APES INTRODUCTION TO AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Environment External conditions that affect living organisms Ecology Study of relationships between living organisms and their environment Environmental Science how nature works. how the environment affects us. how we affect the environment. how we can live more sustainably without degrading our life-support system.

Sustainability The ability of a specified system to survive and function over time * An environmentally sustainable society meets basic needs of its people without degrading the natural capital that supplies their ecological services. * Natural capital refers the land, air, water, living organisms and all formations of the Earth's biosphere that provide us with ecosystem goods and services needed for survival and well- being.

Earth ResourcesRenewableNon-Renewable Potentially Renewable Direct solar energy Fossil fuelsFresh air Winds, tides, flowing water Metallic minerals (iron, copper, aluminum) Fresh water Nonmetallic minerals (clay, sand, phosphates) Fertile soil Plants and animals (biodiversity)

Four Scientific Principles of Sustainability: Reliance on Solar Energy Biodiversity Population Control Nutrient Recycling Figure 1-16

Four Global Environmental Problems 1.Increasing consumption of resources 2. Global atmospheric changes 3. Degradation of soil 4. Loss of biodiversity

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: CAUSES AND CONNECTIONS The major causes of environmental problems are: Population growth Wasteful resource use Pollution Ecological ignorance

Fig. 1-1, p. 6 Industrial Revolution ? Agricultural revolution Hunting and Gathering Billions of people Time Black Death—the Plague 1. POPULATION GROWTH

Pollution Pollution is any addition to air, water, soil, or food that threatens the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms EXAMPLE: Burning fossil fuels ( oil, natural gas, and coal) has caused increases in global carbon dioxide CO 2 blocks infrared radiation and therefore traps heat in the atmospheric Results in displacement of plants, rise in sea level, changes in climate and weather

2. Degradation of Soils Fertile soil is the foundation for plant growth and food production BUT-- soils are being degraded by erosion, overgrazing, and development

4. Loss of Biodiversity Increasing population will increase resource consumption which converts forests, grasslands, wetlands, etc. to agriculture and urban development Loss of these ecosystems leads to loss of biodiversity of all organisms Biodiversity is needed for the sustainability of crop (food) and medicine development Biodiversity is critical in maintaining stability in all natural systems

Ecological footprints measure Earth’s carrying capacity for humans In 2010, the biosphere had about 11.5 billion hectares of biologically productive surface in the ocean and on land (about 1/4 of the total planet) Current estimates indicate that humans are over-shooting the Earth’s carrying capacity (bio-capacity) by 25-50% To sustain the current carrying capacity, we need 1 1 / 2 Earths! The measuring units used in Ecological Footprints are in global HECTARES (gHa) Example: A hectare of land includes an “average bio-productive capacity” (from agriculture, forest, nutrient cycling, energy production, etc.) A hectare = 2.5 acres (1 acre is about a football field without the end zones) (1 hectare is 2 complete football fields with end zones)

Our Ecological Footprint Humanity’s ecological footprint has exceeded earths ecological capacity.

THE “COMMONS” – RESOURCES SHARED BY ALL AIR WATER LAND OCEANS NATIONAL PARKS

What is the “Tragedy of the Commons”? ARTICLE: published in 1968 by Garrett Hardin. CONCEPT: a shared resource in which any given user reaps the full benefit of his/her personal use, while the losses are distributed amongst all users. Result? Tragedy of resources. CLASSIC EXAMPLE: excessive cows on shared pasture overgraze and degrade the land Individuals are motivated only by personal gain of wealth while degrading environment Is of concern because it may convert potentially renewable resources into nonrenewable resources

Earth and our Solar System _________ planet from the Sun *only planet that can support _______________ *orbits the Sun in an ____________ pattern/shape *takes ________ days to complete one orbit *takes _____ hours to complete one rotation *was formed _______ billion years ago 3rd life elliptical

GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALE *The history of the Earth is measured in Geological Time *It is organized according to major events *The largest unit of time is EON EON ERA PERIOD EPOCH

IMPORTANT STAGES IN EARTH’S HISTORY * 4.6 BILLION YEARS AGO (HADEAN EON) = ORIGIN OF EARTH- NO LIFE * 3.5 BILLION YEARS AGO (ARCHEON EON/PRECAMBRIAN ERA) = FIRST PROKARYOTIC CELL- LIFE * 2.5 BILLION YEARS AGO ( PROTEROZOIC EON/PRECAMBRIAN ERA ) = ATMOSPHERIC OXYGEN EXISTS * 1.5 BILLION YEARS AGO (PROTEROZOIC EON/PRECAMBRIAN ERA) = FIRST EUKARYOTIC CELL * 550 MILLION YEARS AGO( PROTEROZOIC EON/ PALEOZOIC ERA/CAMBRIAN PERIOD) = PRIMITIVE ALGAE/MARINE INVERTEBRATES *450 MILLION YEARS AGO (PHANEROZOIC EON/PALEOZOIC ERA/ = FIRST MARINE VERTEBRATES (FISH) ORDOVICIAN PERIOD) *400 MILLION YEARS AGO (PHANEROZOIC EON/ PALEOZOIC ERA/SILURIAN PERIOD) = FIRST LAND INVERTEBRATES & PLANTS *200 MILLION YEARS AGO (MESOZOIC ERA/TRIASSIC PERIOD) = FRIST BIRDS/ROCKY MOUNTAINS FORM *150 MILLION YEARS AGO (MESOZOIC ERA/JURASSIC PERIOD) = AGE OF DINOSAURS *65 MILLION YEARS AGO (CENOZOIC ERA/TERTIARY PALEOGENE PERIOD) =EXTINCTION OF DINOSAURS PALEOCENE EPOCH) 2 MILLION YEARS AGO (CENOZOIC ERA/QUATERNARY PERIOD) =FIRST MAN/MAMMALS/INSECTS/FLOWERS PLEISTOCENE EPOCH)

EARTH’S INTERACTIVE COMPONENTS GEOSPHERE = makes up the Earth’s interior (rock) ATMOSPHERE = makes up the gases surrounding Earth (air) HYDROSPHERE= makes up the areas of water BIOSPHERE = makes up all the living things within the other parts EARTH IS AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM OF 4 INTERACTING COMPONENTS EOSPHERE GEOSPHERE