ENV100H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Feedback, Negative Feedback, Systems Theory

• School: UTSG
• Department: School of Environment
• Course: ENV100H1
• Professor: Barbara Murck

Document Summary

Webs of relationships among living species and interactions of living with nonliving entities around them. Cycles - flows of key chemical elements and compounds that move substances from one place to another within the system, facilitate environmental processes, regulate climate, and support life: depend on cycles for survival. Systems approach helpful in environmental science because so many of issues are complex and multifaceted. System - netowrk of relationships among parts, elements, or components that interact with and influence one another through the exchange of energy, matter, or information: receive and process inputs and produce outputs. Open systems - receive inputs and produce outputs of both energy and matter: essentially environmental systems are open. Both matter and energy pass in and out: ex. Fisherman and belugas harvest some output (fish, plankton) Then this becomes input into beluga and human economic system.