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NatSci 13:
A Module on Environmental Science

Interrelationships
among
components of
the natural world;
environmental
problems, their
causes, associated
risks, preventive
measures and
alternative
solutions.

Environmental Science Department

College of Agriculture, Food and
Sustainable Development
MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY
2020
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NatSci 13:
A Module on
Environmental Science
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Preface
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Table of Contents
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Introduction

A. Background of the Module

B. Rationale
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How to Use the Module

This material is for your exclusive personal use only as a student enrolled in NATSCI
13 (Environmental Science) for the First Semester of Academic Year 2021-2022.

We reserve the sole right to the contents of this material and hence, sharing a copy
of it with anybody digitally or any form is not permitted.

This material is the detailed discussion of the topics reflected in your syllabus but
you are still encouraged to read other relevant materials for your own advantage.
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Learning Objectives

A. General Objectives

At the end of the semester, the students must have:

1. acquired and applied scientific knowledge about environmental issues so as

to understand the underlying scientific concepts;
2. developed a deeper understanding of environmental issues by relating
scientific knowledge with other perspectives;
3. acquired the necessary problem-solving skills that would enable them to
examine and propose alternatives to a variety of environmental problems;
and,
4. developed pro-environmental values and attitudes that foster
environmental responsibility.

B. Specific Objectives

At the end of the Unit I, the students must have:

 differentiated the components of the environment.

 illustrated the interrelationships among components of the natural world
through visual materials.
 Created a table differentiating the biotic factors in the biosphere
 Generated a concept map on the physico-chemical attributes of the biosphere
considering as abiotic factors
 Made a Venn diagram on the biogeochemical cycles which summarized the
holistic view of the various cycles

At the end of the Unit II, the students must have:

• reflected on his/her own and society’s role in causing environmental
problems; and
• made a community-based case study on environmental problems.
• Examined the causes of these environmental problems
• Recognized the various risks associated and how it affects the human race in
return.

At the end of the Unit III, the students must have:

 Assessed the international laws in the Philippine setting

 Summarized the environmental laws in the Philippines, their major concerns and how
are these being implemented
 developed infomercial on preventive measures and alternative solutions on
environmental problems; and
 proposed ways on how to become a steward in the environment.
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Glossary
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Unit I:
The Environment
and Its Components

Lesson 1. The Biosphere

The biosphere is the biological component of
earth systems, which also include the
lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and other
"spheres" (e.g. cryosphere, anthrosphere, etc.).
The biosphere includes all living organisms on
earth, together with the dead organic matter
produced by them.
The biosphere concept is common to
many scientific disciplines including astronomy,
geophysics, geology, hydrology, biogeography
and evolution, and is a core concept in ecology,
earth science and physical geography. The “spheres” of earth systems. (Source: Institute
for Computational Earth System Science)
A key component of earth systems, the
biosphere interacts with and exchanges matter and energy with the other spheres,
helping to drive the global biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulfur and other elements. From an ecological point of view, the biosphere is the
"global ecosystem", comprising the totality of biodiversity on earth and performing
all manner of biological functions, including photosynthesis, respiration,
decomposition, nitrogen fixation and denitrification.

The biosphere is dynamic, undergoing strong

seasonal cycles in primary productivity and
the many biological processes driven by
the energy captured by photosynthesis.
Seasonal cycles in solar irradiation of the
hemispheres are the main driver of this
dynamic, especially by its strong effect
on terrestrial primary productivity in the
temperate and boreal biomes, which
essentially cease productivity in the
winter time.

Seasonal cycles. (Source:

https://kayrice.com/3299/seasonal-cycles-
and-the-doshas/
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The biosphere has evolved since the first

single-celled organisms originated 3.5 billion
years ago under atmospheric conditions
resembling those of our neighboring planets
Mars and Venus, which have atmospheres
composed primarily of carbon dioxide. Billions
of years of primary production by plants
released oxygen from this carbon dioxide and
deposited the carbon in sediments, eventually
producing the oxygen-rich atmosphere we know
today. Free oxygen, both for breathing (O2,
respiration) and in the stratospheric ozone (O3)
that protects us from harmful UV radiation, has Mother Gaia. (Source: Mother Gaia via
made possible to life as we know it while Erena Velazquez | April 3, 2020
transforming the chemistry of earth systems
forever.

As a result of long-term interactions between the biosphere and the other

earth systems, there is almost no part of the earth's surface that has not been
profoundly altered by living organisms. The earth is a living planet, even in terms of
its physics and chemistry. A concept related to, but different from, that of the
biosphere, is the Gaia hypotheses, which posits that living organisms have and
continue to transform earth systems for their own benefit.

Did You Know?

The term "biosphere" originated with the geologist Eduard Suess
in 1875, who defined it as "the place on earth's surface where life
dwells".

The biosphere is a core concept

within Biology and Ecology, where
it serves as the highest level of
biological organization, which
begins with parts of cells and
proceed to populations, species,
ecoregions, biomes and finally, the
biosphere. Global patterns of
biodiversity within the biosphere
are described using biomes.

The hierarchy of biological organization. (Source: Luka

Skywalker | Shutterstock)
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Lesson 1.1: The Lithosphere

The lithosphere is derived from the
word “sphere,” combined with the Greek
word “lithos” which means rock. The
lithosphere is the rocky outer part of the
Earth. It is made up of the brittle crust and
the top part of the upper mantle. The
lithosphere is the coolest and most rigid part
of the Earth.
The lithosphere extends from the
surface of Earth to a depth of about 44-62 mi
(70-100 km). The lithosphere includes the

brittle upper portion of the mantle and the

Lithosphere. (Source: National Geographic
crust, the outermost layers of Earth’s structure. Society. Nationalgeographic.org
It is bounded by the atmosphere above and the
asthenosphere (another part of the upper
mantle) below.
Although the rocks of the lithosphere are still considered elastic, they are
not viscous. The asthenosphere is viscous, and the lithosphere-asthenosphere
boundary (LAB) is the point where geologists and rheologists—scientists who study
the flow of matter—mark the difference in ductility between the two layers of the
upper mantle. Ductility measures a solid material’s ability to deform or stretch under
stress. The lithosphere is far less ductile than the asthenosphere.

There are two types

of lithosphere: oceanic
lithosphere (left) and
continental lithosphere
(right). Oceanic
lithosphere is associated
with oceanic crust, and
is slightly denser than
continental lithosphere.
Oceanic lithosphere. (Source: USGS Continental lithosphere. (Source: USGS

What consists of the oceanic and continental

lithosphere?

Oceanic lithosphere consists mainly of mafic (rich in magnesium and iron)

crust and ultramafic (over 90% mafic) mantle and is denser than continental
lithosphere. It thickens as it ages and moves away from the mid-ocean ridge. This
thickening occurs by conductive cooling, which converts hot asthenosphere into
lithospheric mantle. It was less dense than the asthenosphere for tens of millions of
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years, but after this becomes increasingly denser. The gravitational instability of
mature oceanic lithosphere has the effect that when tectonic plates come together,
oceanic lithosphere invariably sinks underneath the overriding lithosphere. New
oceanic lithosphere is constantly being produced at mid-ocean ridges and is recycled
back to the mantle at subduction zones, so oceanic lithosphere is much younger than
its continental counterpart. The oldest oceanic lithosphere is about 170 million years
old compared to parts of the continental lithosphere which are billions of years old.
The continental lithosphere is also called the continental crust. It is the
layer of igneous, sedimentary rock that forms the continents and the continental
shelves. This layer consists mostly of granitic rock. Continental crust is also less dense
than oceanic crust although it is considerably thicker (25 to 70 km versus 7-10 km).
About 40% of the Earth’s surface is now covered by continental crust, but
continental crust makes up about 70% of the volume of Earth’s crust. Most scientists
believe that there was no continental crust originally on the Earth, but the
continental crust ultimately derived from the fractional differentiation of oceanic
crust over the eons. This process was primarily a result of volcanism and subduction.

Did You Know?

The most well-known feature associated with Earth’s lithosphere
is tectonic activity. Tectonic activity describes the interaction of the huge
slabs of lithosphere called tectonic plates.

Tectonic activity is responsible for

some of Earth's most dramatic
geologic events: earthquakes,
volcanoes, orogeny (mountain-
building), and deep ocean
trenches can all be formed by
tectonic activity in the lithosphere.
Tectonic activity can
shape the lithosphere itself: Both
oceanic and continental
lithospheres are thinnest at rift
valleys and ocean ridges, where
Extreme events. (Source: http://veg4planet.blogspot.com.es/ tectonic plates are shifting apart
from one another.

Most tectonic activity takes place at the boundaries of these plates, where
they may collide, tear apart, or slide against each other. The movement of tectonic
plates is made possible by thermal energy (heat) from the mantle part of the
lithosphere. Thermal energy makes the rocks of the lithosphere more elastic.
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One evidence of tectonic activity theory is the concept of continental drift.

Continental drift is the movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other,
thus appearing to "drift" across the ocean bed.

Alfred Wegener
- German meteorologist and geophysicist who
formulated the first complete statement of the
continental drift hypothesis.

Wegener came to consider the existence of a single

supercontinent from about 350 million to 245 million years
ago, during the late Paleozoic Era and early Mesozoic Era,
and named it Pangea, meaning “all lands.” He searched the
geologic and paleontological literature for evidence supporting the continuity of
geologic features across the Indian and Atlantic oceans during that time period,
which he assumed had formed during the Mesozoic Era (about 252 million to 66
million years ago).

Wegener came to
consider the existence of a single
supercontinent from about 350
million to 245 million years ago,
during the late Paleozoic Era and
early Mesozoic Era, and named it
Pangea, meaning “all lands.” He
searched the geologic and
paleontological literature for
evidence supporting the continuity
of geologic features across the
Indian and Atlantic oceans during
that time period, which he assumed
had formed during the Mesozoic
Era (about 252 million to 66 million
years ago).
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The assumption of a former single continent could be tested geologically,

and Wegener displayed a large array of data that supported his hypothesis, ranging
from the continuity of fold belts across oceans, the presence of identical rocks
and fossils on continents now separated by oceans, and the paleobiogeographic
and paleoclimatological record that indicated otherwise unaccountable shifts in
Earth’s major climate belts. He further argued that if continents could move up and
down in the mantle as a result of buoyancy changes produced
by erosion or deposition, they should be able to move horizontally as well.

-
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Practice Task 1
Plate Tectonic Movement

Introduction

Although Alfred Wegener was not the first to suggest that continents
have moved about the Earth, his presentation of carefully compiled evidence
for continental drift inspired decades of scientific debate. Wegener's
evidence, in concert with compelling evidence provided by post World War II
technology, eventually led to universal acceptance of the theory of Plate
Tectonics in the scientific community.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this exercise, you should be able:

1. To observe and analyze scientific evidence used by Wegener.
2. To read and interpret maps and map symbols.
3. To use the evidence to try to reconstruct the continents.
4. To defend their position on continental drift.

Materials:
 Scissor
 Colors
 Print out pages 15 and 16 of this module
 Glue

Procedure:
You will be piecing together a puzzle of the supercontinent Pangea based
on fossil and rock evidence on the present day continents.
1. On the puzzle pieces’ handout given (page 15), assign a color to each
type of fossil or mountain belt in the legend and color the areas on the
land masses according to the legend.
2. Use scissors to cut along the borders of the continents. These are the
approximate shape of the continents after the Pangea broke up.
3. Place the continents on the coupon bond and move them around
using the fossil and the mountain chain evidence to match the
continents together in the position they were in when they were part
of the Pangea. The pieces may not fit together exactly.
4. When you have assembled Pangea, glue the continents on the
provided space (page 16) in the shape of the supercontinent. Glue or
write the legend to your puzzle.
5. Scan the assembled Pangea in PDF and submit the file in the mVLE.
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Practice Task 1
Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________
Course and year: ___________________________
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Lesson 1.2 The Hydrosphere

Hydrosphere is the discontinuous layer of
water at or near Earth’s surface. It includes all liquid and
frozen surface waters, groundwater held in soil and
rock, and atmospheric water vapour.
Water is the most abundant substance at the
surface of Earth. About 1.4 billion cubic km (326 million
cubic miles) of water in liquid and frozen form make up
the oceans, lakes, streams, glaciers, and groundwaters
found there. It is this enormous volume of water, in its
various manifestations, that forms the discontinuous
layer, enclosing much of the terrestrial surface, known
as the hydrosphere.
Hydrosphere. (Source:

How is the distribution and quantity

https://steemit.com/life/@capec
obragen/the-hydrosphere

of Earth’s waters?
Ocean waters and waters
Water masses at Earth's surface
trapped in the pore spaces of
sediments make up most of
reservoir volume (in cubic percent of total the present-day
kilometres) hydrosphere. The total mass
oceans 1,338,000,000 96.5
of water in the oceans equals
ice caps, glaciers, 24,064,000 1.74
and permanent about 50 percent of the mass
snow of sedimentary rocks now in
ground ice and 300,000 0.22 existence and about 5
permafrost percent of the mass of
groundwater 23,400,000 1.69
(total)
Earth’s crust as a whole.
groundwater 10,530,000 0.76 Deep and shallow
(fresh) groundwaters constitute a
groundwater 12,870,000 0.93 small percentage of the total
(saline) water locked in the pores of
lakes (total) 176,400 0.013
sedimentary rocks—on the
lakes (fresh) 91,000 0.007
lakes (saline) 85,400 0.006 order of 3 to 15 percent. The
soil moisture 16,500 0.001 amount of water in the
atmosphere* 12,900 0.001 atmosphere at any one time
swamp water 11,470 0.0008 is trivial, equivalent to
rivers 2,120 0.0002
roughly 13,000 cubic km
biota 1,120 0.0001
total** 1,409,560,910 101.67
(about 3,100 cubic miles) of
liquid water, or about 0.001
*As liquid equivalent of water vapour.
**Total surpasses 100 percent because of upward rounding of percent of the total at
individual reservoir volumes. Earth’s surface. This water,
Source: Adapted from Igor Shiklomanov's chapter "World Fresh Water however, plays an important
Resources" in Peter H. Gleick (ed.), Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's
Fresh Water Resources, copyright 1993, Oxford University Press, New York, role in the water cycle.
N.Y. Table made available by the United States Geological Survey.
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At present, ice locks up a little more than 2

percent of Earth’s water and may have accounted for
as much as 3 percent or more during the height of the
glaciations of the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to
11,700 years ago). Although water storage in rivers,
lakes, and the atmosphere is small, the rate of water
circulation through the rain-river-ocean-atmosphere
system is relatively rapid. The amount of water
discharged each year into the oceans from the land is approximately equal to the
total mass of water stored at any instant in rivers and lakes.

Soil moisture accounts for only 0.005 percent of the

water at Earth’s surface. It is this small amount of
water, however, that exerts the most direct influence
on evaporation from soils. The biosphere, though
primarily H2O in composition, contains very little of the
total water at the terrestrial surface, only about
0.00004 percent, yet the biosphere plays a major role
in the transport of water vapour back into the
atmosphere by the process of transpiration.

Did You Know?

Earth’s waters are not pure H2O but contain dissolved and
particulate materials.

How did the hydrosphere evolve?

It is not very likely that the total amount of water at Earth’s surface has
changed significantly over geologic time. Based on the ages of meteorites, Earth is
thought to be 4.6 billion years old. The oldest rocks known are 3.9 billion to 4.0
billion years old, and these rocks, though altered by post-depositional processes,
show signs of having been deposited in an environment containing water. There is
no direct evidence for water for the period between 4.6 billion and 3.9–4.0 billion
years ago. Thus, ideas concerning the early history of the hydrosphere are closely
linked to theories about the origin of Earth.

Origin of the Earth. (Source: https://iasmania.com/origin-of-

earth/
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Practice Task 2
Distribution of the Hydrosphere

Introduction

You have studied in lesson 1.2 that the hydrosphere is simply the total of
all the water in Earth's atmosphere. A hydrosphere is the total amount of water
on a planet. The hydrosphere includes water that is on the surface of the planet,
underground, and in the air. A planet's hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this exercise, you should be able:

1. To familiarize the distribution of the hydrosphere in our planet.

Materials:
 Protractor
 Water masses at Earth’s surface table (page 17) as reference
 Print out page 20 of this module

Procedure:
You will be drawing a pie chart based on the given data from the water
masses at Earth’s surface table on page 17.
1. On the table given (page 17), make a pie chart representing the
accurate distribution of water masses (in percentage) of the earth’s
surface.
6. Use a protractor in making a pie chart.
7. Draw the pie chart on the printed out blank page (page 20)
8. When you have drawn the pie chart, label the charts in percentage
and the corresponding reservoir.
9. Scan the completed pie chart and submit the file in the mVLE.
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Practice Task 2
Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________
Course and year: ___________________________
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Reference Material
EVERS, JEANNIE. 2015. Lithosphere. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/lithosphere/.

ELLIS, ERLE. 2009. Biosphere Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved from

http://ecotope.org/ people/ ellis/ papers/ellis_eoe_biosphere_2008.pdf.

UNIVERSE TODAY. 2010. What is lithosphere? Retrieved from

https://www.universetoday.com
/73597/what-is-lithosphere/

https://www.britannica.com/science/hydrosphere
.