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Module-1-Introduction

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the interactions among physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment, focusing on issues like pollution, biodiversity, and sustainability. It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s due to the need for multi-disciplinary approaches to complex environmental problems and growing public awareness. Key sub-categories include atmospheric sciences, ecology, environmental chemistry, geosciences, and environmental assessment, each contributing to understanding and managing environmental challenges.

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Erica Cerbito Tulipas
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10 views

Module-1-Introduction

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that studies the interactions among physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment, focusing on issues like pollution, biodiversity, and sustainability. It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s due to the need for multi-disciplinary approaches to complex environmental problems and growing public awareness. Key sub-categories include atmospheric sciences, ecology, environmental chemistry, geosciences, and environmental assessment, each contributing to understanding and managing environmental challenges.

Uploaded by

Erica Cerbito Tulipas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Tech Elective 1 (Module 1) 1

Intro to Environmental Science

Module 1

Introduction

Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical,


chemical, and biological components of environment. It is may be known as
an interdisciplinary science overlapping the categories in Natural sciences,
Engineering sciences and Social sciences. In nature, Environmental science
focuses on pollution and dreadful condition of the environment related to
human activities and their impact on biodiversity and sustainability. As an
interdisciplinary field, environmental science also applies knowledge from
economics, law and social sciences that can also be applied to cyberspace
environment. In nature, Physical is used to understand the change of
material and energy interaction and construct mathematical models of
environmental phenomena. Chemistry is applied to understand the molecular
interactions among natural systems. Biological is fundamental to describing
the effects within the plant and animal kingdoms.

Environmental science came alive as a substantive, active field of


scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s. This was driven by the need
for a large multi-disciplined team to analyze complex environmental problems,
the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific environmental
protocols of investigation, and growing public awareness of a need for action
in addressing environmental problems.

Environmental science covers issues such as climate change,


conservation, biodiversity, groundwater and soil contamination, use of natural
resources, waste management, sustainable development, air pollution and
noise pollution.

Sub-Categories of Environmental Science

*Atmospheric sciences examine the new phenomenology of the


Earth’s gaseous outer layer with emphasis upon interrelation to other
systems. Atmospheric sciences comprises meteorological studies,
greenhouse gas phenomena, atmospheric dispersion modeling of air borne
contaminants, sound propagation phenomena related to noise pollution, and
even light pollution.

Taking the example of the global warming phenomena, physicists


create computer models of atmospheric circulation and infra-red radiation
transmission, chemists and their reactions, biologists analyze the plant and
animal contributions to carbon dioxide fluxes, and specialists such as
meteorologists and oceanographers add additional breadth in understanding
the atmospheric dynamics.

*Ecology is the study of the relationship among organisms and the


environments in which they live, including all living and nonliving components.
The chief environmental factors governing the distribution of plants and
animals are temperature, humidity, soil, light intensity, day length, food
Tech Elective 1 (Module 1) 2
Intro to Environmental Science

supply, and interaction with other organisms. The term ecology was coined by
the biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.
Ecology may be concerned with individual organisms (for example,
behavioral ecology, feeding strategies), with populations (for example,
population dynamics), or with entire communities (for example, competition
between species for access to resources in an ecosystem, or predator-prey
relationships). Applied ecology is concerned with the management and
conservation of habitats and the consequences and control of pollution.

*Environmental chemistry is the study of chemical alterations in the


environment. Principal areas of study include soil pollution and water
pollution. The topics of analysis involve chemical degradation in the
environment, multi-phase transfer of chemicals (for example, evaporation of a
solvent containing take to yield solvent as an air pollutant), and chemical
effects upon biota.

As an example study, consider the case of a leaking solvent tank which


has entered the soil upgrading of a habitat of an endangered species of
amphibian. Physicist would develop a computer model to understand the
extent of soil contamination and subsurface transport of solvent, chemist
would analyze the molecular bonding of the solvent to specific soil type and
biologists would study the impacts upon soil arthropods, plants and ultimately
pond dwelling copepods who are the food the endangered amphibian.

*Geosciences include Environmental Geology, Hydrology, Physical


Geography, Climatology and Geomorphology. It may also embrace
oceanography and other related fields.
As an example study of soil erosion, calculations would be made of
surface runoff by soil scientists. Hydrologist would assists in examining
sediment transport in over land flow. Physicists would contribute by assessing
the changes in light transmission in the receiving waters. Biologist would
analyze subsequent impacts to aquatic flora and fauna from increases in
water turbidity.

*Environmental Assessment is the process of appraisal through


which environmental protection and sustainable development may be
considered. Environmental assessments typically involve collection of field
data; this can be from stick holders and the ambient environment, and serves
to harmonize the linkages between the different branches of the environment
and development.

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