlorine Monoxoide destroys Catalysts in the reaction
• Global Depletion through thinning over time. (Joe Farman researcher, scientist) leading to protocol of countries steps toward
  *Clean air act 2001 total gasoline phase out. through cooperation with citizens and application through incentives markets. Prevention to help informed public.
  *Energy requirement - is to be at a sustainable inexpensive is one of the critical requirements for ecological development.
• Heavy users has great impact on the environment depending and varying per source to access to markets.

Renewabe Energy and Climate change

• Crude oil- Produces air pllutanst and increase acidity in the Atmosphere
  *Nonrewable Natural Gas: Ideal for a fuel type used in Homes / Industries or PowerPlnats
• Nonrenewable Coal/ Inexpensive compared to Plants but is environmentally costly with carbon dioxides. Exploration new and less environmental damage to be developed.
  Bioenergy Renewable and from biomass from live stock /Agriculture residules.

*Energy Tech
Bioenergy Technologies; bioenergy integrated heat plants or lignocelliouse-based transport Fuel. solar energy Power most abundandant soucre. The development of the photovoltaics revoolutionaries
Geopthernal energy from earth core layer using pumps.
Hydropower power plants by harnesses the energy of streams.
Ocean energy : ocean power provides electrical. thermal, or potable water from sun.
Wind energy: turbines harness kenitice energy of air.

• Nuclear enrgy growing source but with high concerns