Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

ESS > Unit 1 Foundations of ESS > Flashcards

Unit 1 Foundations of ESS Flashcards

1
Q

What is an Environmental Value System (EVS)?

A

EVS is a worldview or paradigm that shapes how individuals or groups perceive and evaluate environmental issues.

It’s influenced by education, experience, culture, and media, leading to consistent decisions and evaluations.

Philosophies are ecocentrism, anthropocentrism and technocentrism. (also cornucopians and deep ecologists as extreme parts of the spectrum)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Ecocentrism

A

perspective that recognizes the intrinsic value of all components of ecosystems, advocating for decisions that respect and maintain the balance of natural systems alongside human interests. BIORIGHTS

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Anthropocentric

A

viewpoint that places humans at the center of consideration, valuing human life and interests above those of other species and the natural environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Categories of Environmental Value Systems

A

There are three general categories: Ecocentric (nature-centered), Anthropocentric (human-centered), and Technocentric (technology-based).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Technocentric

A
  • technological developments
    can provide solutions to environmental problems.
  • Scientific research is encouraged to understand how systems can be controlled, manipulated or changed to solve resource depletion.
  • Economic growth is first on the
    agenda.
  • Extreme technocentrists are called
    cornucopians
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Gulf of Mexico oil spill

A

Deepwater Horizon oil spill
- occurred on April 20, 2010.
- Location: Gulf of Mexico
- Explosion on the rig led to millions of barrels of oil.
- spill lasted for 87 days until it was capped on July 15, 2010.
- significant damage to marine and wildlife habitats, and the Gulf’s fishing and tourism industries.
- Led to new safety and environmental regulations for offshore drilling.
- Economic Impact affected thousands of Gulf Coast residents and businesses, leading to compensation and lawsuits.
- Raised global awareness about the risks of offshore drilling and the need for sustainable energy sources.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Earth Day

A
  • Celebrated annually on April 22.
  • Initiated by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, USA.
  • raise public awareness about environmental issues such as pollution, deforestation, and endangered species.
  • Engages more than 1 billion people in over 190 countries, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
  • Includes planting trees, cleaning up litter, recycling programs, and educational events on environmental protection.
  • Each year features a specific theme to address current environmental concerns.
  • Has led to significant environmental policy changes and the passage of landmark environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act in the United States.
  • has expanded to include digital campaigns to reach a wider audience and encourage global action.
  • played a crucial role in uniting people from all walks of life in a shared commitment to protect the planet
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is a System?

A

A system is a set of interrelated parts working together to form a complex whole. It can be open, closed, or isolated.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Types of systems

A
  1. Open systems
    EXCHANGE OF ENERGY with its surroundings: YES
    EXCHANGE OF MATTER with its
    surroundings: YES
    - Living organism
  2. Closed systems
    EXCHANGE OF ENERGY with its surroundings: YES
    EXCHANGE OF MATTER with its
    surroundings: NO
    - Water cycle
  3. Isolated systems
    EXCHANGE OF ENERGY with its surroundings: NO
    EXCHANGE OF MATTER with its
    surroundings: NO
    - Universe?
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Components of a system

A
  • storages (box)
  • flows (arrows), inputs (in) and outputs (out)
  • foundries (lines)
  • processes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is energy?

A

The ability to do work

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

First law of thermodynamics

A

Energy is not created or destroyed it is transformed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Second law of thermodynamics

A

The entropy of a system increases overtime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Ecological Footprint

A

model (and an indicator) used to estimates the demands that human populations place on the environment.

Area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a given population.

If greater than the area available to the population, this is an indication of unsustainability.

1.Carbon uptake

2.Grazing land

3.Forest

4.Fishing grounds

5.Cropland

6.Built-up land

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Transfers

A

when energy or matter flows and changes location but does not change its state.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Transformations

A

when energy or matter flows and changes its state.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Models of systems

A

simplified version of reality and can be
used to understand how a system works and to predict how it will respond to change.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Models evaluation

A

Strengths
- simplify context to predict what will happen if changes
- no waiting long time
- allow results to be shown to the public

Limitations
- impossible to take all variables into account
- different models, show different effects using the same data
- complex models are oversimplified, loss of accuracy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Equilibrium

A

tendency of a system to return
to an original state following disturbance.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Static equilibrium

A

type of equilibrium in which there are no
changes over time because there are no inputs to and outputs from the system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Steady state equilibrium

A

characteristic of open systems where the
are continuos inputs and outputs of energy and matter, but the system as a whole remains in a more-or-less constant state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Stable and unstable equilibria

A

stable equilibrium: state in which a system that is disturbed returns to its former position

unstable equilibrium: state of equilibrium in which a small disturbance produces a large change a a new and different equilibrium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Positive feedbacks

A
  • change a system to a new state away from equilibrium
  • destabilizing as they increase change
24
Q

Feedback systems

A

Natural systems are able to regulate themselves through feedback systems,

25
Q

Negative feedbacks

A
  • stabilize the system
  • eliminate any deviation from the original state (preferred conditions)
26
Q

Example of a negative feedback

A

A thermostat in a central heating system is a device that can sense the temperature. It switches a heating system on when the
temperature decreases to a predetermined level, and off when it rises to another warmer temperature. So a room or a building can be maintained within narrow limits of temperature

26
Q

Examples of positive feedbacks

A

Lost on a high snowy mountain. When your body senses that is cooling below 37 degrees, various mechanisms such as shivering help to raise your body core temperature again. But if these are insufficient to restore normal body temperature, your metabolic processes start to slow down, because the enzymes that control them do not work so well at lower temperatures. As a result you become lethargic and sleepy and move around less and less, allowing your body to cool even further. Unless you are rescued at this point, your body will reach a new equilibrium: you will die of hypothermia.

27
Q

PERMAFROST

A

ground that remains completely frozen for at least two years straight.

28
Q

Albedo

A

measure of how much light that hits a surface is reflected without being absorbed

white reflects most of the light that hits it and has a high albedo
dark absorbs most of the light that hits it, indicating a low albedo.

29
Q

Resilience

A

ability of a system to return to its initial state after a disturbance

30
Q

tipping point

A

critical threshold when even a small change can have dramatic effects and cause a disproportionately large response in the overall system.

31
Q

Examples of tipping points

A
  1. Lake eutrophication
  2. Extinction of a keystone species
  3. Coral reef death
32
Q

Sustainability

A

use and management of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystems affected by their extraction and use.

33
Q

How can we measure sustainability?

A

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT (EF)

34
Q

Ecological Footprint

A

model (and an indicator) used to estimate
the demands that human populations place on the environment.

area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a
given population.
If the EF is greater than the area available to the population, this is an indication of un sustainability.

measured in global hectares

35
Q

Factor the EF considers

A
  1. Carbon uptake: amount of forest land that could sequester C02 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels
  2. Grazing land: The amount of grazing land used to raise livestock for meat, dairy and wool products.
  3. Forest: amount of forest required to supply wood products
  4. Fishing ground: estimated primary production required to support the fish and seafood caught.
  5. Cropland: amount of land used to grow crops for food an fibre for human consumption as well as for animal feed
  6. Built-up land: The amount of land covered by human infrastructure, including transportation, housing and industrial structures.
36
Q

Bio capacity

A

ecosystems’ capacity to produce biological materials used by people and to absorb waste material generated by humans,
under current management schemes and extraction technologies.

37
Q

Biocapacity reserve

A

When biocapacity is larger than the ecological footprint,

38
Q

Biocapacity deficit

A

When biocapacity is smaller than ecological footprint

39
Q

Earth Overshoot Day

A

marks date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.

40
Q

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A

report prepared before any development
project, for example to convert a forest into a golf course or to build a new wind farm.

41
Q

Seven Key steps of EIA process

A
  1. Screening: is an EIA required? What level of detail is required?
  2. Scoping: Baseline study? How are things
    now?
  3. Impact analysis: environmental, social and economic impacts of the project
  4. Impact management and mitigation
    strategies
  5. The EIA report
  6. Decision: Yes? No?
  7. Monitoring
41
Q

Weaknesses of EIAs

A
  • no clear definition of the system boundaries
  • different countries have different standards, difficult to make comparisons
  • corruption can undermine the original purpose of EIAs
  • often treated as a separate process and not integrated into the project cycle
  • lack of monitoring and inconsistent application of established mitigation strategies
  • Most EIAs do not include indirect impacts, that are more difficult to identify
42
Q

What is pollution?

A

introduction of substances or energy into the environment, resulting in
harmful effects to human health, living resources and ecosystems.

43
Q

Forms of pollution

A
  • organic/inorganic substances
  • Light
  • Sound
  • heat energy
  • biological agents
  • invasive species
44
Q

biological agents

A

organisms introduced to control agricultural pests which may become pests themselves

45
Q

Major sources of pollutants

A
  1. Combustion of fossil fuels
  2. Domestic waste
  3. Industrial waste
  4. Agricultural waste
46
Q

Point source pollution

A

easy to identify, comes from a single place

47
Q

Nonpoint-source pollution

A

harder to identify and harder to address, pollution that comes from many places

48
Q

Persistent organic pollutants (POP) and
biodegradable pollutants

A

POPs are resistant to breaking down and remain active in the environment for a long time.
- they bioaccumulate in
animal and human tissues
- biomagnify in food chains, causing significant harm.

Example is DDT, an insecticide used to kill malaria mosquito

49
Q

Discuss example of POP

A

DDT

  1. Discovery: Synthesized in 1874; insecticidal properties discovered in 1939 by Paul Hermann Müller, who won a Nobel Prize in 1948.
  2. WWII Use: Deployed extensively during WWII to control malaria and typhus among troops and civilians.
  3. Agricultural Use: Widely used post-WWII for agricultural pest control.
  4. Effectiveness: Highly effective at killing a broad range of insects.
  5. Persistence: Remains in the environment for months to years, with a variable half-life.
  6. Bioaccumulation: Accumulates in fatty tissues, leading to biomagnification and affecting wildlife, especially birds.
  7. Human Health Risks: Associated with potential cancer, reproductive, and developmental issues.
  8. “Silent Spring”: Rachel Carson’s 1962 book raised awareness of DDT’s environmental impacts, leading to public backlash.
  9. Ban: Banned in the U.S. in 1972 by the EPA, with many countries following suit, though some use it for malaria control.
  10. Current Use: Restricted to vector control under the Stockholm Convention; remains subject to debate over its benefits and risks.
50
Q

Biodegradable pollutants

A
  • not persist in the environment and break
    down quickly
  • may be broken down by decomposer organisms or physical processes (light, heat).
51
Q

Primary pollutants

A

pollutants emitted directly from a process.

52
Q

Secondary pollutants

A

Pollutants that undergo a variety of reactions
with other chemicals already present in the atmosphere.

53
Q

Erosion

A

The process by which natural forces move soil, rock, and other surface materials from one location to another.

ESS (29 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions