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BIOL 4130/4140
Contemporary Problems
in Environmental Science
Phil Ganter
302 Harned Hall
963-5782 |
|
Idaho's
Lochsa River |
Course Objectives
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Lecture 01 Human Population Growth
The
Student will be able to:
- describe
the general outlines of human population growth since the agricultural
revolution
- discuss the importance of changes in
public sanitation and germ theory during the industrial revolution to human
population growth
- describe the general geographic distribution of population and population
growth
- describe the differences in growth between more and less developed countries
- describe exponential growth and explain why it applies to human populations
- discuss the implications of exponential growth
- calculate doubling time from percentage growth rate
- describe logistic growth
- define carrying capacity and ecological footprint
- describe age structures of growing and stable populations
- recapitulate Malthus' argument about the effect of resource on population
growth
- describe the demographic transition and possible causes of it
- discuss possible problems with accepting the demographic transition
- discuss both arguments for and against a population problem
- discuss the effects of education and family planning on population growth
Lecture
02
The
Student will be able to:
- define the biosphere
- discuss the general feature of the Earth
- discuss the general features of the Lithosphere,
Hydrosphere, and Atmosphere
- describe the hierarchy of life
- define "population" and discuss those factors
that affect abundance and distribution
- give examples of how the factors affecting populations can interact
- define biotic interactions and distinguish direct and indirect interactions
- discuss how humans interact with populations of other species
- define biological communities and distinguish them from ecosystems
- explain ecological succession
- describe energy flow and matter cycling as ecosystem processes
- define food webs
- describe a trophic pyramid
- define net primary productivity
- describe a generalized biogeochemical cycle
- explain how recycling occurs in a biogeochemical cycle
- describe in a general way the carbon, water, nitrogen and phosphorous cycles
- define residence and cycling times
- describe how humans are impacting biogeochemical cycles
Lecture 03
The
Student will be able to:
- discuss
the evidence for a single origin of life on Earth
- describe the general features of Earth's history,
including the dates of planetary origin, earliest fossil, atmospheric oxygenation,
origin of eukaryotes, and the three eons of life's history
- describe the three eras that compose the Phanerozoic
Eon
- define mass extinction and describe the Permian-Triassic
and Cretaceous-Paleogene extinctions
- explain why the isotopes of oxygen provide evidence
for changes in temperature over geologic time
- describe the pattern of temperature change over
geologic time
- define biodiversity, describe the effect of
mass extinctions on it, especially the trend since the most recent mass
extinction
- relate natural selection to changes in biodiversity
- define "sixth mass extinction" and discuss evidence
for it
- define species richness and species diversity
and relate both to biodiversity
- define climate
- describe the major climate types
- describe montane, continental, oceanic climate
influences
- describe the major terrestrial biomes
- describe freshwater aquatic biomes
- describe the major oceanic biomes
- distinguish plankton from nekton
- distinguish lotic from lentic
Lecture
04
The
Student will be able to:
- define
plate tectonics and describe at least two sources of supporting data for
it
- define continental drift and describe the mechanism
proposed for it
- describe the four types of boundaries between
plates
- relate Pangaea to the current pattern of continents
- compare rocks and minerals
- describe the three types of rocks and the subgroups of each type of rock
- compare the formation of the three types of rock
- diagram the rock cycle
- describe electromagnetic radiation
- define black body and infrared radiation
- diagram the global heat budget
- differentiate between conduction, radiation
and convection as means
of transferring heat energy
- compare climate to weather
- describe how the tilt of the Earth defines the tropic and polar regions
- describe how the tilt cot the Earth results
in variable day length and seasonality
- describe the major regions of wind and how they come about, including the
influence of the Coriolis force
- relate the global wind pattern to the global precipitation pattern
- define ENSO, El Niño, La Niña and the Southern Oscillation
- describe the effects of ENSO on rainfall and drought in the US, western
South America and southeast Asia
- relate disturbance and disturbance regime to the idea of a natural hazard
- describe the causes of earthquakes and tsunamis
- compare hypocenter to epicenter
- define volcano, magma, and lava
- tell why earthquakes are associated with particular plate boundaries
- describe a volcanic winter
- relate precipitation to landslides and debris flows
- describe the steps that cause a lake to explode and how this can be prevented
- describe the causes of wildfires, both natural and anthropogenic
- define a fire-adapted community and give an example
- describe the types of wildfire, including subterranean wildfire
- describe fire management as currently practiced in the US
- define a tropical cyclone and how and where these form
- describe the kinds of damage associated with
hurricanes
- define both thunderstorm and lightening
- describe a tornado and the types of tornadoes
- define a supercell and relate it to tornado formation
- describe how ice storms form
- define supercooling
- discriminate between floods and flash floods
- define floodplain
- describe the impacts of drought
- describe where drought is likely to form
- relate ENSO to drought
- relate drought to desertification
- describe how dust storms form
- relate the lessons to be learned from the US dust bowl
Lecture 05 Part 1
The
Student will be able to:
- define
energy and work
- compare PJ to Quad to Mtoe
- discuss the global rule for impact
- describe the recent trends in global energy
consumption, relative use of fossil fuels vs other energy sources, and
regional patterns of energy consumption
- discuss the relationship between income and
energy use
- compare current global consumption with global
consumption as various regions are developed and acquire energy footprints
similar to the US
- compare the relative importance of the various
energy sources to total US energy supply
- describe the current pattern of US Consumption
- compare efficiencies of the different usage
sectors
- define magnetism and describe how magnetism
is generated
- define electricity and describe how electricity
is generated
- describe the electric grid
- outline the history of electrification
- describe the current state of electrification
worldwide
- compare and contrast the different types of
large-scale power plants
- distinguish between hard and soft technologies
and discuss the implications of the difference
- define and name fossil fuels
- discuss the relationship between supply, reserves,
and consumption
- describe the general pattern of oil production
and consumption
- define Hubbert's curve and discuss its implications
- describe the make-up and formation of coal and the four principle types
of coal
- name the countries that are the major producers and reserves of coal
- discuss projections of time-to-depletion for coal and in general
- name the components of natural gas
- describe both thermogenic and biogenic production
- describe the means by which we obtain natural
gas
- list and discuss the environmental hazards associated
with natural gas
- describe methane hydrate's structure, formation, and potential impact on
fuel reserves and CO2 emissions
- describe the general concerns about using fossil
fuels to provide energy
- discuss the ANWR controversy
- discuss the impact of price subsidies on the
growth of renewable energy sources
- describe the reasoning underlying environmental impact taxes on energy
use and predict their effect
- list some of the adverse environmental impacts from fossil fuel use.
- contrast the three principal forms of nuclear radiation and the potential
hazards from each.
- list the major sources of radiation in the environment
- distinguish radioactive decay from nuclear fission
- explain how beta and alpha emissions change the atom
- describe the fission of uranium-235 and explain why it is radioactive and
how the energy is released for generating electricity
- describe the functions of moderators and control rods in nuclear power
plants
- define fusion and describe its potential roll in energy production
- discuss the advantages and disadvantages to using nuclear power
- describe a breeder reactor and its impact on the depletion of nuclear reserves
- describe the potential for safety problems at a nuclear plant and the three
incidents where operators lost control of the nuclear cores
- explain the disposal problem and potential solutions
Lecture 05 Part 2
The
Student will be able to:
- list the general types of alternative (renewable)
energy
- rank the types of renewable energy with respect
to both world energy production and US energy production
- compare US government investment in energy production
with world investment
- describe the ways in which electricity is generated
from water
- describe the capacity for hydropower to supply
US energy demand now and in the future
- describe the reasons for constructing dams and
the environmental impact of dams
- discuss both the advantages and disadvantages
of hydropower from dams
- suggest possible future for hydropower
- describe the alternative energy sources
- define renewable
- list the uses of dams
- describe how dams generate electricity
- describe the environmental impacts of dams
- compare the advantages and disadvantages of
hydropower from dams
- describe anadromous and catadromous fish life
cycles
- discuss the possible future of hydropower from
dams and ways to reduce its environmental impact
- discuss the possible role of alternative hydropower
in worldwide and US electricity generation
- describe ocean thermal energy conversion (what
the power source is, how electricity is generated and the potential of
OTEC to satisfy energy demand)
- define tides and describe the reason for to
high tides each day and why the tidal day is 50 minutes longer than the
regular day
- define a tidal barrage
- describe how tidal barrages generate electricity
- list the environmental impacts of barrages
- describe how a T-shaped barrage generates electricity
- describe the environmental impacts of t-shaped
barrages
- describe Hydro Energy Barrels and their possible
benefits
- describe the general theory behind wave-powered
electricity generation
- give examples of the implementation of the theory
- describe how osmosis can be used to generate
electricity
- List the sources of biomass energy
- List the ways in which biomass energy is used
- discuss the environmental benefits and costs
associated with the use of biomass
- define solar power
- compare the potential of solar power to other
renewable resources and to fossil fuel sources
- discuss the present state of solar power
- compare costs between solar and fossil fuel
power
- discuss the challenges solar power must overcome
if it is to be an important source of energy
- compare passive to active solar power
- describe the elements of passive solar design
- describe the use of solar thermal panels
- relate how semiconductors are used to generate
electricity
- describe both the positive and negative impacts
of solar power on the environment
- relate the sun to wind-generated electricity
- give estimates of wind powers potential to supply
electricity to both the US and the world
- define capacity and rank fossil and alternative
fuels with respect to capacity
- discuss the geographic distribution of wind
power potential
- compare US versus the world in investment in
wind power, installed capacity and rate of installation
- compare the cost of wind power (both land-based
and offshore) with fossil fuel costs
- discuss how wind speed, rotor size, tower height,
intermittency and variation all affect wind power generation
- describe the three basic designs for wind turbines
- define and compare HAWT and VAWT
- discuss both the positive and negative impacts
of wind power on the environment
- define geothermal power and describe its geographic
distribution
- compare the four sources of geothermal power
- describe how individual buildings can use geothermal
power
- relate the importance of energy storage and
its impact on the development of alternative energy sources
- describe how a fuel cell works
- discuss energy conservation and the influence
of government on conservation
Lecture 06
The
Student will be able to:
Lecture 07
The
Student will be able to:
Lecture 08
The Student
will be able to:
Lecture 9
The Student
will be able to:
Lecture 11
The Student
will be able to:
Last updated January 21, 2012