1. INTRODUCTION

2. Earth Lights from Space

3. Potential Test Questions
1. What is Environmental Science?
2. How does science compared with other approaches used to understand the world?
3. What is the Scientific Method?
4. What are the world views that influence issues of Environmental Science?

4. Geology
Our Environment

5. World Views Utilitarian Economic value (short term) Ecological
Life-supporting value
Aesthetic
Beauty and enjoyment value
Moral
Species rights

6. Science Assumes
1. Events follow patterns understood through observation and analysis.
2. Generalizations can be subjected to tests that disprove them.
3. Evidence can disprove existing scientific theories, but science can never provide an absolute proof of the truth of its theories.
Because of this, Science is very different from other fields, such as Religion, Art, or even Mathematics.

7. *

8. Theory Vernacular: Theory = hypothesis
In Science: Theory = a strongly supported hypothesis; supported by many experimentally tested hypotheses.
Examples: Cell theory of life
Germ theory of disease

9. Solving Environmental Problems
Scientific Assessment
Refer back to scientific investigation
Risk Analysis
Evaluate the potential effects of intervention
Public Education
Explain problem, choices, costs, and
potential results
Political Action
Implement course of action
Scientific Follow-Up
Evaluate the results of actions taken

10. Lake Washington

11. Ten Suburbs Dumped Sewage Into The Lake.

12. Oscillatoria Was Found Growing In The Lake.

13. Sewage Appeared To Cause The Lake
To Become Eutrophic.

14. Lake Washington Models predicting water quality were made.
Risk analysis of possible responses discussed.
Public given information on sewage dumping.
Proposed bill voted down.
Revised bill passed by voters.

15. Results
The predictions concerning decreasing the phosphorus as a way to decrease eutrophication were correct.

16. Water Visibility Was Even Greater Than The Model Predicted
Water Visibility Was Even Greater Than The Model Predicted. Daphnia Had An Unpredicted Effect.