1. Environmental Science

2. What is Environmental Science?
Relationships between people and the natural environment.
Interdisciplinary
Broad field
Ecology is a basic tool (Oikos – Logos)
Goals
Establish general principles about how the natural world functions
Identifying, understanding, and solving problems

3. What is Earth Science?
All the sciences that collectively seek to understand Earth and its neighbors in space.
Four Sciences:
Geology
Oceanography
Meteorology
Astronomy

4. How are earth science, environmental science and people connected?
Resources:
-Renewable
-Non-renewable
Environment:
-Biological
-Physical
Environmental problems
Population growth
Environmental science

5. How do Earth scientists know all this stuff?
Observation
Experimentation
Understanding other sciences
Biology
Physics
Chemistry

6. The Nature of Scientific Inquiry
The Scientific Method
Collection of scientific facts through observation and measurement
Hypothesis: tentative explanations to observations
Extensive testing and analysis
Acceptance, modification or rejection
Models
Useful when dealing with natural processes that occur over very long periods of time (scales of time) or in inaccessible locations.

7. The nature of Scientific Inquiry
Theory
Paradigms
A well tested and widely accepted view that the scientific community agrees best explains certain observable facts
Theories that are extensively documented and explain a large number of interrelated aspects of the natural world.
Scientific laws
A basic principle that describes a particular behavior of nature that is generally narrow in scope and can be stated briefly

8. STUDYING EARTH FROM SPACE… pg 8.
How can satellite images be used to study Earth from space?
Know the composition of Earth’s surface
Precipitation data
Understanding global climate change

9. Scales of Space and Time

10. The Nebular Hypothesis and Origins of Earth and the Solar System
A. solar nebula B. contraction into rotating disk C. Cooling causing condensing into tiny (dust sized) solid particles D. Collisions between these form larger bodies E. These accrete to form planets Oceanography 100 Animations

11. Earth’s Spheres
Atmosphere
Geosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere

12. HYDROSPHERE
Oceans  97%
Freshwater
Streams
Lakes
Glaciers
Underground

13. Atmosphere Life-giving gaseous envelope
½ lies below an altitude of 5.6 km
90 % occurs within just 16 km
Protects from the dangerous radiation emitted by the Sun.
Site of weather and climate

14. Biosphere All life on Earth
Depend and respond to their physical environment
Have an effect on their physical environment

15. Geosphere Layers defined by composition: Crust
Oceanic, 40 km,
d= 3g/cm3
Continental, 70 km,
d = 2,7 g/cm3
Mantle, 2900 km, d=3,4 g/cm3
Core, d= 13 g/cm3

16. Geosphere Layers defined by physical properties: Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
Lower mantle
Outer core
Inner core

17. Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics

19. CONTINENTS OCEAN BASIN
Mountain
belts
OCEAN BASIN

20. Earth as a System What is a SYSTEM?
Group of interacting parts that form a complex whole.
Two types:
Closed system: energy moves freely in and out, but matter does not enter or leave the system.
Open system: both matter and energy flow into and out of the system.

21. Earth as a System
Within the Earth system, the spheres are interconnected.

22. Earth as a System
Energy for the Earth system is powered by two sources:
Sun: drives external processes that occur in the atmosphere, hydrosphere and at Earth’s surface.
2) Heat from Earth’s interior: powers internal processes that produce volcanoes, earthquakes and mountains.

23. Earth as a System
Most Earth systems have positive or negative feedback mechanisms.
Positive feedback: enhance or drive change
Negative feedback: work to maintain the system as it is

24. Sources http://www.enov.co.uk/pages/Environment.html