Hands-on laboratory activities incorporate practical techniques, analysis, and written communication in order to mimic the real-world workflow of an environmental scientist. This updated edition includes a renewed focus on problem solving, and offers more balanced coverage of the field’s diverse topics of interest including air pollution, urban ecology, solid waste, energy consumption, soil identification, water quality assessment, and more, with a clear emphasis on the scientific method. While labs focus on the individual, readers are encouraged to extrapolate to assess effects on their campus, community, state, country, and the world.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
Introduction xii
PART 1 General Information 1
Laboratory Health and Safety Procedures 2
Sample Student Lab Report 10
PART 2 Labs 15
LAB 1 Evaluating Sustainable Practices 16
LAB 2 Analyzing and Interpreting Environmental Data 23
LAB 3 Environmental Science in the Media 32
LAB 4 Sustainability and Business 35
LAB 5 Environmental Site Inspection 38
LAB 6 Urban Ecosystems 43
LAB 7 Experimental Design: Range of Tolerance 50
LAB 8 Experimental Design: Environmental Contamination 56
LAB 9 Landscaping for Energy Conservation 63
LAB 10 Alternative Energy: Wind Power 68
LAB 11 Global Climate Change and Automobiles 76
LAB 12 Household Contribution to Climate Change 81
LAB 13 Hydrology and Groundwater Pollution 86
LAB 14 Stormwater Generation and Management 93
LAB 15 Applying the Scientific Method: Dowsing for Water 100
LAB 16 Aquatic Species Diversity and Water Quality 104
LAB 17 Environmental Forensics 108
LAB 18 Actual/Virtual Field Trip: Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant 114
LAB 19 Actual/Virtual Field Trip: Wetlands and Their Ecosystem Functions 118
LAB 20 Actual/Virtual Field Trip: Water Treatment Plant 121
LAB 21 Soil Characterization 125
LAB 22 Climate Change and Sea Level Rise 131
LAB 23 Reducing the Generation of Solid Waste 138
LAB 24 Reducing Campus Food Waste 145
LAB 25 Compost Facility Planning and Siting 151
LAB 26 Actual/Virtual Field Trip: Solid Waste Management 159
LAB 27 Testing the Toxicity of Chemicals 163
LAB 28 Environmental Risk Perception 170
LAB 29 Human Survivorship Changes 174
LAB 30 Indoor Air Quality Inspection 179
LAB 31 Lung Power 184
PART 3 Applied Problem Sets 187
PROBLEM SET 1 The Scientific Method: Observation and Hypotheses 188
PROBLEM SET 2 The Scientific Method: Results and Discussion 191
PROBLEM SET 3 Quantification of Environmental Problems 196
PROBLEM SET 4 Ecosystem Diagram 201
PROBLEM SET 5 Biogeochemical Concept Map 202
PROBLEM SET 6 Global Climate Change, CO2, and You 204
PROBLEM SET 7 Recognizing Human Impacts 208
PROBLEM SET 8 Carbon Footprints and Sustainability 211
PROBLEM SET 9 Oil Consumption and Future Availability 213
PROBLEM SET 10 Water Quality and Consumer Choice 215
PROBLEM SET 11 Local Environmental Risk 218
PROBLEM SET 12 Society and Waste 220
PROBLEM SET 13 Environmental Modeling 223
PROBLEM SET 14 Environmental Awareness and Ecological Identity 227
PROBLEM SET 15 Trophic Levels and a Tidal Marsh 229
PROBLEM SET 16 Food Efficiency: The Breakfast Assessment 232
PROBLEM SET 17 Life-Cycle Assessment 235
PROBLEM SET 18 Understanding Pesticide Labels 238
PROBLEM SET 19 Review and Reflection 239
PART 4 Appendices 241
Glossary 242
The Metric System 248
Conversion Factors 249
Numerical Prefixes 250
About the Authors 251
