Lecture 04 - 05:

Theories of Natural System

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August 03, 2015

URP 4141: Environmental Planning and Management

Course Teacher: Md. Esraz-Ul-Zannat Assistant Professor Dept. of URP, KUET

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

These slides are aggregations for better understanding of the topic

mentioned in the previous slide . I acknowledge the contribution of

all the authors and photographers from where I tried to

accumulate the info and used for better presentation.

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OBJECTIVE OF THE CLASS

To introduce with the theories and concepts of natural

system, human system, the interaction between them and

the subsequent impacts.

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TOPICS TO BE COVERED BY THIS PRESENTATION Natural System

Cycles of the earth system The Energy Balance

The Carbon Cycle

The Rock Cycle

Ocean in Motion

The Active Atmosphere

The Water Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

Natural Resources: Vital to Human Survival

Watershed Ecosystem Dynamics

The Urban water cycle

Complex Engineered and Natural Systems

Natural system and human system

4 System Conditions of a Sustainable Society

Current Unsustainable Situation

Operating Manual for the Planet

Ecological Footprint

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Natural System can be cogently summarized in terms of

the three "central dogmas" of physical, biological and

psychological science:

The dominant systems at the levels of physical, biological and

psychological organization on Earth have dual control structures.

The two control elements are structurally nearly identical, but

are functionally specialized.

One of the control structures is specialized for the long-term

stability of the system and the other is specialized for the

immediate control of the system's periphery. Both functions are

essential; neither function is "dominant".

NATURAL SYSTEM

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NATURAL SYSTEM

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The significance of control dualities at these three

fundamental levels of material organization lies in the fact

that the emergent properties of "atomicity" (stable,

unitary physical systems that are more than the sum of the

contained particles), "life" (self-replicating, metabolizing

systems that are more than the sum of many biochemical

reactions) and "mind" (systems capable of coherent,

unitary cognition and self-awareness) are found only when

the control duality is present, but are not found in similar

systems lacking the functional specialization of the dual

control elements.

NATURAL SYSTEM

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Our planet is constantly changing. Natural cycles balance and

regulate Earth and its atmosphere. Human activities can cause

changes to these natural cycles.

Life on Earth is well adapted to our planet’s cycles. In our solar

system, Earth is the only planet with air to breathe, liquid water to

drink, and temperatures that are just right for life as we know it.

Because our existence depends on our planet and its climate, we

need to understand how what we do affects the Earth.

Scientists try to figure out how our planet works by studying Earth’s

cycles. Changes to Earth’s cycles can cause changes in the climates

of our planet.

The more we know about these cycles, the more we will understand

how humans are affecting them and how that might change the

planet.

CYCLES OF THE EARTH SYSTEM

Ref:https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/cycles1.htm

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Cycles of the earth system

The Energy Balance

The Carbon Cycle

The Rock Cycle

Ocean in Motion

The Active Atmosphere

The Water Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

CYCLES OF THE EARTH SYSTEM

Ref: https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/cycles1.htm

The Energy Balance

Carbon (CO2)

Water Cycle Nitrogen

CYCLES OF THE EARTH SYSTEM

The Rock Cycle Ocean in Motion The Active Atmosphere

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THE ENERGY BALANCE Earth gets all its energy from the Sun and loses energy into space If

more energy is lost into space than is received from the Sun, the

planet gets cooler. If it loses less energy than it receives, the planet

will warm up.

Today, most clouds act more like a sun umbrella and help keep

our climate cool. However, this could change if global warming

affects the type of clouds, their thickness, and how much water or

ice they contain.

While it might be quite warm in the countryside on a summer day, it

can get unbearably hot in a nearby city! That’s because the

buildings and pavement in cities absorb oodles of sunlight,

much more than the countryside. These cities are called “heat

islands.” The countryside is also cooled by water evaporating from

lakes and given off by the plants in forests and fields. Cities

have fewer plants and bodies of water and so are not cooled very

much by evaporation.

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THE ENERGY BALANCE

The Energy Balance

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THE CARBON CYCLE (CO2) All living things are made of carbon. Carbon is also a part of the

ocean, air, and even rocks. Because the Earth is a dynamic place,

carbon (in the form of Carbon dioxide) does not stay still. It is on

the move!

Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their own food and

grow. The carbon becomes part of the plant. Plants that die and are

buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal and oil

over millions of years. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the

carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere.

Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen

world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about

30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about

150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice

cores show us that there is now more carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere than there has been in the last 420,000 years.

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THE CARBON CYCLE (CO2)

Carbon (CO2)

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THE ROCK CYCLE Over many thousands of years, energy from the Sun moves the wind

and water at the Earth’s surface with enough force to break rocks

apart into sand and other types of sediment. When sediment is

buried and cemented together, it becomes a sedimentary rock such as

sandstone or shale.

If rocks are buried very deeply, they are in an environment that is very

hot and has high pressure. If, deep underground, rocks are put under

too much pressure and temperatures that are too hot, they will melt,

forming molten rock called magma. Sometimes magma cools and

forms igneous rock deep underground. Other times magma flows to the

Earth’s surface and erupts from a volcano.

Rocks can affect the atmosphere! Erupting volcanoes send tiny particles

of ash and gases into the atmosphere. Tiny particles of ash help make

raindrops in the atmosphere as water condenses around them. The

gases released from volcanoes can become sulfuric acid droplets that

screen out sunlight. Large volcanic eruptions can even reduce Earth’s

temperature for months or several years.

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THE ROCK CYCLE

The Rock Cycle

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OCEAN IN MOTION The ocean water is in motion because of differences in

temperature and saltiness. Water that is warmed at the

sea surface near the equator moves toward the chilly poles.

Cold, salty currents flow into the deepest parts of the sea.

Oceans can hold a large amount of heat energy – much

more than the atmosphere. In the past few decades,

Earth’s oceans have become warmer. Even as far as 2

miles (3.2 kilometers) below the surface of the sea, the

ocean water has been warmed. Scientists estimate the

oceans may have absorbed up to half of the energy

trapped by greenhouse gases over the last century.

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OCEAN IN MOTION

Ocean in Motion

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THE ACTIVE ATMOSPHERE Has Earth’s atmosphere ruffled your hair, blown your

homework down the street, or turned your umbrella inside out?

The atmosphere, a thin blanket of gases that surrounds Earth,

transports heat and water and filters out deadly ultraviolet

radiation. Whether it is just a gentle breeze or a hurricane-force

gale, Earth’s atmosphere is constantly on the move.

When the atmosphere moves, it evens out differences in

temperature between the chilly poles and the warm

equator. Warm air from the equator moves toward the poles

and cold air from the poles moves toward the equator. This

circulation of air is disrupted a bit by the Earth’s rotation.

This makes counterclockwise winds around hurricanes, winter

storms, tornadoes, and other low-pressure areas north of the

equator and clockwise south of the equator.

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THE ACTIVE ATMOSPHERE

The Active Atmosphere

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THE WATER CYCLE Water plays many different roles on the Earth. Some is at

the poles in ice caps, and some is in the snow and glaciers

at the tops of high mountains. Some is in lakes and

streams, and some is underground. Some is vapor in the

atmosphere. But most of the water on Earth is in the

oceans.

Water is always on the move! The Sun’s energy causes water

to evaporate from oceans and lakes into the atmosphere.

Plants and animals also release water vapor into the

atmosphere as they breathe. When the atmosphere cools,

water vapor condenses; making clouds that might produce

rain or snow. Water has been recycled in its different forms

as ice, liquid, or vapor --for more than 3.5 billion years.

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THE WATER CYCLE

Water Cycle

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THE NITROGEN CYCLE Take a deep breath. Most of what you just inhaled is

nitrogen. In fact, 80% of the air in our atmosphere is

made of nitrogen. Your body does not use the nitrogen

that you inhale with each breath. But, like all living things,

your body needs nitrogen. Your body gets the nitrogen it

needs to grow from food.

Most plants get the nitrogen they need from soil. Many

farmers use fertilizers to add nitrogen to the soil to help

plants grow larger and faster. Both nitrogen fertilizers and

forest fires add huge amounts of nitrogen into the soil and

nearby lakes and rivers. Water full of nitrogen causes plants

and algae to grow very fast and then die all at once when

there are too many for the environment to support.

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THE NITROGEN CYCLE

Nitrogen Cycle

Renewable resources:

Perpetually available: sunlight, wind, wave energy

Renew themselves over short periods of time: timber, water, soil

These can be destroyed

Non-renewable resources: can be depleted

Oil, coal, minerals

Natural resources = substances and energy sources needed for

survival

NATURAL RESOURCES: VITAL TO HUMAN SURVIVAL

Slow geological cycles (volcano eruptions and weathering)

Slow geological cycles (sedimentation and mineralization)

Closed system with respect to matter 1) Nothing disappears 2) Everything disperses

Open system with respect to energy

« Photosynthesis pays the bill »

Sustainability is about the ability of

our own human society to continue indefinitely within

these natural cycles

PLANETARY CYCLES (EARTH)

Relatively large flows of materials from the Earth’s crust

Introduce persistent compounds foreign to nature

Physically inhibit nature’s ability to run cycles

Barriers to people

meeting their basic needs worldwide

HOW WE INFLUENCE THE SYSTEM

...concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth’s crust,

...concentrations of substances produced by society,

...degradation by physical means

...people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs.

In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing...

and, in that society...

4 SYSTEM CONDITIONS OF A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Declining resources and ecosystem

services

Increasing demand for resources and

ecosystem services

Through innovation,

creativity & the unlimited

potential for change we

can reopen the walls of the

funnel to a Third Industrial

Revolution!!!

CURRENT UNSUSTAINABLE SITUATION

Scarce metals Abundant metals

Fossil Fuels Renewables

Inefficient Use Efficient Use

Dissipative Use Tight Technical Cycles

OBJECTIVE 1

1. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contributions to the systematic accumulation of materials taken from the earth’s crust.

OPERATING MANUAL FOR THE PLANET

Dissipative use

Persistent and Unnatural Abundant & breakdown easily

Tight Technical Cycles

Inefficient use Efficient use

2. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contribution to the systematic accumulation of substances produced by society.

OBJECTIVE 2

OPERATING MANUAL FOR THE PLANET

Inefficient use of

resources and land

Resources from

poorly managed

ecosystems

Resources from well-

managed

ecosystems

Efficient use of

resources and land

3. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contributions to the ongoing physical degradation of nature.

OBJECTIVE 3

OPERATING MANUAL FOR THE PLANET

Unsafe and unhealthy production and use

Safe and healthy production and use

Violations of human rights

Respect for human rights

Economic barriers Sufficient resources for livelihood

4. Reduce and eventually eliminate our contributions to conditions that systematically undermine people’s abilities to meet their own needs.

OBJECTIVE 4

OPERATING MANUAL FOR THE PLANET

Closed system

Sun pays the bills

There is no away (Everything Must Go Somewhere)

Sustainability means maintaining the balance

EARTH IS LIKE A TERRARIUM

WATERSHED ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS

Wastewater

Conduits

Stormdrains

Septic

Systems

Impervious

Surfaces

Artificial

Channels

ET

Wells

Water

Table

Hyporheic &

Parafluvial Zones

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RO

Regional GW

Local GW

Riparian &

Upland

Forest Patches

RO

I

Rooting

Zone Water

Supply

Pipes

RO

Interbasin

Transfers of

Water &

Wastewater

P

Courtesy of Ken Belt, USFS

THE URBAN WATER CYCLE

Complexity in

Engineered systems

Natural systems

Interface of engineered and natural systems

Challenge

Creation of common principles, unified theories, and methods to design, operate, and protect complex engineered systems.

Sources of complexity:

Too much information, too many components, too many constraints, too many parameters for consideration to accomplish a particular task

Not enough information about essential elements or components of a system or about their interfaces

Not enough information about how elements or components will behave under known or unknown conditions that may lead to unintended consequences

COMPLEX ENGINEERED AND NATURAL SYSTEMS

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NATURAL SYSTEM AND HUMAN SYSTEM

Source: http://www.montana.edu/hansenlab/documents/labslides/lec.9.pdf

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NATURAL SYSTEM AND HUMAN SYSTEM

Source: http://www.montana.edu/hansenlab/documents/labslides/lec.9.pdf

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Figure: Coupled human-environment system showing some of the

components and the inherent feedbacks within the system. Modified from the

Boston Report of the NEON Land Use Committee

http://www.neoninc.org/documents/LUC_Boston_Report.pdf .

NATURAL SYSTEM AND HUMAN SYSTEM

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ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

The amount of ecologically productive land used by

individuals, cities, countries, etc.

Production and use of goods and services involve land

use: have ecological footprints

The environmental impact of a person or population

Amount of biologically productive land + water

For resources and to dispose/recycle waste

Overshoot: humans have surpassed the Earth’s capacity

to support us

We are using 30% more of the planet’s resources than

are available on a sustainable basis!

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

The ecological footprints of

countries vary greatly.

The U.S. footprint is much

greater than the world’s average.

Developing countries have much

smaller footprints than

developed countries.

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS ARE NOT ALL EQUAL

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WHAT WE HAVE COVERED…. Natural System

Cycles of the earth system The Energy Balance

The Carbon Cycle

The Rock Cycle

Ocean in Motion

The Active Atmosphere

The Water Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

Natural Resources: Vital to Human Survival

Watershed Ecosystem Dynamics

The Urban water cycle

Complex Engineered and Natural Systems

Natural system and human system

4 System Conditions of a Sustainable Society

Current Unsustainable Situation

Operating Manual for the Planet

Ecological Footprint

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WHAT WE LEARNT

Understanding of the natural system and human system and the interactions between them and the subsequent impacts.

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What Next?

Lecture 06 - 07:

Importance of environmental planning, and the

environmental impacts of human actions