1. Science & the Environment Section 1: Understanding Our Environment Miss Napolitano/Mrs. Rodriguez Environmental Science

2. What is Environmental Science? Environmental science – the study of the air, water, & land surrounding an organism or a community, which ranges from a small area to Earth’s entire biosphere. Includes the study of the impact of humans on the environment

3. Many Fields of Study Envi Sci is interdisciplinary – involves many fields of study Includes: Ecology – study of interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment Biology – the study of living things Chemistry – the study of chemicals and their interactions Physics – the study of matter and energy

4. Contributing Fields of Study

5. Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists Studying the environment makes a healthy, productive society Observations of nonscientists are the first steps toward addressing an environmental problem

6. Our Environment through Time Humans change their environment! Ex: Manhattan news.nationalgeographic.com

7. First Impact: Hunter-Gatherers Hunter-gatherers – people who obtain food by collecting plants & hunting wild animals Example: Native Americans Hunted buffalo Burned prairies to prevent tree growth May have led to disappearance of large mammal species in North America, including: Giant sloths Giant bison Mastodons Cave bears Saber-toothed cats

8. The Agricultural Revolution Agriculture – raising of crops & livestock for food or other products useful to humans Began 10,000 years ago Caused populations to boom & concentrate in small areas Grasslands, forests, & wetlands replaced with farmland using the slash-and-burn technique Poorly farmed, soil is no longer fertile Caused soil loss, floods, & water shortages Changed food that we eat Wild plants – “nature plants” Domesticated plants – selectively bred for certain qualities

9. Selective Breeding in Corn

10. The Industrial Revolution Shifted from natural energy sources to fossil fuels Ex: Animals & running water  coal & oil Increased efficiency of agriculture, industry, & transportation Ex: motorized vehicles = cheap transportation over long distances Factories produced cheaper goods than goods made by hand Farm machines reduced human labor Caused populations to grow in urban areas

11. Improving the Quality of Life Improvements after the industrial revolution: Agricultural productivity Sanitation Nutrition Medical care New environmental problems: Pollution Habitat loss Artificial substances replaced raw animal & plant products Plastics, artificial pesticides, & fertilizers

12. Spaceship Earth Spaceship Earth – Earth is like a spaceship traveling through space Cannot dispose of its waste or take in new supplies Earth = closed system Large scale, the only thing that enters the atmosphere is energy from the sun Large scale, the only thing that leaves the atmosphere is heat

13. Environmental Problems Local New landfill in the community Regional Polluted river 1000 miles away affecting the region’s water Global Depletion of the ozone layer Main environmental problems: Resource depletion Pollution Loss of biodiversity Biodiversity – variety of organisms in a given area

14. Population Growth Humans are growing faster than ever before, thanks to the Industrial Revolution, modern medicine, & sanitation More humans = more food = problem! Human population expected to double before stabilizing