1 an introduction to chapter environmental science 1 an introduction to chapter environmental...

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1 An Introduction to Environmental ScienceC

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Lesson 1.1 Our Island, EarthLesson 1.1 Our Island, EarthLIKE ALL SPECIES ON EARTH, HUMANS RELY ON A HEALTHY, FUNCTIONING PLANET FOR AIR, WATER, FOOD, AND SHELTER.

LIKE ALL SPECIES ON EARTH, HUMANS RELY ON A HEALTHY, FUNCTIONING PLANET FOR AIR, WATER, FOOD, AND SHELTER.

What Is Environmental Science?The study of our planet’s natural systems and how humans and the environment affect one another

The environment includes all living and nonliving things with which organisms interact.

Understanding the interactions between humans and the environment is the first step to solving environmental problems.

Lesson 1.1 Our Island, Earth

National Marine Fisheries Service scientists studying whether commercial boats are harming endangered killer whales

Environmental Science vs. Environmentalism

• Environmental Science:Objective, unbiased pursuit of knowledge about the workings of the environment and our interactions with it

• Environmentalism: Social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world


Environmentalists protesting the use of nuclear power

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Natural Resources•Found in nature•Materials or energy

• Material Example: Water

• Energy Example: Sun

•Humans need natural resources to survive

•EVERYTHING we use comes from the Earth!


Where does it come from?oAluminum Can

oPlastic Bag

oButter

oLeather Shoes

oGlass Bottle

oWooden Chair

oCotton Jeans

oBread

oWool Sweater

oTire

Can you name something that doesn’t come from the Earth?

Where does it come from?oAluminum Can

o Bauxite Mined

oPlastic Bago Petroleum

oButtero Cream and Milk from cow (grass)

oLeather Shoeso Cow Skin (grass)

oGlass Bottleo Silica/Sand

oWooden Chairo Timber from trees

oCotton Jeanso Cotton from plant

oBreado Wheat, water, salt

oWool Sweatero Yarn from sheep hair (grass)

oTireo Rubber from tree

Renewable Resources•Living resources that can replace or restock themselves, they can grow.

•Tends to have photosynthesis as the primary source of energy

•Solar Radiation can be considered renewable•Can run out if not harvested sustainably

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Non‐Renewable Resources•Resources that exist in finite amounts on Earth

•Not renewed or replaced after they have been used or depleted

•Minerals and Fossil Fuels

•We can recycle many metals to the point that they can act like renewable resources.

Replenishable Resources•Middle ground between renewable and non‐renewable

•Are replaceable, but only over a long period of time

•Length of time is the difference between Renewable and Replenishable

•Examples: Ground water and soil

Natural Resources


Sustainability•Living within the means of nature

•A society that supports itself by depleting natural resources is unsustainable

•Global Consumption• 1961: use 49%• 2001: use 121%

• Rises due to personal over consumption

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Human Population Growth•Tremendous and rapid human population growth can be attributed to:• The Agricultural Revolution: About 10,000 years ago; humans began living in villages, had longer life spans, and more surviving children.

• Industrial Revolution: Began in early 1700s; driven by fossil fuels and technological advances

Spiked in 1900


Did You Know? The human population increases by about 200,000 people every day.

Ecological Footprints


• The total amount of land and water required to:• provide the raw materials an individual or population consumes

• dispose of or recycle the waste an individual or population consumes

Did You Know? By one calculation, the ecological footprint of the average American is 3.5 times the global average.

Ecological footprints include land and water used to grow food at farms hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Global Footprints How Many Earths?

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Tragedy of the CommonsDescribes a situation in which resources, made available to everyone, are used unsustainably and eventually depleted

Resource management, whether voluntary or mandated, can help avoid resource depletion.


The “commons” refers to a public pastureland that was shared by villagers in 19th-century England.

Lesson 1.2 The Nature of ScienceLesson 1.2 The Nature of Science

THE WORD SCIENCE COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD SCIENTIA , MEANING “KNOWLEDGE.”THE WORD SCIENCE COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD SCIENTIA , MEANING “KNOWLEDGE.”

What Science Is and Is Not Science is an organized way of studying the natural world, and the knowledge gained from such studies.

Science assumes that the natural world functions in accordance with rules that do not change.

Science does not deal with the supernatural.

Science relies on evidence from measurements and observations.

Scientific ideas are “supported,” not “proven,” and “accepted,” not “believed in.”

Lesson 1.2 The Nature of Science

Observations and InferencesObservationsSense words I feel the cold water in the pool.

Inferences: Predictions (present or future)It’s going to rainBased on prior knowledge, experiences, or observationsSarah is tired today.

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Look at these two animal tracks. Make an OBSERVATION

Make an INFERENCE

Now what do you think?

Have they changed their inferences?

Make an OBSERVATIONMake an INFERENCE

Now what do you think?

Make an OBSERVATION

Make an INFERENCE

We will never be able to see what actually happened! Bottom line: In science, nothing can ever be proven!To find explanations about the world around us: We must make observations, run experiments, and draw conclusions to form educated guesses

This process = scientific inquiry!

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Tangrams Each piece represents current scientific data.With your partner: Make a square.

Many of you got this

Adding on…a new scientific discovery has been made

X

Many of you got this

How is this “doing” Science?

Brainstorm with a partner

Some Possible Answers 1. Assume that the pieces fit together – nature is a puzzle that we have not

yet solved

2. Trial and error is an essential ingredient to science

3. New information may require the old theory to be modified or discarded

4. Our current information may be incomplete and therefore, our theories incorrect

5. Sometimes, we get lucky and find the right answer

6. Collaboration may be helpful

7. Once we arrive at the answer, it makes perfect, elegant sense.

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The Process of ScienceScience involves asking questions, making observations, seeking evidence, sharing ideas, and analyzing results.

Science is not linear—the process loops back on itself and follows many different paths.

Science is a dynamic, creative endeavor.

Lesson 1.2 The Nature of Science

Scientific Way of Thinking•Observation of natural phenomena often leads to questions

•In order to answer questions a scientist forms an hypothesis• a proposed scientific explanation for observed phenomena

• Often takes the form of an “If …then” statement

•Scientists design experiments to determine whether the hypothesis is correct

Controlled ExperimentsControlled experiment: experiment in which only one variable is changed at a time◦ Variable : factors in an experiment that can change

The variable that is deliberately changed = independent variable (aka manipulated variable)

The variable that is observed and that changes in response to the manipulated variable = dependent variable (aka responding variable)

VariablesIndependent Variable Dependent Variable

How much a plant grows compared to how much it is watered.

Moisture content of soil compared to distance from the lake

Heart rate compared to miles ran

Temperature of a potato compared to time in the oven

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Controlled ExperimentData is collected during the experiment

Results of the experiment are recorded and analyzed

The scientist uses experimental results to determine whether the hypothesis was supported or refuted.

Scientific ideas are: ◦ “supported”not “proven”◦ “accepted” not “believed in”

ExampleObservation: plants grow best when they are given adequate light, fertilizer, and water.

Question: Will a plant grow faster if it is given more water◦ Focus on only one variable at a time

Hypothesis: If I give one plant more water than another similar plant then the plant that is given more water will grow faster.

Example (continued)The scientist may set up a controlled experiment where ◦ the manipulated variable is the amount of water◦ the responding variable is the growth of the plant

Data collection

Analysis

Conclusion

Lesson 1.3 The Community of ScienceLesson 1.3 The Community of ScienceSCIENTIF IC RESEARCH DOES NOT STOP WITH THE SCIENTIF IC METHOD. IN ORDER TO HAVE ANY IMPACT, SCIENTISTS MUST SHARE THEIR WORK AT CONFERENCES AND IN JOURNALS . THEY RECEIVE AND INCORPORATE FEEDBACK.

SCIENTIF IC RESEARCH DOES NOT STOP WITH THE SCIENTIF IC METHOD. IN ORDER TO HAVE ANY IMPACT, SCIENTISTS MUST SHARE THEIR WORK AT CONFERENCES AND IN JOURNALS . THEY RECEIVE AND INCORPORATE FEEDBACK.

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Community Analysis and Feedback•After completing their study, scientists:• Present their work and get feedback from other researchers at conferences

• Write papers about their study

• Submit papers for publication in a journal

•Peer Review

Lesson 1.3 The Community of Science

Laws, Theories and Hypotheses

LawsLaw: A logical relationship between two or more things that is based on a variety of facts and proven hypothesis. It is often a mathematical statement of how two or more quantities relate to each other.

Examples:◦ 1st Law of Motion: an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.

◦ Boyles Law: that the product of absolute pressure and volume is always constant.

◦ Conservation of Matter: Matter can neither be created or destroyed.

TheoryTheory: well‐tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses, and enables scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations.

Examples:◦ Cell Theory: All known living things are made up of cells. All cells come from cells. Cells are the basic unit of life.

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Hypothesis v. BeliefHypothesis: A tentative statement such as ‘if A happens then B must happen’ that can be tested by direct experiment or observation. ◦ A proven hypothesis can be expressed as a law or a theory.

◦ A disproven hypothesis can sometimes be re‐tested and found correct as measurements improve.

Belief: A statement that is not scientifically provable in the same way as facts, laws, hypotheses or theories.◦ CAN NOT BE TESTED

Replication and Self‐Correction•Hypotheses should be tested several times, in several ways, before they are accepted.

•Interpretations of data can change over time as knowledge accumulates.

•Sometimes reinterpretations can be drastic, but most of the time they are minor adjustments to an accepted idea.

•Science constantly refines and improves itself.


Did You Know? Scientists believed the sun and planets revolved around the Earth until Nicolaus Copernicus proved this was false in the 1500s.

Building on Environmental ScienceAddressing environmental problems involves more than just understanding the science.

Ethics: Study of behavior (good and bad, right and wrong), moral principles, and values

Culture: Ensemble of knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people

Worldview: Perception of the world and a person’s place in it


40,000 buffalo hides, 1872

Ducks killed by an oil spill

Environmental EthicsEnvironmental ethics is the application of ethical standards to the relationship between humans and the environment.

◦ Anthropocentrism: Humans and human welfare most important

◦ Biocentrism: All living things have value; some may be more important than others

◦ Ecocentrism:Well‐being of a species or community more important than that of an individual


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Environmental JusticeThe environmental justice movement: ◦ Recognizes that quality of life is connected to environmental quality

◦ Promotes fair and equitable treatment of all people regarding environmental policy and practice


1 an introduction to chapter environmental science 1 an introduction to chapter environmental...

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