Module 1: Introduction to Environmental Science
protection and conservation of our mother
Environmental Science
➢ Etymology - “Environ” means surrounding or
enveloping
➢ Derived from the French word “Environner”
which means to encircle, around or surround
➢ Is a multidisciplinary science
➢ Jacob Van Uerkal (1864-1944) introduced the
term environment in Ecology
➢ The study of interaction between human
systems and natural systems
★ Natural systems involve the earth itself and life
★ Human systems are primarily the population
of earth
➢ The academic field that takes physical, biological,
chemical sciences, forestry agricultural science,
public health environmental engineering to study
the environment and discover solutions to
environmental problems
➢ Includes the study of climate change, natural
resources, energy, pollution and environmental
issues
The Elements of the Environment
➢ The environment is made of interacting systems
of physical, biological and cultural elements
inter-related in different ways individually as well
as collectively
1. Physical elements
➢ refers to the actual space where living things
are living, the landforms, water bodies, soil,
minerals, rocks, and climate
2. Biological elements
➢ refers to the living components living in the
biosphere
3. Cultural elements
➢ refers to the economical, social and political
elements that affects the cultural background of
the people
Scope of Environment
The environment consist of four segment or spheres
namely:
★ Biosphere
★ Atmosphere
★ Hydrosphere
★ Lithosphere
A great number of environment issues have
grown in size and make the system more complex day
by day, threatening the survival of mankind on earth
Environmental studies have become
significant for the following reasons:
Makes us aware about the importance of
earth
Awaken us about the destruction of our
environment and the planet due to the release
of different kinds of pollutants (global)
The increase in human and animal population
Industries and other issues or concern that
degrade and destroy nature (industrialization
and urbanization)
It is utmost important for us to save the
humanity from extinction because of our activities
constricting the environment and depleting the
biosphere, in the name of development.
Not only does Environmental Science deals
with issue and problems it also finds solution or
alternative solution:
1. Goal of development with environmentally
sound and sustainable development.
2. A common goal that will own by all citizens
(global aim) to address different forms of waste
that pollute our resources
3. Need for an Alternative solution
4. Need for wise planning of development
Six Major themes that serve as the main concerns
of environmentalist:
1. human population growth
2. sustainability of the human population and
nature
3. the global perspective
4. an urbanizing world
5. The connection between people and nature
6. science and values
Misra (1991) has recognized four basic
requirements of environmental management as
under:
1. Impact of human activities on the environment
2. Value system
3. Plan and design for sustainable development
4. Environment education
Module 2: Interactions of Earth’s Systems in
Affecting Weather
Lesson 1: The Troposphere and its Properties
Atmosphere
➢ the area of air and gas enveloping objects in
space, like stars and planets, or the air around
any location
➢ 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9
percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases.
 ➢ Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane,
water vapor, and neon are some of the other
gases that make up the remaining 0.1 %.
5 Layers of the Atmosphere
1. Exosphere
➢ outermost layer of our atmosphere
➢ "Exo" means outside
➢ very edge of our atmosphere
➢ Fades away into the realm
2. Thermosphere
➢ raising its temperature to hundreds or at times
thousands of degrees.
➢ importance: protect our planet by absorbing
harmful radiation
3. Mesosphere
➢ "Meso" means middle
➢ coldest region of Earth's atmosphere,
➢ close to -100°C
➢ meteors burn up into small fragments of dust
before they crash to the ground
4. Stratosphere
➢ helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV)
from the sun
➢ ozone layer absorbs most of the UV radiation
the sun sends to us
➢ Life as we know it wouldn't be possible without
this layer of protection.
5. Troposphere
➢ "Tropo" -turning or changing (more weather
changes)
➢ all weather occurs in this lowest layer.
➢ water or hydrologic cycle (the formation of
clouds and rain)
➢ lowest layer of our atmosphere
➢ extends upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or
about 33,000 feet)
➢ densest laver
➢ air we breathe and the clouds in the sky
➢ Contains 75% of atmosphere's mass
2 notable properties of the troposphere?
★ Temperature decreases as you go higher
★ Air pressure also decreases as you go higher
Lesson 2: Heating of the Troposphere
REFLECTION
➢ solar radiation bounces back from an object or
surface that it strikes in the atmosphere, on land,
or water, and is not transformed into heat.
SCATERRING
➢ When sunlight enters the atmosphere of the
earth, the atoms and molecules of different gasses
present in the air absorb the light. Then these
atoms reemit light in all directions
■ 20% scattered and reflected by clouds
■ 51% absorbed by earth
■ 19% absorbed by atmosphere and clouds
■ 6% scattered from atmosphere
■ 4% reflected by surface
Radiation
➢ the sun heats the ground
Conduction
➢ the ground heats the air
Convection
➢ the warm air rises
Lesson 3: How is wind created?
➢ The wind is horizontally moving air. When air is
moving horizontally, we feel it as a wind or
breeze.
➢ Air can also move vertically, it can go up, it can go
down, or sink. However, we cannot feel air
moving vertically.
➢ This is how wind is formed
Air near the ground surface is heated, gets
warmed and rises. This air has low pressure
Cold air which has high pressure sinks
and replaces the rising warm air producing the
horizontal movement of air called wind
➢ Winds are named after the direction they come
from. You have probably heard in weather reports
the easterly winds or the easterlies. They were
name as such because they come to our country
from the east direction.
Different Kinds of Winds
★ SEA breezes
➢ Clockwise direction
➢ Cooler/Lower temperature, higher pressure
during day
➢ Warmer/Higher temperature, lower pressure
during night
★ LAND breezes
➢ Counter clockwise
➢ Warmer/Higher temperature, lower pressure
during day
➢ Cooler/Lower temperature, higher pressure
during night
➢ NOTE: the land heats up faster than the sea, but it
also cools down faster than the sea.
Lesson 4: Formation of Clouds and Rain Green House
➢ are not green in color they are mostly transparent
Formation of Clouds because they are made of glass
➢ Clear glass has a special property that permits
heat to enter and trap it inside
➢ As seen on the diagram with snowman, it allows
heat to enter but does not exit the glass house
➢ In reality, these glass resembles the gaseous
atmosphere that envelops the earth allowing the
heat the reaches to earth, got trapped inside that
gives warmth and heat to our planet
➢ To keeping our planet at a suitable temperature
for life
➢ Natural Green House Gases(GHGs) occur
naturally in the atmosphere, such as:
★ carbon dioxide (CO2)
Updraft ★ methane (CH4)
➢ is the dominant vertical motion carries warm and ★ nitrous oxide (N2O)
moist air upward, cooling process in a convection ★ water vapour (H2O)
system ➢ Step 1: Solar radiation reaches the surface of the
earth. Some of the radiations reflected back into
Formation of Rain space.
Evaporation ➢ Step 2: The rest of the radiation is absorbed by
➢ Water to gas (water vapor) the land and oceans to heat up the earth's surface.
➢ Step 3: After getting up to the earth's surface,
Condensation heat radiates from earth to the space.
➢ Water vapor to water droplets ➢ Step 4: Some of the heat is trapped by
greenhouse houses such as methane and carbon
Precipitation
dioxide that keeping the earth warm to sustain
➢ Water fall from sky in forms of
life.
○ Rain
➢ Step 5: Some human activities like the burning of
○ Hails
fossil fuels, agriculture, and deforestation lead to
○ snow
an increase in the concentration of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere.
➢ Step 6: This increase in gases cause more
Module 3: The Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse trapping of heat and causing the temperature to
Gases rise.

Population Lesson 2: The Greenhouse Gases (GHG’s)

➢ consists of all the organisms of a particular
species living in a given area Greenhouse Gases Sources (Global Greenhouse
Gas Emissions by Sector)
Population Size ★ 6% Buildings
➢ world population continues to grow ★ 9% Other Energy
➢ As of 1 January 2022, the population of the ★ 14% Transportation
Philippines was estimated to be 112,321,991 ★ 21% Industry
people. This is an increase of 1.58 % (1,748,172 ★ 24% Agriculture, Land Use, & Forestry
people) compared to the population of ★ 25% Electricity
110,573,819 the year before.
GHG - synthetic, human made
The impact of so many humans on the environment ★ Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
takes two major forms: ★ hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
consumption of resources such as land, food, ★ perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
water, air, fossil fuels and minerals ★ sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
waste products as a result of consumption
(pollutants, toxic materials and greenhouse
gases)

Lesson 1: The Greenhouse Effect

 ★ sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
➢ electrical switchgear

Global Warming Potential of Primary Greenhouse

Gases

Greenhouse Gas Chemical Global Potential

Formula warming 20 (Time
years Horizon) 100
years

Carbon Dioxide CO2 1 1

Methane CH4 42 - 70 16 - 26

Nitrous Oxide N2O 280 310

Hydrofluorocarbons CFCs 460 - 9,100 140 - 11,700

The Greenhouse Effect
Perfluorocarbon PFCs 4,400 - 6,200 6,500 - 23,900
➢ Natural
★ Less heat is trapped Sulphur SF6 16,300 23,900
Hexafluoride
★ More heat escapes into space
➢ Human Enhanced
National Parks
★ More heat is re-emitted
➢ In 1800, Environmentalist urged the government
★ Less heat escapes into space
to create national parks
★ Higher greenhouse gas concentration
➢ preserving these lands to maintain their
ecological biodiversity as well as provide
Greenhouse Sources Sink Importance
Gas for climate wilderness resources
Carbon Dioxide -Burning of fossil -Ocean uptake -Absorbs
fuel -photosynthesis infrared
EARTH DAY
-Land-use radiation (ir); ➢ Senator Gaylord Nelson
change affects
(deforestation) stratospheric O3 ➢ (as a way to force this issue onto the national
Methane -Biomass -Reactions with -Absorbs ir;
agenda)
burning OH affects ➢ First Earth Day in April 1970
-Enteric -Microorganisms tropospheric &
fermentation uptake by soils stratospheric O3; ➢ “Earth Day 1970” would come to provide a voice
-Rice paddies produces CO2
to this emerging environmental consciousness /
Nitrous Oxide -Biomass
burning
-Removal by soils
-Stratospheric
-Absorbs ir;
affects
awareness
-Fossil-fuel photolysis and stratospheric O3
combustion rxn with oxygen Gaia hypothesis
-Fertilizers
➢ aka Gaia theory or Gaia principle
Ozone -Photochemical -catalytic -Absorbs UV & ir
reactions chemical radiation ➢ formulated by chemist James Lovelock and co
involving O2 reactions
involving NOx
developed by microbiologist Lynn Margulis
species ➢ proposes that all organisms and their inorganic
CFC -Industrial -dissociated in -Absorbs ir; surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to
production stratosphere affects
stratospheric O3
form a single and self regulating complex system,
maintaining the conditions for life on the planet
Sulfur Dioxide -Volcanoes, coal Dry 5 wet -Forms aerosols,
and biomass deposition which scatter ➢ observing how the biosphere and the evolution of
burning -Reactions with solar radiation
OH
life forms contribute to the stability of global
temperature, ocean salinity, oxygen in the
Most potent in producing global warming? atmosphere and other factors of habitability
★ sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) feed back mechanism to maintain the earth’s
➢ 23,500 times more powerful than CO2 as a homeostasis
greenhouse gas.
Lesson 3: The Carbon Cycle and its Disruption by
Fluorinated gases Human Activities
➢ are man-made / Synthetic GHG
➢ The number one GHG in your list is probably
★ chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) carbon dioxide. It is the number one GHG because
it is the most abundant among the other GHG’s,
★ hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) comprising 76% of GHG’s emitted globally.
➢ primarily used for cooling and refrigeration Carbon dioxide is a natural GHG.

★ perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
➢ Coatings for refrigerators, engines.
➢ Carbon dioxide is part of the natural carbon
cycle in our planet, and this cycle is in a balance.
Man’s activities have disrupted this balance.
Carbon Cycle Sources:
Carbon moves from the atmosphere to
plants.
Carbon moves from plants to animals.
Carbon moves from plants and animals to
soils.
Carbon moves from living things to the
atmosphere.
Carbon moves from fossil fuels to the
atmosphere when fuels are burned.
Carbon moves from the atmosphere to the
oceans.
Carbon Footprints
Module 4: Global Warming and Climate Change
Lesson 1: Global Warming
➢ After Green House and the Green House Gases we
will look into its impacts or effects to our climate
➢ We know that Green House Gases are heat
trapping gases that retain heat to make life
sustainable on earth.
➢ These heat trapping gases usual come form the
different natural process on earth.
➢ Because of industrialization and urbanization,
the amount of these gases increase way beyond
the normal and ideal amount
➢ We all know that anything in excess is harmful,
same goes with the amount of these gases to our
climate.
➢ They increase excessively in amount therefore
atmospheric temperature increases and as an
effect of increase in temperature our climate
all over the world, this is known as Global
warming.
➢ Global warming exists because the carbon
dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and
greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and
absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have
bounced off the earth’s surface.
➢ This radiation would escape into space—but
these pollutants, which can last for years to
centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and
cause the planet to get hotter.
➢ That's what's known as the greenhouse effect
Sea Level Rise and Global Warming
➢ Global warming is the primary cause of current
sea level rise
★ Temperature are rising
➢ Heat trapping gases from human activity have
increased global average temperatures by 1.4
degree fahrenheit since 1880’s
★ Ice is melting
➢ Shrinking glaciers and ice sheets are adding
water to the world’s oceans
★ Oceans are warming
➢ Sea water expands as its temperature rises
Lesson 2: Effect of Global Warming
➢ The Earth's temperature had already warmed by
1°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
➢ This temperature rise may appear small, but
small rises in temperature translate into big
changes for the world’s climate.
➢ This is because the amount of extra energy
needed to increase the world’s temperature, even
by a little, is vast.
➢ This extra energy is like force-feeding the global
climate system
Effects of Global Warming
1. Hotter days
➢ Extreme temperature
➢ Yearly recorded increase in temperature.
Records show that 2015 was the hottest
year on record, the previous record was
broken in 2014, and 2016 is expected to set a
new record for the third year in a row. Base
on the Bureau of Meteorology they added
purple and magenta color to forecast map
for temperatures up to 540 C
2. Ocean water warming
➢ Droughts
➢ The oceans have absorbed most of extra heat
and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) more than the air –
making the seas both warmer and more
acidic.
 ➢ Threatens shellfish, including the tiny
crustaceans without which marine food
chains would collapse
➢ Warming waters are bleaching coral reefs
and driving stronger storms.
3. Thermal expansion
➢ Evaporation
➢ temperature increases, seawater expands
contributing to sea level rise, changes in
ocean circulation and higher seabed water
temperature
4. Permafrost and Polar regions melting
➢ Wind events
➢ Increased ocean temperatures are melting
glaciers and ice caps all over the world.
Melted ice increases the volume of water in
our oceans.
5. Rising sea levels
➢ Rainfall
➢ Warmer temperatures also result in the
expansion of the water's mass, which causes
sea levels to rise, threatening low-lying
islands and coastal cities (coastal erosion)
6. Extreme weather conditions
➢ El Niño and La Niña events are a natural part
of the global climate system
➢ occur when the Pacific Ocean and the
atmosphere above it change from their
neutral ('normal') state for several seasons
➢ El Niño events are associated with a warming
of the central and eastern tropical Pacific,
while La Niña events are the reverse, with a
sustained cooling of these same areas.
➢ changes in the Pacific Ocean and its overlying
atmosphere occur in a cycle known as the El
Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
➢ atmosphere and ocean interact, reinforcing
each other and creating a 'feedback loop' that
amplifies changes in the state of the ocean
into ENSO event
Lesson 3: Climate Change
➢ The temperature of the troposphere is now
slightly under 1°C above the pre-industrial period
and is continuing to rise due to increasing
emission of greenhouse gasses.
➢ This warming is characterized by less
predictable, increasingly severe weather
events, which include the following :
★ Temperatures
➢ Extremes temperature are setting new
record : heat waves are experience in some
countries , fewer days of extreme cold,
though these do occur in the northern
hemisphere due to distortion of the polar
vortex.
★ Droughts
➢ affecting farmland and habitat are becoming
longer lasting – in many cases lasting over 5
years and reducing river flows.
★ Evaporation
➢ Increased evaporation of water from soil and
lakes occurs because the troposphere is
getting warmer and able to hold more water
in the form of vapor.
★ Wind Events such as cyclones and tornados
➢ may be less frequent but are more powerful
and destructive, their strength increased by
rising sea surface temperature.
★ Rainfall
➢ In some areas rainfall has become less
frequent but heavier and of longer duration,
while hail storms have become more severe,
often with larger hail stones.
➢ Combined, these events result in ferocious
bushfires which are increasingly difficult to
control, causing huge losses of trees,
vegetation, fauna and property – including
livestock – all becoming more and more costly to
replace, more often forcing abandonment.
➢ They also enable pathogens and pests such as
mountain pine beetles to invade and kill millions
of trees and the spread of vectors carrying
human diseases into areas hitherto free of them.
➢ Wind events, often accompanied by heavy rainfall,
are becoming more frequent and often result in
flooding, loss of human life, damage to property,
the environment and crop losses.
➢ They produce tidal surges which erode
coastlines and flood low lying land.
Global warming
➢ The gradual increase of Earth’s surface
temperature
Climate change
➢ The long- term change in global weather
patterns
Module 5: Depletion of the Ozone layer
Ozone
➢ is a part of the gaseous envelope that protects us
against radiation (UV rays)
➢ Invisible protective layer of earth
➢ much less stable than regular (O2 ) oxygen
molecules
➢ Ozone gas- composed of three atoms of oxygen
(O3 )
➢ very prone to react chemically with other
substances
➢ located both in the Earth's upper atmosphere
and at ground level
➢ can be good or bad, depending on where it is
located.
➢ When O2 (Oxygen) gets hit with high energy
light, it splits and reforms into O3 (Ozone)
➢ 90% of the ozone in the atmosphere sits in the
stratosphere, the layer of atmosphere between
about 10 and 50 kilometers altitude.
➢ The total mass of ozone in the atmosphere is
about 3 billion metric tons.
➢ The peak concentration of ozone occurs at an
altitude of roughly 32 kilometers (20 miles)
above the surface of the Earth. can be as high as
15 parts per million (0.0015 percent)
➢ Ozone concentration varies with altitude
➢ Peak concentrations, an average of 8 molecules
of ozone per million molecules between an
altitude of 30 and 35 kilometers.
Two Types of Ozone
★ Good ozone
➢ Stratosphere
➢ occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere
where it forms a protective layer that serve
as protective shield against the harmful
ultraviolet rays
➢ partially destroyed by different human
activities and the use of different kinds of
chemicals
➢ forms when a photon of ultraviolet "light"
from the Sun hits a normal oxygen molecule
(O2), breaking it apart
★ (Bad ozone) Ground-level ozone/smog
➢ Troposphere
➢ called Tropospheric Ozone
➢ A range of chemical reactions forms this bad
ozone when the sun hits various
human-created pollutants including
nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and
hydrocarbons or the volatile organic
compounds (VOC)
➢ Ozone concentrations can reach unhealthful
levels when the weather is hot and sunny
with little or no wind.
➢ Ground ozone can irritate the throat and
lungs and causes a burning sensation in eyes.
➢ Ozone also harms plants and damages some
types of materials, especially objects made of
rubber.
NOx + VOC + Heat & Sunlight = Ozone
➢ Ground level or bad ozone is not emitted
directly into the air but is created by chemical
reactions between NOx and VOCs in the
presence of heat & sunlight.
➢ Emissions from industrial facilities and
electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust,
gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are
some of the major sources of oxides of
nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic
compounds (VOC)
Here are the different Sources of VOC and NOx
emissions include:
★ large industry such as chemical manufacturers,
and combustion sources such as power plants
burning fossil fuels;
★ small industry such as gasoline dispensing
facilities, autobody paint shops, and print shops;
★ automobiles, trucks and buses
★ off-road engines such as aircraft, locomotives,
construction equipment and gasoline-powered
lawn and garden equipment
CFCs/HCFCs:
★ Ozone depleting substances release by
human activities
★ NOx, Sox, CO, coolants, refrigerants
★ Aerosol and propellants
★ Painting solvents
★ Household cleaners and sprays
Ozone hole
➢ Troposphere
➢ A certain part of the atmosphere where the ozone
layer is thinnest
➢ Not literally hole
➢ Antarctic Pole/region ( Antarctic Ozone Hole)
➢ Thickness of ozone varies with altitude
➢ Average is about 300 Dobson (unit in measuring
ozone)
➢ Equivalent into 3 mm
The Chemical Reaction:
➢ Chemicals- CHC’s- release in the lower
atmosphere- persist for years and eventually
reach the stratosphere
➢ The UV light acts upon these chemicals and
break the bonds between chlorines
➢ Free chlorine participate in chemical reaction
that destroys O3
➢ Since in the polar Antarctic stratospheric
region is cold and sunlight is low, the
concentration of these molecules pile up and
air is calm the temperature is cold, high in
moisture and almost pollutants are there
➢ And when the sun returns to its position and
hit these pollutants and chlorine breaks apart
and attached to the O3 ( catalytic reaction)
Halogen source gases that contribute to ozone
depletion are mostly chlorine- and bromine
containing chemicals
 Equivalent Effective Stratospheric Chlorine
(EESC) is a convenient parameter we use to
estimate the amount of stratospheric ozone
depletion
The higher the values of EESC the more
chlorine is available for the destruction of ozone.

Montreal protocol, 1987:

➢ The depletion of the ozone layer is a global issue,
and environmentalists are developing strategies
to control the thinning of the ozone layer. The
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
successfully negotiated an agreement between
the nations to limit CFCs production deal to half
the level of 1986. All manufacturing companies
are now required to produce CFC-free
refrigerators all around the world.