How much should it cost? Rank the following items in order of their importance to you. Then, next to each item, write down how much you would be willing to pay for it. Rank the following items in order of their importance to you. Then, next to each item, write down how much you would be willing to pay for it. Fresh, clean drinking water Fresh, clean drinking water Clean air to breathe Clean air to breathe An endangered plant containing a substance that can cure cancer An endangered plant containing a substance that can cure cancer Gas for your family car Gas for your family car

What Is Environmental Science? What do you think this class will be about? What will you learn? What do you want to learn?

Environmental Science The study of how we and other species interact with one another & with the nonliving environment (matter & energy) The study of how we and other species interact with one another & with the nonliving environment (matter & energy) Includes: Includes: Physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, meteorology, geography, resource technology, engineering, resource conservation & management, demography, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, ethics Physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, meteorology, geography, resource technology, engineering, resource conservation & management, demography, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, ethics

The environment is difficult!

The environment is difficult to study because… A hypothesis must be testable A hypothesis must be testable VARIABLES must be controlled and isolated VARIABLES must be controlled and isolated Too many interactions – known & unknown Too many interactions – known & unknown

More problems Scale is often a problem Scale is often a problem Populations over time Populations over time Environmental factors over centuries Environmental factors over centuries Measurement is difficult Measurement is difficult Species, pollutants, tons of soil Species, pollutants, tons of soil

We do our best… At best, we provide trends & estimates At best, we provide trends & estimates Rely on models Rely on models Correlations Correlations Example: BPA findings (1:34) Example: BPA findings (1:34)

Models A representation or simulation of a system being studied A representation or simulation of a system being studied Can be mental, physical, graphical, mathematical, conceptual Can be mental, physical, graphical, mathematical, conceptual

Correlation Relationship between two separate events Relationship between two separate events More CO2 and higher global temperatures More CO2 and higher global temperatures

Correlation DOES NOT mean causation… More lemons imported causes more traffic accidents? More lemons imported causes more traffic accidents?

SYSTEMS & FEEDBACK LOOPS

System Vocabulary INPUT  matter, energy, information entering a system THROUGHPUT  rate flow of matter, energy, or information through a system OUTPUT  matter, energy, information leaving a system Stuff goes in Stuff is processed Stuff comes out

Input  Throughput  Output

FEEDBACK LOOPS Change induces change Stuff goes in Stuff is processed Stuff comes out Feedback Loop

Negative Feedback Loops The change counteracts the situation Examples: What happens when you’re hot? What happens when you’re cold?

Positive feedback Loops The change compounds the situation = Snowball Effect! Example: As long as there are more human births than deaths, population will continue to increase.

Pesticides:

Urban Sprawl

Positive or Negative 1 person in a group of 10 has cold. That person passed the cold to another and soon 5 people now have the cold. Those 5 students then each pass the cold to another.

Feedback Loops in Context Global warming hypothesizes that the average temperature of Earth is increasing. During analysis, scientists have identified possible positive and negative feedback loops to explain atmospheric climate change.

Radiation and Reflection

Positive or Negative? The warming of the oceans causes dissolved CO 2 to bubble out into the atmosphere. This atmospheric CO 2 helps to trap heat near the earth. This trapped heat continues to warm the ocean.

Positive or Negative? Warmer water temperatures cause greater water evaporation, which increases the formations of clouds. A lot of water vapor in the air also traps heat inside the atmosphere.

Positive or Negative? The increased cloud cover from example 2 might also act to reflect sunlight back into space, preventing it from entering our atmosphere. This might cool the earth.

Positive or Negative? Sunlight striking the earth is absorbed by dark colors and reflected by light colors. The polar ice caps act like huge mirrors, reflecting sunlight back into space. Warmer water temperatures are melting these ice caps and decreasing these big “mirrors,” leaving dark water behind.

Positive or Negative? Warmer temperatures cause greater water evaporation, which falls to earth as precipitation. Therefore global warming may cause increased snow fall in the polar regions, leading to increased ice formation.

How did you do? 1. Positive 2. Positive 3. Negative 4. Positive 5. Negative

Contemplate this… What would Earth look like if there weren't any greenhouse effect at all? It would probably look a lot like Mars.Mars Mars doesn't have a thick enough atmosphere to reflect enough heat back to the planet, so it gets very cold there.

Hmmmmm…. Some scientists have suggested that we could terraform the surface of Mars by sending "factories" that would spew water vapor and carbon dioxide into the air.terraform the surface of Mars If enough material could be generated, the atmosphere might start to thicken enough to retain more heat and allow plants to live on the surface.

Just like early Earth… Once plants spread across Mars, they would start producing oxygen. After a few hundred or thousand years, Mars might actually have an environment that humans could simply walk around in -- all thanks to the greenhouse effect.