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Royal Compendium v1 > NEW Sci: I > Flashcards

NEW Sci: I Flashcards

1
Q

What is environmental science?

A

the study of the impacts of human activities on environmental systems

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2
Q

Environmental science is a tool used to develop ways to do what?

A

manage our impacts for a sustainable future

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3
Q

To study the impacts of humans, environmental science requires a ________________ approach.

A

interdisciplinary

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4
Q

What is an environment?

A

the sum total of all the conditions and factors that surround an organism

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5
Q

What is a local environment?

A

the area immediately surrounding an organism

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6
Q

Is the global environment simple?

A

No, it is extremely complicated

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7
Q

What is the global environment?

A

the sum of all aspects of Earth

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8
Q

Environmental science covers what disciplines?

A

biology, earth and atmospheric sciences, chemistry, physics, human population dynamics, and biological and natural resources

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9
Q

What type of discipline is environmental science?

A

a science-based discipline

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10
Q

What is a system?

A

a set of living and/or nonliving components connected in a way where changes in one part affect the others

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11
Q

Is Earth a system?

A

Yes

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12
Q

What might we use to determine if a person is healthy?

A

body temp, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure

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13
Q

When something is wrong with a human body health indicator, what is it usually a signal of?

A

something is wrong with the human

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14
Q

What is an environmental indicator?

A

a measure that reflects the environmental health of a system

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15
Q

Is there a single indicator that assesses the whole planet?

A

No

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16
Q

The same environmental indicator can tell a different story depending on what?

A

where and/or when the measurement is taken

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17
Q

What are the 6 main categories of environmental indicators?

A

biological diversity, human population growth, food production, resource consumption, global temp/GHG levels, and pollution levels

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18
Q

What is biological diversity?

A

the diversity of genes, species, habitats, and ecosystems on Earth

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19
Q

The number of species on Earth, and whether that number is increasing or decreasing, can help us measure what?

A

the biological status of the planet

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20
Q

What is a species?

A

a group of organisms distinct from other groups in morphology, physiology, and biochemical properties

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21
Q

What does “GHGs” mean?

A

greenhouse gases

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22
Q

What is morphology?

A

body type

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23
Q

Species are a group of organisms distinct from other groups in _________, _________, and ___________ _____________.

A

morphology, physiology, biochemical properties

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24
Q

Individuals in a species must breed to do what?

A

produce viable offspring

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25
Q

How many known species are on Earth?

A

1.8 million

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26
Q

What is a “known” species?

A

a species that has been identified and catalogued

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27
Q

What is the actual number of species debated to be?

A

over 10x the number of known species

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28
Q

Why is the actual number of species higher than the known number?

A

because many have not been identified or cataloged yet

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29
Q

What species types in particular have not been identified or cataloged as much as there actually are?

A

microbial species

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30
Q

What percent of species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct?

A

99.9%

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31
Q

What periods are used to determine background extinction rates before humans played a role?

A

the quiet periods

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32
Q

What are the quiet periods?

A

time periods with no massive environmental or biological upheaval

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33
Q

The quiet periods are times with no massive ___________ or ____________ upheaval.

A

environmental, biological

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34
Q

What are the background extinction rates?

A

2 mammal extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years

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35
Q

Humans have accelerated background extinction rates to how many times higher?

A

100x higher

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36
Q

What is the biggest cause of extinction today?

A

loss and degradation of habitats

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37
Q

How many species are going extinct each year?

A

40,000

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38
Q

The number of species on Earth is declining at a rate to rival what?

A

past mass extinction events

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39
Q

The Bengal tiger, snow leopard, and West Indian Manatee are examples of what species?

A

endangered species

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40
Q

What are endangered species?

A

species that will go extinct if death rates are not reversed

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41
Q

The loss of this species can cause a cascade of species going extinct.

A

keystone species

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42
Q

What are keystone species?

A

species that are of particular importance in an ecosystem and are relied on by many other species

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43
Q

What can we conclude if we use species diversity as an indicator of environmental quality

A

that the situation is getting worse and is not sustainable

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44
Q

In November 2022, the human population reached how many people?

A

8 billion

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45
Q

When did the human population reach 8 billion people?

A

November, 2022

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46
Q

How many babies are born each day?

A

378,000

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47
Q

How many people die each day?

A

148,000

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48
Q

How much does the human population increase each day?

A

230,000

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49
Q

The human population gets almost a million new people every __ days.

A

4

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50
Q

Until which decade was the human population undergoing exponential growth?

A

the 1960s

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51
Q

Until the 1960s, the human population was growing ____________.

A

exponentially

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52
Q

For how long will the human population continue to increase?

A

50-100 years

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53
Q

The world population is projected to level off when/how much?

A

8-12 billion by 2150

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54
Q

The world population is projected to be how much by 2150?

A

8-12 billion

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55
Q

The world population is projected to be 8-12 billion people by when?

A

2150

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56
Q

What is a major question regarding the human population?

A

Can Earth sustain so many people?

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57
Q

The additional people on Earth will create what?

A

greater demand on Earth’s finite resources and more pollution and waste

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58
Q

What food group provides over half the calories eaten by humans?

A

food grains

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59
Q

Wheat corn, and rice are in what food group?

A

grains

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60
Q

How much of our calories are provided by food grains?

A

over 50%

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61
Q

What is worldwide grain production a result of?

A

quality of soil, climate conditions, land area, human labor, and water

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62
Q

Therefore, an increase or decrease in grain production is what?

A

an environmental indicator

63
Q

What is intensity in the context of agriculture?

A

how much food is grown per unit of land

64
Q

What is monoculture in agriculture?

A

when only one crop is planted

65
Q

What is polyculture in agriculture?

A

when various crops are planted

66
Q

Is monoculture typically high or low intensity?

A

high-intensity

67
Q

Is polyculture typically high or low intensity?

A

low-intensity

68
Q

What is yield in agriculture?

A

amount of crop produced per unit area of land

69
Q

Are high-intensity practices in agriculture good for the local environment there?

A

No, it often leads to soil erosion, runoff of fertilizers, and an overall degradation of the land

70
Q

What do high-intensity practices lead to?

A

soil erosion, runoff of fertilizers, buildup of pesticides, and an overall degradation of the land

71
Q

As land becomes more degraded, what happens to its yield?

A

it decreases

72
Q

What is sustainable use?

A

when consumption of resources allows for adequate supply for future generations

73
Q

The rapid depletion of a resource indicates what about its sustainability?

A

It indicates the consumption of that resource is not sustainable.

74
Q

More people generally means a _________ environmental impact.

75
Q

When all other factors are equal, a country where most people live in smaller houses will have a ________ environmental impact compared to one where most people live in large houses.

76
Q

For some resources, a very _______ portion of the world’s population may be responsible for most of consumption.

77
Q

What percent of people live in developed countries?

78
Q

People who live in developed countries consume what percent of all meat and fish?

79
Q

People who live in developed countries consume what percent of total energy?

80
Q

People who live in developed countries consume what percent of all paper?

81
Q

People who live in developed countries consume what percent of all automobiles and trucks?

82
Q

The poorest 20% of people consume how much of resources?

A

5% or less

83
Q

What are gases that trap heat around the Earth collectively known as?

A

greenhouse gases (GHGs)

84
Q

What are 2 greenhouse gases that are present in the atmosphere due to natural processes and human activity?

A

Carbon dioxide and methane

85
Q

What is the chemical formula for carbon dioxide?

86
Q

What is the primary activity that produces CO2?

A

combustion of fossil fuels

87
Q

For the past 130 years, what do global temperatures show?

A

some fluctuation, but an overall increase

88
Q

How much CO2 is in our atmosphere? (parts per million)

A

420 parts per million

89
Q

The increase in CO2 over the last __ centuries is anthropogenic.

90
Q

The increase in CO2 over the last 2 centuries is ____________.

A

anthropogenic

91
Q

What is the chemical symbol for lead?

92
Q

Why is lead so useful?

A

because it is soft, malleable, and resists corrosion

93
Q

What does malleable mean?

A

a material that can be shaped easily

94
Q

Lead is malleable, and can be shaped with just a __________.

95
Q

Why is lead bad?

A

because it is toxic to most plants and animals and impairs the human central nervous system

96
Q

What part of the body does lead impair in humans?

A

the central nervous system

97
Q

What is particularly sensitive to lead?

A

developing brains, found in children and fetuses

98
Q

What is the amount of lead in an environmental system an indicator of?

A

the amount of pollution that has been introduced into the environment

99
Q

What is the amount of lead in an environmental system an indirect indicator of?

A

the amount of harm that may have occurred from human manipulation of the environment

100
Q

When did lead mining start?

A

5,000 years ago

101
Q

How has the amount of lead mining changed from 5,000 years ago to now?

A

it has increased

102
Q

What caused greater releases of lead into the atmosphere?

A

changes in refining techniques during the Industrial Revolution

103
Q

What was lead an additive to?

104
Q

Why was lead added to gasoline?

A

to improve engine performance

105
Q

Much of lead production and emissions in the 20th century were a result of what?

A

leaded gasoline

106
Q

What did clean air legislation require?

A

new cars in the U.S. use gasoline without lead

107
Q

When did clean air legislation, which required unleaded gasoline to be used in new cars, begin?

108
Q

What is primarily responsible for decreases in lead emissions?

A

the switch to unleaded gasoline

109
Q

If we use global lead emissions as an environmental indicator, what can we conclude?

A

that the situation is improving

110
Q

Is there lead in unleaded gasoline?

A

Yes, as oil naturally contains lead

111
Q

What fossil fuels contain lead?

A

coal and oil

112
Q

Lead was also a major ingredient in __________.

113
Q

When did lead stop being used in paint as much?

114
Q

Many houses built before 1960 used this type of paint.

A

peeling paint

115
Q

What does peeling paint made before 1960 have high concentrations of?

116
Q

Paint made before 1960 can have lead concentrations of how much?

117
Q

When peeling paint peels, what can happen?

A

the lead in the paint can be ingested by young

118
Q

What is the major source of lead contamination in the US today?

A

our drinking water

119
Q

What causes lead to get into our drinking water?

A

lead pipes and other plumbing that corrodes

120
Q

What type of water corrodes lead faster?

A

highly acidic water

121
Q

Where are lead pipes and plumbing common?

A

low-income communities

122
Q

Does a simple experiment conducted by a college student follow the same principles as a large, million-dollar experiment?

123
Q

Scientific information has been collected, analyzed, and synthesized through what process?

A

the scientific method

124
Q

What is the 1st step of the scientific method?

A

Observe, and ask questions about those observations

125
Q

What is the 2nd step of the scientific method?

A

Generate a hypothesis that could answer a question

126
Q

A hypothesis must be _________ and __________.

A

testable and falsifiable

127
Q

The researcher must have a hypothesis with what quality?

A

a hypothesis that can be proven correct or incorrect

128
Q

What is the 3rd step of the scientific method?

A

Make a preliminary determination of whether the hypothesis is true or false using existing information

129
Q

What is the 4th step of the scientific method?

A

Test the hypothesis with an experiment

130
Q

What are the 2 main types of experiments?

A

manipulation and observational experiments

131
Q

What is the 5th step of the scientific method?

A

Accept, revise, or reject the hypothesis and reconcile any differences between the predictions and results

132
Q

What is the 6th step of the scientific method?

A

Report findings to others

133
Q

What is the 7th step of the scientific method?

A

Replicate the experiment and notice if the results hold true multiple times

134
Q

When a given hypothesis is tested and accepted by many scientists, what may it become?

A

a scientific finding

135
Q

If a hypothesis is widely accepted, what does it become?

136
Q

What is a theory?

A

a widely accepted hypothesis

137
Q

If a theory is widely accepted and applies universally without exceptions, what does it become?

A

a universal law

138
Q

What is a universal law?

A

a theory that is widely accepted and applies universally without exceptions

139
Q

What is the First Law of Thermodynamics an example of?

A

a universal law

140
Q

What does the First Law of Thermodynamics state?

A

energy cannot be created or destroyed, it simply changes form

141
Q

What scientific findings are considered definitely proven?

142
Q

What are scientific laws considered to be?

A

not disproven, meaning it is not proven, but not disproven either

143
Q

Why are scientific laws not considered definitely proven?

A

because new can potentially disprove them

144
Q

What is an observational experiment?

A

when the researcher observes the system without any interference

145
Q

A biologist observing interactions between wolves and moose is considered what type of experiment?

A

an observational experiment

146
Q

What is a manipulation experiment?

A

when the researcher changes an aspect to compare with the unchanged aspect

147
Q

What is the aspect that is changed in a manipulation experiment is called?

A

the experimental variable

148
Q

What is an experimental variable?

A

the aspect of the manipulation experiment that is changed

149
Q

The elements in a manipulation experiment are divided into what 2 groups?

A

the experimental group and the control group

150
Q

What group in a manipulation experiment is being manipulated?

A

the experimental group

151
Q

What group in a manipulation experiment is left undisturbed for comparison?

A

the control group

152
Q

What is the control group in a manipulation experiment?

A

the group that is left undisturbed and being compared to

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