Components of the Earth Environment & Resource Management

How the PowerPoints Work For many lessons in the course, key points and visuals are displayed in PowerPoint slideshows which are available on the course website. If you want, print the slideshows out in advance (you can print “handouts” with 6 or 9 slides on a page) so you can take notes on information talked about, without having to copy the screen. The first slide will be a “table of contents” for the lesson, followed by any relevant text and visuals for that lesson.

Components of the Earth Introduction Components of the Earth Key Terms

Introduction Course Outline Structure of the Course Field Studies Environment Diagnostic Quizzes

Introduction Imagine you are a first-class passenger on a spaceship hurling through space at 100,000 km/h Poisonous gases are leaking into certain sections of the craft and several passengers are dying from the fumes. The water supply has been contaminated due to a breakdown in the ship's waste expulsion system. Food supplies are running out.

Introduction Many passengers crowded into the economy section of the craft are seriously ill, and only a few of them are getting proper medical attention. The spaceship has an overall destruct system and increasing numbers of technologists - some mentally unstable - have gained access to the controls of the destruct system. What would you do?

Introduction List your 5 top priorities in order of importance

Introduction Core Units Field Trips Environmental Systems Human-Environment Interactions Impact Assessment & Environmental Protection Planning for a Sustainable Future "Greening the Community" Field Trips Nonquon EEC Toronto Zoo Whitby field studies

Components of the Earth Atmosphere is the mixture of gases surrounding the Earth and other planets. Thermosphere Mesopause Mesosphere Stratopause Stratosphere Tropopause Troposphere

Components of the Earth Hydrosphere is the part of the Earth composed of water (including clouds, oceans, seas, ice caps, glaciers, lakes, rivers, underground water supplies, and atmospheric water vapour). Approximately 71% of the Earth is covered by water. 97% of this water is in the oceans (salt water) 3% is freshwater 77% of freshwater is locked in ice 22% of freshwater is in the ground <1% of freshwater is in lakes, rivers, and wetlands

Hydrosphere

Components of the Earth Lithosphere is the solid outer crust of the earth, while the mantle and core comprise the interior of the earth. The lithosphere runs up to 60 miles deep, is divided into the crust and upper mantle. The upper part of the crust is made of igneous and sedimentary rocks; this makes up the continents. The lower crust is made of igneous rocks which form the ocean floors. The inner layers of the earth are the mantle and the core

Components of the Earth Lithosphere is the outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Components of the Earth Biosphere is the life zone of the Earth and includes all living organisms, including man, and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed. The biosphere is structured into a hierarchy known as the food chain whereby all life is dependent upon the first tier (i.e. mainly the primary producers that are capable of photosynthesis). Energy and mass is transferred from one level of the food chain to the next with an efficiency of about 10%.

Components of the Earth All organisms are intrinsically linked to their physical environment and the relationship between an organism and its environment is the study of ecology. The biosphere can be divided into distinct ecosystems that represent the interactions between a group of organisms forming a trophic pyramid and the environment or habitat in which they live.

Components of the Earth Biosphere is the combination of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere that can support life.

Components of the Earth

Key Terms Ecology - the study of how organisms interact with each other and their physical environment Biodiversity - the variety of life on our planet, (measurable as the variety within species, between species, and the variety of ecosystems) Carrying Capacity - the maximum number of individuals of a given species that a site can support during the most unfavorable time of year, without causing deterioration of the site

Key Terms Ecological Footprint - a calculation that estimates the area of Earth required to supply the resources that an individual demands, as well as to absorb the wastes that the individual produces Sustainable Development - Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Global Commons - natural assets outside national jurisdiction (e.g., oceans, outer space, Antarctica)