Environmental Science 1 Modules 1.01-1.03 Study Guide
The Commons:
- Parks - Roads (including medians) - Sidewalks - Rivers/Ocean - Vacant lots/abandoned buildings
Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946)
-Conservationist -Coined the term "conservation ethic" -First Chief of the United States Forest Service (1905-1910) -Governor of Pennsylvania (1923-1927, 1931-1935) -In favor of damming Hetch Hetchy Valley -"The earth and its resources belong of right to its people"
John Muir (1838-1914)
-Preservationist -Founder and first president of Sierra Club -Proposed national forest reservations -Fought for Yosemite to become National Park -Strongly opposed damming of Hetch Hetchy Valley -"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." (from The Yosemite)
Freshwater Percentage:
.592% in glaciers, .592% in ground water, .014% other (.0001% biota, .0005% soil moisture, .0001% rivers, .0001% atmospheric water vapors, .0007% lakes
The Three Primary Elements of an Ecosystem:
1) Ecosystem structure refers to all of the living and non-living physical components that make up that ecosystem. The more components that make up an ecosystem, the more complex its structure becomes. 2) Ecosystem composition refers to the variety of living things found within an ecosystem. 3) Ecosystem function refers to all of the natural ecological processes that occur within an ecosystem
Hetch Hetchy Valley:
A flooded valley that become a reservoir after the Tuolumne River (Yellowstone National Park) was dammed in 1923 (thanks to Gifford Pinchot)
Sustainable Yield:
A limit at which a resource can be harvested to keep a sustainable environment.
Greenwashing:
A marketing term for practices that suggest that a product is sustainable when it is not.
Ecological Integrity (Definition - A):
A report by the Panel on the Ecological Integrity of Canada's National Parks in 2000 proposed that "an ecosystem has integrity when it is deemed characteristic for its natural region, including the composition and abundance of native species and biological communities, rates of change and supporting processes."
Sustainable Society:
A society whose functions and processes can continue indefinitely.
Keystone Species:
A species of organism that has a great effect on many other species in its ecosystem, including species with which it does not interact directly.
Public Land:
Any areas controlled by governments funded ultimately by taxpayers
Trash:
Any substance deemed "not of use" by man
Necessities to Thrive:
Comradery, transportation, mental health, etc.
Non-Point Sources of Pollution:
Diffused across a broad area and their contamination cannot be traced to a single discharge point. Examples: • Runoff of excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas. • Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production. • Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks.
Point Sources of Pollution:
Direct discharges to a single point. Examples: discharges from sewage treatment plants, injection wells, and some industrial sources.
Natural Pollutants:
Dust Storms, Volcanos, SO2 (Sulfer Dioxide)
The Coastal Zone Management Act:
Establishes marine sanctuaries in the United States to protect the habitat of marine animals and plants from pollution and development.
Main Thesis:
Human beings will behave in ways that benefit themselves and overuse and pollute the commons.
Trash Types:
Paper, Yard Trimmings, Metals, Plastics, Food Scraps, Glass, Other
Non-Point Source Pollution:
Pollution in which the sources may be many or specific, but unknown.
Point Source Pollution:
Pollution that can be traced to a specific source.
Acid Rain:
Precipitation that has an unusually low pH due to water molecules in the atmosphere mixing with emissions like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
Natural Processes of a Stable Environment:
Predator /prey cycles - for example, bears eat fish and fish eat plankton Nutrient cycling - as plants and animals die and decompose on the ground, they release energy and nutrients, as well as provide food or shelter for other species Fire - this is an essential process for some plant species to reproduce (e.g., the heat opens the seeds on a Jack pine) Hydrologic cycle - water cycles from the atmosphere to Earth and back into the atmosphere again (see diagram to the right)
Belief (P):
Preserve land and natural resources in its "natural" (untouched) state, regardless if it is useful to humans.
Recycle:
Processing used materials into new materials.
The Clean Air Act:
Protects and provides ways for improving the air quality in the United States.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act:
Protects parts of rivers in the United States from dams and development.
The Clean Water Act:
Provides surface water quality protection in the United States. The current policies protect healthy bodies of water and provide means for remediating polluted ones.
Public Land:
Public Lands in the United States are lands controlled by governments including cities, counties, states, and the federal government. The land they manage is referred to as either public lands or the public domain.
Non-Degradable Resources:
Resources that take EXTENSIVE time to break down. They almost never break down. (Includes Glass, Steel, CDs and DVDs)
Maslow's Period of Needs (1-5, 1 being the least)
Self Actualization, Esteem Needs, Social Needs, Safety Needs, Physiological Needs
Conservation Biology:
The application of scientific knowledge as well as ideas from economics, sociology, and politics, to protect biodiversity. • Often called a "crisis discipline" (similar to a Dr. in an emergency room).
Conservation Biology:
The application of scientific knowledge, as well as ideas from economics, sociology, and politics, to protect biodiversity.
Bio-Diversity:
The biodiversity of a particular area refers to the total of all plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms present in that area, including all of their individual variations and all of the interactions between them.
Environmental Science:
The interdisciplinary field of study of interactions in the environment.
Air Pollution:
The presence of any unwanted substances in the air.
Water Pollution:
The presence of any unwanted substances in water.
Noise Pollution:
The presence of unwanted noise, usually from transportation such as cars, trains, and airplanes, but also from air conditioners, pumps of all sorts, and jackhammers.
Pollution:
The presence or input of a substance into the natural environment (water, air, land) that has harmful or poisonous effects.
Water Pollution Affect on Environment:
• Contamination seepage into ground water a Bad for humans and other organisms health! • Loss of habitats such as wetlands a Decrease in biodiversity and sometimes entire ecosystems. • Contamination of fish/marine flora/fauna due to toxic spills/input a Fishery loss and economical loss. • Microbial contamination of drinking water a Human health hazards!
Non-Renewable Resources:
Resources that cannot be replenished at the rate they are used.
Slowly Degradable Resources:
Resources that do break down but take longer periods of time to do so. (Plastic is a big factor in this branch)
United States Public Land Stats:
61% - Private (Homes, businesses, etc.) 28% - Federal (U.S. Government) (Bases, buildings of political use, etc.) 9% - State and local governments (Beaches, parks, etc.) 3% - Native American Reservations (Land reserved for Native Americans)
Earth Surface Percentage of Water:
71% of the Earth's Surface is Water
Maslow's Pyramid of Needs:
A chart explaining the basic needs of man.
Esteem Needs:
Accomplishment, Attention, Recognition, Self-Respect, Social Status
Secondary Pollutants:
Acid Rain, Ozone in the Troposphere
Necessities of Survival:
Bodily requirements, bodily health, etc.
Types of Pollution:
Air, Water, Noise, Light (There are even more)
"Tragedy In The Commons":
An article by Garrett Hardin written in the journal "Nature" regarding the presence of trash and waste in public locations (Parks, Beaches, Towns, etc.) .
Self-Renewal:
An ecosystem's capacity for self-renewal refers to its ability to recover from a natural disturbance such as fire, flood or wind, and to maintain the necessary ecological processes.
Keystone Species:
An organism that has a great effect on many other species in its ecosystem, including species it doesn't directly interact with.
Social Needs:
Belonging, Friendship, Love
Causes of Air Pollution:
Factories, Vehicles, Accidental Release, Forest Fires
Greenwashing:
Falsified sustainable products
Safety Needs:
Financial Resources, Health Care, Physical Safety
Physiological Needs:
Food, Water, Air, Sleep
Ozone in the troposphere:
Form when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides combine in the presence of sunlight. (*Naturally produced ozone (located higher up in the stratosphere) is GOOD! Too much ozone in the troposphere (where we live) is very bad.)
The Wolves of Yellowstone:
Grey Wolves that had lived directly in the area of westward movement that were hunted due to fear of livestock being attacked. They were almost extinct before they were reintroduced in 1995 from Canada.
Unbalanced Food Chain:
Grey Wolves were once at the top of the food chain. When they were removed, other lesser animals began to thrive and overrun the place.
View of Human Nature:
Hardin believed that humans are essentially selfish
Ecological Integrity (Definition - B):
In 1999, the BC Parks Legacy Panel determined that an ecosystem has ecological integrity when "the structure, composition and function of the ecosystem are unimpaired by stresses from human activity; natural ecological processes are intact and self-sustaining, the ecosystem evolves naturally and it's capacity for self-renewal is maintained; and the ecosystem's biodiversity is ensured."
Self Actualization:
Meaning, Justice, Truth, Wisdom
Waste Types:
Municipal Solid Waste (See previous card), Hazardous Waste, Wastewater (Sewage), Radioactive Waste
The Public Rangelands Improvement Act:
Requires the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop management guidelines for public lands.
Potentially Renewable Resources:
Resources such as clean drinking water, clean air, and the biosphere that are generally renewable, but that can become non-renewable if we do not use them wisely.
Renewable Resources:
Resources that can be replenished at a rate equivalent to or greater than the rate at which they are used.
Degradable Resources:
Resources that can break down fairly easily. (Produces heat when breaking down, can be used for agricultural purposes)
Sustainability:
Sustainability is the ability to maintain a function, state of being, and processes.
Ecological Integrity:
The "strength" of an ecosystem.
(Definitions) Sustainability:
The ability to maintain a function, state of being, and processes.
Sustainable Yield:
The amount of a resource that can be removed or harvested without compromising the ecosystem or initial natural capital.
RRR - Recycle:
Using a used object to recreate another useful object
Conservationist:
Those who lobby to conserve or maintain land and natural resources so that they may continue to be used by humans
Conservationist:
Those who lobby to conserve or maintain land and natural resources so that they may continue to may be used by humans.
Preservationist:
Those who lobby to preserve land and natural resources, or keep them from being altered or used by humans
Preservationist:
Those who lobby to preserve land and natural resources, or keep them from being altered or used by humans.
RRR - Reduce:
To decrease the amount of trash overall as well as the resources needed to make these products.
RRR - Reuse:
To keep waste out of landfills. (Repurpose)
Reuse:
To make use of an object once again
Reduce:
To not use too much of one substance
Belief (C):
Use land and natural resources (sustainably) in ways that are useful to humans.
Pollutants from Humans:
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Light Pollution:
• Economically: Results from inefficient lighting uses - Wastes energy - Burns more fossil fuels - Hurts aesthetic value (tourism?)
Sources of Noise Pollution:
• Household sources - vacuum, TV, blender, etc. • Social events - Concerts, large events, etc • Industrial/Commercial activities - Construction, factories, agriculture • Transportation - Planes, trains, and automobiles • Sonar - Boats/Navy
Impacts of Air Pollution:
• Increases greenhouse effect a Global climate change • Ozone depletion (stratosphere) à Increase in UVA • Acidification (oceans, precipitation) • Smog formation (Ozone formation in the troposphere) a Bad for human/animal health • Overall Toxins introduced into the environments = ecological health effects!
Types of Public Land:
• Multiple-use lands • Moderately restricted-use lands • Restricted-use lands - National Forest System - National Resource Lands - National Wildlife Refuges - National Park System (includes National Rec. Areas) - National Wilderness Preservation System
Problems in The Commons
• Pollution (air, water, noise) • Overuse - Overfishing of oceans - Overgrazing of lands • Decrease in biodiversity - Biodiversity: the number and variety of species living in an area.
