Intro to Environmental Science

Johan C. Varekamp, E&ES - Spring 2006, MWF 10:00 - 10:50 Exley Science Center 121

Textbook: Environmental Science - Systems and Solutions (McKinney and Schoch)

Associated WEB-sites: www.jbpub.com/environment (textbook WEB site)

This course is a gateway to the Earth & Environmental Science (E&ES) major and to the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies Certificate Program (ESCP). In the Earth Sciences we deal with natural processes within the solid earth and its surface through geologic time, which stretches over more than 4.5 billion years. Environmental Science concentrates on the biological, chemical and physical processes and changes in terrestrial environments on a much shorter time scale (decades to hundreds of years). The impact of anthropogenic actions on terrestrial processes is emphasized and resource exploitation versus environmental pollution is a recurrent theme in the class. We will cover broadly the topics in the textbook, but not quite in the same order. Class attendance is strongly recommended.

There are no prerequisites, there will be a midterm exam, a final exam and a project, be it a term paper, slide show, a movie, an event or practical piece of work. Three problem sets will be handed out during the semester, which will be graded. There is a lab demonstration and a short field trip in April. The TA's are Maya Gomes, Andrea Hesse and Jenny Royer.

Class lay-out

I. A discussion of Environmental Issues: What are fundamental anthropogenic impacts on the environment, what are the root causes and what are the effects: historical perspective, examples, review.

-the current greenhouse discussion

-what is pollution?

-the ozone layer case

II. The Physical Environment: a short rehearsal of the basics of the four spheres: lithosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere-biosphere

III. Human population dynamics

-age structure; population growth curves

-carrying capacity concepts

IV. Energy resources

non-renewable versus renewable resources: geology, technology and economics

-origin and abundance of oil, gas and coal deposits

-nuclear energy: principles of operation, nuclear resources

-solar, tidal, wind, biomass, hydropower

V. Impact of fossil fuel energy usage on global climate

-the global climate system: radiative balance, convective heat transport

-enhanced greenhouse effect - Introduction to the carbon cycle

-secondary effects: rainfall, hurricanes, sea level rise

VI. Water resources: the hydrological cycle

-surface water versus groundwater

-alternative water resources: desalinization, ice mining

VII. Feeding the world: natural resources for agriculture

- soil science; fertilizers: natural and synthetic: the green revolution

-development of new agricultural species

VIII. Conserving biological resources: the ‘Biodiversity’ discussion

-energy flows through ecosystems

-species diversity in a geological perspective, what are mass extinctions?

-eco system concepts, habitat destruction, island biogeography, edge effects

-introduced species

 XI. Pollution: from heavy metals to the synthetics -disturbed element cycles: Hg, Pb and S

-case histories of metal pollution

-airpollution: chemistry of photochemical smogs, acid rain

-organics in water, air and soils

-bioaccumulation, toxicity mechanisms

X. The ozone hole: a human-induced reduction?

-ozone chemistry

-ozone cycling in the stratosphere: natural versus anthropogenic effects

XI. Role of science, economics and public policy in regulating the use of energy and mineral resources. Is Laissez-’fair’ enough? From Malthusians to other doomsday scenarios to luddites to bioregionalism.