7 Environmental Science

Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Nature and Scope
MELC: Describe the nature and scope of environmental science
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1.Explain the nature of environmental science and its
significant challenges
2. Differentiate between abiotic and biotic factors in the
environment
3. Describe the scope of the environment:
a.Atmosphere
b.Hydrosphere
c.Lithosphere
d.Biosphere
4. Identify the elements of the environment
5. Show how the environment foremost in our life.
 Unscramble each of the letters below to reveal the correct answer
Pre-Test being described. Write your answer on your activity notebook.
DESCRIPTION SCRAMBLED ANSWER
LETTERS
1. It implies the protective blanket of gases TOSHRAPEME ATMOSPHERE
surrounding the earth.
2. It comprises all types of water resources HYDROSPHERE
oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, EEYDOSHHRPR
polar ice caps, glaciers, and groundwater.
3. It is the outer mantle of the solid earth. It LITHOSPHERE
consists of minerals occurring in the earth’s EIHOLHTPSER
crusts and the soil e.g., minerals, organic matter,
air, and water.

4. It indicates the realm of living organisms and BIOSPHERE

their interactions with the environment, viz ERBSHIPOE
atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
5. It is constituted by the
interacting systems of physical, ENVIRONMENT
biological, and cultural elements
inter-related in various ways, NTEIOMNREVN
individually as well as collectively.
6. These elements, such as
economic, social, and political RTUULLCA CULTURAL
elements are mostly human-made
features, which make cultural LEENMETS ELEMENTS
milieu.
7. It includes all non-living IBITACOS
components such as land, ABIOTICS
mountains, rivers, air, water,
temperature, humidity, water
vapor, sand, dust, and clouds.
8. It includes all living organisms and
biological life such as animals, birds, BIOTIC
forests, reptiles, insects, bacteria, and IBITCO
microorganisms like algae and fungus.
9. These areas space, landforms, water
bodies, climate soils, rocks, and minerals. PHYSICAL
YSHLIAPC ELEMENTS
They determine the variable character of
the human habitat, its opportunities as LEENTEMS
well as limitations.
10. It is the study of the multitude of ATEVOREMNNLI ENVIRONMENTAL
interactions between humans and the world SCIENCE
around them, living and non-living. NCSCIEE
 Lesson

THE NATURE AND SCOPE

Environmental science studies are multi-disciplinary because
it comprises various branches of studies like chemistry,
physics, medical science, life science, agriculture, public health,
and sanitary engineering. It is the science of physical
phenomena in the environment. It studies the sources,
reactions, transport, effect, and the fate of physical a biological
species in the air, water, and soil and the impact of human
activity upon these.
Lesson

PICTURE 1 PICTURE 2

1. What do you think the pictures above all about?

2. How will you describe the first picture?
3. How will you describe the second picture?
 Environmental science, an interdisciplinary academic
field that draws on ecology, geology, meteorology,
biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics to study
environmental problems and human impacts on the
environment.
Environmental science is a quantitative discipline
with both applied and theoretical aspects and has been
influential in informing the policies of governments
around the world.
 Environmental science is considered separate from
environmental studies, which emphasizes the human
relationship with the environment and the social and
political dimensions thereof.
For example, whereas a researcher in environmental
studies might focus on the economic and political aspects
of international climate-change protocols, an
environmental scientist would seek to understand climate
change by quantifying its effects with models and
evaluating means of mitigation.
Environment Explained
A literary environment means the surrounding external conditions influencing
the development or growth of people, animals, or plants, living, or working
conditions. This involves three questions:
What is Surrounded? Living objects in general and man.
By what Surrounded? The environment, is answered by the physical
attributes. The preoccupation of all education is the human environment.
However, man cannot exist in isolation from other forms of life and plant life or be
understood.
The environment, therefore, refers to the overall condition that surrounds space
and time points. Over time the scope of the term environment has changed and
widened. In the primitive age, the background as biological communities consisted
of only physical aspects of the land, air, and water of the planted earth. As time
passed, the man's social, economic, and political functions extended his
environment.
Where Surrounded?
The physical component of planet Earth, viz Land, Air, and
Water, is in nature. Support life within the biosphere and
affect it. The environment is the representative of the earth's
physical components, in which man is an essential factor
affecting the environment.
I.Definitions of Environment Science:
•The word environment is derived from the
French word “environ” which means
surrounding or enveloping.
•Environmental science is a multidisciplinary
science that combines physics, chemistry,
biology, medical, health science, life science,
agricultural science, forestry, public health
engineering, and so on.
•The main objective of environmental science
is to protect the environment
 •Environmental Science is the study of the
multitude of interactions between humans and the
world around them, living and nonliving.
•As Earth’s human population continues to grow, as
technology advances and social needs and wants
increase, our impact on the world become more
widespread and severe, despite improvement in some
areas.

•Environmental impact, in turn, affects human

health and well-being
Few major challenges are topics for
environmental science include:

Global climate change (global warming and all its

consequences).
Management of Earth’s water resources.
Energy and mineral resource depletion.
Meeting the food, fiber, and clothing needs of a
growing world population.
Air pollution and acid rain depletion
Stratosphere ozone depletion
Water pollution
Soil erosion, fertility depletion, and
contamination
 Deforestation.
Habitat destruction on land and in the oceans.
The spread of infectious diseases, including those caused
by organisms that have developed antibiotic resistance.
Long term sustainability of the Global and national
economy.

All the above and other environmental challenges are

multidisciplinary in nature. That is. To understand each
environmental problem sufficiently well to develop viable
solutions, scientists must assemble expertise in several
disciplines. No single scientist will indeed be an expert in all of
the facets of the several disciplines needed to address
anyone problem in detail, but it is also important that
environmental scientists, decision makers and other workers
in the field understand the different sciences sufficiently well
to communicate with those of other specialties and to
appreciate the importance of other disciplines in addressing
challenges
 At a minimum, the well-trained environmental scientist will be
conversant in physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, and geology (Earth
Science). The environmental scientist will also be familiar with the
relevant economic, social, and political science. All three are
essential to understanding not only how humans come to affect the
environment, but also what options are available for action because
technical fixes will rarely if ever, solve an environmental problem
once and for all. Politics, economics, and cultural adjustment will
each contribute its share to any viable solution (Bueno, 2019).
Biotic and Abiotic Environment
•All the factors such as physical, geographical, chemical,
biological, and ecological, which affects human life and its
existence on this planet, are called environment.
•The environment includes the earth, lakes, forests, farms,
vegetation, and other biological life such as animals, plants,
bacteria, and microorganisms.
•All the components of the environment are divided into two
categories.
 •Biotic Environment includes all living organisms and
biological life such as animals, birds, forests, reptiles,
insects, bacteria, and microorganisms like algae, and
fungus.
Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem.
They are sorted into three groups: producers or autotrophs,
consumers or heterotrophs, and decomposers or
detritivores. Abiotic Environment includesall non-living
components such as land, mountains, rivers, air, water,
temperature, humidity, water vapor, sand, dust, and clouds.
 Abiotic factors, also called abiotic components, are non-living
factors that impact an ecosystem. Abiotic factors are part of the
ecosystem and can change the associated living things, but they
are not living. The term “abiotic” comes from the root parts “a-”
meaning “without” and “bio” meaning life.

II. Scope of Environmental Science

The environment consists of four

segments as under:
 1. Atmosphere: The atmosphere implies the protective
blanket of gases, surrounding the earth:
(a)It sustains life on the earth.
(b)It saves it from the hostile environment of outer space.
(c)It absorbs most of the cosmic rays from outer space and a
significant portion of the electromagnetic radiation from the
sun.
(d)It transmits only here ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared
radiation (300 to 2500 nm) and radio waves. (0.14 to 40 m)
while filtering out tissue- damaging ultraviolet waves below
about 300 nm.
 2.Hydrosphere: The Hydrosphere comprises all types of
water resources oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams,
reservoirs, polar ice caps, glaciers, and ground water.
Nature 97% of the earth’s water supply is in the
oceans.
About 2% of the water resources is locked in the
polar icecaps and glaciers.
Only about 1% is available as fresh surface water-
rivers, lakes streams, and groundwater fit to be used
for human consumption and other uses.
3. Lithosphere: The Lithosphere is the outer
mantle of the solid earth. It consists of minerals
occurring in the earth’s crusts and the soil, e.g.,
minerals, organic matter, air, and water.
4. Biosphere: The Biosphere indicates the
realm of living organisms and their interactions
with the environment; atmosphere,
hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
III.Elements of Environment
The environment is constituted by the interacting systems of
physical, biological, and cultural elements inter-related in various
ways, individually as well as collectively. These elements may be
explained as under:
(1)Physical elements
Physical elements are space, landforms, water bodies, climate soils,
rocks, and minerals. They determine the variable character of the
human habitat, its opportunities as well as limitations.
(2) Biological elements: Biological elements such as plants,
animals, microorganisms, andmen constitute the biosphere.

(3) Cultural elements: Cultural elements such as economic,

social, and political elements are mostly human-made
features, which make cultural milieu.
IV. Importance of Environment

Environment is not a single subject. It is an integration of

several issues that include both science and social science. To
understand all the different aspects of our environment, we need
to understand biology, chemistry, physics, geography, resources
management, economics, and population issues. Thus, the scope
of environmental studies is vast and covers some aspects of
nearly every major discipline.
Water, air, soil, minerals, oils, the product we get from the
forests, grasslands, oceans, and agriculture and livestock are all
part of our life support system. Without them, life itself will be
impossible.
As we keep on increasing in number,
the quantity of resources each of us
uses also increases. The earth cannot
be expected to sustain this
expanding level of utilization of
resources. Added to this is the misuse
of funds.
 We waste or pollute a large amount of nature's clean water; we
create more and more amount of plastic that we discard after the
single use. We spend a large amount of food, which is discarded as
garbage.
Air pollution leads to airborne illnesses. Contamination of the
water leads to a gastrointestinal disorder (GIT). And it is known that
many pollutants cause cancer.
Improving this condition will only happen if any, use of our
everyday lives begins to function, which will protect our world. We
cannot expect the government to manage the protection of our
environment on its own, nor can we expect other people to prevent
damage to the environment. We have got to do this ourselves.
Assessment A. Identify the following and choose your answer on the clue
box. Write your answer in your activity notebook.

1. It is the outer mantle of the

Cultural
Abiotic solid earth. It consists of minerals
Physical occurring in the earth’s crusts and the
Biological soil, minerals, organic matter, air, and
Biosphere
Ecology water.
Biotic 2. It indicates the realm of living
Atmosphere
organisms and their interactions
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere with environment, viz atmosphere,
Environmental Science hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
 Identify the following and choose your answer on the clue box.
Assessment
Write your answer in your activity notebook.

Cultural 3. It comprises all types of water

Abiotic
Physical resources oceans, seas, lakes, rivers,
Biological
Biosphere streams, reservoir, polar icecaps,
Ecology glaciers, and ground water.
Biotic
Atmosphere
Lithosphere 4. It implies the protective
Hydrosphere blanket of gases, surrounding the
Environmental Science
earth:
 Identify the following and choose your answer on the clue box.
Assessment
Write your answer in your activity notebook.

5. It is the study of the multitude

Cultural
Abiotic interaction between human and world
Physical around them, living and nonliving.
Biological 6. These are as space, landforms,
Biosphere water bodies, climate soils, rocks and
Ecology
Biotic minerals.
Atmosphere 7. It includes all living organisms
Lithosphere and biological life such as animals, birds,
Hydrosphere forests, reptiles, insects, bacteria and
Environmental Science
microorganisms like algae, fungus etc.
 Identify the following and choose your answer on the clue box.
Assessment
Write your answer in your activity notebook.

Cultural 8. It includes all non-living components

Abiotic such as land, mountains, rivers, air, water,
Physical temperature, humidity, water vapor, sand, dust,
Biological clouds etc.
Biosphere
9. These elements such as plants, animals,
Ecology
Biotic microorganisms and men constitute the
Atmosphere biosphere.
Lithosphere 10. These elements such as economic,
Hydrosphere social and political elements are essentially
Environmental Science
man-made features, which make cultural milieu.
B. Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write
your answer in your activity notebook.

1.It is a multidisciplinary science which combines

physics, chemistry, biology, medical, health science, life
science, agricultural science, forestry, public health
engineering and so on.
a.Environment Science c. Environmental issues
b.Ecosystem d. Ecology
2. It indicates the realm of living organisms and
their interactions with environment, viz
atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.
a.Lithosphere c. Biosphere
b.Hydrosphere d. Atmosphere
3. It is the outer mantle of the solid earth. It consists of
minerals occurring in the earth’s crusts and the soil
e.g. minerals, organic matter, air and water.
a.Lithosphere c. Biosphere
b.Hydrosphere d. Atmosphere
4. These are the components of non-living factors that
impact an ecosystem. Abiotic factors are part of the
ecosystem and can impact the associated living things,
but they are not living
a.Biotic b. Minerals c. Biosphere d. Abiotic
5. It is a part of earth where it sustains life and serves
as hostile of outer space.
a.Lithosphere c. Biosphere
b.Hydrosphere d. Atmosphere
6. These are elements of environment focus on space,
landforms, water bodies, climate soils, rocks and
minerals. a.Cultural c. Physical
b.Biological d. All the Above

7. It is the study of the multitude interaction between

human and world around them, living and nonliving.
a.Biology c. Ecology
b.Environmental Science d. Ecosystem
8. These are the living components of an ecosystem and
sorted into three groups: producers or autotrophs,
consumers or heterotrophs, and decomposers or
detritivores. a. Abiotic c. Biosphere
b.Ecology d. Biotic
9. These are elements such as economic, social and
political elements are essentially man-made features,
which make cultural milieu.
a.Biological c. Cultural
b.Physical d. All of the Above
10. How many percent (%) available as fresh
surface water-rivers, lakes streams, and
groundwater fit to be used for human
consumption and other uses.
a. 2% b. 2.25% c. 1.5% d. 1%