Download Fisherperson - Lindbergh School District

Name _____________________________
APES
UNIT I: Environmental Issues, Their
Causes and Sustainability
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 23
Mr. Marquart
2015-2016
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Chapter 1, 23 -Studying the State of Our Earth
Objectives
1. Define the field of environmental science and discuss its importance
2. Identify ways in which humans have altered and continue to alter our environment
3. Describe key environmental indicators that help us evaluate the health of our planet
4. Define sustainability and explain how it can be measured using the ecological footprint
5. Explain how the scientific method is used to study environmental problems
6. Describe some of the unique challenges and limitations of environmental science.
I. Studying the environment

Environmental Studies:

Case Study: The Fish Kill Mystery (Article, Q’s and discussion)

How are planet’s life support services being degraded by human induced changes?

Ecosystem Services:

Environmental Indicators

Sustainability: living in such a way that resource use does not deprive future generations of that resource;
finding alternatives and protecting capacity of environment to continue to supply resources.

Stewardship: management of resources to ensure the ability of future generations to thrive; the ability of
the earth’s natural systems to adapt to changing environmental conditions into the very long-term future.

Three principles of sustainability
1) Reliance on solar energy: warms the planet, provides energy for photosynthesis, powers indirect forms of
solar energy such as wind and flowing water.
2) Biodiversity: variety of organisms, natural systems in which they exist and interact, the services these
organisms provide, and the ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
3) Chemical cycling: circulation of chemicals from environment-organism-environment
 Resources
Examples: defined by how quickly we can use them up or how well nature can replenish them after we use
them.
Perpetual:
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Potentially renewable: takes several days to several hundred years to be replenished through natural processes.
Soil, forests, freshwater, fish populations, fresh air. Highest rate at which they can be used is sustainable yield.
_______________________: Exist in a fixed quantity in earth’s crust; exhaustible. Geologic processes create
these resources on a time scale of millions to billions of years. Fossil fuels, metallic mineral resources, nonmetallic mineral resources.
II. Measuring Human Impact on the Environment
Ecological Footprint: a measure of how much a person consumes, expressed in are of land (often hectares/person
or number of planets / amount of biologically productive land and water needed to provide the people in a
particular country or area with an indefinite supply of renewable resources and to absorb and recycle wastes and
pollution associated with resource use.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimated that global ecol footprint exceeded earth’s biological capacity by
30%; we need 1.3 planets

William Rees and Mathis Wakernagel (developers of footprint model) estimate it would take 5 more planet
Earths for the rest of the world to reach current U. S. levels of renewable resource consumption.
I = PxAxT
In most less-developed countries key factors are population and degradation of resources
In more-developed countries it is over consumption
___________________________________: Overexploiting Shared Renewable Resources
Private property: individuals or companies own rights to land, minerals or other resources
Common property: rights to certain resources are held by large groups or individuals
Open-access renewable resources: owned by no one and available for use by anyone at little or no charge.
Garrett Hardin 1968 outlined the misuse of open-access resources
Solutions: 1) use resource at a rate well below sustainable yield or 2) convert to private ownership

Living in an Exponential Age
Linear Vs. Exponential Growth
Linear3
Exponential-Quantity increases by a fixed percent of whole in a given time-increase is proportional to what is
already there.
Doubling time and the Rule of 70.
To find doubling time of a quantity growing at a given annual percentage rate, divide percentage into 70.
Examples:
$100 invested at a rate of 5% = doubling time
70/ 5% = 20 year double time
Population of 1 million growing at a rate of 3% =
70/ 3% = 23.3
___ DT
To get annual growth rate, divide 70 by doubling time
Oil consumption doubles every 50 years =
70/50-1.4%
rate of growth
Percent Change
Percent Change-increase or decrease-can be calculated using the following formula:
Change in Quantity X 100%
Original Quantity
Example: You consumed 800 gallons of gas in 2006 and 1200 gallons in 2007. What is the percent of increase in
your gasoline consumption?
If gasoline is $3.00/gallon how much more did you spend on gas?
Example: A deer population goes from 1000-3000- what is the percent change?
Scientific Notation and Dimensional Analysis
The study of Environmental Science involves analysis of data, and making conclusions about environmental impact
based on calculations with that data. You will NOT be allowed to use calculators on unit problems, tests, or the
national exam and should practice using scientific notation and utilizing dimensional analysis to convert units.
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Example: Your car gets 20 mpg and you drive 40,000 miles. How many gallons of gas have you burned?
4 x 104 miles
1 gallon
= 4 x 104
=
2 x 103 gallons
1
2.0 x 10 miles
2 x 10
OR 2000 gallons
III. The Scientific Method

Experimental Design: Experimental Group, Control Group, Variables, Sample Size, Repeated Trials

________________________________: a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proven wrong

Inductive Reasoning: making general statements from specific facts or examples.

Deductive Reasoning: applying a general statement to specific facts or situations

HHMI: Earth History

Environmental Science Presents Unique Challenges
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II. All Environmental Systems (continued)

Organic : Covalently bonded molecules.
Have carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds. May contain oxygen and other elements.
Examples:

Inorganic: Ionic Compounds. Do not contain carbon or have carbon bound to other elements than
hydrogen (CO2), NaCl, NH3, H2O
III. Acids, Bases and pH

Acid: H+ ion donator; contributes H+ ion to solution

Base: OH-ion donator; accepts H+ ion

pH: Indicates strength of acids and bases; logarithmic
IV. Energy is a Fundamental Component of Environmental Systems




Energy:
Power: The rate at which work is done
Potential Energy: Energy that is stored but has not yet been released.
Kinetic:
Example: Water behind a dam has potential energy; when it is released and flows downstream where it
can turn a turbine it is kinetic.
Potential energy stored in chemical bonds is chemical energy; Captain Crunch!
Ultimately most energy derived from the sun, which emits electromagnetic radiation.

First Law of Thermodynamics:

Second Law of Thermodynamics: when energy is transformed, the quantity remains the same but it is
of lower quality
Example: When converting from electrical to light energy some energy is converted to low quality heat

Energy Efficiency: ratio of the amount of work that is done to the total energy input. Example: an
incandescent and compact fluorescent both produce 100 watts of light but the incandescent used more
electricity; it is less efficient.

Energy Quality: the ease at which an energy source can be used for work. Example: coal vs wood for
running a car.
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Heat Transfer:
______________: lighter molecules rise, heavy ones sink to bottom. Heat is transferred through gas and liquid
_____________________: Vibrating molecules collide with others and heat is transferred from one substance
to another that are in direct contact.
_________________: Electromagnetic waves travel through air; when they collide with an object heat is
transferred
V. Systems Analysis: Flow of Matter and Energy in the Environment

Inputs/Outputs: Salt content of Mono Lake

Open System/Closed System

Feedback Loop: results of a process feed back into the system to change the rate of that process.

Negative Feedback: a system responds to a change by returning to its original state or decreasing the
rate at which change is occurring; resists change

Positive: Causes the system to change further in same direction; amplifies a change

Natural OR Anthropogenic factors lead to a breakdown in a negative feedback loop and drive an
environmental system away from its steady state.

Time Delays

Synergy

Unintended Results of Human Activity-you never do just one thing!
Positive and Negative Feedback Loop
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Chapter 20: Sustainability, Economics and Equity
Objectives
1.Discuss sustainability in a variety of environmental contexts including human well being
2. Give example of economic tools to solve environmental problems.
3. Define GDP and evaluate ways in which the use of economic analysis can do a better fob of
including the costs of activities on the environment (internal and external costs)
4. Understand the role global and US agencies, laws and regulations in protecting natural and human
capital.
Case Study
Assembly Plants, Free Trade and Sustainable Systems: Maquiladoras in Mexico
? What is a Maquiladora
? Why are they located in Mexico
?What are problems that arise from the location of the Maquiladora
? What is the goal of environmental regulation
I. Sustainability the goal of sound environmental science and policy
 Economics: examines how humans either as individuals or companies allocate resources in
production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

Supply, Demand and the Market
A market occurs wherever people engage in trade. In a market economy, the cost of the good
is determined by supply and demand.

Capital: Natural, Manufactured, Human
Business has no obligation other than to make a profit for owners or investors; economic
decisions are driven by supply and price.
Markets typically do not take cost of production into account: externalities/external costs
Internal costs
The Lorax: Research an organization that working towards land conservation. Name the
organization and briefly describe its actions.


A manufacturer will supply a certain number of units of an item based on the revenue that will
be created. A consumer will demand a certain number of units of that item based on the price
paid. The intersection determines the market equilibrium

Supply and Demand with Externalities
When the cost of emitting pollutants is included in the price of a good the price increases,
causing a shift in the supply curve and a new equilibrium.
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Marginal Cost / Marginal Benefit
Cost is how much it costs producer to produce one more unit: Coal mining-initially cheap to get easy
coal but each additional unit of coal is more expensive to get-cost goes up with each additional unit of
coal taken. Benefit from the consumer end-what are we willing to give up to get that one additional
piece of good-what is the benefit of that hard to get coal if enviro clean up becomes more costly and
difficult?
II. Sustainable Economic Systems: Economic Tools to Deal with Environmental Problems
 GDP:


GPI (Genuine progress indicator) a value that assesses environmental costs
Full Cost Pricing: Internalizing the External Costs
Human Health Effects of Climate Change-NPR

Eco-Labeling:

Green Taxes-Effluent Fees: tax pollution and waste instead of wages and profits

Subsidy Shift/remove subsidies that encourage excessive use of fossil fuels, water etc

Provide tax deductions/rebates implementation or use of renewables/conservation measures (electric
car, low flow toilet, thermal-pane window)

Tradable Pollution Rights: Cap and Trade

Post a Pollution Bond

Green Jobs

Provide Research grants to develop technologies that foster sustainable resource use.

Microlending
http://www.kiva.org/
III. The Role of Government in Environmental Management

Environmental Worldviews: how you think the world works, how you view your role in it and what your
believe to be proper environmental behavior.
________________________: human-centered, considers that human beings have intrinsic value and
nature should provide for our needs.
_______________: life-centered, says humans are just one of many species on Earth, all of which
have equal value.
___________________: Earth-centered, places equal value on all living organisms and the
ecosystems in which they live, and it demands that we consider nature free of any associations with our
own existence.

How is Environmental Policy Made?
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Function of a democratic government is to develop and implement policies for dealing with issues.
Policy is composed of laws, regulations and funding.
Lobbying:
Data from U. S. Senate Office of Public Records shows that in 2009 more than 13,7– registered
corporate lobbyists spent $3.5 billion on efforts to influence 538 members of congress –an average of
6.5 million per member.
Corporations are the source of billions of dollars used to finance election campaigns.

Role of Citizen Environmental Groups
World Agencies: UN, UNEP, World Bank, WHO
NGOs-nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations: WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club,
Greenpeace, Natural Resources Defense Council, Conservation International, International Rivers
United States Agencies:
Global Environmental Security: research shows a strong correlation between growing scarcities of
resources such as cropland, water, forests and the spread of civil unrest. Many failing states become
training grounds for terrorists and drug producers and create environmental refugees. Environmental
security should be a major focus of diplomacy, policy and aid. Create a World Environmental
Organization.
Environmental History: A Brief Overviews
I.
Summary of Environmental History: Supplement 6
 Tribal Era: Native Americans that occupied North America for 13,000 years before European
settlers arrived in early 1600’s. Hunter-gatherers.
 Frontier Era: 1607-1890. Frontier environmental world view-they saw continent as seemingly
inexhaustible wilderness to be conquered and managed.
 Early Conservation Era: 1832-1870. Overlapped frontier era. Some people became alarmed
at the scope of resource depletion and degradation and argued for protected public lands
 1870-present: increased role of government and private citizens in resource conservation,
public health and environmental protection
 Early conservationists: Henry David Thoreau

John Muir-Sierra Club

Teddy Roosevelt-President gets power to designate public lands

CCC

Soil Conservation Act

Aldo Leopold-Sand County Almanac and The Land Ethic
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
Rachel Carson-Silent Spring: CBS This Morning

1970’s-The Environmental Decade/Earth Day

1980’s: Environmental Backlash

1990-2010: Opposition to Enviro Laws and grassroots environmental
organizations
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This lab requires a formal lab report. Follow the APES Formal Lab Report guidelines carefully.
Introduction:
Why do people fertilize plants? Does it really make a difference in the growth of the plant? Does it make
flowers bloom more rapidly or vegetable plants more productive? The answers to these questions are all within
the realm of science because they are testable by controlled experiments, observations, and data gathering.
Possible Questions:
●
●
●
●
Do seeds germinate faster if fertilizer is applied?
Do more seeds germinate when fertilizer is applied?
Do different strengths of fertilizer cause different rates of growth in plants?
Do stems, roots, or leaves grow faster or bigger if fertilizer has been applied?
Hypothesis:
Make a group decision about which of the above questions you will test or make up a different question.
Finally, form a testable hypothesis about the questions. Form a null hypothesis (H0) for your experiment,
something to the effect that fertilizer will have no effect on plant germination/growth/etc. If you can reasonably
show that this is not the case, then fertilizer must have an effect on plant germination/growth/etc. The alternate
hypothesis (HA) should be something to to effect that fertilizer does have an effect on plant
germination/growth/etc. With your data, you should be able to find out if fertilizer has a positive or negative
effect on your plants.
It is also important to note that you will never be able to prove or disprove your hypothesis. You will only be
able to say that the data supports or does not support your hypothesis.
Plan the Experiment:
Use your lab report handout as a guide.
1. Write your experimental plan (Methods in your lab report) in the form of a numbered list. You should
also list the materials you will need. First, list your materials. Then, list the details of your procedure.
Do not make Step 1: Collect Materials. Assume that your reader saw the materials list and already
collected the materials. Your first step should be what the reader needs to do with the materials.
2. Identify the conditions you will hold constant and name a single variable that you will test (your
independent variable). Decide what you are going to measure during your experiment (your dependent
variable) and how you will know if your data supports your hypothesis.
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Check the Plan:
Review the “Scientific Method” to make sure that you have included all pertinent steps. Some things to keep in
mind:
1. Does your plan test only one variable, such as the amount of fertilizer added?
2. Have you determined how many seeds or plants you will use in each group and which dependent
variable you will measure? Also, have you decided how often you will take measurements?
3. Did you make a data table in your lab notebook that compares the observations you made on the control
and experimental groups?
Possible Materials:
You do not need to use all of these. This is just a list of what you have available to work with. If you need
something not listed here, your teacher may be able to get it for you....just ask
seeds
seed starting mix
plant seedlings
potting soil
water
seedling trays
Fertilizer
balance or scale
ruler
graduated cylinder
Conduct Experiment:
Set up your experiment and place it in a safe place where it will not be disturbed, but where you can easily
access it for data check-ups.
Write a Formal Lab Report:
Use the Lab Report Guidelines to do this. Work as a team!
You should be well on your way to writing your lab report because you should already have the materials and
methods section completed from when you planned your experiment.
Make sure you turn in your data tables and all pertinent information about this lab from your lab notebook with
your lab report and make sure to include at least 1 graph of your data.
We will have time to work on the lab report in class, so make sure you bring everything you need to write your
lab report on these days.
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Experimental Design:
Answer the following questions in your lab notebook. This will come in handy when you begin to write your lab
report.
1. State your problem.
2. State your null and alternate hypothesis.
3. List your materials.
4. What conditions will you hold constant throughout your experiment?
5. What will be your control?
6. Identify the independent and dependent variable.
7. Discuss your procedure (make a list...1).
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Ecological Footprint
Go to the following website http://www.myfootprint.org/
Complete the Ecological Footprint Activity. Record scores and answer the questions below. Remain
on the footprint page while you complete the entire worksheet.
My Score
Country Average
Carbon Footprint
Food Footprint
Housing Footprint
Goods/Services Footprint
Number of Planets
Answer the questions that follow. The link below provides a useful tool
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/
1. What are you measuring when you assessed your ecological footprint?
2. What are carbon offsets?
3. Which “Top Action” do you feel is most important? Why?
4. Go to Reduce Your Footprint-select one are you would like to work on this year-describe your goal.
5. What do you think it means to live sustainably?
6. How does the ecological footprint of someone in a developed country compare to that of someone
in a developing country? Explain.
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APES
TRADGEDY OF THE COMMONS
OBJECTIVE: Harvest as many fish as you can without destroying the ocean.
PROCEDURE:
 Groups of 4 sit around the “ocean” which is a plastic bowl
 Each group starts with 24 fish / 6 of each species
 Each fish has the following current market value:
Peanut M&M’s = $10.00
Gold Fish Crackers = $5.00
Regular M&M’s = $7.00
Raisins = $ 2.00
 Each student fishes by sucking up a fish with a straw. Hands cannot be used during the fishing
process-keep them behind your back.
 Each student must catch at least one fish per season in order to stay in business; it is up to each
student to decide how many, beyond the required one fish will be harvested.
 There are four fishing seasons. Each person gets to fish for 15 seconds per season; you should
rotate your fishing order every year so that everyone has a chance to go first. Record salary for
each fishing season in the chart below.
 The fish in your ocean will reproduce after each season. In order to reproduce there must be at
least two of a species; there is a maximum of 24 total fish, which is the carrying capacity of the
ocean).
 When your group runs out of fish the game is over for you.
 A bonus will be given to the student in each group who has accumulated the most wealth at the end
of the simulation
DATA:
FISHING SEASON
Fisherperson
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Total Income
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QUESTIONS:
1. Did anyone in your group take too many fish? How did that make you feel? Did everyone try to take as
many as possible? Why or why not? Does society reward those with the most?
2. Did anyone sacrifice the # of fish, for the good of the community? Why or why not? Does society ever
reward that type of person?
3. Did your group discuss your actions and strategies before each harvest? If so, briefly relate the discussion.
Did each member carry out the plan that was discussed?
4. Is it possible to maximize the number of fish caught/person and the number of fish remaining in the ocean
at the same time? Why or why not?
5. Consider the bathrooms here at school to be a “commons” Do similar situations arise? Explain.
6. Using your Chapter 1 of the text as a reference, define the term “commons”.
7. What is the “Tragedy of the Commons”? Who coined the term?
8. Give another example of a global commons and explain how it might apply to the concept being discussed
here. What can people do to use these resources most wisely?
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