Introduction

Abstract

To understand the serpiginous, often confusing, and sometimes contradictory nature of environmental science, permit standards, and evaluation criteria, you must first understand how the various components of our environment interact. Nature functions within cycles (we will exclude external catastrophes such as meteor impacts). These cycles vary widely in space and time, defying simple interrelations. On a global spacial scale and a million-year time scale, the structure of the earth and the composition of the atmosphere are constantly changing. The continents are changing position on the globe, as a result of which gases are given off, water is absorbed and formed, and the chemical composition of the oceans is altered. On a shorter time scale, glaciation not only affects world atmospheric conditions, sea level, and erosion patterns, but also species dominance, local food webs, and other relationships within ecosystems. In a still shorter time frame and a more limited geographic scale, climatic patterns, erosion, natural fires, and other natural phenomena change how the environment functions. On a still narrower time and space scale, individuals live, die, and contribute to the next portion of the food web as food or detritus. On a global scale, short-duration events, such as tidal waves, volcanic activity, and droughts, may affect environments dramatically.