UNIT 1

Environmental science is the systematic study of our environment and our proper place in it.

Environmental science is highly interdisciplinary, uniting and

CULTURE SOCIETY
merging knowledge from the natural sciences, social
HUMAN
ENVIRONMENT sciences, and humanities to create a holistic, broader
discipline to understand the world around us.

Environment - French word environner (meaning to

NATURE
encircle or surround). It is defined as;

- the overall conditions surrounding an organism or

group of organisms;
- or the cultural conditions that an individual or community is under.

THE COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

1. Ecology - the study of organisms and the environment interacting with one another.
Ecologists try to find relations between the status of the environment and the population of a
particular species within that environment, and if there are any correlations to be drawn
between the two.
2. Geoscience concerns the study of geology, soil science, volcanoes, and Earth's crust as
they relate to the environment. The scientists who take part in this field of study are the soil
scientists, physicists, biologists, and geomorphologists.
3. Atmospheric science is the study of the Earth’s atmosphere. It analyzes the relation of the
Earth’s atmosphere to the its other systems. This encompasses a wide variety of scientific
studies relating to space, astrology and the Earth’s atmosphere: meteorology, pollution, gas
emissions, and airborne contaminants.
4. Environmental chemistry is the study of the changes in the chemical make up of the
environment, such as contamination of the soil, pollution of the water, degradation of
chemicals, and the transport of chemicals upon the plants and animals of the immediate
environment.

THE ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES

The Seven Ecological Principles serve as a guiding blueprint for all who seek to delve deeper into
environmental science.

Cited by Galang, et al. in their 2003 publication "Seven Lenses (or Environmental Principles as
if Adults Mattered)," these principles provide the right mindset and disposition to those who are
new to the discipline.

1. Everything is connected to everything else.

- Environmental science mainly deals with relationships, not only between different
organisms, but also their interaction with their physical environment.
- The intricate relationships of various elements of the ecosystem bind the
components together into one functional unit.
- Think about this: Human interaction with nature oftentimes alters the
ecosystems.
2. All forms of life are important
- Just as every person has a purpose, each organism fulfills a particular niche, or
role, in the environment that it is a part of.
- All living organisms were created for a purpose in relation to humans, other
species on Earth and global ecosystem in general.
- Think about this: Maintaining ecological balance to keep life together, means
conserving genes, species and ecosystems.
3. Everything must go somewhere.
- Everything that we have on Earth, both natural and manmade, has to go
somewhere.
- By-products of consumption go back to the environment. Everything that we
throw away – pieces of paper, left-over food, peelings of fruits, plastic wrappers,
used containers – have to go somewhere.
- Think about this: What if we throw an artificial product such as plastic?
4. Ours is a finite Earth.
- Environmental science teaches us to use our resources sustainably.
- Everything that we need is provided by nature in abundance – food, water,
energy, minerals and air. However, some resources that we depend upon
nowadays are extracted excessively but are slow to replace.
- Think about this: It can be argued that increasing population decreases the
amount of resources available to each person.
5. Nature knows best.
 - Humans must respect the environment's natural processes that kept the planet
alive.
- Nature manifests certain processes that enable it to maintain balance and remain
in a state of equilibrium.
- Think about this: The equilibrium in the ecosystem is maintained, thus if humans
intervene, unforeseen negative impacts may arise.
6. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God's creation.
- Many religions, not only Christianity, impose amoral obligation to take care of the
environment.
- Creation presupposes the existence of a Creator. The beautiful nature around us,
perfect by itself, has deteriorated due to the negative impacts of human use.
- Think about this: Protection of the Earth is a life mission manifested in the things
that we do and speak.
7. Everything changes.
- Changes in the biophysical world occur naturally. As they say, there is nothing
more permanent in this world than change.
- Some changes are linear, cyclical, and some are still random.
- Think about this: Human-induced alteration may cause more massive
repercussions.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

(1) No Poverty

(2) Zero Hunger

(3) Good Health and Well-being,

(4) Quality Education

(5) Gender Equality

(6) Clean Water and Sanitation

(7) Affordable and Clean Energy

(8) Decent Work and Economic Growth

(9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

(10) Reducing Inequality

(11) Sustainable Cities and Communities

(12) Responsible Consumption and Production

(13) Climate Action

(14) Life Below Water

(15) Life On Land

(16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

(17) Partnerships for the Goals.

UNIT 2

EARTH AS A SYSTEM

The Earth is an integrated system made up of many parts that interact with each other. Though these
parts are unique and very different from one another, they are, nonetheless, interconnected.

Lithosphere, also called geosphere, is composed of all the planet's rock, soil, and minerals. It also
includes not only the solid part, but also the molten rock in the Earth's interior.

Hydrosphere contains all of Earth's water in all of its phases - solid, liquid, and gaseous. Thus, it is
composed of Earth's saltwater, freshwater, glaciers, the permafrost, and the moisture in the
atmosphere. Water is essential to all living organisms.

Atmosphere - the layer of gases that surround Earth. One of the major functions of the atmosphere
is to absorb solar radiation that is harmful to living organisms and reflect it back to outer space. It also
contains several gases that are essential to life like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Biosphere harbors all the living things in the planet. This sphere is very much dependent on all the
other three systems. Organisms need the gases from the atmosphere, the water from the
hydrosphere, and the nutrients and minerals from the lithosphere.

MATTER, ENERGY, AND LIFE IN ECOSYSTEMS

Matter is the material that makes up everything.

Energy gives the force that can move, hold together, or rip matter apart.

Living things need both of these to exist. Matter makes up the basic unit of life, the cells, and all living
organisms are made up of cells. Energy is necessary for all cells to do work as well.

Energy can take on many forms:

- Potential energy is stored in objects ready to be used.

- Kinetic energy is the energy that drives moving objects.
- Most of the energy that flows through the ecosystem and stored in the cells is found in the form
- of chemical potential energy.

CONSERVATION OF MATTER AND ENERGY

LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MATTER.
Matter is neither created nor destroyed. Rather, it is recycled and used as materials to be
converted to another form.
The atoms that existed since the beginning of the universe are still the same atoms that make up the
universe today. Perhaps, even the atoms that make up your body may have belonged to a dinosaur's
millions of years ago.

FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It is only converted from one form to another.
Kinetic Energy - energy of motion

Energy that comes from movement

Mechanical energy – due to motion of an object

Electrical energy – from flow of electric charge

Thermal energy – or heat energy is vibration or movement of particles

Radiant energy – or light energy is electromagnetic energy that travels in transverse waves

Sound energy – vibration transferred through an object in a wave to produce sound

Potential energy – stored energy

Energy that is stored for later use

Chemical energy – stored in bonds of atoms and molecules

Nuclear ebergy – stored in atoms’ nuclei

Gravitational Energy -stored in an object’s height

Elastic energy – stored in elastic objects

SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS - in a system that undergoes successive energy transfer or

transformation, some usable energy is lost in every step.
ENERGY FLOW IN ECOSYSTEMS

Organism/Species > Population > Community > Ecosystem > Biosphere

species - refers to organisms of the same kind that are able to produce fertile offsprings.

Population - group of species living together in one habitat

Community or biological community - populations of different organisms interacting in this particular

habitat

Ecosystems, or ecological systems, consist of a biological community interacting with its physical
environment. It is composed of both the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things in a particular
area.

Energy flows through an ecosystem in

successive steps with all the energy
on Earth coming ultimately from the
sun. The trophic levels express an
organism's feeding status in an
ecosystem.

Energy from the sun is absorbed by producers, also called autotrophs, organisms that are capable
of creating their own food.

Photoautotrophs - Organisms that produce food from light

Chemoautotrophs – organisms that utilize chemical compounds when light is absent

Consumers feed on these producers, absorbing both their matter and energy
When these organisms die, they are broken down by decomposers and their organic matter are
deposited in their habitat as part of the inorganic nutrient pool, waiting to be utilized again by the
producers.

Consumers and decomposers are classified as heterotrophs as they need to consume the
organic matter of other organisms to survive.

Note that in each step, heat is lost along the way.

FOOD CHAINS AND FOOD WEBS

food chain represents a single series of process of linked feeding relationships. It graphically shows
what eats what in an ecosystem.

food web is basically an interconnection of different food chains

Primary consumers are herbivores or plant eaters.

Secondary consumers feed on the primary consumers. They can be carnivores (meat eaters) or
omnivores (plant and meat eaters).

The tertiary, or quaternary, consumers are usually the top carnivore in an ecosystem. The top
carnivores are also called apex predators.

Decomposers break down the organic matter from all these organisms when they die and return
these to the soil to be reused as inorganic nutrients for the producers. Common examples of
decomposers are fungi and bacteria.