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SCI Section 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is environmental science?

A

the study of the impacts of human activities on environmental systems

Example: analyzing the effects of deforestation on biodiversity

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2
Q

What are examples of large–scale human activities that impact the environment?

A

clearing land for agriculture, fishing the oceans for food, mining land for minerals and duels, and changing the climate through greenhouse gases

Example: deforestation for palm oil plantations

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3
Q

What are examples of small–scale human activities that impact the environment?

A

driving a car, turning on your lights, and choosing single–use products over reusable products

Example: using disposable plastic water bottles

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4
Q

What is an environment?

A

the sum of all conditions, living, and nonliving factors that surround an organisms

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5
Q

What is a local environment?

A

the area that immediately surrounds an organism

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6
Q

What is the global environment?

A

the sum of all aspects of Earth

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7
Q

What disciplines does environmental science cover?

A

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

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8
Q

What type of principle is environmental science?

A

a science–based discipline

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9
Q

What is a science–based discipline?

A

a discipline based on the scientific method

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10
Q

What is a system?

A

a set of living and/or nonliving components connected in a way where one change can affect other areas

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11
Q

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

A

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

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12
Q

What is an environmental indicator?

A

a measure that reflects the environmental health of a system

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13
Q

Is there a single indicator that assesses the whole planet?

A

No

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14
Q

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

A

where and when the measurement is taken

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15
Q

What are the 6 main categories of environmental indicators?

A
  1. Biological diversity
  2. Human population growth
  3. Food Production
  4. Resource Consumption
  5. Global Temp and atmospheric greenhouse gas levels
  6. Pollution levels
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16
Q

What is biological diversity?

A

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

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17
Q

What can help us measure the biological status of the planet?

A

the number of species on Earth and whether that number is increasing or decreasing

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18
Q

What is a species?

A

a group of organisms that is distinct from others in morphology, physiology, or biochemical properties

Example: lions, tigers, and leopards are different species

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19
Q

What is morphology?

A

body type

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20
Q

How many known species are on Earth?

A

1.8 million

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21
Q

About how many species are there actually on Earth?

A

more than 10x more than the known number (known: 1.8 million)

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22
Q

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

A

because most species haven’t been identified or cataloged yet

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23
Q

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

A

0.9990000000000001

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24
Q

What periods of time are used to determine the background rate of extinction before humans played a role?

A

the quiet periods

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25
Q

What are the quiet periods?

A

Time periods with no massive environmental or biological upheaval

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26
Q

What are background extinctions now?

A

2 mammal extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years

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27
Q

How much have humans accelerated extinction rates?

A

100x higher than background

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28
Q

What is the main cause of extinction today?

A

habitat degradation/loss

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29
Q

How many species per year are now going extinct?

A

roughly 40,000 species per year

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30
Q

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

A

past mass extinction events

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31
Q

The Bengal tiger, snow leopard, and West Indian Manatee are all __________________ species.

A

endangered

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32
Q

What are endangered species?

A

species that are declining at a rate at which it will go extinct in the near future

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33
Q

The loss of which species can cause many other extinctions?

A

the keystone species

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34
Q

The extinction rate of species tells us what?

A

how biodiversity on Earth is increasing/decreasing, the state of land, water, and air

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35
Q

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

A

the environmental quality is getting much worse and is not sustainable

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36
Q

When did the global population reach 8 billion people?

A

November 2022

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37
Q

How babies are born each day?

A

378000

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38
Q

How many people die each day?

A

148000

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39
Q

How much does the human population increase each day?

A

230,000 people

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40
Q

Until which decade was the world population undergoing exponential growth?

A

the 1960s

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41
Q

How long is the human population predicted to increase?

A

50–100 years

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42
Q

What is the world population expected to be by the year 2150?

A

8–12 billion people

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43
Q

What is a major question regarding world population?

A

Can Earth sustain so many people?

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44
Q

The additional people will create a greater demand for what?

A

Earth’s finite resources

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45
Q

The additional people will also create what?

A

more pollution and waste

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46
Q

What type of crop provides more than half the calories eaten by humans?

A

food grains

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47
Q

What is worldwide grain production a result of?

A

land area under cultivation, quality of soils, energy, climatic conditions, human labor, water used for growing crops, and other influences

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48
Q

Therefore, a change in grain production for human consumption is what?

A

an environmental indicator

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49
Q

What are developed countries?

A

countries that have a stable economy, government, population, etc.
Ex: the US, Canada

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50
Q

What percent of the population lives in developed countries?

A

0.2

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51
Q

How much of the world’s resources do the poorest 20% use?

A

less than 5%

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52
Q

How much of all meat and fish do people in developed countries consume?

A

0.45

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53
Q

How much of all energy do people in developed countries use?

A

0.58

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54
Q

What are developed countries?

A

countries that have a stable economy, government, population, etc.

Ex: the US, Canada

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55
Q

How much of all paper do people in developed countries use?

A

0.84

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56
Q

How much of all automobiles and trucks do people in developed countries use?

A

0.87

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57
Q

The gases that trap heat and warm the Earth are known collectively as ________________ _______.

A

greenhouse gases

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58
Q

Why are greenhouse gases called this?

A

because they act like a greenhouse by trapping heat

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59
Q

What are the 2 main greenhouse gases?

A

methane and carbon dioxide (CO2)

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60
Q

What is the primary activity that produces CO2?

A

the combustion of fossil fuels

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61
Q

For the past 130 years, global temperatures show an overall __________.

A

increase

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62
Q

The increase in carbon dioxide during the last 2 centuries is caused by what?

A

human activities

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63
Q

What does anthropogenic mean?

A

a result of humans or human activity

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64
Q

What is the chemical symbol for lead?

A

Pb

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65
Q

Why is lead so useful?

A

because it is soft, malleable, and resists corrosion

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66
Q

What is the definition of malleable?

A

the ability to be shaped easily

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67
Q

What part of the human body does lead impair?

A

the human central nervous system

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68
Q

What is particularly sensitive to lead?

A

developing brains, usually found in children and fetuses

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69
Q

The amount of lead in the environment is an indicator of what?

A

the amount of pollution that has been introduced to an environment

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70
Q

What fossil fuels contain small amounts of lead?

A

oil and coal

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71
Q

Lead was used as an additive to what fuel?

A

gasoline

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72
Q

Why was lead added to gasoline?

A

to improve engine performance

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73
Q

When did Clean Air Legislation begin?

A

1975

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74
Q

What did clean air legislation do?

A

it caused car manufacturers to switch to making cars that used unleaded gas, significantly reducing lead emissions

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75
Q

True or False: There is no more lead in gasoline?

A

False, even though lead stopped being used as an additive, gasoline, coal, and oil still contain some lead

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76
Q

Lead was also a major ingredient in ________.

A

paint

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77
Q

How does paint made after 1960 compare with paint before?

A

paint made after 1960 contains significantly less lead

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78
Q

Paint made before 1960 can be comprised of up to __% lead.

A

0.5

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79
Q

What is the main source of lead contamination in the US?

A

our drinking water

80
Q

How does lead get into our drinking water?

A

through lead pipes and other plumbing material that corrodes, leaving traces of lead into the water

81
Q

What type of water corrodes lead faster?

A

highly acidic water

82
Q

Where is lead plumbing most common?

A

lower–income communities

83
Q

What is the scientific method?

A

a method used by scientists to explore topics and conduct experiments

84
Q

True or False: A simple experiment by college students follows the same principles as an experiment done by professionals.

A

True, they both follow the principles of the scientific method

85
Q

What is the 1st step of the scientific method?

A

Observe and ask questions about the observations

86
Q

What is the 2nd step of the scientific method?

A

Write a hypothesis that could answer the question being asked

87
Q

What is the 3rd step of the scientific method?

A

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

88
Q

What is the 4th step of the scientific method?

A

Test the hypothesis with an experiment

89
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 the results

90
Q

What is the 5th step of the scientific method?

A

Report your findings to others

91
Q

What is the 6th step of the scientific method?

A

Replicate the experiment and see if there is much variation between the two

92
Q

If a hypothesis is widely accepted, it becomes a __________.

A

theory

93
Q

If a theory is widely accepted and can be applied universally with no exceptions, it becomes a __________ _______.

A

universal law

94
Q

The First Law of Thermodynamics is an example of what?

A

a universal law

95
Q

What is the First Law of Thermodynamics?

A

energy can’t be created nor destroyed, it can only change forms

96
Q

1 hectare = ____ acre(s)

A

2.47

97
Q

What is the experimental variable in an experiment?

A

the value being manipulated

98
Q

When can a scientific experiment gain significance?

A

when it is repeated over and over again with similar or the same results

99
Q

What is the control group in a scientific experiment?

A

the group the experimental variable is being compared to, the value that is not changed

100
Q

To have a scientifically sound study, what is needed?

A

a large enough sample size

101
Q

What type of relationship do the manipulation and result need in an experiment?

A

a cause–and–effect relationship

102
Q

Will a simple correlation between the manipulation and the result in an experiment suffice?

A

No, they must have a direct relationship

103
Q

The saying “A butterfly stirring the air in Beijing can affect weather patterns in New York a month

A
104
Q

The saying ‘A butterfly stirring the air in Beijing can affect weather patterns in New York a month later’ describes what?

A

the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems

105
Q

What is the study of the environment?

A

the study of its systems

106
Q

In practice, systems are defined by whom?

A

the people looking at them

107
Q

What are the interactions of systems and components within systems called?

A

system dynamics

108
Q

What do environmental systems involve?

A

the exchange of matter/materials and energy

109
Q

What is the most important material in environmental systems?

A

water

110
Q

Where does all energy in environmental systems ultimately come from?

A

the Sun

111
Q

A system can be one of which 2 states?

A

a system can be either open or closed

112
Q

What is an open system?

A

A system where the exchange of matter or energy occurs

113
Q

What is a closed system?

A

A system where the exchange of matter or energy doesn’t occur

114
Q

Is the Earth system open or closed with respect to energy?

A

It is open because solar energy enters and heat energy exits

115
Q

Is the Earth system open or closed with respect to matter?

A

It is closed because nothing ever leaves or enters Earth, except for the occasional spacecraft or meteor

116
Q

Is the ocean open or closed with respect to matter?

A

Open, because sediments and nutrients enter through streams and water exits through evaporation

117
Q

Is the ocean open or closed with respect to energy?

A

Open, because solar energy enters and energy from the ocean is transferred to other systems

118
Q

What non–scientific, human areas affect environmental systems?

A
  1. Economics
  2. Social structures and institutions, including various levels of government
  3. Laws
  4. Policy
  5. Environmental advocacy and action
119
Q

What is a system analysis?

A

an analysis on what goes in, comes out, and what has changed in a system

120
Q

An analysis done on a checking account is very similar to what?

A

a system analysis

121
Q

In a checking account, what is the sum of money you start with called?

A

your balance

122
Q

What do system analysts call the starting value of what they’re analyzing?

A

a pool

123
Q

Depositing money into a checking account is called a(n) ______.

A

input

124
Q

What are amounts added to a system called?

A

inputs

125
Q

What are amounts taken out from a system called?

A

outputs

126
Q

Money that is taken away from a checking account is called what?

A

outputs

127
Q

How do you determine your checkbook balance?

A

You start from the beginning and add inputs and subtract the outputs

128
Q

What is a change in pool called?

A

a flux

129
Q

What is a flux rate?

A

a flow per unit of time

130
Q

What is a mass balance analysis?

A

an accounting of inputs and outputs to determine fluxes in a system

131
Q

What is the formula for net flux?

A

Net Flux = Inputs – Outputs

132
Q

What is the most important aspect of conducting an analysis?

A

Finding out if your system is in steady state

133
Q

What is steady state?

A

When a system is in balance and the input equals the output

134
Q

What is the net flux of a system in steady state?

A

Net Flux = 0

135
Q

What is the first step of finding out whether your system is in steady state?

A

Find the size of the pool

136
Q

What are the 2 ways to measure a pool?

A

Directly and estimation

137
Q

When do you measure a pool directly?

A

When the pool is a size that can be easily measured or has an exact way of measuring it

138
Q

When do you estimate the size of a pool?

A

When the pool is very large or doesn’t have an exact way of measuring it

139
Q

How would you measure the size of a large or immobile pool?

A

Through estimation

140
Q

How would you measure the size of a bucket?

A

Directly

141
Q

How would you measure a flock of birds?

A

through estimation

142
Q

How would you measure an ocean?

A

through estimation

143
Q

What is the 2nd step of finding out if a system is steady state?

A

calculating the net flux

144
Q

If a bucket of water has a pool size of 10L and water is flowing in at 1L/min and leaving at 1L/min, what is the Net Flux?

A

Net Flux = 0
Input = 1, output = 1
1–1=0

145
Q

Is the water in the atmosphere at steady state?

A

Yes, because the amount that enters through evaporation is roughly the same as the amount that exits through precipitation

146
Q

Are the oceans at steady state?

A

Yes, the water that exits through evaporation is roughly the same as the amount that enters through rivers and streams

147
Q

Why would a community ban watering lawns and washing cars?

A

because their water supply is not at steady state, more is being taken away than can be replenished

148
Q

Is a resource that is decreasing in size being used in a sustainable way?

A

No

149
Q

Can one part of a system be in steady state while the other isn’t?

A

Yes

150
Q

Is CO2 in the atmosphere at steady state?

A

No

151
Q

Is the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increasing or decreasing?

A

it is slowly increasing

152
Q

What may you want to know if a system is not in steady state?

A

the rate it is accumulating or depleting material

153
Q

Is a resource that is decreasing in size being used in a sustainable way?

A

No

Example sentence: If the fish population in a lake is decreasing, it is not being used in a sustainable way.

154
Q

Is the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increasing or decreasing?

A

It is slowly increasing

155
Q

What may you want to know if a system is not in steady state?

A

The rate it is accumulating or depleting material

156
Q

What formula can you use to calculate accumulation or depletion rates?

A

The net flux formula:
Net Flux = Inputs – Outputs

157
Q

Any change in simple systems involves what?

A

Simply increasing or decreasing inputs or outputs

158
Q

For more complex environmental systems, what are the important factors?

A

The mechanisms that regulate the inputs and outputs

159
Q

In regulatory systems, what does a change in the system lead to?

A

It either leads to further change or returns the system to or closer to its original state

160
Q

If you notice your checkbook balance (pool) is decreasing, what might you do to combat this?

A

You may spend less money or work more hours

161
Q

What are changes in behavior in response to certain events?

A

Feedbacks

162
Q

What is a negative feedback loop?

A

When the feedback returns the system variable back to the starting point

163
Q

What is a positive feedback loop?

A

When the feedback moves the system variable farther away from the stable point

Example sentence: Melting ice caps leading to more ice melting is an example of a positive feedback loop.

164
Q

What can a positive feedback loop be called?

A

A vicious cycle

165
Q

Balancing your checkbook is an example of what type of feedback loop?

A

A negative feedback loop

166
Q

A gambler gambling his life savings away is an example of what type of feedback loop?

A

A positive feedback loop

167
Q

What type of feedback loop is Earth’s heating system?

A

A positive feedback loop and a negative feedback loop

168
Q

How is Earth’s heating system a positive feedback loop?

A

Because warmer temperatures lead to greater evaporation and additional moisture in the atmosphere enhances heat–trapping gases, make Earth warmer, going in a cycle

169
Q

How can Earth’s heating system be a negative feedback loop?

A

More evaporation leads to more cloud cover, which reflects sunlight and could lead to lower temperatures

170
Q

Is the sum of all the loops in Earth’s testing system result in an increase or decrease in temperature?

A

It is unknown

171
Q

What is the balance in many environmental systems dependent on?

A

The smooth operation of feedback loops

172
Q

What occurs when the negative feedback loop in a system breaks down?

A

The environmental system gets sent away from its set point

173
Q

What is a set point in a system?

A

The stable value for a parameter under examination

174
Q

What is the final systems dynamics concept to consider?

A

The time between when a signal is generated and when it is received

175
Q

What is an overshoot?

A

Exceeding the set point of a system

176
Q

When a population’s birth rate is high, can the factors controlling compensate fast enough?

A

No

177
Q

Disease and reduced fertility are two examples of what?

A

Factors that control a population’s birth rate

178
Q

What is a carrying capacity?

A

The number of individuals that can be supported by their environment

179
Q

What is usually the result of an overshoot in population?

A

A dramatic population crash from disease or starvation

180
Q

What is a population?

A

A group of individuals of a single species

181
Q

What is a population controlled by?

A

2 inputs and 2 outputs

182
Q

What are the inputs in the size of a population?

A

Birth and immigration

183
Q

What are the outputs in the size of a population?

A

Death and emigration

184
Q

What is immigration?

A

People moving into an area

185
Q

What is emigration?

A

People moving out of an area

186
Q

What is the formula for net population change?

A

Net Population Change = Input – Output

187
Q

What is the formula for input regarding population size?

A

Input = Births + Immigration

188
Q

What is the formula for output regarding population size?

A

Output = Deaths + Emigration

189
Q

In general, population change is more affected by which two factors as these outweigh the other factors?

A

Deaths and Births

190
Q

True or False: Scientists find it easy to estimate birth rates.

A

True

191
Q

What is the real challenge involving the size of a population and population change?

A

Determining how the inputs and outputs are regulated

192
Q

What 2 factors usually regulate birth and death rates?

A

Various feedbacks, by abiotic and biotic components

193
Q

How does less food affect a population?

A

It means less energy for females to put into reproduction, causing fewer births

194
Q

In more complex systems, what may a population be regulated by?

A

The size of another

195
Q

In predator–prey systems, the amount of predation will _____________ as the number of prey increases.

A

Increase

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