Course Outline

• Environmental Science
• Energy conservations – Thermodynamics
• Electromagnetic Radiation
• Sound and noise
• Atmosphere, carbon cycle, greenhouse effect
• Ozone layer
• The Hydrologic Cycle
• Acid rain or acid deposition
• Radiaoactive fallout
• Traffic and Transport
CHAPTER 1
Environment
 Outline

• What is Matter ?
• Understand chemical elements
• Differentiate between Evolution, Environment and Ecology
• How does man affect the environment?
• How does this affect environmental quality?
• Environmental problems
• Environmental Control and Policy
• Environmental Science
• Actions to reduce environmental pollution using technology
 Matter and Energy
 Plant growth requires a
combination of matter
and energy.
 Matter is any physical
substance that has
mass and occupies
space.
 Mass is a
measurement of the
amount of matter in
an object.
 Volume is a
measurement of the
amount of space an
object takes up.
 Energy is the capacity
to do work.
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 All matter in the universe is made
of atoms, the smallest particle
that still exhibits the
characteristics of its element.
 Protons - Positively charged,
located in the nucleus.
 Determines the atom’s
elemental identity.
 Electrons - Negatively charged,
orbits the nucleus.
 Determines the atom’s
reactivity.
 Neutrons – Neutral, located in
the nucleus.
 Determines the mass of the
atom.

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 Molecules
 Molecules are formed when two
or more atoms become
chemically bonded together.
 One of the first molecules was
discovered when Joseph
Priestley discovered that placing
a jar over a candle would cause it
to go out.
 He repeated the experiment
with a mouse and concluded
that the air had been “injured.”
 Priestly added a plant to the jar
and found that the mouse lived
much longer.

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 Priestley had discovered the
presence of oxygen molecules in
the air.
 We now know the actual
composition of air to be:
– 78% Nitrogen (N2)
– 21% Oxygen (O2)
– 0.03% Carbon dioxide (CO2)
– 0.02% Water (H2O)
– Small amounts of other gases

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 Summary : WHAT IS MATTER AND WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN IT UNDERGOES CHANGE?

Matter consists of elements and compounds

• Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, living or not.
• Matter exists in three physical states: solid, liquid, gas.
• Matter exists in two chemical forms, elements and compounds.
• An element is a fundamental substance that has a unique set of
properties and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by
chemical means.
• Elements are represented by a one- or two-letter symbol.
• Compounds are combinations of two or more different elements
bound in fixed proportions.
• Atoms, ions, and molecules are the building blocks of matter.
2. CHEMICAL ELEMENTS
 Environmental Science

 Environmental science is the study of the interaction of

humans with the natural environment.
 The environment includes all of the living and nonliving
things that we interact with.
– Climate
– Soil and landforms
– Water sources
– Other living organisms

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 Evolution, Environment and
Ecology
 Evolution is the process by which all of the living organisms on the
Earth changed over time from their early ancestor species.

 Environment refers to the physical, living and non-living

surroundings of society, and the interplay between them.
This relationship contains the influence of society (the role of humanity)
on its environment, but also the importance of the environment on
society.

 Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and the

living and nonliving parts of the environment.
 Evolution is heavily influenced by these interactions.

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 Levels of Organization
 In biology, organisms
are divided into a
hierarchy of
organization.
 The cell is the smallest
unit that can perform
all the functions of life,
including reproduction
and homeostasis.
 Groups of cells that
have similar shape
and function are called
tissues.

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 Levels of Organization
 Collections of
tissues that work
together to perform
a task in the body
are organs.
 Organ systems
include multiple
organs that work
together to perform
one or more
functions.

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 Ecology uses a similar
hierarchical system:
 An organism is an individual
living thing.
 A single species of organism is
one that is similar enough to
breed and produce healthy,
fertile offspring.

 A population includes all

members of a species that live
in the same area at the same
time.

 The biological community is

made of all populations living
and interacting in one area.
 An ecosystem
includes the
biological community
and its surrounding
physical
environment.
 Nonliving factors
like soil,
precipitation, etc.
 The biosphere is the
part of Earth that
supports life -- all
ecosystems are
found here.
 4. HOW DOES MAN AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?

Landscapes/ecosystems Compartments Factors and

compartments
Industrial and urban area → buildings → materials and raw
components

Cultured area, semi wetlands → soil, water and air → physical and
chemical factors

Natural area and wilderness → vegetation, animal life → organisms,

organs, cells
5. HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY?
The concept quality differs in society: from group to group, and also
from person to person.

• Human health and safety

• Material prosperity

• Immaterial prosperity

• Value of nature

This inevitably leads to environmental problems!!!!!!!

 6. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
• Definition: When the quality of the environment is adversely affected
or when there is a disruption in the society-environment relationship.

Environmental problem classification

• Social causes; population growth, technological development etc.
Production, consumption and waste processing.
• Social intervention;
– Pollution (introducing something into the environment)
– Exhaustion (removing something from the environment)
– Disturbing (changing the structure of the environment)
• Themes; climate change, acidification, disturbance
• Compartments; buildings, raw materials, soil, water, air etc.
• Social aspects; human health, human safety etc.
• Space and time; local, regional, global. Short term or long term
 7. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND POLICY

Why do we need it???

• Rules and regulations to prevent and solve environmental problems.

• Address the effect on the environment.

• Address the (social) causes.

• These policies must be geared to the sustainability of the

environment (it should not offer quick fixes or temporary solutions)
 8. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

• It is the interdisciplinary science that keeps itself busy with the

relationship between society and the environment and with the
potential and actual problems within this relationship, with the
purpose to indicate ways and means of solving or preventing these
problems.

• There are different fields within environmental science;

Environmental law,
Environmental management
Environmental physics etc.
 9. ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

• During the manufacturing of products, technology can be used to

reduce the environmental burden and will focus on one of the following
actions;

1. Prevention of the formation of pollution.

2. Prevention of emission.
3. Prevention of distribution.
4. Sanitation of pollution that has occurred.
End