Science: Environmental Science UNIT/Weeks Timeline/Topics Essential Questions  Do the benefits of the agriculture and industrial revolution outweigh the negative impact they have had on the Introduction to Environmental Science environment?  Is sustainability an achievable reality?  Science and the Environment  How do scientists determine decisions  Tools of Environmental regarding our environment? Science  What role do models and statistics play in  The Dynamic Earth environmental science? 4  Scientific Methods  What impacts our environment the most:  Statistics and Models politics, economics or technology?  Making Informed Decisions  What impact do Earth's natural processes  The Geosphere have on our environment?  The Atmosphere  How do Earth's natural processes and  The Hydrosphere and human involvement interact to produce Biosphere global warming?  How does the hydrosphere interact with the biosphere?

Ecology  How do the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem interact?  The Organization of Life  How and why do organisms need to  How Ecosystems Work adapt?  Biomes  Why is it important that organisms hold different niches within the environment?  Aquatic Ecosystems  How is energy cycled through the  Energy Flow in Ecosystems biosphere?  The Cycling of Materials  How do key nutrients cycle through the  How Ecosystems Flow 6 biosphere and what role do they play in  What Is a Biome? it?  Forest Biomes  How do ecosystems change over time?  Grassland, Desert and Tundra  What determines where an organism can Biomes live?  Freshwater Ecosystems  What determines where an organism can  Marine Ecosystems live?  Could any life on Earth exist without oceans and estuaries?

Populations

 Why do scientists study population  Understanding Populations growth?  The Human Population  How does an organism's habitat  Biodiversity determine its niche? 4  Studying Human Populations  How do organisms interact in their  Changing Population Trends environment?  What Is Biodiversity?  How do scientists study population  Biodiversity at Work growth?  The Future of Biodiversity  How are population growth and sustainability related?  What role should humans play in limiting population growth?  What affects population growth?  What roles should humans play in maintaining biodiversity?  What causes threats on biodiversity and what can be done to prevent conserve it?  What role should society play in conserving biodiversity?

 How do humans rely on natural water resources for survival?  How do humans manipulate natural water resources to our advantage?  How is water pollution classified? Water, Air, and Land  How can humans reduce our impact on  Water water pollution?  Air  How are the different  Atmospheres and Climate types of air pollution Change created?  Land  How are the different types of air pollution  Food and Agriculture affecting the Earth?  What causes air pollution?  How has the  Air, Noise and Light Pollution production of acid rain  Acid Precipitation 10 caused changes within  Climate and Climate Change the environment?  The Ozone Shield  What determines  Global Warming weather and climatic  How We Use Land regions of the world?  Urban Land Use  Why is the ozone so  Land Management and important to living Conservation organisms?  Feeding The World  What is the cause in  Crops and Soil the changing climate?  Animals and Agriculture  Why is a temperature or climatic change important?  How Are Different Types of Land Used?  How Is Society Dealing with Land Usage?  Why Is It Important to Understand How Land Is Used? Mining and Energy  How are specific types of minerals 8 formed?  Mining and Mineral Resources  What are the many ways in which  Nonrenewable Energy minerals are recovered from the Earth? Resources  How has mining regulations created by  Renewable Energy Resources the government helped in conserving the  Waste environment?  Energy Resources and Fossil  How are fuels created, used and Fuels consumed within the United States?  Nuclear Energy  What is nuclear energy?  Renewable Energy Today  How does the use of nuclear energy  Alternate Energy and compare to the use of fossil fuels? Conservation  What are the several forms of renewable  Solid Waste energy?  Reducing Solid Waste  How does renewable energy work within  Hazardous Waste different types of nations?  How can alternative energy resources be used?  How has the original purpose of a landfill created environmental problems now?  How can one as a person help in reducing waste products?  What has recycling and composting done to waste production?  Why is so important to identify hazardous waste and ensure its disposal?

Health and Environment  How has medical technology helped in the areas of pollution and human health?  How have biological hazards caused a  The Environment and Human spread in old and new diseases? Health  How has international cooperation on the  Economics, Policy and Future environment impacted economics?  Pollution and Human Health  How has the past contributed to the 6  Biological Hazards different forms of government dealing with  Economics and International the environment? Cooperation  How can individual and media presence  Environmental Policies in the affect governmental policies. United States  Who are some of the people who  The Importance of the influenced environmental history? Individual  How can we learn to better ourselves to produce a better environment?