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48 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Geology
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the science of processes related to the composition, structure, and history of the earth and life.
Interdisciplinary science relying on aspects of chemistry, physics, and biology |
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Earth Science
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includes all spheres of the planet, lothosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere
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Environmental science
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study of interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the environment
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Environmental earth science
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use of earth science info to help us understand and solve conflicts in land use, minimize environmental degradation, maximize beneficial result of using our natural and modified environment
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Inception
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4.6 billion years
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Change over time
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environment and bioextinction
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James Hutton
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1785: Earth as a superorganism, uniformitarianism, founder of modern geology
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James Lovelock
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Gaia hypothesis
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Gaya hypothesis
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Earth is an organism
Life significantly affects the earth's environment Life modifies the environment for the betterment of life Life deliberately or consciously controls the global environment |
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Earth
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Dynamic, alive, and complex
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Everything alive
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beginning and an end
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Prolong earth's sustainable healthy life
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environment mnoitoring
Environment problems:mapping +analysis Environment problem prevention and protection |
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Environment
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complex system with physical, biological, geological, ecological, and geopolitical aspects
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Multi disciplinary research
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environmental geology, " " chemistry, global climate change, biological diversity and ecosystems, environmental economics, " " ethics, " "laws, etc.
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Environmental Crisis
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population, environmental hazards, resource limitations and contaminations,environment ownership (both in space and over time)
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Fundamental Concepts
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Population growth
Sustainability Earth's systems and change Earth process (hazards, rateds, risk etc.) Scientific knowledge and values |
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Human Population Growth
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#1 environmental problem
Population time bomb: exponential growth Earth's carrying capacity limited Eneven growth in space and over time |
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Earth's carrying capacity limited
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more resources, more land space, more waste
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Exponential growth
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Growth rate (G): measured as a percentage
Doubling time (D): D=70/G |
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Uneven growing pace and uneven global distribution
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-Little access to or use of modern family planning methods in less developed countries
-Africa is home to larger share of world population over next half century -Asia: many nations over population (likely largest population by mid century) -India: over 1/3rd of pop under 15yo |
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Sustainability
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-An evolving concept
-expectation and reality -Criteria varions in space and over time -Long-term implications -Requiring careful resource allocations, large scale development of new tech for resource use, recycling and waste disposal |
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Measuring sustainability
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-Use and consumption of resources
-Replenish and renewable rates -Development and improvement of human environment vs. viable environment |
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Earth
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a dynamic system
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Two engines behind earth's dynamics
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Internal and external heat sources
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Interconnect subsystems
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Litosphere, atmoshphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere
mutally adjust |
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System conditions
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open vs. closed systems
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System changes
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types of changes, rates of changes, scales of changes, etc.
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Rates of change
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Average residence time
T=S/F T: residence time, S: total size of stock, F: average rate of transfer |
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Uniformitarianism
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Hutton
-The present is the key to the past -The present is the key to the future -Changes of frequency and magnitude: Geological processes and human activites |
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Environmental unity
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Chain of actions and reactions
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Earth system
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-Gaia hypothesis
-Complex interrelated subsystems -Global perspective on environment |
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Gaia hypothesis
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earth is a living organism
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Slow rates
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people can't see (40 million years)
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Fast rates
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People can see
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Hazardous earth processes
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annual loss of life, financial loss, more life loss from natural disaster in developing countries, more property damage in more developed countries
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Annual loss of life
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about 150,000
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Financial loss
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more than $20 Billion
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Risk Assesment
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-Critical facility mapping and analysis
-economic impact analysis -Societal impact analysis -Total environmental impact analysis |
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Public attitudes toward risks
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Not in my backyard
Build absolutely nothing |
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Public acceptance of risks
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threshold for living with dangers
planning decisions, e.g. floodplain development, weaste disposal |
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Changes of environment in 4-D
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expansiveness of geologic time
Broad spectrum of geological processes Great variations in rates of geological processes |
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Humans are super agent of change
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Holocene epoch
Industrial and global environmental changes |
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Science
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accumulated knowledge
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Knowledge
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basis for decision making
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Scientific methods
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formulate possible solutions to environmental problems
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Scientific design
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structure more suitable for certain environmental settings
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Scientific info
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Public awareness and environmental reuglations
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Scientific knowledge and values
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field/lab work->refine question->Pose answer(hypothesis)->test hypothesis->conclusion->accept hypothesis->theory
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