Intro to Environmental Explorations...2011/09/29 · Intro to Environmental Explorations...
Transcript of Intro to Environmental Explorations...2011/09/29 · Intro to Environmental Explorations...
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Intro to Environmental
Explorations
(Sourced from the Holt Environmental Science Textbook)
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Intro to Environmental Explorations
• How do you define the term
environment?
• What do you think are some of the
most significant environmental
problems in the world today? What
about in our local community?
• How can science help us understand
and solve environmental problems?
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Intro to Environmental Explorations
• Environmental Science is the study of
how humans interact with the living
and nonliving world (the environment).
– Environment is everything around us
(natural and human-produced things)
– One important foundation of
environmental science is the science of
ecology.
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Environmental Science –vs- Ecology
• Ecology – an ecologist might study the
relationship between bees and the plants
bees pollinate.
• Environmental Science – an environmental
scientist might investigate how the nesting
behavior of bees is influenced by human activities,
such as the planting of suburban landscaping.
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Many Sciences Contribute to
Environmental Science (not just ecology)
• Chemistry – (chemicals) nature of pollutants
• Geology – how pollutants travel through the rocks, soils, underground.
• Botany and zoology – what species are living, which do we need to protect, etc
• Paleontology - (study of Earth’s past/fossils) helps us to predict future climate changes, study major extinctions, etc.
• Social Sciences – establish environmental laws/policies to protect environment (plants/animals/humans)
• Physics – (matter and energy) engineering machines, structures, products which may be useful to humans and environment
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Our Environment Through Time-
Environmental Changes
• Environmental change has occurred throughout Earth’s history(New York City used to be a place where Native Americans hunted game and gathered food – now its covered in black top, buildings and millions of people)
– Hunter-gatherers
– Agricultural revolution
– Industrial revolution
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New York City (then and now)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan#cite_note-73
Posterlovers.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Times_Square_Panorama.jpg
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Environmental Changes
• Hunter-gatherer societies (people who get
their food by collecting plants
and hunting wild animals)
– cleared grassland by setting
fires (prohibiting growth of trees)
and may have contributed to the
extinction of some large mammals.
– Spread plants to non-native areas.
Libcom.org
http://www.windriverhistory.org/exhibits/washakie_2/images/
washakie%20family%20teepee.jpg
http://libcom.org/files/images/library/Bushmen_kalahari_safari_botswana_reis-1_0.jpg
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Environmental Changes• Agricultural revolution (growing and
breeding plants and animals) caused human population growth . . . which in turn caused:
– Habitat loss
– soil erosion
– domestication of plants and animals
» So the plants we eat and grow today were originally wild plants, farmers saved seeds from the plants that
they liked the best.
http://www.mchsmuseum.com/images/lettuce.jpghttp://www.wsu.edu/gened/learn-modules/top_agrev/4-
Agriculture/images/ag-pg1.jpeg
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Environmental Changes
• Industrial revolution (mid 1700’s, shift from
animal muscle to run machines to running water,
oil and coal) caused human population growth
(more habitat loss) and the increased use of fossil
fuels.
– Most modern environmental problems began during the
Industrial Revolution (fertilizers, pesticides, air
pollution, etc.)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_scakSfkPCU8/S3jTjfTqtdI/AAAA
AAAAAB0/nrdIGt-TsM8/s320/industrial+revolution.gif
https://ir-newspaper.wikispaces.com/file/view/
300_18445.jpg/43370021/300_18445.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO3AW0JAHmUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO3AW0JAHmU
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Our Major Environmental Problems
• The major environmental problems we face
today are:
– Resource depletion
– Pollution
– Loss of biodiversity.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cramb005/architecture/pollution.jpg
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Our Major Environmental Problems
• How could environmental problems be
local, regional, or global? Give examples
http://www.dinosaursfaq.com/images/Dinosaur-Extinction-Theory-Of-Disease.jpg http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/images/factory.gif
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Natural Resource Depletion –
A Major Environmental Problem
http://www.crdf.org/doc_img/297832.jpg
Renewable resource – resource that can be replaced
relatively quickly by natural processes.
Example = energy from sun, soil, air
Nonrenewable resource – resource that forms at a slow rate
(slower than the rate it is being consumed)
Example = minerals (copper, iron, salt) and fossil fuels
http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/WORKS/Breaking_Ground/Mines/Mi
nes_22.jpg
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Pollution –
A Major Environmental Problem• Pollution – adversely affects the health, survival,
or activities of humans or other organisms
(produces changes in air, water, or soil)
– Most is produced by human activities
• Biodegradable pollutants - can be broken down naturally
(newspapers, sewage, etc), unless they accumulate faster that
then can brake down
• Nondegradeable pollutants – cannot brake
down by natural processes (plastics,
mercury, lead, etc.)
http://www.finishingstore.com/images/large/q_and_a/linoleum.jpg
http://www.sandhillplastics.com/wp-
content/gallery/products/1224107614plastics.
jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-x0AJQ5zHQ
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Pollution –
A Major Environmental Problem
• Identify an example of a natural source of
pollution.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/04/18/alg_iceland_volcano.jpg
http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/100401/GAL-10Apr01-
4193/media/PHO-10Apr01-218396.jpg
A Volcano
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Loss of Biodiversity –
A Major Environmental Problem
• Biodiversity – number and variety of
species that live in an area.– Several mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history
– Try to establish laws & regulations to protect animals
from becoming extinct in future.
http://laudyms.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/biodiversity.jpg http://www.dinosaurs.bz/dinosaurs/anatosau.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UotgGud9HKQ&feature=related
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Questions to What is
Environmental Explorations?
Enviro Expo
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1. How could environmental concerns conflict with your
desire to improve your standard of living?
While improving your standards of living you
are using resources that over time will harm
the environment.
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2. How might environmental science involve geology and
physics?
Because environmental science looks at both
abiotic and biotic, it encompasses some of
the rock cycles and the physics of
weathering and erosion.
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3. Explain the relationship between ecology and
environmental science. How are they different?
The two terms relate because in order to study
ecology (the study of the relationship between
organisms and their physical and biological
environments) you also need to be aware of the
environmental affects on the organisms.
The two terms differ because ecology deals with the
interaction of organisms in their environment and
environmental science deals with the environment
itself.
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4. Explain how scientists investigate questions about the
natural world.
• Modeling – building replicas of situations in nature in a
controlled environment
• Direct Studies – involves catching organisms from the
ecosystems and collecting data directly from them
• Observational Studies – sitting, waiting, and watching –
collecting data by only watching and listening to
organisms
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5. How do communities and ecosystems change as
environmental conditions change?
As environmental conditions change
communities and ecosystems will either
adapt to the changing environment or die
out.
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6. Why is it usually advantageous for a parasite to leave
its host alive?
So that it can continue to feed off of its host
and therefore remain alive.
(If the host remains alive it continues to
supply food/nutrients/habitat for the
parasite).
If a parasite leaves its host alive then it can
remain inside the host for a longer period of
time.
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7. What is a food web? How does it compare with a food
chain?
Food web is a made up of many food chains
put together to show how organisms in a
habitat feed off of one another.
A food chain is a shortened/condensed list
showing what a higher organism eats/how it
gets its energy.
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8. How is primary succession different from secondary
succession? How is it similar?
Primary succession is when vegetation first
starts developing from a new site that has
not yet been colonized by life. Secondary
succession are the plants and animals that
inhabit an area next.
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9. Explain why it may be damaging in the long run to put
out some forest fires.
Some forest fires are better left alone if they
are not harmful or out of control. The forest
fires actually bring out some needed
nutrients for vegetation and may allow
particular plants to germinate.
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10. What important role do lichens play in primary
succession?
Lichens can live without soil and are
important in primary succession because
they help break down the rocks. They
absorb nutrients from the rocks and hold
water. Eventually the rock breaks
completely down and the soil forms from
the rock water, air, and other decaying
organisms.
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The End!!