Chapter 11+12 Flashcards
(90 cards)
1
Q
What choices once we face economic depletion?
A
Reuse, recycle, find substitute, stop using it, use or waste less
2
Q
What can we do to increase depletion time?
A
recycle, higher prices, better mining tech, new discoveries
3
Q
What 5 nations supply the most nonrenewable mineral resources?
A
US, China, Canada, Russia, Australia, S. Africa
4
Q
How many tons of mineral resources does the US use annually?
A
22 metric tons
5
Q
What are some limits to mining lower grade ore?
A
- More energy and cost (high volume, little ore)
- Less freshwater (mining and processing)
- Impact of land destruction (waste+pollution)
6
Q
Why not mine on the ocean floor?
A
- disrupt ecosystems
- who does that part of ocean belong to?
- high cost (little concentration)
7
Q
Open pit mining:
A
machines dig large pits and remove metal ores
8
Q
Strip mining:
A
extract mineral deposits in large horizontal beds close to earth’s surface
9
Q
Area strip mining:
A
-on flat land, strip overburden
-remove mineral resource leaving trench
-fill it with the overburden
10
Q
Contour strip mining:
A
-used only to mine mineral resources on a hill/mountain
-make terraces (stairs) into hill
-the overburden is moved
-coal is extracted
-overburden from top stair is dumped to stair below it
-Makes highwall: hill of very erodible soil (made here from series of spoils banks)
11
Q
Mountaintop removal: (technique and issues)
A
-explosives remove top of mountain
*Issues:
-Waste goes into valleys > increased flooding, buries streams, ruins forests
-Dams with toxic waste from coal processing release substances
12
Q
Subsurface mining: (process, pros, cons)
A
-process: use of tunnels and shafts to get underground mineral resources
-Pros: less wasteful and disturbs less land than surface mining
-Cons: cave-ins, explosions, fires, health issues, subsidence (land over mines collapses)
13
Q
/ of US solid waste is made from ____________ mining operations
A
3/4, subsurface/surface
14
Q
Ore has two parts- 1. Mineral 2. Waste. What is the waste called?
A
gangue
15
Q
tailings: (def + issues)
A
-def: rock waste in piles or ponds left from gangue
-issues: contaminate surface/groundwater + be blown/washed away
16
Q
Smelting (technique + issues)
A
-technique: heat and chemicals extract metals
-issues:
A. air pollutants ruin vegetation and acidify soils
B. pollutes the water and makes hazardous waste
C. poison those nearby
17
Q
Materials Revolution
A
- materials like silicon are replacing some metals for common uses
- do so through nanotechnology (science and engineering to change and make materials) or other tech
18
Q
Surface mining: (technique and issues)
A
-technique: vegetation, soil, and rock are cleared
-makes overburden (waste) that create spoils (waste deposits)
19
Q
Metamorphic vs Igneous
A
- Igneous is made from magma from the mantle (rises and cools)
- Metamorphic is made from existing rock
20
Q
tectonic plates:
A
- huge rigid plates that make up the lithosphere because of flows of energy and heated material within the world’s convection cells
-determines size shape and location of continents
21
Q
divergent boundary:
A
-plates move away from each other
-Magma can go up into the gap which can cause either a volcanic eruption or formation of new crust
-Also can make geysers or earthquakes
22
Q
Convergent boundaries
A
-two plates collide and one/two plate edges buckle and rise
-Makes mountain ranges
-When one goes over and one under, the under becomes magma (can make volcanoes) and the over becomes mountains
23
Q
transforms boundaries
A
-very strong, when two plates grind in opposite directions against each other
-Makes earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, or deep cracks
24
Q
fault:
A
fracture in the earth’s crust made by sudden breakage and shifting of rock (from stress from mantle forces)
25
seismic waves:
a form of vibrations from accumulated energy in the fault
26
Magnitude:
measure of ground motion caused (shows severity of Earthquake) decided by amplitude
27
amplitude:
size of seismic waves when reach seismograph
28
Richter scale (10x increase each level)
insignificant <4,
minor 4-4.9,
damaging 5-5.9,
destructive 6-6.9,
major is 7-7.9,
great >8
-Largest was 9.5 in Chile in the 1960s
29
Tsunamis
-waves get taller and closer as they slow down near the shore
-largest lost of life from tsunami during Indonesia after 9.5 earthquake
30
what are macronutrients?
carbohydrates, fats, proteins
31
what are micronutrients?
vitamin a,b,c,e
32
what are (food) minerals?
iron (oxygen in the blood), iodine (hormones/thyroid), and calcium (osteoporosis)
33
chronic UNDERnutrition
hunger, inability to access enough food to meet their basic energy needs
34
Chronic MALnutrition
-condition where protein and key nutrients are lacking
-Health effects like development and vulnerability to disease
-Can have the same problem which cheap salty/sweet/fatty foods
35
over nutrition:
-food energy intake > energy use which causes excess body fat
-affects 2.1B people (mostly in China, India, Brazil, US, and Russia)
-Similar problems for under/over fed/weight:
1. Lower life expectancy
2. more susceptible to illness/disease
3. lower life quality and productivity
36
food security + limits to it
-def: daily access to nutritious foods
-limits: war, bad weather, climate change, corruption
37
What three systems supply most of the world's food?
1. Croplands
2. Rangelands, pastures, and feedlots
3. Fisheries and Aquaculture
38
synthetic fertilizers
manufactured chemicals with nutrients like nitrogen, calcium, and potassium
39
synthetic pesticides
chemicals made to control populations of or kill organisms that mess with crop production
40
industrialized / high-input agriculture (needs + hopes)
heavy equipment, needs lots of water, fossil fuels, inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and money to make one crop in hopes of increasing yields
41
what can lack of iron cause?
Death during childbirth, infection more likely, fatigue
42
what can lack of iodine cause?
stunted growth, mental retardation, and goiter (which can cause deafness
43
traditional subsistence agriculture:
sun's energy + human/animal labor = about just enough for the family
44
Traditional intensive agriculture:
higher crop yields from more human/animal labor, manure fertilizers, and water which makes enough to feed families and sell a bit
45
Polyculture (technique and benefits) !!!
-relies on solar energy and natural fertilizers
*Benefits: *
-mature at different times so at least 1 crop is always growing
-topsoil stays covered so there’s less soil erosion
-different length roots means nutrients and moisture are gotten efficiently and don’t need fertilizer as much
-weeds can’t compete (dense),
-crop diversity = less vulnerability
46
Organic agriculture:
- crops grown w/o synthetic inorganic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, or GMOs
- Animals raised on organic feed, no growth hormones, no antibiotics
47
Describe 1st Green Revolution:
1. make monocultures of G.E. or selectively bred key crops
2. use a lot of water, pesticides, and synthetic inorganic fertilizers
48
Describe 2nd Green Revolution:
-started 1967 with fast-growing rice/wheat in less developed countries
-farm subsidies were implemented !!! helps farmers increase yields
49
-1950-2015 meat consumption x6 (since meat is 2nd major food producing system)
thats it lol just know that? idk hehe
50
Describe livestock grazing (a way to produce meat):
grass in unfenced rangelands and enclosed pastures
51
Industrialized factory farm system:
-raise many animals bred to gain weight rapidly in feedlots or crowded pens/cages in large buildings
-Buildings are called factory farms / CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations)
52
What are the cons of agriculture?
-70% freshwater out of aquifers and surface waters
-Uses 38% ice-free land
-Makes 60% water pollution
-Emits 38% greenhouse gasses
53
fishery
concentration of a **specific aquatic species** suited for commercial harvesting in **one area of the ocean or body of water**
54
aquaculture:
raising fish in freshwater lakes, rice paddies, and reservoirs or underwater cages in the ocean
55
Agriculture uses 17% of energy in the U.S.
wow ! 10u fossil fuel energy / 1u food energy!
56
sheet erosion
on level land, removes thin layers of topsoil
57
rill erosion
rills (channels) are carved into topsoil because of tiny streams (rivulets)
58
gully erosion
larger streams move enough soil to make gullies
59
3 harmful effects of the rise of industrial agriculture causing topsoil erosion:
1. Less soil fertility (depletion of plant nutrients in topsoil)
2. Release carbon in the soil as CO2 in the atmosphere (climate change and global warming)
3. Water pollution in surface waters can cause eutrophication (algae overgrowth)
60
desertification
- productive potential of topsoil decreases 10%+ because of drought or human activities that expose the topsoil for erosion
- Human actions that cause this: extra plowing, overgrazing, or deforestation
61
irrigation cons:
* can cause soil salinization
* Waterlogging: water builds up underground and raises the water table, done to lower salinization but kills them from lack of oxygen
*depletion of ground/surface water supplies
62
4 limits to green revolution expansion:
1. genetically engineered crops make the same yield as traditional ones
2. High input = higher cost = less accessible
3. Yields can stop growing because crop plants cant take up nutrients from added fertilizer and water
4. Irrigated land per person is declining (because of population growth or limited resources)
63
how will climate change affect crop yields?
- Mountain glaciers (natural irrigation) are melting
- Coastal croplands will be flooded from rising sea levels
- Drought and heatwaves
64
issues with CAFOs and feedlots:
****using up groundwater+grain, causing water + air pollution
-depleting groundwater
-using up grain
-water pollution (from wastes)
-air pollution (CO2 emissions)
65
pest:
any species interfering with human welfare (food, homes, gardens, disease, nuisance, etc.)
66
Issues with aquaculture:
- fish used to feed the other fish are depleting
- fish feed is contaminated with toxins from ocean floor
- makes a lot of waste > pollution
- use pesticides and antibiotics
67
What agricultural practices ruin natural population checks/balances that maintain biodiversity ?
- Deforestation,
- monoculture
- pesticides
68
what are the 4 synthetic pesticides?
insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, and fungicides
69
Pesticide PROs:
* save human lives from disease carried by pests
* Increase food supplies/yields
* herbicide instead of weeding soil = prevent soil erosion and help soil fertility
* Less cost more profit for farmers
* Work quickly and easy to move/use
* Newer ones are safer than old ones (like biopesticides)
70
Pesticide CONs:
* Genetic resistance to pesticides in pests gets faster (“immunity” to the “-icides”)
* More genetic resistance = more money that farmers have to pay to buy more “-icides”
* Some pesticides kill natural enemies
* Harm wildlife (hurt ⅓ all endangered/threatened species)
* Can pollute the environment if applied inefficiently
* Some threaten human health
## Footnote
OVERALL- hurt humans+wildlife+natural enemies AND cause genetic resistance which means more cost for farmers
(for different "-icides" )
71
The __________ was passed in 1947 and amended in 1972 to regulate pesticides.
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
72
Food Quality Protection Act
10x less the allowed levels unless there is a warning of the harmful effects
73
Circle of poison/boomerange effect:
banned synthetic pesticides can be exported and come back to a country on imported food, or wind can carry leftover pesticides
74
Pros/Cons of Biological controls:
- Pros: Less toxic, less cost
- Cons: Hard to mass produce, act slower, harder to apply, can become pests
75
Ecological controls:
work with nature instead of against (ex: polyculture which gives diversity for predator habitats)
76
Cultivation controls:
planting different crops on the same plot and switching so that the pests that relied on the crops the year before die out
77
Integrated Pest Management
- Goal: use less synthetic pesticides (and water+fertilizers) and reduce crop damage
- Method: start with biological methods, then cultivation controls, then (last resort) pesticides in small amounts
- overall, consider crop+pest= 1 ecosystem
78
The 8 soil conservation techniques:
1. leave some soil alone
2. grow plants without soil
3. leave crop residues to stop plowing/tilling topsoil
4. windbreaks/shelterbelts
5. alley cropping / agroforestry
6. stripcropping
7. terracing
8. contour planting
79
Contour planting
rows across slope of the land (helps conserve soil by slowing runoff)
80
stripcropping:
uses alternations of a row crop and a cover crop (traps the topsoil that the row crop erodes and less runoff)
81
alley cropping/agroforestry:
crops with nitrogen are added to alleys next to plants that give shade
82
windbreaks/shelterbelts:
trees around crop fields that give habitats to natural enemies and retain moisture in soil
83
How to prevent desertification?
- lower pop growth
- lower deforestation
- lower overgrazing
- lower destructive planting + irrigation
- use alley cropping and windbreaks to retain water
84
Why buy locally? (5 reasons)
1. Support the local economy and families
2. Less use of fossil fuels
3. More small+diverse farms from demand
4. More people could grow their own food
5. Can cut food waste
85
Two ways the government increases food security:
1. Control food prices by putting a legally mandated upper limit on them
2. Provide subsidies
- (2 can be harmful because CAFOs are bad and need grain, so when its cheap they thrive)
- People urge to government to give subsidies to only those who have sustainable practices or not give any at all
86
sustainable food production does 3 things:
1. Depend on more organic polyculture
2. Rely on sustainable energy instead of fossil fuels (ex: solar energy wind, water, or biofuel)
3. Using industrialized techniques to a minimal extent
87
9 benefits of organic farming:
1. Builds organic matter in soil (have more beneficial soil fungi and nutrients pass through the soil more slowly than they do with synthetic fertilizers)
2. Reduce erosion and water pollution (water penetrates the soil instead of becoming runoff)
3. Organic farming uses less fossil fuel (30-50% less)
4. Cut greenhouse gas emissions (40% more)
5. Make equal yields
6. More weed-tolerant but dont need herbicides
7. Better in drought
8. More profitable (higher net return)
9. Consumers are exposed to less pesticide residue, less bacteria-resistant antibiotics, and get more antioxidants
Con: Uses more human labor!!!
88
What is polyaquaculture?
raise fish/shrimp with seaweeds, shellfish, and algae in tanks/ponds and let them eat other species waste
89
5 GM Pros:
- less fertilizer, water, and pesticides
- more resistant to things like drought, insects, or disease
- faster growth = more yields
- tolerate more herbicides
- longer shelf life
90
5 GM Cons:
- toxins in food
- harm pollinators
- less biodiversity and seed market
- more resistant pests and diseases
