Environmental Engineering

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 8

3. What is primary productivity?

POST TEST

a. the flow of energy through an ecosystem


1. Which of the following best describes Bicol b. the cycling of nutrients through ecosystems
University's commitment to instruction, research, c. amount of biomass produced by photosynthesis
and extension? d. the regulation of population growth

a. Striving for mediocrity 4. What is sustainable development?


b. Striving for excellence
c. Striving for compliance a. development that meets the needs of the present
d. Striving for conformity without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs
2. Why is it important for Bicol University to b. the cycling of carbon between living and non-living
adhere to quality standards and regulatory systems
requirements? c. the position of an organism in a food chain
d. the study of adaptation and evolution
a. To avoid legal consequences
b. To receive government funding 5. Which of the following is a key concept in
c. To ensure the quality of education and services environmental impact assessment?
provided
d. To meet the expectations of stakeholders a. biodiversity conservation
b. nutrient cycling
3. What is the purpose of Bicol University's c. ecosystem dynamics
vision statement? d. pollution prevention

a. To guide the organization's decision-making and


strategic planning
b. To define the organization's values and principles 1. Which of the following is not a type of
c. To communicate the organization's mission to pollution environment?
stakeholders
d. To provide a roadmap for achieving the a. Water Environment
organization's objectives b. Land Environment
c. Air Environment
4. What is the main focus of Bicol University's d.Solid Environment
mission statement?
2. Which of the following is a type of water
a. To provide quality education to its students pollution?
b. To conduct relevant and impactful research
c. To contribute to the development of the region and a. Carbon monoxide
the country b. Acid rain
d. To adhere to quality standards and regulatory c. Ozone depletion
requirements d. Light pollution

5. Which of the following best describes Bicol 3. Which type of water pollution is caused by a
University's quality policy? single identifiable source?

a. A statement of the organization's commitment to a. Point source pollution


providing quality education and services b. Non-point source pollution
b. A detailed description of the organization's quality c. Thermal pollution
management system d. Ocean acidification
c. A set of procedures for ensuring the quality of
education and services provided 4. Which of the following is not a type of
d. A list of regulations and standards that the pollution environment?
organization must comply with
a. Water Environment
b. Land Environment
c. Air Environment
1. Which of the following best describes d. Solid Environment
environmental engineering?
5. Which of the following is a type of water
a. the study of living organisms and their pollution?
environment
b. the design and implementation of technologies to a. Carbon monoxide
protect the environment b. Acid rain
c. the study of biogeochemical cycles c. Ozone depletion
d. the study of ecosystems d. Light pollution

2. What is an ecosystem?

a. the study of living organisms and their


environment
b. the cycling of nutrients through ecosystems
c. the variety of living organisms in an ecosystem
d. a community of living organisms and their physical
environment
INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL Environmental Engineering
ENGINEERING ● Engineering-focused
● Prescriptive
Environmental Engineering - focuses on applying ● Solution-oriented
engineering methods and scientific principles to ● Design and implemented system
tackle environmental issues and support sustainable ● Focus on problem solving
growth. ● Typically involves engineering design

Four main key areas of environmental Importance of Environmental Science and


engineering Engineering

1. Air Pollution Control 1. Understanding natural systems


2. Identifying environmental problems
2. Water Treatment and Management 3. Developing solutions
4. Informing policy
● Water Treatment: remove contaminants from
drinking water and ensure it meets safety key contributions of environmental engineering
standards. include:
● Wastewater Treatment: design systems like
1. Developing technologies
sewage treatment plants that filter, purify, and
2. Ensuring public health
disinfect wastewater.
3. Manage natural resources
4. Promote sustainability
● Water Management: strategies for
conserving water resources, and controlling
ECOLOGY OF LIFE - looks at how plants, animals,
water
and other living things interact with each other and
their surroundings.
3. Waste Management
A. BIODIVERSITY
● Solid Waste: Involves recycling programs,
composting, to manage household and
● ECOLOGICAL SERVICES - provides a range
industrial waste sustainably.
of ecological services that are essential for
● Hazardous Waste: Special handling and maintaining healthy ecosystems.
disposal methods
● ECONOMIC BENEFITS - a source of
● Waste Minimization: also focus on reducing economic benefits, including food, medicine,
waste at the source. and other uses.

4. Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) ● CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE - providing


inspiration for art, music, and other forms of
- a process that assesses the potential cultural expression.
environmental impacts of a proposed project before it
moves forward. ● SCIENTIFIC VALUE - source of scientific
knowledge, providing insights into the
● Process: involve studying various factors evolution of life on Earth.
that could be affected by industrial
development, or other activities. Key characteristics of biodiversity

● Mitigation Strategies: propose mitigation Species Diversity


measures to lessen its environmental
footprint. - number of species in an ecosystem
- relative abundance of different species
INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE - richness of species in a given area
- diversity of functional roles and ecological
Environmental Science - interdisciplinary field that niches occupied by species
aims to understand the natural environment, its
processes, and its interactions with human activities.
Genetic Diversity
Key Areas of Environmental Science - variety of genetic material within a species
● Ecology
- distribution of genetic variation within and
● Geology
● Chemistry among populations
● Physics - adaptability of species to changing conditions
● Social Sciences - potential for evolutionary change in response
to selection pressures
Environmental Sci. vs. Environmental Eng.
Ecosystem Diversity
Environmental Science
● Interdiciplinary - variety of habitats, communities, and
● Descriptive ecosystem
● Observational - structure and function of ecosystems
● Study natural systems
- interactions between different ecosystems
● Focus on understanding
● Typically does not involve eng. design - patterns of energy flow and nutrient cycling
within ecosystems
Trophic levels - refer to the hierarchical levels of Regulating mechanisms - Predators, disease, and
feeding relationships in an ecosystem. environmental factors that regulate population growth

Primary producers Overpopulation - Negative impact of high


population density on a population
● Convert sunlight, water, &carbon dioxide into
organic compounds through photosynthesis Insufficient genetic diversity - Negative impact of
● Plants, algae, and some bacteria low population density on a population.

Primary consumers Importance of understanding ecology

● Eat primary producers 1. Conservation: Provides insights for protecting


● Herbivores ecosystems and identifying species and habitats at
risk.
Secondary consumers
2. Sustainability: Promotes sustainable resource
● Eat primary consumers use by studying ecosystem interactions.
● Carnivores that eat herbivores
3. Environmental Management: Informs policies on
Tertiary consumers land, water, and biodiversity management.

● Eat secondary consumers 4. Human Health: Helps control diseases, manage


● Carnivores that eat other carnivores water quality, and prevent pollution.

5. Agriculture: Supports sustainable farming


through understanding soil ecology and nutrient
Ecosystem dynamics - refer to constant changes cycling.
that occur in ecosystems over time. (human
activities, climate change, and natural disturbance.) 6. Climate Change: Predicts climate change
impacts on ecosystems and identifies mitigation
main characteristics of ecosystem dynamics strategies.
Succession - The process of gradual, sequential 7. Education: Builds foundational knowledge of
changes in the composition of an ecosystem over biology and ecosystem complexity.
time.
8. Resource Management: Guides sustainable
Disturbance - Any event that disrupts the normal management of fisheries, forests, and water
functioning of an ecosystem, such as a fire, flood, or resources.
human activity
9. Restoration Ecology: Aids in restoring degraded
Resilience - ability of an ecosystem to recover from ecosystems and developing recovery strategies.
a disturbance.
10. Economic Benefits: Ensures sustainable
Resistance - ability of an ecosystem to resist resource use for long-term economic benefits.
change or disturbance

Thresholds - point beyond which an ecosystem


undergoes irreversible change

Population growth and regulation - critical in


maintaining the balance of ecosystems and
preventing ecological disasters such as
overpopulation and depletion of resources.

Key points of population growth and regulation

Population growth - Increase in the number of


individuals in a population

Birth rates - Number of offspring produced per unit


time

Death rates - Number of individuals dying per unit


time

Immigration - Movement of individuals into a


population

Emigration - Movement of individuals out of a


population

Carrying capacity - Maximum number of individuals


that a particular environment can sustain over the
long term

Population density - Number of individuals of a


species in a given area or volume
Biogeochemical Cycles Key processes involved in the nitrogen cycle

● Carbon Cycle - the process by which carbon


is exchanged among the surroundings Nitrogen fixation; Atmospheric nitrogen is
converted into ammonia or nitrate by certain types of
Key elements: Carbon, Oxygen bacteria
Main Process: Photosynthesis, Respiration, Nitrification: Ammonia is converted into nitrite and
Combustion nitrate by soil bacteria

Denitrification Nitrate: is converted back into


● Nitrogen Cycle - the process by which atmospheric nitrogen by bacteria in anaerobic
nitrogen is converted into various forms that environments
can be used by living organisms.
Ammonification: Organic nitrogen is converted into
Key elements: Nitrogen, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite ammonia by bacteria and fungi during decomposition
Main Processes:Nitrogen fixation, Nitrification, of organisms.
Denitrification

● Water Cycle -process by which water is


cycled through the atmosphere, oceans, and Water cycle (hydrologic cycle) - continuous
land. process by which water circulates through the Earth's
atmosphere, oceans, and land.
Key elements: water
Main Processes:Evaporation, Precipitation, Key processes involved in the water cycle
Transpiration
Evaporation: Water changes from a liquid to a gas
● Phosphorus Cycle - process by which or vapor state due to heat energy from the sun
phosphorus is cycled through the biosphere,
geosphere, and hydrosphere. Condensation: Water vapor in the atmosphere cools
and turns back into a liquid, forming clouds
Key elements: water
Main Processes: Weathering,Erosion,Sedimentation Precipitation: Water falls from the atmosphere to
the surface of the Earth in the form of rain, snow,
hail, or sleet
Carbon cycle Transpiration: Water is absorbed by plants through
Two major components: their roots, moves through their tissues, and is
released into the atmosphere as water vapor.
● Biological carbon cycle - involves the cycling
of carbon through living organisms Infiltration: Water seeps into the ground, moving
through soil and rocks and replenishing underground
● Physical carbon cycle - cycling of carbon aquifers
through the non-living components of the
Earth system. Runoff: Water flows over the surface of the Earth,
eventually reaching rivers, akes, and oceans
Key processes involved in the carbon cycle

Photosynthesis: Plants convert CO2 and water into


organic matter using sunlight. Phosphorous cycle - essential element for life, and
it is a component of DNA, RNA, and ATP, which are
Respiration: Organisms release energy by necessary for cell growth, reproduction, and energy
converting organic matter back into CO2 and water. transfer.
Decomposition: Bacteria and fungi break down Key processes involved in phosphorous cycle
dead matter, releasing CO2.
Weathering: Breakdown of rocks and minerals
Combustion: Burning fossil fuels releases CO2 into
releases phosphorus
the atmosphere.
● Rocks and minerals
Weathering: Rocks break down, removing CO2 from
the air and depositing it in oceans. Erosion: Soil particles are transported to water
bodies
Oceanic Uptake: Oceans absorb CO2, affecting
seawater chemistry. ● Soil
Fossil Fuel Formation: Organic matter compresses Sedimentation: Phosphorus is stored in sediment at
over time to form fossil fuels. the bottom of water bodies

● Sediment at the bottom of water bodies


Nitrogen cycle - Nitrogen is essential for life as it is
Biological processes - Uptake by plants,
a key component of amino acids, proteins, and consumption by animals, decomposition by
nucleic acids. Nitrogen is also an important nutrient microorganisms
for plant growth, making it essential for agriculture.
● Plants, animals, organic matter, soil
Ecosystems Trophic efficiency

Definition and types of ecosystems ● Trophic efficiency is the percentage of energy


transferred from one trophic level to the next.
Ecosystem - a complex community of living
organisms interacting with their abiotic environment, ● It is typically around 10% due to energy loss
including the air, water, and soil around them. as heat, digestion, and other metabolic
processes.
Different types of ecosystems

Terrestrial Forest - Temperate and tropical regions


Food web
● Dominated by trees and characterized by a
high biomass, closed canopy, and diverse
1. Definition and components of food webs
understory
● A graphical representation of feeding
Grasslands - Temperate and tropical regions
relationships among species in an
● Dominated by grasses, with a few scattered ecosystem, including producers, consumers,
trees and shrubs and decomposers.

Tundra - Arctic and alpine regions Producers: Form the base of the food web, making
their own food via photosynthesis.
● Low temperatures and short growing season
limit plant growth, characterized by low-lying Consumers: Eat other organisms, classified as
vegetation and permafrost herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores.

Coral Reef - Tropical ocean waters Decomposers: Break down dead matter, recycling
nutrients back into the ecosystem.
● Formed by colonies of coral polyps and
characterized by high biodiversity and 2. Trophic levels and energy flow in food webs
complex food webs.
● Organisms are grouped by their position in
Estuary- Coastal areas where rivers meet the ocean the food chain; energy flows from producers
to higher levels but decreases at each step
● Affected by tides, mixing of salt and due to energy loss as heat.
freshwater, and high nutrient input from rivers
3. Food web dynamics and stability
Freshwater Lake - Inland regions
● Changes in species abundance or new
● Classified by nutrient levels and degree of species introduction can disrupt the web,
mixing between the surface and bottom causing cascading effects (trophic cascades)
layers that are top-down or bottom-up.

Wetlands - Low-lying areas with saturated soil Species at higher trophic levels are often more
sensitive to changes in the ecosystem than those at
● Waterlogged soil supports plants adapted to lower trophic levels.
anaerobic conditions and provides habitat for
migratory birds and other wildlife. 4. Applications and conservation of food webs

● Conservation: Understanding food webs


Energy flow and primary productivity aids ecosystem management; identifying
Energy flows keystone species and managing invasive
species are critical for conservation.
● Energy flows through ecosystems from the
sun to producers, then to consumers and Trophic cascades - a powerful ecological
decomposers. phenomenon that describe the indirect effects tha
predators have on lower trophic levels in an
● Energy is constantly lost as heat, limiting the ecosystem.
number of trophic levels in an ecosystem.
types of trophic cascades:
Primary productivity
1. Top-Down Trophic Cascades: Occur when
● Primary productivity is the rate at which predators reduce or alter the behavior of their
autotrophs produce biomass through prey, impacting the abundance or behavior of
photosynthesis. species lower in the food chain.

● It forms the base of the food chain, provides 2. Bottom-Up Trophic Cascades: Triggered by
energy for other organisms, and cycles changes in primary producers (e.g., plants,
nutrients. algae), affecting the abundance or behavior
of species at higher trophic levels.
Net primary productivity
3. Lateral Trophic Cascades: Changes in one
● NPP is the amount of organic matter
species at a particular trophic level affect
produced by autotrophs minus the energy
another species at the same level, often due
they use for respiration.
to competition for resources or prey.
● It represents the energy available to the rest
of the food chain and varies by ecosystem
type.
Trophic cascades - important for maintaining the Impact of human activities to ecosystems
balance and health of ecosystems.
● Habitat destruction and fragmentation
They help to regulate populations of species at ● Introduction of non-native species
different trophic levels and prevent any one species ● Overexploitation
from becoming dominant or causing harm to the ● Pollution
ecosystem. ● Climate change
● Land use change
Trophic Level

Water
● Apex predator
● Mid-level predator
● Herbivore
● Primary producer Water and its sources

key points

Biomes - large geographic regions that have 1. Water sources


similar climate, vegetation, and animal life. Two main sources of water:
● Surface water
They are characterized by unique sets of plants, ● Groundwater
animals, and environmental factors that have
adapted to the particular conditions of the region. 2. Water distribution - distributed unevenly across
the planet, with some areas experiencing frequent
Eight major terrestrial biomes: flooding while others suffer from drought.

Tropical rainforest - Consists of dense vegetation, 3. Water management - management of water


high biodiversity, and high levels of primary resources is crucial for ensuring that everyone has
productivity. access to safe and clean water.
● Hot and wet
Key sources of water
Temperate forest - Dominated by deciduous trees,
which lose their leaves in winter. 1. Surface Water - other bodies of water that are
● Moderate temperature and precipitation visible on the Earth's surface.

Taiga (Boreal forest) - Composed of coniferous trees 2. Groundwater - water present beneath Earth’s
and a layer of snow that covers the ground for most surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of
of the year. rock formations.
● Cold and dry
3. Atmospheric water - Water vapor in the Earth's
Tundra - Low-growing plants, permafrost, and a atmosphere can be a source of precipitation, which
short growing season. replenishes surface and groundwater supplies.
● Cold and dry
4. Glacier and snowpack melt - Meltwater from
Desert - Sparse vegetation and low biodiversity. glaciers and snowpack can contribute to surface and
● Hot and dry groundwater supplies.

Savanna - Composed of grasses, small Dwindling water resources


trees, and large herbivores.
● Hot and dry with a rainy season Groundwater depletion: Overuse of aquifers for
agriculture and industry reduces groundwater levels,
Temperate grassland - Dominated by grasses and affecting water availability and quality.
occasional shrubs.
Surface water scarcity: Rivers, lakes, and wetlands
● Hot summers and cold winters with moderate
are impacted by damming, diversion, and pollution,
precipitation
causing water shortages and biodiversity loss.
Chaparral - Dominated by shrubs, adapted to Climate change: Shifts in precipitation patterns and
periodic wildfires. more frequent droughts reduce water availability.
● Hot and dry
Water pollution: Agricultural, industrial, and urban
Aquatic biomes activities pollute water, making it unsafe for
consumption and posing health risks.
two major types of aquatic biomes:
Ecosystem impacts: Reduced water resources
Marine - Comprises oceans, estuaries, coral reefs, harm aquatic ecosystems, leading to habitat
and coastal regions. degradation and loss of aquatic species.
● Pelagic zones are the open water regions
● Benthic zones are the regions on or near the Addressing dwindling water resources through reuse
ocean floor. and treatment

Freshwater - Comprises rivers, lakes, ponds, and through reuse & treatment has become a necessity
wetlands. in many parts of the world due to increased water
demand & climate change. Water reuse & treatment
can be an effective way to conserve water resources
and ensure sustainable water management.
Water treatment - the process of purifying water to
make it suitable for consumption, industrial or
agricultural use, or discharge back into the
environment.

Processes involved in water treatment:

Coagulation and flocculation: Chemicals are


added to water to clump particles into flocs, which
are stirred gently to form larger, removable flocs.

Sedimentation: Water is left in a basin where flocs


settle at the bottom, forming sludge.

Filtration: Water passes through sand, gravel, and


charcoal filters to trap remaining small particles.

Disinfection: Chemicals like chlorine, ozone, or UV


light are used to kill remaining microorganisms.

Storage and distribution: Treated water is stored in


tanks and distributed via pipes to homes and
businesses.

Preserving water and its sources


Conserve water: Use less, fix leaks, and install
efficient appliances.

Protect watersheds: Preserve wetlands, reduce


pollutants, and control erosion.

Use sustainable practices: Recycle water, harvest


rain, and reuse grey water.

Reduce pollution: Control sources of contamination.

Support policies: Back conservation laws and


sustainable water management.

Educate communities: Promote awareness and


engagement.

The Importance of Understanding Ecology to an


Engineer

Ecology - a field of science that studies the


interactions between organisms and their
environment.

You might also like