BESC320–WaterandBioenvironmentalScience

(Lecture1;17,19January2018)

Coursewebpage:

PhilosophyandLearningGoals

  • Nearlyeveryfactyoulearnisboring.Synthesisissublime
  • Memorizinginformationisnotlearninginameaningfulsense
  • Learningconcepts(integrationandorganizationofinformation)ismeaningful
  • Learningtoreflect,totwistfactsandconceptsintonewsynthesesthatsolvestubbornproblems…thatisthegoal
  • Thisrequiresbuildingaframeworktoaccommodateinterrelatedinformation—thelargertheframeworkthemorecompleteandusefulitwillbe
  • Conceptrotation/lateralthinking(youwriteadefinition):

Goalsforthiscourse:

LearndisciplinaryinformationfrommultiplerelevantfieldsLearntothinkconceptually

Learntothinkintegratively(buildconceptualframeworkwithinformation

fromdifferentdomains)

Learntothinkcreatively(comeupwithideasnooneelsehasthought)

Learntothinkthoroughly(carrythroughlogicalscenariostodistantyetprobableends)

Learntothinkaboutconnectednessofdisciplinesandentities(e.g.interactionsofphysics,ecology,infrastructure,stakeholdervalues)

Learntothinkglobally/internationally

Learntothinkquantitatively(e.g.understandresearchandmodeling)

Practicegroupcommunication(practicepreparingandgivingoralpresentations;practicegroupwork).

Readscientificliterature(gaininformationfacilityextractinginformation)

Practiceparticipationinscholarlyoraldiscourse

Sparkandfeedyoursenseofwonderabouttheworld

NOTLEAST:Applyunderstandingandsyntheticskillstosolveproblemsinwateruseandsustainability.

Source:Inside Higher Ed

Structureofcourse—tourofsyllabus

Inventionexample:Desalinationofirrigatedcroplands.Pickleweedsequesterssaltinspecializedcells.Stemsectionswithtoomuchsaltdie,andtheplantgrowsnewshoots.Whynotgrowthisplant,bredtocrazyextremes,insalinizedcropland,harvestandremovetheplants(andsalt)?

ForFriday:Locate,readandreflectonawater-relatednewsstory—We will discuss some of these.

“Theprimarygoalistoreducesuffering,andtodothatonemustunderstandtheworld.” —TheBuddha

Mankindhasdoneafairjobofdiscerningthenature,workings,andhistoryofthephysicalworld.Here’swhatwehavebeenabletopiecetogether:

  • 14byatheuniversewasformed
  • 4.5byaourplanetwasformed
  • containedkeyingredientsforemergenceandmaintenanceoflife

Onthelatterpoint,water,carbondioxide,nitrousoxides,andmineralionsinliquidwaterand an energy source startedlife (Miller/Fox experiments). Wateristhelynchpin.Forinwater,thechemistryoflife,nomatterwhatformitwastotake,waspossible.

Obviouslyittooktheformofwhatyouseetoday…cellular,nucleic-acidbased,self-replicatingorganisms.Organisms,forpurposesofthisclass,areself-containedwatervacuoles,conductingchemistrythatpowersselfreplication.Traitsthatmakeusspirituallyhumaninthisviewareepiphenomena—greed,love,passion,etc.—andthesetraitsalsoimpactourinteractionwithwateroutsideourself-containedvacuolarselves.

WaterPhysicalSciencesI(chemistry)

Overview

Waterisdihydrogenmonoxide,H2O.Ithasextremelyuniquepropertiesthatmakeitvitalforprobablyalllifeprocesses.Thestructureofwaterisasfollows.Notethatoxygenhastwoelectronstoshareandhydrogeninitsionicstate(aproton,whendissolvedinwater)hasasingleelectrondeficit—thustwoHbondtooneO:

TheelectronsurplusfortheOcreatesanegativechargeonitssideofthemolecule,withpositivechargeonthe2Hside.Becauseofthisshiftinchargeacrossthemoleculewecallwaterapolarmolecule.

Water’spolarityallowsittointeractwithsomanyothermoleculesitiscalledthe“universalsolvent”.

Watereveninteractswithitself:

Hydrogenbondsholdliquidwatertogether.

Normalorientations

Polarityalsoallowswatertointeractwithanelectricfield.

Disruptedorientations

ThisishowthecompositionofwaterwasdiscoveredbyLavoisier.

AntoineLaurentLavoisier(1743-1794)isconsideredtobethefatherofmodernchemistry.Hediscoveredthecompositionofwaterbyrunningelectriccurrentthroughliquidwater.Theelectricfieldbreaksupliquid

water’stightconformation(contrastlasttwofigures)andliberatesthecomponentgases.Thisprocessisknownashydrolysis(hydro:water;lysis:tocut).Lavoisierquicklyfoundthereweretwocomponentgases,onelighterthanair,andonefundamentallylikeair.Oneofthegasseshefoundcouldbebreathedbyanimalstosustainlife.Henamedthatgasoxygen(oxy:acrid;gen:tomake)underthe(flawed)ideathatitisacomponentofacids.Theother(lighter)gaswasflammable—butonlyinthepresenceofoxygen.Hefoundwhenthesecondgaswasburneditmakeswater,sohecalledithydrogen(hydro:water:gen:tomake).

So…electricitytakeswaterapart,andfireputswatertogether.

Watercandissolve(bringintosolutionasions)mostcompoundsorelementsyoucanthinkof…

  • solidslikeironandrock
  • gaseslikeoxygenandcarbondioxide
  • andotherliquidslikesulfuricacidandsodiumhydroxide

Hereiswhatwaterdoestotablesalt:(considerstageperformance)

Waterthereforeservesasastoragecompartment,transfermedium,andchemicalmediatorforahugefractionofchemistryonourplanet.

ThinkofallthenutrientcyclesfromBESC201:

Carboncycle

Know this equation forward (photosynthesis) and backward (respiration)

Nitrogencycle

Waterparticipatesinalltheterrestrialandorganismalcomponentsofthecyclesabove.Whyiswatersoimportantandubiquitousin planetary functions?

UniversalSolvency

Anytimeyouseeachargeindicatedonamolecule,itisanion,andislikelydissolvedinwater.Forexample,phosphates(PO4-)arecreatedbydisolutionofmineralsandfromdecayoforganics.Anytimeyouseean“ate”inachemicalname—indicatingitisasalt—youknowitdissolvesinwater.

Wecoulddothesamelineofargumentsforothercycles,likesulfur.Whichshouldremindyouaboutacidrain:

2H2O+SO2+SO4--2H2S04

(try thiswith carbon dioxide)

OtherUniquePropertiesofWater

  • Cloudsarewhite(increasealbedoofplanet)
  • Asformostsubstances,waterbecomesmoredenseastemperaturesdrop.Exceptastemperaturedropsbelow4°Cwatergrowslessdenseandsolidifiesat0°C.
  • Waterhashighspecificheatcapacityallowingittoadsorbandemitrelativelylargeamountsofheatwithoutachangeintemperature
  • Waterhaslargelatentheatsofevaporationandfreezingasaresultofhydrogenbonds,withtheresultthatphasechangesofwaterareanimportantheat-transportvehicle
  • Strongcohesion(surfacetension)adhesion(wetting),thebalanceofwhichmakesforcapillarity

water(dyed)mercury

Whataresomeimportantconsequencesyoucanthinkofregardingwater’shighcohesionandadhesion?

Morefunwiththepropertiesofwater:cohesion,adhesion,capillaryactionandsurfacetension:

(Notethevideo atthebottombegins slowbut getsgood)

Reflect & consider:

Why does rain fall in drops? Why not cubes?

Why do water droplets run together?

How do the former answer relate, abstractly, to this:

How do sweating, panting and swamp coolers work to cool?

How do trees hoist water to their limbs hundreds of feet above ground?

What are some important consequences you can think of regarding water’s high cohesion and adhesion?

(H2O)3 — chemical formula for ice cubes—Dr. DeWitt

Youreducationreallyisthejobof a lifetimeanditcommencesnow.

— DavidFoster Wallace

Howdowestudywithoutatext?

  • Lecturenotespointtoconcepts.
  • Relyonyournotestoknowwhatdetailtolearn—outsourcelearningmaterial(e.g.Wiki’setc.).
  • Payattentiontomycues(“youneedtoknowthis”;“understandthisinconcept”)
  • Evenmytangentsiftheyhaveinformationcontent(notjuststoriesaboutLynnMargulis).
  • Externalcontentisimportant—thatiswhyIprovidelinksinthenotes toanyexternalcontentIuse—soyoucanreviewthematerialoutsideofclass.
  • Examplequestions:

Whatis“planetaryphysiology”?

a.dynamicsofvulcanismonEarth

b. atmosphericexchangeswithspace

c. connectedcyclesactingonaplanetaryscale

d. useofsatellitestomonitorplanetaryconditions

e. telepathy

WhatpercentageofEarth’swaterisfresh?

a.97%

b.30%

c. 5%

d. 3%

e. 0.03

Whatholdswatertogether, making itdenseandviscous?

(seeWikionhydrogenbonds)