Chapter 1-3 Notes
- 1. Chapters 1 - 3 Basic Issues in Environmental Science
- 2. Human activity is beginning to affect environment globally. 1. Population growth = underlying cause 2. Industrialization 3. Unsustainable practices
- 3. Value of Environment? Utilitarian - Ecological justification - Aesthetic - Moral -
- 4. Precautionary Priciple If there is a global threat of serious or maybe irreversible environmental damage, we should not wait till all the scientific evidence is in before taking steps to prevent the potential problem from occuring.
- 5. Value of Coral Reefs?
- 7. Scientific Knowledge is Critical! Controlled Experiments Independent variable Dependent variable Control Data quantitative qualitative
- 9. Environmental science in… The media Politics Decision making
- 10. Environmental Systems Change Amboseli National Park (case study) (What happened and whose fault?)
- 11. Systems Open Closed
- 12. System responses: a. Negative feedback – most common (an increase in some output will lead to an eventual decrease in that output - stabilizes)
- 13. b. Positive feedback – output increase leads to more output increase (problem intensifies)
- 15. Global Climate Change Which feedback system will dominate? + Positive? - Negative?
- 16. System Changes and Equilibrium Depletion : output larger than input Examples:
- 17. Growth : output smaller than input Examples: bans on harvesting: Steady State : output = input Examples: sustainable practices
- 18. Natural and Human Impacts on Systems Most natural disturbances tend to be in balance and life has often co-evolved with them. Many important! Examples:
- 19. Delays in Response Responses to change not always immediate May be non-linear, effects not seen for a while Examples: Once seen, may be difficult to correct
- 20. Residence Times Example: Pollutants Quick flow through (short A.R.T.) affects system quickly but recovers quickly if problem remedied
- 21. Slow flow through (long A.R.T.) takes a longer time to show effects but longer to recover even after problem remedied.
- 22. Environmental Unity Everything affects everything else! Changes in one part of system has multiple effects in that system and other systems.
- 23. Uniformitarianism Processes happening in the present were also happening in the past The magnitude and frequency of events may vary over time, but the processes are the same
- 24. Gaia Earth and all living things are part of a single system Life greatly affects the system and regulates the planetary environment to help sustain life