ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
NOTES | Sir William Carullo
LESSON 1: Intro to Environmental Science
Environmental Science and Ecology
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE is the study of
the environment and its interactions between
the biotic and abiotic components. It provides
a unified, quantifiable, and interdisciplinary
approach to the study of environmental
systems. It includes diverse areas like
biological sciences, physical sciences, and
information sciences.
- Encompasses issues on climate
change, biodiversity and its
conservation, water and soil quality, air
pollution, waste management, soil
pollution and degradation. Most
environmental issues can be
attributed to human activities.
- Environmental science were focuses
on the application of biological,
physical and chemical principles to
determine the physical environment
and the solution to environmental
problem
ECOLOGY is defined as the study of the
interrelations of the living organisms and their
environment. Ecology could be considered as a
subset of environmental science, which also
could contain purely chemical or public health
habitat integrity, effects of the environmental
contaminants on populations as well as impact
of land development on species are covered.
Meaning and Scope of Environment
ENVIRONMENT is the representation of
physical components of the earth where man
is the main factor affecting the environment.
->Some important meanings of the
environment are defined by the following:
Environment as "consisting of the sum total of
the stimulation which he receives from his
conception until his death"
- From the above definition, the
environment involves various types of
external forces such as physical,
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intellectual, moral, emotional,
economic, political, cultural and social
which affect the life, nature, behavior
and the growth, development and
maturation of living organisms.
Douglas and Holland describe the environment
as "the aggregate, all the external force,
influences and conditions, which affect the life,
nature, behavior and the growth, development
and maturity of living organisms”.
Scope of Environment (four divisions)
1. Atmosphere - This is the protective
blanket of gasses surrounding the
earth that sustains life and absorbs
most of the cosmic rays from outer
space and a major portion of the
radiation from the sun.
2. Hydrosphere - This comprises all
types of water resources such as
oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams,
polar ice caps, glaciers, and
groundwater
3. Lithosphere - This is the outer mantle
of the solid earth consisting of
minerals occurring in the earth's crusts
and the soil.
4. Biosphere - This indicates the realm of
living organisms and their interactions
with the environment.
Importance of Environmental Science
● It offers knowledge on environmental
issues which are considered of
international importance. Global
warming and ozone depletion, acid
rain, environmental pollution and
biodiversity are not only national
issues but are global issues and must
be addressed with international efforts
and cooperation.
● It helps maintain ecological balance by
providing basic knowledge of
environmental systems and their
processes. It also aids man to gain
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
NOTES | Sir William Carullo
ability in using techniques to analyze
several environmental systems and
the effect of human activities on that
system.
● It includes diverse areas such as
property rights, economic instruments
for pollution control, and cost benefit
analysis management applications
with environmental policy.
● It gives concepts which can be used to
study agriculture and the design of
sustainable production systems.
● It provides skills needed to raise the
questions and too often obtains
answers to some of the environmental
problems which our planet is facing
today.
● It helps to make the public aware of the
challenging consequences of the
environmental degradation and aids in
guiding proper measures to be
undertaken.
Current Environmental Issues
These are several environmental issues that
humans need to address and solve. These are:
1. Climate Changes
2. Deforestation
3. Destruction of habitat
4. Biodiversity loss
5. Rising pollution
Four Basic Causes of Environmental Problems
1. Population growth. Population is
growing at a fixed percentage that is
why we are experiencing doubling of
larger and larger populations. Human
population is increasing exponentially
at a rapid rate. It is estimated that the
population now is 7 billion and based
on the record of the current increase
rate, by 2050, there will be 9.6 billion
people occupying the earth.
2. Unsustainable resource use. We can
get resources from the environment
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such as food, clothing, shelter and
other needs. Due to demands of these
basic needs, man consumes high levels
of resources and wastes some
resources. This can lead to over
exploitation of resources and
environmental degradation.
3. Poverty. Poverty is the result when
the basic needs for adequate food,
water, shelter, health, and education
are not met.
- Poverty has harmful effects
that cause environmental
degradation due to the need
for short-term survival. It also
affects one's health causing
malnutrition, inadequate
sanitation, lack of clean
drinking water, severe
respiratory disease and high
premature death rates for
children under the age of 5
years.
4. Excluding environmental costs from
market prices. Some companies often
maximize the profit without thinking of
the effect of these goods and services
on the environment. Consumers
purchase the goods- either they do not
know the damage caused by their
consumption or they know the effect
but still the price of the community and
services offered is suited to their
budget.
LESSON 2: Ecological System
ECOSYSTEM - the basic functional unit in
ecology which includes organisms,
populations, and communities which are
influencing the different properties of other
living organisms. The ecosystem comprises
different properties of the other living
organisms. These abiotic components are
temperature, moisture, latitude and light. The
diversity of plants and animals are generally
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
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the biotic components of the ecosystem which
are very much interrelated.
The Core Principle the Ecosystem
1. Balance of nature - Our nature has its
own laws and processes to sustain
itself. An ecosystem can support only
a given number of individuals at a
given time. For example, a frog’s pond
can only accommodate four frogs to
support their needs. An imbalance in
the system occurs when carrying
capacity level is exceeded.
2. Diversity and stability - All life forms
are important in the ecosystem. No
matter how small or big the organisms
are they have their specific role in the
ecosystem. The more diverse the
ecosystem, the more resilient and
stable it becomes because every
species has its own way of making the
ecosystem stable. When one species is
lost, it affects the bond in the web of
life.
3. Finiteness of resources - Most
resources are non-renewable such as
coal, oil, and natural gas. These non-
renewable resources must be used
prudently and wisely. The absorptive
capacity of the environment is finite.
The Stability of Ecosystem
1. Abiotic components - Such as enough
light which provides energy to the
ecosystem through energy to the
ecosystem through photosynthesis,
temperature should not exceed to the
extreme as long as many living things
may tolerate, and have enough
nutrients of the soil.
2. Biotic components - Such as plants
and animals have the ability to defend
themselves, have suitable habitat,
have enough water supply, and ability
to migrate animals).
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3. Biodiversity should be maintained by
protecting their ecosystem - Oil spill
and water pollution should be
controlled in marine and freshwater
ecosystem. The size of the consumer
population must be controlled due to
limited availability of materials and
food resources.
4. No overgrazing and overuse of
resources - Consume only enough
material and food needed. For
example, the grassland can only
support small population of cows to
keep the ecosystem stable. Once the
small population exceeds to be a
bigger population, the balance in the
ecosystem will be disrupted.
Biotic and Abiotic Factors Enhancing Growth of
the Animals and Plants Diversity
● Favorable light
● Sufficient rainfall
● Ability to secure food
● Favorable temperature
● Ability to migrate to new territories
● Ability to defend itself from predators
● Ability to reproduce healthy offspring
● Ability to blend into the environment
so as not to be eaten
● Ability to compete with other species
for food, shelter and space
● Ability to adapt to new habitat and fast
changing condition of the
environment.
Types of Ecosystem Stability
1. Resistance can measure how much an
ecosystem resists change. The
ecosystem will remain a stable system
despite disturbances or changes. For
example, depletion of oxygen in water
(eutrophication). Body of water such
as lakes, streams, rivers, ponds and
ocean becomes rich in dissolved
nutrients sewerage which can harm
aquatic organisms.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
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2. Resilience measures how quickly the
ecosystem recovers from disturbance
or resisting damage. It can
immediately return to a steady state or
balance ecosystem. Resilience is the
capability to respond.
Survival of Organisms in Changing
Environments
● WATER is the important part of the
abiotic factor which helps most living
things to do their activities in the
ecosystem. Water is the “Lifeblood of
Earth”, as the saying goes. It consists
of essential elements needed by living
things. In plants, the important
nutrients such carbon, phosphorus and
potassium are carried from soil to the
plants through water. Availability of
water in the ecosystem increases and
decreases due to the changing
environment.
● TEMPERATURE is one of the abiotic
factors that influence the ability of
living things to survive. Hot and cold
temperatures affect environmental
factors that govern several
physiological and biological processes
of the earth. Temperature vary from
time depending on the percentage of
greenhouse gasses present in the
atmosphere
● LIGHT from the sun is the main source
of energy of all plants. Animals and
humans need sunlight as their vitamin
D sources. Light is very essential in the
life of many living things.
- In plants they utilized the light
for the process of
photosynthesis where light
energy is converted into
complex organic substances
essential for growth and
reproduction.
● ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE is due to
the gravitational force of the earth in
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which the atmospheric gasses are
pulled towards the surface which
produces air pressure.
- These environmental factors
affect the organisms survival
in a particular range of
atmospheric pressure.
● CHEMICAL COMPONENTS such as
carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and
nitrogen are essential elements of life.
These elements needed by many living
things are derived from plants and
animals.
Major Types of Ecosystem
● MARINE ECOSYSTEMS - The oceans
and seas are our richest source of
biodiversity. Manilatimes.net,
published in November 18, 2012, that
“The Philippines is among the six
countries that comprise the Coral
Triangle region – the home to the
richest marine life on earth”. This
proves we are very rich in marine
diversity. Marine life such as sea
catfish, cat shark, angelfish and coral
reef life are some examples of species
that could be found in seas and oceans.
The Philippines has the largest
recorded number of coral species.
● FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM -
Milkfish, eels and carps, are common
examples of fish that are found in
freshwater habitats. Shrimp,
freshwater snail and mussels are also
species found in freshwater. Many
invasive exotic flora species are
extensive in lakes.
- Freshwater supports many
living things to maintain life
cycles and sustain many
terrestrial species. Freshwater
ecosystems are very essential
for human’s livelihood and
consumption.
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
NOTES | Sir William Carullo GE 9 - Pineda

● TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM - Forest different bodies of water. Water contamination

and mountain ecosystem have a high can affect the loss of aquatic biodiversity. Soil
level of biodiversity. Many plants such protection must be a practice.
as wild ferns, mosses, and shrubs are
found mostly on shrub and herb layers Air quality management
of the forest. Many trees absorb direct -> Air Quality Management (AQM) pertains to
sunlight for them to manufacture their the different uses of innovative processes and
own food. technologies to maintain healthy air in the
- Trees serve as habitats for environment. Dumping of solid waste
many species. Some animals anywhere can cause air pollution. We need to
and plants species are manage our solid waste in order to minimize air
sensitive with the high altitude pollution. Air pollution is the main cause of acid
and temperature in the forest rain which affects corals resulting in coral
and mountains. Increasing bleaching, functional impairment, and/or
temperature can affect the death of many living organisms.
conditions of many species.
Marine water and freshwater management
Ways to Minimize Human Impact on the -> As being responsible citizens, we can do
Ecosystem simple means in managing good quality of
Forest management is a kind of practice for marine and freshwater. For example, do not
stewardship (man must conserve and preserve throw any trash in the different bodies of water,
nature) and the proper use of forest land in a follow rules and regulations when you go for a
sustainable manner. swim.
➢ Forest is one of the main habitats of
many plant and animal species. It is
necessary that one must be aware of
protecting the forest because several
species of birds and other animals
make their home in the forest.
➢ Man should know the laws protecting
the forest. For example, Republic Act
No. 3572 – an act to prohibit the
cutting of tindalo, ankle, or molave
trees. It also requires careful, close
monitoring, and observation of current
loss biodiversity.

Soil Management
-> Soil is the constituent part of the ecosystem
and a substrate for most of the earth’s flora
especially for vegetable and root crops. One
must not degrade the soil from contamination.
Pouring any hazardous chemical into soil can
absorb the roots of the plants which cause
them to die. During soil erosion the
contaminated soil particles may flow on the