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Environmental science is the study of the relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world. When we say, “the rest of the natural world”, we mean both biotic and abiotic environments.
EXAMPLE
The image of the forest swamp below has both biotic and abiotic elements. Fish that may be swimming in the water or algae growing, trees, and grass are all biotic factors. Water, rocks in the water, sunlight, and humidity are all abiotic elements.Environmental science is interdisciplinary in nature. There are hundreds of different fields that intersect with it, such as natural sciences and social sciences.
Natural Sciences | Social Sciences |
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Ecology Oceanography Geology Biology Chemistry Physics Atmospheric Sciences |
History Sociology Anthropology Archaeology Psychology Political Science Economics |
These are just a few examples of natural and social sciences. Environmental science intersects with many other types.
IN CONTEXT
An example of an environmental science topic that involves many other disciplines is human population growth.
- It exacerbates global climate change, which is an environmental science and ecology issue.
- It is determined by economics because it can be expensive to have many children.
- It can also be determined by sociology and culture because in certain countries, having many children is encouraged for religious reasons or for support in retirement.
- It is a demographic issue because the rate of growth in certain historical time periods determines the size of each age cohort.
Technology plays an important role in environmental science in the world today. Almost every subject within environmental science is dependent on various technologies and instruments for measurement and other uses.
Examples of such technologies include the following:
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