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Environmental Science > final > Flashcards

final Flashcards

1
Q

what is weather?

A

short-lived, local patterns temperature and precipitation due to circulation of the troposphere

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2
Q

what is climate?

A

long term patterns of temperature and precipitation

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3
Q

what is the atmosphere composed of?

A

nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, aerosols-minute, suspended particles and droplets

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4
Q

what is the troposphere?

A

layer of atmosphere closest to earth, 18km-8km, convection currents redistribute heat and moisture around the globe

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5
Q

what is tropopause?

A

boundary that limits mixing between the troposphere and upper zones as air stops rising

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6
Q

what is the stratosphere?

A

from tropopause-50km, almost no water vapor, 1000x more ozone

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7
Q

what are roles of the ozone?

A

absorbs UV light which warms upper stratosphere, protect earth from radiation,

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8
Q

what substances are depleting the ozone?

A

freon and bromine

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9
Q

what is the mesophere

A

middle layer where temperature diminishes between mesosphere and thermosphere

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10
Q

what is the thermosphere?

A

80 km, ionized gases and high temperature

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11
Q

how are the northern lights or aurora borealis created?

A

lower thermosphere ions are struck by high energy radiation creating lights

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12
Q

what happens to the solar energy that reaches the outer atmosphere?

A

.25 is reflected by the clouds and atmosphere, .25 absorbed by atmosphere, .5 reaches earth surface, some of the energy on earth is reflected by snow, ice, sand, water

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13
Q

what does albedo mean?

A

reflectivity

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14
Q

what is the highest reflectivity?

A

fresh snow

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15
Q

what type of solar energy reaches the earth most often?

A

infrared

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16
Q

what type of energy is reemitted by the earth?

A

mainly infrared (long wavelength, heat)

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17
Q

what is the greenhouse effect?

A

natural phenomena where the atmosphere transmits sunlight while trapping heat; process supports life

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18
Q

what are greenhouse gases?

A

gases in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen, methane, and substances that retain heat

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19
Q

what happens when burning fossil fuels?

A

releases extra carbon diozide

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20
Q

what destroys carbon sinks?

A

deforestation

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21
Q

what is latent heat?

A

energy stored in water vapor; when water vapor condenses heat is released

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22
Q

what happens when latent heat is released?

A

air rises, cools, and lose more water vapor causing precipitation

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23
Q

warm air close to the equator and cold air at the poles cause?

A

pressure differences that cause weather

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24
Q

vertical convection currents are created when?

A

air near surface warms and becomes less dense than the air above it; rises above cool air

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25
Q

when air is rising?

A

low pressure

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26
Q

when air is sinking?

A

high pressure

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27
Q

what are winds?

A

movement of air from high to to pressure

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28
Q

why does it rain?

A

air cools as it rises, water condenses as air cools, pressure decreases as air rises causing cooling, condensation nuclei have to exist; rain

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29
Q

what are circulation cells?

A

as air warms and rises and moves northward, it sinks and rises in several intermediate bands

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30
Q

what is the Coriolis effect?

A

winds and currents move clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere

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31
Q

what is a monsoon?

A

seasonal reversal of winds caused by differential heating and cooling rates of oceans and continents (subtropical and tropical areas)

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32
Q

what is a cold front?

A

boundary formed when cooler air pushes warm air away, cold air is more dense, tends to hug grounds and push warm air up, warm air cools= strong thunderstorms

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33
Q

what is a warm front?

A

boundary formed when warm air slides over cooler air, warm air is less dense and slides over cool air,long wedge shaped clouds, bring drizzle

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34
Q

what is a cyclonic storm?

A

water vapor is abundant; latent heat released by condensation intensifies convection currents and draws up more warm air and water vapor

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35
Q

what is essential for a storm cell to exist?

A

temperature differences

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36
Q

what is a tornado?

A

swirling funnel clouds over land, generated by superell frontal systems where strong dry cold fronts collide with warm humid air, greater temperature differences = more tornadoes

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37
Q

what are ice cores?

A

air bubbles trapped in ice, analyzed for atmospheric conditions

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38
Q

what is the milankovitch cycles?

A

period shifts in earth’s orbit and tilt which change distribution and intensity of sunlight

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39
Q

what is the pacific decadal oscillation?

A

very large pool of warm water moving back and forth across the north pacific every 30 years

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40
Q

what is the IPCC?

A

international group of scientists and governmental representatives from 130 countries formed to review the scientific evidence for climate change

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41
Q

carbon dioxide?

A

emissions doubled from 1970 to 2010, due to burning fossil fuels

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42
Q

methane?

A

ruminants and rice paddies are sources, absorbs more energy than CO2

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43
Q

nitrous oxide?

A

vehicle engines, agricultural processes, effective capture heat energy,

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44
Q

how to fight climate change?

A

implement emissions trading, technology sharing with LDC, reduce deforestation, help poor countries

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45
Q

carbon trading

A

legal limits on emissions are set and countries that want to emit more must purchase emission credits from others - KYOTO

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46
Q

natural sources of air pollution?

A

volcanoes, sea spray, vegetation, dust storms, bacterial metabolism

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47
Q

US clean air act designated six maximum air levels for?

A

sulfur dioxide, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, ozone,lead, particulates

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48
Q

what is a primary pollutant?

A

released directly from the source

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49
Q

what is a secondary pollutant?

A

converted to hazardous form after entering the air and mixing with other air components

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50
Q

what are fugitive emissions?

A

do not go through smokestack, dust from strop mining, rock crushing, building construction/destruction

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51
Q

what is the ozone?

A

o3 layer in the stratosphere shields biosphere by absorbing incoming UV raditation

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52
Q

ozone in the troposphere?

A

pollutant, acrid, biting odor characteristic of photochemical smog, damages vegetation and buildings

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53
Q

lead?

A

2/3 all metallic air pollution, neurotoxin, children blood levels dropped 90% and IQ rose3 points

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54
Q

mercury

A

dangerous neurotoxin, 75% human exposure comes from eating fish

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55
Q

what are halogens?

A

(fluorine, chlorine, bromine) CFCs release chlorine and fluorine in the stratosphere deplete ozone

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56
Q

aerosol?

A

solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the atmosphere, particulate material, ash, soot, lint, smoke, pollen, spores, reduce visibility, enter lungs to cause damage

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57
Q

volatile organic compounds?

A

organic chemical, generally oxidized to CO and CO2, plants are largest source

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58
Q

what does toxic release inventory require?

A

manufacturers to report toxin release and waste management

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59
Q

aesthetic degradation

A

noise, odor, light pollution; reduce quality of life increasing stress, light pollution,

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60
Q

temperature inversions

A

occur when a stable layer of air lies above cooler air, reversing normal temperature decline with increasing height and prevents convection currents from polluatants

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61
Q

chronic obstructive lung disease?

A

which airways become permanently constricted and alveoli are damaged or destroyed; irreversible

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62
Q

synergistic effects?

A

injury caused by the combination is more than the sum of the individual exposures

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63
Q

acid percipitation

A

deposition of wet acidic solutions or dry acidic particles from the air

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64
Q

how to reducing production?

A

conservation, particulate removal, sulfur removal, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbon control

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65
Q

clean air act

A

first national air pollution control

66
Q

clean air act (1970)

A

identified critical pollutants, established ambient air quality standards

67
Q

what did amendments in 1990 address?

A

acid rain,urban air pollution, toxic emissions, ozone depletion

68
Q

what is the hydrologic cycle?

A

water evaporates from moist surfaces, falls as rain or snow, passes through living organisms and returns to oceans,

69
Q

what are the three principle factors that control global water deficits and surpluses?

A

global atmospheric circulation, proximity to water sources, topography

70
Q

what is residence time?

A

length of time water typically spends in a compartment

71
Q

what are the major compartments of water?

A

oceans hold 97%, frozen water, ground water, atmosphere 0.001%

72
Q

infiltration

A

process of water percolating through the soil and into fractures and permeable rocks

73
Q

zones of aeration

A

upper soil layers that hold air and water

74
Q

zone of saturation

A

lower soil layers where all spaces are filled with water

75
Q

water table

A

top of zone of saturation

76
Q

aquifers

A

porous layers of sand, gravel, or rock lying below the water table

77
Q

artesain

A

pressurized aquifer intersects the surface (water flows without pumping)

78
Q

recharge zones

A

area where water infiltrates into an aquifer, often slow,

79
Q

what is the best measure of water volume carried by a river?

A

discharge; the amount of water that passes a fixed point in a given amount of time

80
Q

what is a pond?

A

generally small bodies of water shallow enough for rooted plants to grow over most of the bottom

81
Q

what are lakes?

A

inland depressions that hold standing fresh water year round > 1500 meters

82
Q

what is a wetland?

A

lush plant growth stabilizes soil and retards surface runoff, allowing more aquifer infiltration

83
Q

when does water stress occur?

A

human and ecosystem needs exceed renewable water supplies, resulting in competition

84
Q

what is water withdrawal?

A

total amount of water removed from a water body

85
Q

what is water consumption?

A

loss of water due to evaporation, absorption, or contamination

86
Q

what is water use divided into?

A

agricultural, domestic, and industrial use

87
Q

Ogallala Aquifer

A

underlies 8 states between Texas and North Dakota

88
Q

when does saltwater intrusion occur?

A

along coastlines where overuse of freshwater reservoirs draws the water table low enough to let saltwater

89
Q

what are dams built for?

A

provide inexpensive hydroelectric power, provide jobs, reduce flooding, allow farming on lands that would be too dry

90
Q

what are the negative effects of dams?

A

submerge farm lands and towns, cause earthquakes, block fish migration,change aquatic habits for native species, reduce spring floods that enrich soils downstream

91
Q

what is land banking?

A

some farmers may decide to let some of their land lay fallow in dry years

92
Q

what is a walking wetland?

A

farmer may flood fields on rotational basis to create temporary wetlands

93
Q

what is desalination?

A

removing salt from ocean water or brackish water to get fresh water; expensive

94
Q

what is considered pollution?

A

any physical, biological change in quality that adversely affects living organisms or makes it unsuitable for desired uses

95
Q

what are point sources?

A

discharge pollution from specific locations; factories, power plants, drain pipes

96
Q

what are nonpoint sources?

A

scattered or diffuse, having no specific location of pollution discharge; agricultural fields, feedlots, golf courses, residential construction sites

97
Q

what is atmospheric deposition?

A

contaminants carried by air currents and precipitated into watersheds or directly onto surface waters as rain, snow, or dry particles

98
Q

infectious agents of water pollution

A

main source is via improperly treated human wastes

99
Q

what is coliform bacteria?

A

intestinal bacteria; used to detect water contamination by animal wastes

100
Q

what is a desirable oxygen content in water that will support aquatic life?

A

> 6 ppm

101
Q

what will < 2 ppm oxygen continent support aquatic life of?

A

detritivores and decomposers

102
Q

what is biochemical oxygen demand?

A

amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms; used as a test for organic waste contamination from sewage, paper pulp, and food waste

103
Q

what is dissolved oxygen content?

A

measure of dissolved oxygen in the water; depend on volume, flow and temperature of river water

104
Q

what is oligotrophic?

A

bodies of water that have clear water and low biological productivity

105
Q

what is eutrophic?

A

bodies of water that are rich in organisms and organic material

106
Q

what is eutrophication?

A

process of increasing nutrient levels and biological productivity, a normal part of successional change in most lakes

107
Q

what is cultural eutrophication?

A

increase in biological productivity caused by human activities

108
Q

what is the red tide?

A

dinoflagellate bloom; increasingly common in slow-moving and shallow waters

109
Q

dinoflagellates

A

are single-celled organisms that swim with 2 whip-like flagella; found in red tides; in marine zones polluted with eutrophication

110
Q

what are toxic metals?

A

mercury, lead, cadmium, tin, and nickel; tend to accumulate in food chains, MERCURY

111
Q

what are nonmetallic salts?

A

non-toxic at low concentrations can be mobilized by irrigation& concentrated by evaporation, reaching toxic levels

112
Q

what are causes ofnonpoint pollution:

A

agriculture, urban runoff, construction sites, land disposal

113
Q

what is primary treatment?

A

physical separation of large solids from the waste stream

114
Q

what is secondary treatment?

A

biological degradation of dissolved organic compounds

115
Q

what is tertiary treatment?

A

removal of plant nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) from secondary effluent, chemicals that bind or natural wetlands

116
Q

what is effluent sewerage?

A

hybrid between traditional septic tank and full sewer system; flows through wetlands filtered and cleaned by plants

117
Q

what is work?

A

application of force over distance (measure in joules)

118
Q

what is energy?

A

the ability or capacity to do work

119
Q

what is power?

A

rate at which work is done (measured in watts)

120
Q

what is a newton?

A

force needed to accelerate 1 kg 1m per second

121
Q

what is a joule?

A

amount of work done when a force of 1 newton is exerted over 1 meter

122
Q

what is a watt?

A

one joule per second

123
Q

how much of the world’s supply of commercial energy needs are supplied by fossil fuels?

A

88%

124
Q

how is energy used?

A

industry (plastics, fertilizers) residential&commercial (heat,cool, light) transportation,

125
Q

how is energy lost?

A

conversion, shipping and use, huge amounts of pollution created

126
Q

what is black lung disease?

A

inflammation and fibrosis caused by accumulation of coal dust in the lungs or airways

127
Q

how could carbon dioxide be sequestered or removed?

A

pumping it into deep geologic formations, which could enhance oil recovery

128
Q

what are flex-fuel boilers?

A

coal can be mixed with biomass fuels to produce energy with less carbon dioxide emmisions

129
Q

what are the impacts of oil on the environment?

A

disrupts wildlife and plants, burning oil produces carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides,

130
Q

what are tar sands?

A

sand and shale particles coated with bitumen, a viscous mixture of long chain hydrocarbons; have to be mixed with steam to extract bitumen

131
Q

what is oil shale?

A

sedimentary rock rich in kerogen; kerogen can be heated and extracted

132
Q

what are characteristics of natural gas?

A

made primarily of methane, most rapidly growing energy source

133
Q

what is methane hydrate?

A

small individual molecules of natural gas trapped in a crystalline matrix of frozen water; found in arctic and under ocean

134
Q

what is energy efficiency?

A

measure of energy produced compared to energy consumed

135
Q

what is cogeneration?

A

simultaneous production of both electricity and stream or hot water in the same plant

136
Q

what is passive solar heat?

A

using absorptive structures with no moving parts to gather and hold heat; greenhouses

137
Q

what are active solar heat?

A

pump heat-absorbing medium through a collector, rather than passively collecting heat in a stationary object

138
Q

what are parabolic mirrors?

A

curved, reflective surfaces that collect light and concentrate it onto one point.

139
Q

what are photovoltaic cells?

A

capture solar energy and convert it directly into electrical current by separating electrons from parent atoms and accelerating them across a one way electrostatic barrier

140
Q

low-head hydropower

A

extract energy from small headwater dams

141
Q

run-of-river flow

A

submerged directly in stream and usually do not require dam or diversion structure

142
Q

micro-hydro generators

A

small versions designedt o supply power to single homes

143
Q

tidal station

A

tide flows through turbines, creating electricity; requires a high tide/low tide differential of several meters

144
Q

incineration is also known as?

A

energy recovery; heat derived from incinerated refuse is useful resource

145
Q

refuse-derived fuel?

A

refuse sorted to remove recyclable and unburnable materials; higher energy content that raw trash

146
Q

mass burn?

A

everything smaller than major furniture and appliances loaded into furnace, creates pollution

147
Q

what are brownsfields?

A

contaminated properties that have been abandoned or are not in use because of pollution concerns

148
Q

urban agglomerations?

A

mergers of multiple municipalities; appearing around world

149
Q

village

A

collection of rural households linked by culture, custom, family, association with land

150
Q

city?

A

large enough resource base to allow residents to specialize in arts, crafts, services, professions, other resource-based occupations

151
Q

megacity

A

urban area with more than 10 million inhabitants

152
Q

core regions

A

urban areas merge into continuous megacities

153
Q

Traffic and Congestion

A

the number of vehicles in many urban areas is growing faster than the pace of road construction

154
Q

slums

A

legal but inadequate multifamily tenements

155
Q

shantytowns

A

settlements created when people build their own shacks on the outskirts of cities

156
Q

squatter towns

A

sometimes people simply occupy land that they dont own or rent

157
Q

new towns

A

numerous experiments to try and combine best features or rural village and modern city

158
Q

ebenezer howard

A

proposed congestion of London could be relieved by moving whole neighborhoods into garden cities

159
Q

green urbanism

A

redevelops existing cities to be ecologically sound

160
Q

conservation development

A

preserves at least half of subdivision as natural areas, farmland, or open space

Environmental Science (7 decks)

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