Environmental Science Quiz 1 Flashcards
What is environmental science?
the interdisciplinary study of the interaction of the biotic and abiotic components of the environment with a specific focus on the impact of humans on the environment
define biotic
living
define abiotic
non-living
What is sustainability?
1.) able to maintain and support a process continuously over time
2.) if it meets the needs of the present with out compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
What are the 3 pillars of sustainability?
social, environment and economic
What is an example of how the 3 pillars of sustainability work together?
-logger head turtle at Tybee island
-they come and lay eggs on the beach however Tybee island is a tourist destination
-how can scientists protect the turtles?
-solution: close the beaches, do nothing which would value social and Economic above everything and the turtles die or protect the turtle nests (this solution compromises all three).
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What is a tragedy of the commons?
tragedy: a bad thing
commons: a shared resource
ex: park, river etc
a tragedy of the commons is a situation which individuals with access to a shared resource (commons) act in their own best interest and in doing so deplete the resource
ex: overfishing in shared waters
define what sustainable means
acting below the carrying capacity
define science
a way of understanding the natural world based on method of seeking answers to questions through observation and expermintation
What are the attributes of science?
observable, measurable, testable, objective, repeatable (able to be replicated), and falsifiable (able to be proven false)
Can science explain everything?
no there are limitations, supernatural vs natural.
science is limited to organisms and processes that can be observed or measured
What is anecdotal evidence?
using your personal experiences and stories to illustrate your point. it has a sample size of 1 or fewer, it often discusses a statistical outlier and It can be difficult to replicate
What is empirical evidence?
it is measured, unbiased and obtained through the scientific method
what is causation?
thing A happened so thing B happened. a change in 1 variable causes a change in the other variable.
What is correlation?
a statistical relationship between 2 variables. 2 things that exist at the same time
What is a scientific law?
a description of an observed phenominon
What is a scientific theory?
a possible explanation for why
What is an example of a scientific law?
the law of gravity: I observe an apple falling from a tree, the law doesn’t say why it fell, it just says that it will happen
Can a theory ever become a law?
no
What is a scientific theory?
it is more that just an educated guess, they can be proven false, but they can never be proven true. A theory is either currently acceptable based on the sum of human science knowledge or it is false
What is the scientific method?
a method for gathering new evidence, it takes the scientist and human out of the equation. in the scientific method what matters is what the data shows
To observe science an idea must be what two things?
observable and measurable
What is step 1 of the scientific method?
1.) Make an observation and ask a question
What is step 2 of the scientific method?
2.) do background research
What is step 3 of the scientific method?
Form a hypothesis: a testable answer to a scientific question, it must be falsifiable. It is written as a statement that works if the words if/ then are added
define alternative hypothesis?
Unlike the null hypothesis, however, the alternative hypothesis states that a statistically significant relationship occurs between two or more variables or study groups.
What is the 4th step of the scientific method?
test with an experiment, an experiment must have variables: controlled and independent
Define controlled variables:
the same for everything you are testing
Independent variables:
the things you manipulate
dependent variables
the thing being tested and measured
What is a control group?
a group that maintains the status quo
What is the experimental group?
a group I am experimenting with
What is step 5 of the scientific method?
run the experiment and collect the data
What is step 6 of the scientific method?
analyze the data
P-value less/ equal to 0.05 means that there is a significant difference
P-value greater than .05 means there is not a significant difference
What is step 7 of the scientific method?
Draw conclusions: we can reject the null hypothesis or fail to reject the null: we never accept the alternative hypothesis
Can a hypothesis ever be proven true?
nope
Can you guarantee the behavior of an entire population only by sampling a small group?
yes
what is replication
-the idea that all scientific experiments must be able to be repeated, sometimes weird things happen that effect the result, if you can replicate the result its not valid
What is step 8 of the scientific method?
Peer review: other scientists who are experts in the field review their work. Revisions reinforce the data and conclusions that are presented, making it more reliable.
What is the null hypothesis?
nothing is effected
What is a primary source?
an original record of an event created by someone who experienced it
Ex: a peer reviewed article published in a scientific journal, the person who wrote the article preformed the event
What is a secondary source?
a work that was created after the events it describes, and that does not provide firsthand experience or participation
What is a tertiary source?
Material that summarizes information from primary or secondary resources
What is a beyond tertiary source?
not good sources for citing, but can be used as a jumping point to get ideas
How can you recognize inaccurate information?
check the source, use the CRAAP test, check claims in the article, question everything, check any links in the article
What is the CRAAP test?
C- currency
R- relevance: how the information fits into your needs
A- authority: source of the info
A- accuracy: reliability and correctness of the information
P- purpose: reason the article exists
What are resources:
biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems which provide benefits to humanity
What are renewable resources?
can be renewed in a relatively short period of time
What is an ecological footprint?
the measure of the impact of human activities in terms of the area of land and water required to produce the goods and waste
What is Earth overshoot day?
the date when humanity has used all the ecological resources that Earth regenerates in the entire year
What do biocapacity creditors do?
they have ecological reserves and have excess resources that they can lend. If a countries ecological footprint is larger than its biocapacity then it must import some of its resources
I= P x A x T
total impact= populations x affluence (a measure of consumption) x technology
