BIG IDEAS BY CHAPTER

GRADE: __9th Grade SUBJECT: _Environmental Science__

Chapter 1: Science and the Environment / Chapter 2: Scientific Methods / Chapter 3: The Dynamic Earth / Chapter 4: The Organization of Life / Chapter 5: How Ecosystems Work
Throughout Human History We Have Had an Impact on the Environment, but that Impact has Grown As Population and Resource Use HasIncreased
Environmental Science is an inter-disciplinary science that has come about over the last several decades as humans have come to realize our need to understand and solve complex issues related to the environment
Most environmental problems are associated with common pool resources where humans try to act in their short-term interest instead of the long-term welfare of society.
A sustainable world is one in which human needs are met in such a manner that it does not deter from future generations abilities to meet their needs. / Science is a processes by which we use the scientific method to try to understand the world in which we live in.
There are certain traits any “good” scientist has.
Statistical methods and models help scientists to understand complex problems.
In societies, we can solve environmental problems by planning, organizing and considering scientific evidence and proposing solutions. / The Earth is a dynamic system consisting of the geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere.
The Earth’s geosphere is a complex system that is constantly changing impacting life on Earth.
A thin mixture of gasses that surrounds our planet makes life on Earth possible in many ways.
Life is contained in a very thin layer near the Earth’s surface that contains all that is needed for survival.
Water is a simple, yet complex molecule that shapes our world landscape, moderates our climate, provides habitat and most of all makes life possible / In an ecosystem, the biotic and abiotic components interact to form an interconnected system.
Species adapt to their environment through a long process of evolution and natural selection.
Humans classify the diversity of life on Earth in order to better understand their relationships. / The flow of energy, cycling of materials, and ecological succession combine to affect how an ecosystem works.
Organisms need energy to survive. Some organisms can convert directly from the sun, others get their energy indirectly from the sun.
The cycling of materials such as carbon, nitrogen, water and phosphorous keep nutrients balanced in an ecosystem.
Chapter 6: Biomes / Chapter 8: Understanding Populations / Chapter 9: The Human Population / Chapter 11: Water / Chapter 12: Air
The variety of biomes found on Earth are described by their vegetation, temperature and precipitation. / There are a variety of factors that impact the size of a population and how it changes over time.
Within an ecosystems there are complex relationships among species. / The size and growth rate of human population has changed drastically over the last 200 years. Those changes have led to profound changes to almost every place on Earth. / Without water there is no life on Earth.
Although there is an abundance of water on Earth, only a small fraction is fresh water suitable for human usage.
Pollution, misuse has caused fresh water to become one of Earth’s most threatened natural resources. / There are a variety of human activities that impact air quality that can affect both the health of humans and other organisms.
Chapter 13: Atmosphere and Climate Change / Chapter 14: Land / Chapter 15: Food and Agriculture / Chapter 16:Mining and Mineral Resources / Chapter 17: Nonrenewable Energy
Our atmosphere is an extremely thin and fragile layer of gasses that surround our planet making life possible.
Human activities are fundamentally altering the composition of the atmosphere and potentially leading to a wide array of global changes on Earth. / Humans use the land for many purposes. Understanding these purposes and implications for human activities can make us better stewards for the environment. / Producing enough food to meet a growing world population is a huge challenge.
Producing enough food for the world has a huge impact upon our environment and our health.
Various alternatives exist to the current food production methods. / Mining and minerals we use every day have an important economic importance.
Both surface and subsurface mining techniques have environmental impacts. / Much of a life in a modern society requires energy use.
Much of that energy used by the world comes from nonrenewable fossil fuels.
Our choice of fuels has a huge impact on the environment.
Chapter 18: Renewable Energy / Chapter 19: Waste / Chapter 20: Environmental and Human Health
Renewable, alternative energy sources are growing in usage as the world begins to realize the impact of using nonrenewable energy resources. / Modern societies produce huge volumes of waste.
Societies produces different kinds of waste and these wastes must be disposed of properly.
Producing less waste, recycling, composting and changing habits can help alleviate waste problems. / Even though we often think of ourselves as separate from the ecosystems we live in, humans are part of the environment, not separate.
There are a variety of human health problems related to natural and human produced pollution.