Lesson Structure:   Environmental Studies VEN100

There are 6 lessons;

1. Living Things
   • Classification of plants and animals
   • identifying living organisms
   • using identification keys
2.  Basic Ecology
   • Populations
   • communities
   • ecosystems
   • constituents of ecosystem
   • the ecosphere
   • the web of life
   • habitats and niches
   • humans in the environment.
3. Global Environmental Systems
   • The Earths structure
   • the atmosphere
   • climatic systems
   • Gaia theory
   • the carbon dioxide cycle
   • El Nino.
4. Environmental Problems
   • Deforestation
   • loss of agricultural land
   • loss of biological diversity
   • loss of water
   • loss of non renewable resources
   • environmental weeds
   • the Greenhouse Effect
   • Ozone depletion
   • ozone as a Greenhouse gas
5. Conservation
   • The definition and goals of conservation
   • the history of conservation
   • natural resources (renewable and non renewable). 
6. Acting Locally: Thinking Globally
   • Humans and water
   • how to minimize water usage
   • energy use in the home
   • reducing household waste
   • domestic transport and its affect on pollution
   • building materials and their environmental impact.

Learning Goals:  Environmental Studies VEN100

• To understand the binomial system of classifying living things
• To understand the use of keys to identify living things
• To grasp the basics of ecology (the relationships between living organisms and their environment)
• To have a basic grounding in Earth Science and an understanding of global environmental systems
• To understand the Earth’s major environmental problems and how they have come about
• To gain an understanding of conservation and its importance to individuals and the world
• To learn a range of ways to reduce the environmental impact of ones’ actions at home and globally

Practicals:  Environmental Studies  VEN100

• Classify a range of living organisms in your locality
• Identify the genus and species names of plants in a nursery
• Compose a food web for your local area
• Carry out basic research into the weather in your area and what affects it
• Carry out in depth research into at least one major environmental problem
• Contact three conservation organisations to determine the issues they deal with
• Survey a building to determine the types of building materials used
• Design an environmentally friendly house

THE EARTH’S STRUCTURE

The Earth is essentially a sphere that has several layers. The three primary layers are the core, the mantle and the crust:

• The core is the inner part of the earth – it lies about 2,900 km below the earth’s surface. It is divided into two layers, the inner core and the outer core. The inner core is solid, and is about 1250 km thick. It is exceptionally hot (3700°C) and under great pressure. The outer core is molten, and it about 2 200 km thick. When the earth rotates, it causes the outer cores to rotate on top of the inner core – this actually is thought to generate the earth’s magnetism.
• The crust is the outer part of the earth that most of us are familiar with. When compared with the other layers of the earth, the crust is very, very thin. The crust literally floats on the mantle below it. In relation with the other layers the crust is much thinner. It floats upon the softer, denser mantle. Tectonic plates in the Earth’s crust move and over long periods of time this causes continents to move. They are also responsible for earthquakes and volcanic activity.
• Between the earth’s crust and core is the mantle. The mantle is very large and is divided into the inner and outer mantle. The inner mantle is solid, due to the high pressure there. The outer mantle it more liquid, although it becomes stiff close to the earth’s surface due to the lower temperature.

THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

The gases and fine dust that surround the Earth are known as the atmosphere. The atmosphere is about 800 km thick.

Without an atmosphere, life on Earth simply wouldn’t exist, as it provides air, water, warmth and protection from harmful solar radiation. It also protects the Earth from meteorites. The composition of the Earth’s atmosphere is approximately:

• Nitrogen 78%
• Oxygen 21%
• Argon 0.93%
• Carbon Dioxide 0.03%
• Other Gases 0.04%

Atmospheric Layers

The atmosphere can also be broken down into a number of different layers.

• The troposphere is the layer closest to the Earth’s surface and is where weather occurs
• Above the troposphere is the stratosphere, which contains the Earth’s important ozone layer which absorbs harmful UV radiation
• The middle layer is referred to as the mesosphere, where the temperature changes with altitude
• The thermosphere is the next layer which includes the ionosphere, which is the layer responsible for absorbing the most energetic photons from the sun, and where the aurora takes place
• The outer most layer is the exosphere where the atmosphere gradually fades into space

THE EARTH’S CLIMATE

Earth is warm at the tropics and cold at its poles. Whenever hot and cold meet, nature tries to make it all the one temperature. Thus, when the sun shines on the tropics, and heats it up, nature immediately tries to equalise the temperature difference by taking this hot air to the cold polar regions.

At the same time, cold air is sucked towards the tropics (trying to warm it up again).

The rotation of the earth means that the cold, dense air from the poles flows in an easterly direction towards the tropics. The air begins to spiral however, turning clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere. Many of these large spiral systems form around the Earth. Air flowing in these cells is pushed sideways by the Earth’s rotation, dragged by friction with the land and the sea, and squeezed by gravity.

All of these distortions cause turbulent mixing of the winds, and soon lead to the organisation of storm centres due to unevenness between warm and cold. In particular, the earth’s rotation causes the constant convective flows to organise in bands, where the flow direction varies according to latitude.

These bands cause wind patterns on the surface, and jet streams high in the atmosphere. El Niño is able to change weather patterns around the world because of these wind patterns. The El Niño ocean currents drive changes in weather, rather than the other way.

In a course like this, it is not important to understand the intricacies of global climatic systems (although it is good to know the nuts and bolts). What is important is to know that the earth’s climate is caused by very large factors, and that these factors are interrelated.

When people talk about fluctuations in El Niño, for example, they are talking about fluctuations on a massive scale.
The figure below illustrates how to interpret active cold and warm fronts….

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?

A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.