ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Wikipedia.com defines it as an interdisciplinary c. Meteorologists - dynamics or various phenomena of

academic field that integrates physical, biological and the atmosphere.
information sciences including ecology, biology, physics,
chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, d. Biologists - how plants are affected and their
oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology… relationship with the environment
Is a scientific study of the nature and how it is
affected by humanity. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
: study of changes that chemicals make in the
Objectives of Environmental Science environment, such as contamination of the environment,
Skills degradation of chemicals beneficial to the organisms, and
Awareness the transport of chemicals upon the plants and animals of
Participation the immediate environment.
Attitudes
Knowledge
a. Biologist - effects of chemically induced surroundings
The Major Components of Environmental Science to see its relationship with the plants and animals of the
environment would eventually alter their existence
1. ECOLOGY
: oikos - in the house; logos - study The Chernobyl disaster began on 26 April 1986 with the
: study of organisms and environment interacting with one explosion of the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear
another Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the
: correlation between organisms and it’s surroundings. Ukrainian SSR, close to the border with the Byelorussian
: examples: Food Chain/Web SSR, in the Soviet Union

a. Ecologists, the practitioners, who make up a part of —----

environmental scientists as well as researching the
relation between the state of the environment and 7 ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES
population of specific within the environment.
1. Nature knows best.
2. GEOSCIENCE : most essential and encompasses all the other
: geos - Earth principles.
: concern with the study of geology, soil science, : only surfaced when many of the pernicious
volcanoes, and earth’s layers as they relate to the effects of technology were recognized and thereon is the
environment birth of ecological backlash
: One natural process that needs serious attention
a. Geologist - erosion of the earth’s surface in a particular is nutrient cycling. (nutrients pass from the environment to
mountainous area. the organisms and back to the environment at the end of
organismsʼ lifeline.)
b. Geomorphologists - movement of solid particles
(sediments) 2. All forms of life are important.
c. Biologist - brunt of the study to the plants and animals : Each organism plays a fundamental role in
of the immediate environment. nature
: Since such occupational or functional position,
d. Physicists - momentum and gravitational influence that otherwise known, as niche cannot be simultaneously
may cause changes in the water and eventually loosen up occupied by more than on species, it is apparent that all
mineral particles causing the erosions. living things must be considered as invaluable in the
maintenance of homeostasis in the ecosystem.
e. Soil Scientists - make the final forecast on the flow of
water when it infiltrates the soil, loosening up the materials 3. Everything is connected to everything else.
to full capacity causing the erosion. : best exemplified by the concept of the
ecosystem.
3. ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE (In an ecosystem, all the biotic and abiotic components
: study of Earth’s Atmosphere interact with each other to make sure that the system is
: scrutinizes the relation of the Earth’s atmosphere to the extant.)
atmospheres of the other systems : may be talk of the century in local, regional, or
:includes a wide variety of scientific studies relating to global perspective.
outer space, astrology, and the earth’s atmosphere: : Whatever happens to one community may affect
meteorology, pollution, gas emission and suspended other communities. (When radiation from the Chernobyl
particulate matter accident leaked, it affected a lot of countries through the
transfer of radioactive substances by natural agents such
a. Physicist - atmospheric dissemination of a part of the as wind and water, as well as human activities like the
atmosphere. export of contaminated food. Up to this time, the effect is
still affecting the next generation organismsʼ growth and
b. Chemists - chemical existence and their relationships development.)
with the environment.
4. Everything changes. : If the environment they live in is destroyed and
: often said that the only permanent thing in this made unlivable with humans, with it, Homo sapiens will go
world is change and his evolution stops.
: This principle is engraved in all religious and
a. Linear Change - the evolution of species has brought tribal beliefs. Teachings of Christianity, Buddhism and
about higher and conglomerated types of organisms. Islam ask everyone to respect everything that has life and
the order of nature.
b. Cyclical Change - may be depicted by intervals and
the cadences in floral and faunal life stages that go with —-----
the seasons.
BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE
c. Random Change - is the killer eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, : a pathway by which a chemical substance
which brought about great temblor in many parts of Luzon moves through biotic (biosphere) and abiotic ( lithosphere,
and changes in the topography of the nearby atmosphere, and hydrosphere) compartments of Earth
surroundings. : Study.com defines it as the movement of
elements through organisms and the environment.
d. Natural Change - man's technology has affected these : periodic transfer of nutrient material between the
natural changes often to a growing, problematic extent. biotic organisms and their abiotic environment
: safeguard the limited source of raw or basic
5. Everything must go somewhere. materials in the environment
: When a piece of waste is thrown away, it
disappears temporarily from sight but it does not stop to BIO - biological organisms
exist. It ends up somewhere. GEO - geological processes
: Every particular type of waste does to the earth's CHEMICAL - chemical processes
repository should be of concern to everyone. CYCLE - series of events that are regularly repeated in
the same order
: Classification of wastes facilitates their proper
disposal and minimizes, if not prevents, the entry of toxic Producers (autotrophs) take up several basic inorganic
wastes in vital ecosystems and ensures reconversion into nutrients from their abiotic counterpart in the environment
useful forms. (these materials get transformed into the biomass of the
: Since waste are not lost permanently and even autotrophs) After which, they are utilized by the
goes back to one's own backyard in some other forms, it is heterotroph population and are eventually returned to the
vital that one becomes aware of the different types of environment with the help of the decomposers.
wastes whether they are hazardous or otherwise.
Nutrients - circulate through life and through earth time
6. Ours is a finite earth. and again
: It is better to conserve and preserve what is left
in our environment now than pay the price of agony later. WATER CYCLE (Hydrological Cycle)
: Humans’ consumerist attitude shall be changed Liquid Water Molecules -> Water Vapor -> Gaseous
and his desire to develop processes and technology would Molecules -> Clouds -> Rain
bring about recycling a great number of resources.
1. EVAPORATION
a. Renewable resources - can easily be replaced or Liquid Water Molecules transform into water vapor
replenished by natural cycles. and evaporate into the atmosphere. Excess water in
: Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and plants is released via evapotranspiration.
Hydropower Energy
2. CONDENSATION
b. Non-renewable resources - cannot replace or This excess water is also turned into gaseous
replenish by natural cycles. molecules and moved towards the atmosphere. Upon
: Fossil Fuel Oil, Coal, Nuclear, Natural Gas reaching the atmosphere, these water vapor molecules
condensed and formed into clouds.
7. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s
creation. 3. PRECIPITATION
: Of all creatures, humans are the only ones made When the clouds are heavy enough, it will
in God's image and have been given the right to have precipitate. Water is now captured by the catch basins.
dominion over all His creations. The water could end up as surface water as it flows to
: Being the most rationale, intelligent and gifted rivers and eventually to the seas and oceans.
creation, humans are capable of manipulating creation to
their own advantage. *INFILTRATION
: This creation exists and destined not to be The water could also end in the aquifer as they
ravaged or abused but to be taken care of. infiltrate the soil and transform into underground water.
: Humans cannot exist without nature but nature These steps are repeated because this is a cycle.
can exist without humans.
: They are co-natural with the environment they ECCLESIASTES 1:7
live in.
 “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; : Without this process, most plants and animals do
into the place from where the rivers come, and then they not have the nitrogen needed to live.
return again. “
a. inert form of nitrogen gas is deposited into soils
from the atmosphere and surface waters (mainly
CARBON CYCLE by precipitation)
Element Carbon b. nitrogen undergoes a set of changes, in which two
: a part of seawater, the atmosphere, rocks such nitrogen atoms get separated and combine with
as limestone and coal, soils, as well as all living things hydrogen to form ammonia (NH4+)
: able to move from one of these realms to c. completed by symbiotic bacteria which are known
another as a part of the carbon cycle as Diazotrophs - consist of a nitrogenase enzyme
Carbons moves from: which has the capability to combine gaseous
1. ATMOSPHERE TO PLANTS nitrogen with hydrogen to form ammonia
In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen (Azotobacter and Rhizobium also have major role)
in a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). Through the process
of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is pulled from the air to Types of Nitrogen Fixation
produce food made from carbon for plant growth. a. Atmospheric fixation: A natural phenomenon where
the energy of lightning breaks the nitrogen into nitrogen
2. PLANTS TO ANIMALS oxides and is then used by plants.
Through food chains, the carbon that is in plants
moves to the animals that consume/eat them. Animals that b. Industrial nitrogen fixation: a man-made alternative
eat other animals get carbon from their food too. that aids in nitrogen fixation by the use of ammonia.
Ammonia is produced by the direct combination of
3. PLANTS AND ANIMALS TO SOILS nitrogen and hydrogen and later, it is converted into
When plants and animals die, their bodies, wood various fertilizers such as urea.
and leaves decays bringing the carbon into the ground.
Some are buried and will become fossil fuels in millions c. Biological nitrogen fixation: Bacteria like Rhizobium
and millions of years. and blue-green algae transform the unusable form of
nitrogen into other compounds that are more readily
4. LIVING THINGS TO ATMOSPHERE usable. These nitrogen compounds get fixed in the soil by
Each time you exhale, you are releasing carbon these microbes.
dioxide gas (CO2) into the atmosphere. Animals and
plants need to get rid of carbon dioxide gas through a 2. NITRIFICATION
process called respiration. : Ammonia -> Nitrate -> Nitrite

5. FOSSIL FUELS TO ATMOSPHERE a. ammonia is converted into nitrate by the

When humans burn fossil fuels to power factories, presence of bacteria in the soil. Nitrites are formed by the
power plants, cars and trucks, most of the carbon quickly oxidation of Ammonia with the help of Nitrosomonas
enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas. Each year, bacterium species.
five and a half billion tons of carbon is released by burning b. the produced nitrites are converted into nitrates
fossil fuels. Of this massive amount, 3.3 billion tons stay in by Nitrobacter. This conversion is very important as
the atmosphere. Most of the remainder becomes ammonia gas is toxic for plants
dissolved in seawater.
3. ASSIMILATION
6. ATMOSPHERE TO OCEANS (Primary producers) plants take in the nitrogen
The oceans, and other bodies of water, absorb compounds from the soil with the help of their roots, which
some carbon from the atmosphere. The carbon is are available in the form of ammonia, nitrite ions, nitrate
dissolved into the water. ions or ammonium ions and are used in the formation of
the plant and animal proteins. This way, it enters the food
web when the primary consumers eat the plants.
NITROGEN CYCLE
: recirculation and reuse of nitrogen in various 4. AMMONIFICATION
forms to meet the demand for various environmental and When plants or animals die, the nitrogen present
biological activities in the organic matter is released back into the soil. The
decomposers, namely bacteria or fungi present in the soil,
Nitrogen (N2) is present in a gaseous and diatomic form; convert the organic matter back into ammonium. This
plants cannot use the nitrogen in this form so they need process of decomposition produces ammonia, which is
nitrogen fixing bacteria, lightning, root nodules, forest fire further used for other biological processes.
etc. to convert the nitrogen into nitrate compounds like
Nitric Oxide (NO), Nitrite (NO2), Nitrate (NO3) 5. DENITRIFICATION
: the process in which the nitrogen compounds
1. NITROGEN FIXATION makes their way back into the atmosphere by converting
: N2 -> ammonia nitrate (NO3-) into gaseous nitrogen (N). This process of
: conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to usable the nitrogen cycle is the final stage and occurs in the
form of ammonia absence of oxygen.
 : carried out by the denitrifying bacterial species- Nutrients are brought to the Earth but they never leave
Clostridium and Pseudomonas, which will process nitrate the planet.
to gain oxygen and give out free nitrogen gas as a
byproduct.
Much of the energy reaching Earth from the sun is
reflected back into space by the atmosphere, clouds, and
OXYGEN CYCLE the Earth's surface. Some is absorbed by the Earth to
: a circulation of oxygen in various forms through warm the planet. Less than 0.03% of the energy reaching
nature (atmosphere contains about 21% oxygen) Earth from the sun equivalent to almost a kilowatt is
captured by photosynthetic organisms, and supports life
In the oxygen cycle, the oxygen is liberated as shown by on Earth
the equation.
6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy Energy enters ecosystems through photosynthesis.
Plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria acquire
1. PLANTS nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and
phosphorus from the abiotic portions of ecosystems.
Photosynthesis - process by which plants use sunlight,
water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in Photosynthesizers bring energy and nutrients into
the form of sugar. ecosystems. Photosynthetic organisms ,capture sunlight's
6 CO2 + 12H2O+LightEnergy -> energy. Nutrients and energy contained in biological
C6H12O6+6O2+6H2O molecules move from photosynthetic organisms to non-
photosynthetic organisms
Free oxygen - may be utilized again in respiration or it
may be returned to the environment as molecular Energy, on the other hand, takes a one-way trip through
atmospheric oxygen, completing the cycle. Therefore, ecosystems.
oxygen enters organisms only through respiration and
leaves through photosynthesis. It may incorporate in water Solar energy is captured by photosynthetic organisms like
and interlink with the water cycle indirectly with the carbon bacteria, algae, and plants, and then transfers from
cycle. organism to organism. Then, all of life's energy is
converted to heat that is given off to the environment but
2. ATMOSPHERE cannot be used to drive the chemical reactions of living
organisms. Life requires a non-stop input energy.
Oxygen in the atmosphere - source of ozone (O3).
a. Producers (autotrophs) - photosynthesizing
Ozone layer - protects organisms by preventing most of organisms; make their own food (sugar-glucose) using
the ultraviolet and X-ray from reaching the earth's surface. inorganic nutrients and solar energy from the environment.

Many are still easy believers of a catastrophic ozone layer. b. Consumers (or heterotrophs) - cannot
The most recent factor affecting the oxygen cycle of the photosynthesize; acquire energy, and nutrients from
biosphere and the oxygen budget of the earth is the man molecules in the bodies of other organisms which they
himself and selfish attitudes. He doesn't care. Man have consumed.
consumes the oxygen and decreases the oxygen level
and increases the carbon dioxide level as the burn fossil *Ninety-nine percent of protozoans are non-
fuels. photosynthesizers.

ENERGY AND NUTRIENT CYCLE Energy flow through ecosystems begins with
All ecosystems consist of two components: photosynthetic organisms and passes through several
a. biotic or living components - bacteria, fungi, levels of non-photosynthetic organisms that feed on the
protists, plants and animals photosynthesizers or each other.
b. abiotic or non-living physical or chemical
aspects of the environment - such as the climate, light, Energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next
temperature, availability of water, and minerals in the soil. higher level.

Energy flow - describes the interactions between energy Levels of consumers

sources within the Earth's environment; based on the flow a. Primary consumers (herbivores) feed directly
of the energy through the ecosystem and exclusively on producers; include animals such as
grasshoppers, mice, and zebras, and form the second
Nutrient cycle - a repeated pathway of a particular trophic level.
nutrient or element from the environment through one or b. Secondary Consumers (carnivores) prey on
more organisms and back to the environment. herbivores; spiders, hawks. and salmon, make up the
higher-level consumers. Max- be higher trophic levels (like
Nutrients - atoms and molecules that organisms obtain in the oceans).
from their environment as food in their quest for survival c. Tertiary consumers (omnivores) Some
and therefore growth in population. The same nutrients carnivores eat other carnivores
may have been sustaining life on Earth from the life was
detected to be present for about 3.5 billion years.
There isn’t a perfect transfer of energy from one organism Land space on earth is getting smaller and smaller for
to another. It follows something called the ten percent human to settle.
rule. that contradicts:
Aristotle believes that Earth is alive, breathing and
Human-Environmental Interactions growing.
: interactions between the humanity or human
social system and the rest of the ecosystem Man is contemplating on sending human expedition
mars, a one-way trip to depopulate Earth and make Mars
Important Characteristics of Human Social Systems another "Earth".
Population size
Social organization POPULATION
Values : the number of living people that live together in
Technology the same place.
Wealth
Education OVERPOPULATION
Knowledge : undesirable condition where the number of
Green - indicates the waste generated as a product of this existing human population exceeds the carrying capacity
interaction. of the earth
Red - indicate the negative effect on both the environment : caused by reduced mortality rate, better
and humans if the waste is not properly managed. technology and depletion of precious resources are few of
the causes.

Disadvantages of Overpopulation:
1. deterioration in living conditions
2. consumption of natural resources is faster than
rate of regeneration
3. starvation/malnutrition
4. demand for resources by humanity increases

CARRYING CAPACITY
: maximum number of a species
The links between human activity and the environment are an environment can support indefinitely.
complex and varied, but can be grouped into two main : of the environment - the maximum population
types of activity: size of a biological species that can be sustained by that
specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and
1. use of natural resources such as land, food, water, other resources available.
soils, minerals, plants and animals
2. production of wastes from a range of activities POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
including agriculture, industry : pattern of where people live in transient and
and mining, as well as wastes from our permanent setting
own bodies.
THREE PATTERNS OF DISTRIBUTION IN
Coevolution and coadaptation POPULATION OF ORGANISMS
: describe the never-ending process of mutual
adjustment and change between human social systems 1. CLUMPED
and the environment. Peoples actions have consequences : Organisms are clustered together in groups. This
on the environment. But also the environment influences may reflect a patchy distribution of resources in the
human activities. Human social systems have to adapt to environment. This is the most common pattern of
their specific environment. population dispersion.

Storm, Tsunami, Earthquake, Volcanic Eruption - these 2. RANDOM

are some of the natural phenomena can either be directly : Organisms have an unpredictable distribution.
or not primarily anthropogenic and again affect human This is typical of species in which individuals do not
actions as people have to react to new situation. interact strongly.

3. UNIFORM
Human Interaction on the environment : product : may result from direct interaction
of human overconfidence on itself : regular form of distribution
: cause the disastrous failure and eventually : organisms are spaced evenly
extinction of humanity. : territories and resources are some of the main
factors of having uniform distribution
Demographers estimated that:
1 second = Five Babies (2 will die and 3 will keep POPULATION DENSITY
growing and multiply) : number of people living in a particular community
That's 180 babies in one minute. usually 1 square mile or 1 sq km and can be referred to as
the total population per land area
 Population growth can lead to deforestation, water
PD = Number of people/ Land Area (km2) pollution, and air pollution because more people will be
utilizing resources of the planet.
The major factors that determines population
distribution Fertility Rate - the average number of children a woman
1. Climate gives birth to.
2. Landforms
3. Topography Replacement Level - is the amount of fertility needed to
4. Soil keep the population the same from generation to
5. Energy generation. It refers to the total fertility rate that will result
6. Mineral Resources in a stable population without it increasing or decreasing.
7. Accessibility like distance from sea coast
8. Natural Harbors
9. Navigable Rivers Two Major Impacts of Human to the Environment
10. Cultural Factors 1. Consumable Resources such as Lands, Food, Water,
11. Political Boundaries Air, Fossil Fuels
12. Controls on Migration and trade 2. Mineral Waste products due to consumption such as
13. Workplace air and water pollutants, deadly materials, and greenhouse
14. Government Policies gasses.
15. Types of Business activities
16. Technology (agricultural and transportation Pollution - becoming too difficult to ignore that population
facilities) growth is the biggest threat to the environment. (Soil
17. Social Organization erosion and flooding due to climate change, Pollution due
18. Natural Increase in Migration to uncontrolled usage of fossil fuels)
One of the most environmental issues is Human
Edward Osborne Wilson Population. It is silently pushing behind global warming,
“The constraints of the biosphere are fixed” (He habitat loss, and other issues about the environment.
based his estimates on calculations of the Earth’s
available resources. There are constraints on the amount Environmental Conditions are worsen and the blame is
of food that Earth can produce. put on human activities which could deplete resources of
: an American biologist, naturalist, and writer, the environment such as air, water, soil pollution and the
sociobiologist extinction of wildlife.
: influential biologist who on numerous occasions
has been given the nicknames "The New Darwin",
"Darwin's natural heir" or "The Darwin of the 21st century".

Joel Cohen
“Nitrogen Cycle, available quantities of
phosphorus and atmospheric carbon concentrations limit
the Earth’s carrying capacity.”
: Population Biologist Columbia U.

Slowing Growth
According to UN Population Division, human population
will hit:
around 21st of October - 7 billion
2050 - 9 billion
2100 - 10 billion

UN Population projection shows that families are getting

smaller. Parents are focused on having two children and
up, in which case the children are replacing their parents.

The world’s population will be stabilized if this replacement

fizzled out. Worldwide, the fertility rate is falling to the
replacement level at an average of 2.1 children per
woman.

The human population will be stabilized between 9 to 10

billion if the global fertility rate reach the replacement level
at the end of the century.

Air pollution in China has put cancer on top of the pedestal

as the leading cause of death.