Environmental science is an
interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences (including
ecology,
biology,
physics,
chemistry,
zoology,
mineralogy,
oceanology,
limnology,
soil science,
geology,
atmospheric science, and
geodesy) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Environmental science emerged from the fields of
natural history and
medicine during the
Enlightenment. Today it provides an integrated, quantitative, and
interdisciplinary approach to the study of
environmental systems.