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Human Impacts on the Environment > Midterm > Flashcards

Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

Environmental Science

A

An interdisciplinary study of
1. How the earth (nature) works and has survived and thrived (ENST 210)
2. how humans interact with the environment (ENST 303)
3. how SHOULD humans interact with nature (ENST 395)

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2
Q

What does Grady assume?

A
  1. Humans have changed the environment in significant ways
  2. Science can describe many of these changes accurately
  3. Everyone has an interest in environmental protection:
    - we disagree about the nature of environmental problems
    - we disagree about the best solutions
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3
Q

Ecological Sustainability

A

Capacity of the earth’s natural systems that support life and human economic systems to survive or adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely

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4
Q

Sustainable Development

A

Meeting the current and future basic needs of its people in a just and equitable manner without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs

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5
Q

Triple Bottom Line of sustainability

A

Focusing on economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social justice

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6
Q

Calvin’s definition of sustainability

A

Sustainability emerges from choices that, on balance, promote economic vitality, social equity, and a flourishing natural environment both now and for generations to come

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7
Q

Ecological Principles of Sustainability

A
  1. Rely on Solar Energy
  2. Protect Biodiversity: genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes
  3. Protect Chemical Cycles: nutrient circulation
    MEMORIZE THESE
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8
Q

Social Principles of Sustainability

A
  1. Politics: win-win results
  2. Economics: full-cost pricing
  3. Ethics: responsibility to future generations
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9
Q

Natural Capital

A

Types:
1. Inexhaustible (ex Sun)
2. Renewable (ex Trees)
3. Nonrenewable (ex Coal)

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10
Q

Sustainable living

A

Living off the earth’s natural income without depleting or degrading the natural capital that supplies it

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11
Q

Natural Capital & Sustained Yield

A

How much can you harvest now to continue to have that same harvest in perpetuity
- only take when there are plenty of plants and they’re healthy
- minimize harm, share what you’ve taken, and reciprocate the gift
- “take what is given to you”

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12
Q

Tragedy of the Commons

A

Prècis Breakdown

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13
Q

What is Science?

A
  1. Make an observation and identify a question
  2. Propose a hypothesis
  3. Test your hypothesis
  4. Gather data from your test
  5. Interpret your results
  6. Report for Peer Review
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14
Q

Correlation and Causation

A

Type 1 Error: False positive
Type 2 Error: False Negative

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15
Q

Myths of Science

A
  1. Provides proof/certainty
  2. Remains purely objective
  3. Limited only by the amount of data
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16
Q

Systems Thinking

A

A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something
- elements
- interconnectedness
- purpose of function

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17
Q

How to identify a system:

A

A) Can you identify parts
B) Do the parts affect each other
C) Do the parts together produce an effect that is different from the effect of each part on its own
D) (Usually) Does the effect, the behavior over time, persist in a variety of circumstances

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18
Q

How to influence a system:

A

Find the right leverage points

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19
Q

Five Axioms of Sustainability

A
  1. Any society that continues to use critical resources unsustainably will collapse
  2. Population growth / growth in rates of resource consumption cannot be sustained
  3. To be sustainable, the use of renewable resources must proceed at a rate that is less than or equal to the rate of natural replenishment
  4. To be sustainable, the use of nonrenewable resources must proceed at a rate that is declining, and the rate of decline must be greater than or equal to the rate of depletion
  5. Sustainability requires that substances introduced into the environment from human activities be minimized and rendered harmless to biosphere functions
20
Q

Four Earth Systems:

A
  1. Atmosphere
  2. Hydrosphere
  3. Lithosphere (Geosphere)
  4. Biosphere
21
Q

Atmosphere

A

Ozone layer, which filters out UV radiation
We evolved to see visible light–animals with night vision can see what we call UV light

22
Q

Hydrosphere

A

Sublimation and evaporation put water in the atmosphere
1% freshwater, 2% icecaps, 97% oceans

23
Q

Lithosphere

A

We’re mostly interested in the crust
Tectonic plates–convergent and divergent boundaries

24
Q

Biosphere

A

Biosphere -> Ecosystem -> Community -> Population

25
Q

Ecosystem

A

A set of organisms within a defined area…interacting with one another and with their nonliving environment of matter and energy

26
Q

Life in an ecosystem is sustained by…

A

flows of matter and energy

27
Q

Trophic levels

A

Producers -> Primary consumers -> secondary consumers -> tertiary consumers
Underneath are decomposers and detritus feeders

28
Q

Productivity in ecosystems

A

Swamps and marches, tropical rainforest, temperate forest, taiga, savanna, agricultural land, woodland, temperate grassland, tundra, desert scrub, extreme desert

29
Q

Chemical Cycles

A

SEE SLIDES

30
Q

Climate:

A

Average weather

31
Q

Key factors that determine climate:

A
  1. Uneven distribution of solar energy
  2. Rotation of the earth on its axis
  3. Properties of air, water, and land
32
Q

Climate: Hadley Cells

A

0-60: Polar caps
60: temperate deciduous forest and grassland
60-30: Desert
30-0: Tropical deciduous forest
0: Tropical rainforest

33
Q

Biome:

A

Large…regions, each characterized by a particular type of climate and a certain combination of dominant plant life

34
Q

Terrestrial biome:

A

determined largely by precipitation and temperature

35
Q

Marine biome:

A

Determined largely by light, temperature, and nutrients

36
Q

Freshwater biomes:

A

determined largely by light, temperature, and nutrients

37
Q

Oligotrophic and Eutrophic lakes

A

Oli: low in plant nutrients, high in oxygen in the deep parts
Eu: too many nutrients in the water–high plant growth uses up oxygen and marine animals die

38
Q

Ecosystem Roles:

A

Native, nonnative, indicator, keystone

39
Q

Evolution:

A

populations evolve when genes mutate and give some individuals genetic traits that enhance their abilities to survive and to produce offspring with these traits

40
Q

Process of evolution:

A
  1. Genetic diversity and mutations
  2. Natural selection and adaptation (some die)
  3. Differential reproduction rates (survivors reproduce)
41
Q

Speciation

A

Formation of new species
1. Geographic isolation
2. Reproductive isolation

42
Q

Extinction & Extirpation

A

Extinction: gone over the whole world
Extirpation: gone in a local area

43
Q

Keystone species

A
44
Q

indicator species

A
45
Q

K and R reproduction

A
46
Q

Inertia vs Resilience:
Moderate vs severe effects

A

Ecological Inertia: ability of an ecosystem to survive moderate disturbances
Ecological Resilience: ability of an ecosystem to be restored (potentially drastic measures) after a severe disturbance

47
Q

3 components (Cody):
Spirit, love, hope

A

Human Impacts on the Environment (2 decks)

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