JOHN B.
LACSON COLLEGES FOUNDATION-BACOLOD
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS and EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management
Major in Cruise Ship Services
And
Bachelor of Science in Custom Administration
LEARNING MODULE
COURSE CODE AND TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Name: __________________________________
Year & Section __________________________________
Contact Number __________________________________
Email __________________________________
Instructor: __________________________________
Authored by:
JEFFREY A. MENDOZA, MM-EM
MODULE 1
COURSE OUTLINE FOR PRELIM TERM
Orientation on Philosophy, Mission, Vision, Culture, QHSE Policy, Advocacy, Core Values and 10
point Agenda.
Unit 1 Environmental Science and its Scope
Lesson 1
• define environmental science and determine its scope
• compare environmental Science with other Sciences
• explain the principles of conservation of matter and energy
Unit 2 Major Biogeochemical Cycles and its Important
Lesson 1 Identify and explain the major biochemical cycles
Lesson 2 compare and contrast the kingdom of classifications of living organisms
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 2
Introduction:
Environmental Science is an inter-related field that covers the science of the natural world. It is
a collaborative science that seeks solutions to environmental problems. It is a social perspective
that looks at the human impact in the environment and appreciate the different roles of the
society, ethical backgrounds that strengthen the policy, and integrating these aspects to the
human world.
Unit 1
• Environmental Science is a multi-disciplinary science because it embraces countless
branches of studies like life science, biology, chemistry, agriculture, public health, sanitary,
engineering, etc. it is a science of physical phenomena in the environment. This field of
study comprises both applied and theoretical facets of human influence in the world.
• To understand its interrelationship, it would require you to focus upon the scientific
principles, concepts and methodologies of the natural world, to recognize and investigative
environmental difficulties both natural and human -made, to assess the comparative peril
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 3
associated with these problems and to study alternatives results for resolving and or
preventing them.
• Since Science, as a process, allocates method of learning more about the world. It
constantly changes the way we understand the world.
• Environmental studies enlighten us of the importance of protection and conservation in
the indiscriminate release of pollution into the environment. There had been a great
number of environmental issues that have grown in size and complexity every day,
threatening the survival of mankind on Earth. Environmental issues like global warming
and ozone depletion, acid rain, marine pollution and biodiversity and global issues and
hence must be tackled by the international community with all possible efforts and
cooperation.
• The environment is always at stake every time we pursue economic growth and
technological advancement.
Components of Environmental Science
Since environmental science is by nature interdisciplinary, it involves several components such
as the study of biology, physics, earth science, chemistry and social science. Other components
that are being covered in the study of environmental science are:
• Atmospheric Science deals with the study of the atmosphere. Its processes, the effects on
other systems. These covers other fields like meteorology, climatology and aerology.
• Ecology a scientific study on the relationships between organisms and their environment.
This involves the diversity, distribution amount or biomass population of organisms, as
well as competition between them within and among ecosystems. From the Greek word
oikos it means family of household and logy (logos) study of which it was first coined by a
German Zoologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866.
• Environmental Chemistry a scientific discipline which focus on the chemical changes in the
environment. The principal areas covered in the study are soil contamination and water
pollution. The topic of analysis includes chemical degradation in the environment and
chemical effects in the environment.
• Geosciences a scientific study on the earth’s crust that includes environmental geology,
environmental soil science and volcanic phenomena and in some classification cover
hydrology like oceanography.
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MATTER AND ENERGY
MATTER
Matter I the material that makes up things in the universe, as they say matter is anything that
occupies space and has mass. Matter on the earth is composed of elements which is
approximately 115 different types.
• Atom is the smallest particle that exhibits the unique chemical characteristics of an
element. Atom are composed of smaller parts known as protons, neutrons, and electrons.
A proton is a subatomic particle that has positive electrical charge while neutron has no
electrical charge and electron has a negative electrical charge.
• Protons and neutrons make up the nucleus of an atom making the nucleus the most
massive part of an atom. Electrons, on the other hand, are found orbiting outside the
nucleus on their energy level.
The following are the characteristics state of matter.
1. SOLID
- Has a definite shape
- Definite volume
- Particles vibrate around fixed positions
2. LIQUID
- No definite shape
- No definite volume
- Particles are free to move over each other, but are still attracted to each other
3. GAS
- No definite shape
- No definite volume
- Particles move in random motion with little or no attraction to each other
- Highly compressible
4. PLASMA
- No definite shape
- No definite volume
- Known as the fourth -state of matter
- Not an ordinary gas because it can generate electricity
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Classification of Matter:
1. Mixture is composed of different substances and the proportions that make up the
mixture vary likewise they can be separated by physical method. Mixtures are
classified as homogenous and heterogenous.
- Homogenous to the naked eye have indistinguishable parts
- Heterogenous have distinguishable parts
2. Pure Substances have constant composition and can only be separated by chemical
reaction. Elements and Compounds are pure substances
- Elements are substances that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by
chemical and physical means
- Compound are substances with constant composition that can be broken down
into elements by chemical process.
Pure substances ,however, can be broken down in the process of chemical changes. Chemical
changes involve a change in color, change in temperature, change in odor, which make the
substance from other chemical value.
Mixture on the other hand can be separated by physical change. A physical change is a change
in the form of the substance, but not its chemical compositions.
ENERGY
Energy is defined as the capacity for doing work. Energy and matter are associated with each in
different aspects and in larger nature.
TYPES OF ENERGY
There are two basic forms of energy:
- KENETIC energy is the energy due to motion of an object like rock falling from a
cliff, a man running, wind blowing leaves of trees and water flowing over a dam
- POTENTIAL energy is a stored energy by an object that can be transformed into
another form of energy ( water stored behind a dam ,food that we eat contains
chemical energy, gasoline of cars
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 6
Unit 2: Major Biogeochemical Cycles and its Importance
BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
It is a substance turnover or cycling a substance is a pathway by which chemical element or
molecule moves through both biotic ( biosphere) and abiotic ( lithosphere, atmosphere and
hydrosphere) compartment of Earth. Biogeochemical tell us that biological, geological and
chemical factors are all involved. This circulation of chemical nutrients like carbon, oxygen,
nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, water and etc. through the biological and physical world are
known as biogeochemical cycles. In effect, the elements is recycled, although in some cycles
there may e places( reservoirs) where the element is accumulated or held for a long period of
time ( ocean or lake).
Main Components of Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Water Cycle
- Water undergoes evaporation, condensation and precipitation, falling back to earth
clean and fresh
- Elements, chemical compounds and other forms of matter are passed from one
organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another through the
biogeochemical cycle.
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Oxygen Cycle
Oxygen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of oxygen within its
three main reservoirs:
- Atmosphere (Air) total content of biological matter within
- Biosphere ( global sum of all ecosystems)
- Lithosphere ( Earth Crust)
Failure in the oxygen cycle within the hydrosphere ( combined mass of water found on, under
and over the surface of the planet) can result in the development of hypoxic zones. The main
driving factor of the oxygen cycle is photosynthesis, which is responsible for modern earth’s
atmosphere and life on Earth.
By far the largest reservoir of Earth’s oxygen is within the silicate oxide minerals of the crust
and mantle (99.5%). Only a small portion has been released as free oxygen to the biosphere
(0.01%) and atmosphere (0.36%). The main source of atmospheric free oxygen is
photosynthesis, which produces sugar and free oxygen from carbon dioxide and water.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 8
Carbon Cycle
Carbon is the foundation of all life on Earth, it requires to form complex molecule like protein
and DNA. This element is also found in our atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. Carbon
helps to regulate the Earth’s temperature, makes all life possible. It is a key ingredient in the
food that sustain us, and provide a major source of the energy to fuel our global economy.
The carbon cycle describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the
atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere. Since our planet and its
atmosphere form closed environment, the amount of carbon in this system does not change.
Where the carbon is located- in the atmosphere or on Earth, is constantly in flux.
On Earth, most carbon is stored in rocks and sediments, while thresh is located in the ocean,
atmosphere, and in living organisms. These are the reservoirs, or sinks, through which carbon
cycles. Carbon is released back into the atmosphere when organisms die, volcanoes erupt, fire
blaze, fossil fuel are burned, and through a variety of other mechanisms.
In the case of the ocean, carbon is continually exchanged between the ocean’s surface water
and the atmosphere, or is stored for long periods of time in the ocean depths. Human plays a
major role in the carbon cycle through activities such as burning of fossil fuels or land
development. As a result, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rapidly rising: it
is already considerably greater than at any time in the last 800,00 years.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 9
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple
chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The
conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes.
Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification and
denitrification. The majority of Earth’s atmosphere (78%) is atmosphere nitrogen making it the
largest source of nitrogen however, atmospheric nitrogen has limited availability for biological
use, leading to a scarcity of usable nitrogen in many types of ecosystems.
The nitrogen cycle is of particular interest to ecologists because nitrogen availability can affect
the rate of key ecosystem processes, including primary production and decomposition. Human
activities such as fossil fuel combustion, use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers and release of
nitrogen in wastewater have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle. Human
modification of the global nitrogen cycle can negatively affect the natural environment system
and also human health.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 10
