Study guide: Environmental Systems and Sustainability

📋 Course Outline

1. Foundations and Ecological Systems
2. Biodiversity and Aquatic Systems
3. Land and Atmospheric Systems
4. Climate, Energy, and Human Systems

📖 1. Foundations and Ecological Systems

📝 Essential Points

• The foundations topic covers:

  • environmental value systems
  • the systems approach
  • models
  • sustainability

• The ecology topic covers:

  • species
  • populations
  • communities
  • energy flow
  • biogeochemical cycles

📖 2. Biodiversity and Aquatic Systems

📝 Essential Points

• The biodiversity and conservation topic covers:

  • evolution
  • levels of biodiversity
  • threats
  • conservation management

• The water and aquatic systems topic covers:

  • the hydrological cycle
  • water security
  • aquatic food production

📖 3. Land and Atmospheric Systems

📝 Essential Points

• The land and soil systems topic covers:

  • soil structure
  • agriculture
  • terrestrial food production

• The atmospheric systems topic covers:

  • the greenhouse effect
  • climate change
  • stratospheric ozone

📖 4. Climate, Energy, and Human Systems

📝 Essential Points

• The climate change and energy topic covers:

  • energy sources
  • carbon footprints
  • mitigation strategies

• The human systems and resource use topic covers:

  • population dynamics
  • urban planning
  • solid waste