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Environmental Science

Environmental Science Fall 2011. Textbook: Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 4th ed., Withgott/Brennan Dates to Remember: Semester Mid-Point

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Environmental Science

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    1. Environmental Science Intro: Mr. Summerour – No PhD, Not “Dr.” Gwinnett County Native B.S. Geology – Georgia Southern ’77 M.S. Geology – Univ. of Texas – El Paso ’90 14 years in El Paso – Chihuahuan Desert 8 years with Ga. DNR – Geologic Survey Branch 10˝ years teaching @ GPC Part time – No office. College email: Joseph.Summerour@gpc.edu or Personal email – jsummerour@hotmail.com Website – http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~jsummero Blog: http://gpcgeoblog.blogspot.com

    2. Environmental Science Fall 2011 Textbook: Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 4th ed., Withgott/Brennan Dates to Remember: Semester Mid-Point – Tuesday, Oct. 18 Last class – Tuesday, Dec. 6 Final Exam: Thursday, December 8 – 2:30 PM

    3. Class Basics 4 Regular Exams – drop lowest grade. 4th Exam is usually a Take-Home exam. 4 Classes devoted to watching DVDs: Volcanoes, Hurricanes, Hurricane Katrina, Solar Energy – there may be note sheets to fill in while watching. Occasional homework & possible classroom quizzes and small group projects. Extra credit available for field-trip attendance, if schedule & weather permit. Extra credit term paper.

    5. Whatever happens now has probably happened before.

    6. We need to be careful about “Instant Solutions”, complex issues may take years of Trial and Error to “fix”. If a problem didn’t happen “overnight”, it won’t be fixed overnight. Try to see both sides of an argument. Is there some logic in “the other side”? Do parts of “their” arguments “make sense”? Reminder: Disagreement is not hate. Civil debate is not “hate speech”. Try to consider what our grandparents/ great-grandparents had to deal with.

    8. How is this material pertinent? “Why do I have to learn this?” “I’m not going to be a scientist.” You have a responsibility to be better informed as to some important scientific issues. You may have reason to be involved in a future public forum. Learn to take a reasoned position on issues. Your ability to answer questions (or knowing where to look for answers) may inspire a child to pursue science. You need to practice Environmental “Due Diligence” before purchasing a home or land.

    10. What are your responsibilities?

    11. Be curious. Observe. Try to take note of changes, both good and bad. Learn how you can make at least a small difference, locally. If you watch TV, check out PBS, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, The History Channel, The Weather Channel… or check listed websites and their links. In the Library check magazines related to science. Check Sunday newspapers (articles may be biased-look for whether or not alternative or dissenting viewpoints are presented).

    12. Science-Related Terms and Concepts in the News- Climate Variability * Ozone * Pollution * Bio- diversity * Extinctions * Ecosystems * Indoor Pollution * Risks * Exotic species * Evolution Sustainable Development/Smart Growth Floods * El Nińo * Tsunami & Earthquakes…

    16. Example: While droughts are of concern… we have had multi-year, even multi-decade droughts before. Example: When El Nińo was first recognized in 1986, some asked “Is this new?” Through core samples from lakes in the Galapagos Islands, we now have a 7,000 year history of El Nińo events. Some changes are random, some are cyclical. Some overlapping changes cancel each other out. Other changes exaggerate each other.

    18. More cycles that affect Sun/Earth relationship

    20. Things “Below the Radar Screen” The Never-Ending Learning Curve Political Agendas vs. Good Science Emotion (Fear, Jealousy) vs. Logic Morality vs. Self Interest Short-term perceptions vs. Earth History Fear of technology, Fear of the unknown vs. Human history Scientists have egos, make mistakes, need money for research, may be influenced by fear of job loss, reputation loss, etc.

    21. In order to develop new, energy-saving technologies for the future, we need a vibrant economy, unhindered by more taxes. Our series of “checks-and-balances”, including the free-market system, maintains our freedom. We need a free-flow of information in order to make informed decisions. That is why we need a variety of news outlets and critical thinking in order to make choices.

    22. Too much government power = less freedom. Our economy is complex, our environment is complex. Blanket “solutions” by govt. just do not work.

    23. An example of excessive govt. regulation, the recent “Food Safety Act” Supposedly it addresses food safety, it may result in FDA oversight of family farms, small gardens, farmers’ markets, the eventual banning of heirloom vegetables and fruits, organic farming,… Government/Big Business Collusion is of concern It may give big Agribusiness a part in writing regulations. Heirloom veggies may be declared to be “a threat” to our food supply.

    24. Heirloom tomatoes, natural varieties, not “Corporate laboratory” tomatoes.

    25. The weekend farmers’ market, an example of Capitalism at work. Each car or truck represents a small family business.

    26. When govt. and the major news outlets are demonizing a particular industry, e.g., banking, oil companies, insurance companies,… Be skeptical, ask yourself, are they trying to distract us from something else? Usually, things get “out of whack” because of too much govt. influence.

    27. Some of the terms/concepts you need to know by the end of this semester… The Greenhouse Effect The Heat Island Effect Different Env. Issues of Different Cities The Scientific Method Computer Modeling Pluses & Minuses How Geology relates to other aspects of Environmental Science Evapotranspiration & other tree emissions Environmental Succession

    28. Pluses and minuses of the Free Market System vs. Government Solutions How to consider “Time Delay” (& Multiple causes) between Cause and Effect Due Diligence The Causes of Wealth & Poverty The counter-productivity of excessive litigation & excessive regulations The issues of scale, e.g., Macro- vs. Sub- or Micro- climates, ecosystems, cultures Synergy & Antagonism Niche vs. Habitat & More to come…

    29. How much CO2 is in the atmosphere? 385 ppm – 385 parts per million

    30. Most of the CO2 that enters the atmosphere each year is from natural sources, e.g., volcanoes, hot springs, ocean releases, animal/bacterial respiration. The human-caused CO2 is small compared to these natural sources. There is evidence that increases in atmospheric CO2 are the result of natural warming, instead of the cause. To summarize, as we are still on the Learning Curve, the science is not settled.

    31. There are other things that could influence the climate: Deforestation.

    32. The current paradigm is driven by computer models which can prove nothing. Climate history tells us of repeated periods of warming and cooling. Last 2000 years - Roman Warm Period*Dark Ages Cold Period*Medieval Warm Period* Little Ice Age – ended about 1850 Modern Warm Period – ended about 1998? 20th century – 1900 – 1940 warming, 1940 -1970 cooling, 1970 – 2000 warming, 21st century – 2000 - ? Cooling?

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