Chapter 12-13 Food and Water Resources Flashcards
(91 cards)
1
Q
soil horizons
A
the series of zones that mature soils are arranged in
2
Q
profile
A
a cross-sectional view of the horizons of soil
3
Q
O horizon
A
surface litter
4
Q
A horizon
A
top soil
5
Q
B horizon
A
subsoil
6
Q
C horizon
A
parent material
7
Q
loam
A
soil with an equal measure of clay, sand, silt, and humus, optimal for agriculture
8
Q
minimum tillage farming
A
use of special tillers that break up and loosen the subsurface soil without turning over the topsoil
9
Q
no-till farming
A
use of special planting machines that inject seeds, fertilizers, and herbicides into slits made in unplowed soil, best soil conversation method
10
Q
terracing
A
creation of broad, nearly level terraces on steep slopes, if sediment or whatever blows down from one level, it just gets deposited onto the next one
11
Q
contour farming
A
plowing and planting crops across, rather than up and down, a gentle slope, following the land contours
12
Q
strip cropping (intercropping)
A
alternating rows of one crop with another
13
Q
alley cropping (agroforestry)
A
alternating rows of crops with trees or shrubs
14
Q
gully reclamation
A
planting quick-growing plants in gullies that form at the bottom of slopes to catch and hold sediment, slows down water to prevent erosion
15
Q
windbreaks/shelterbelts
A
plant trees along cultivated land to block wind
16
Q
soil triangle
A
read to the left
17
Q
organic fertilizers
A
three types of plant and animal material: animal manure, green manure, and compost
18
Q
animal manure
A
compost
19
Q
Green manure
A
fresh vegetables
20
Q
compost
A
created by layers of nitrogen wastes, carbon wastes, and topsoil
21
Q
commercial inorganic fertilizers
A
manmade fertilizer with forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
22
Q
_____ does the most out of any human activity
A
agriculture
23
Q
impacts of agriculture
A
biodiversity loss (loss and degradation of habitat and pesticide runoff), soil loss (erosion, salinization, desertification), air runoff (fossil fuel use, pesticide sprays), and water loss/depletion (aquifer depletion, sedimentation runoff)
24
Q
industrialized agriculture (high-input)
A
agroindustry uses large amounts of fossil fuel energy, water, commercial fertilizers, and pesticides to grow huge quantities of monocultures,, includes plantation agriculture
25
plantation agriculture
industrialized agriculture practiced primarily in tropical developing countries (bananas, coffee)
26
Traditional subsistence agriculture
only grows enough for a family's survival
27
traditional intensive agriculture
produces enough to feed their family and sell some for income
28
Green revolution
refers to the introduction of scientifically bred or selected varieties of grain that, with high enough inputs of fertilizer and water, can greatly increase crop yields
29
Steps of the green revolution
1. developing and planting monoculture
2. lavishing fertilizer, pesticides, and water on crops to produce high yields
3. increasing the intensity and frequency of cropping
30
CAFO
Concentrated animal feeding operations, quickly get livestock to slaughter but generate large amounts of waste and pollution
31
free range grazing
animals that tend to be free from antibiotics and don't use large amounts of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. Requires a large area of land and meat produced is more expensive
32
Animal feed lot
very tight pen, animals are very prone to disease so they are fed lots of antibiotics
33
about __% of US topsoil loss is directly associated with livestock grazing
14
34
cattle belch out __-__% of all the _______ released into the atmosphere
12-15, methane
35
livestock in the US produce __ more times waste than the country's human population
21
36
The hog population in NC is __ largest in the country
2nd, Iowa is first, Nc has the greatest density of hogs, most of which are in hog farms in the coastal plain, which is prone to flooding
37
Waste lagoon
poop pit for hogs, floods whenever it rains and decreases water quality
38
undernutrition
occurs when people receive less than 90% of their minimum daily calorie intake of food on a long-term basis
39
malnutrition
occurs when people do not receive the proper amounts of protein
40
the shift from undernutrition to over nutrition in less than a generation has led to...
greater instances of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure
41
pest
any organism that competes with us where we don't want it or in sufficient numbers to cause damage
42
biocides
pesticides, chemicals developed to kill organisms we consider undesirable
43
Common types of pesticides
Herbicides, Fungicides, Nematocides, and Rodenticides
44
First generation of pesticides
arsenic, lead, mercury
45
second generation of pesticides
DDT, chlordane, methyl bromide
46
benefits of pesticides
works fast, prevents insect-transmitted diseases (malaria, bubonic plague, and typhus), increase food supplies, lower food costs, increase profits for farmers
47
Ideal pesticide
kill only the target pest, disappear/break down into something harmless (turn inert), be cheaper than doing nothing, not cause genetic resistance in target organisms
48
problems with pesticides
arrival of new pests that fill the niche of the killed pests, polluting the environment, killing of natural predators (broad-spectrum insecticides), threats to wildlife and human health, genetic resistance
49
the biggest problem with pesticides
genetic resistence
50
at least __% of pesticides do not reach target pests and end up polluting the environment
95
51
broad spectrum insecticides
kills everything, used when you don't know what it is
52
Bhopal
December 3, 1984, Union Carbide pesticide plant (Dow Chemical) released 43 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, killing up to 5,000 people, causing damage that still exists today
53
pesticide companies mainly exist in...
outside the US or in marginalized areas
54
pesticides are regulated by the...
EPA, FDA, USDA
55
Most pesticide regulations are set around...
tolerance levels of pesticide residue on foods, with little effort focused on the effect on the environment
56
The Delaney Clause
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1958), says that if a substance is found to cause cancer in humans or animals then it could not be used as a food additive
57
Pesticide Alternatives
GMOs, Crop rotation (avoids infestation), Insect birth control, Biological pest control (natural predators), biopesticides (plant toxins), IPM
58
IPM
Integrated Pest management, each crop and its pests are evaluated as parts of an ecosystem, uses a mix of biological and chemical methods
59
About __% of the earth's water is salt
97
60
Most freshwater is locked up in...
ice caps and glaciers
61
only __% of all water on earth is available to us as...
0.024%, soil moisture, useable groundwater, water vapor, and lakes and streams
62
surface runoff
precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or evaporate
63
zone of saturation
the depth at which the spaces in soil and rock are filled with water
64
water table
the surface of the zone of saturation
65
aquifer
porous, water-saturated layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock through with groundwater flows
66
recharge area
any area of land through which water passes into an aquifer
67
Groundwater in the US is being withdrawn __ times its replacement rate
4
68
aquifer subsidence
the sinking of land when groundwater is withdrawn, Florida is very susceptible
69
intrusion
salt water from the coast enters the aquifer, rendering it unusable for terrestrial organisms, only happens near the ocean
70
Largest use of freshwater is _______, at __% of all water use
irrigation, 70
71
Irrigation types
drip, spray, furrow, flood
72
drip irrigation
you lay down a soaker hose with a bunch of holes in it and let the water leak out slowly
73
spray irrigation
sprinkler, good, but loses a lot of water because of evaporation, so it shouldn't be done in the heat of the day
74
furrow irrigation
rows of food with ditches between them, hose fills the ditches (or furrows) with water
75
flood irrigation
flood the whole field, good for cranberries or rice
76
causes of water scarcity
dry climate, drought, desiccation, water stress
77
Water stress
Caused by too many people relying on the same water, good examples are Las Vegas or Cary
78
Why humans use renewable resources in unsustainable ways
tragedy of the commons, population growth, unequal distribution
79
average American uses __ liters of water per day
295
80
Ways to conserve water
take shorter showers, install a low-flow device in showers, faucets, and toilers, don't let the water run while brushing your teeth, water the lawn in the evening
81
Watershed transfer
When water from one watershed is transferred to another, reduces groundwater levels and has detrimental effects downstream, happens in Cary (water from the Cape Fear watershed is transferred to the Neuse river watershed, which causes the Cape Fear river to have too little flow and the Neuse River to experience greater flooding
82
Damming Rivers
how large reservoirs are controlled, capture and store water for town and city use, hydroelectric power, irrigation, flooding control, and recreation
83
negative effects of dams and reservoirs
reduction of downstream flow, destruction of habitats, disruption of fish migrations
84
Colorado River
Rarely reaches the Gulf of California anymore due to overexploitation and dams (Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, which supplies 90% of the water for Las Vegas)
85
Three Gorges Dam
Largest dam in the world, built across the Yangtze River in china, will supply large amounts of energy and reduce flooding, displaced 5.4 million people, built over a seismic fault
86
Aral Sea
in Central Asia, once the world's fourth largest freshwater lake, since 1960 it has shrunk significantly due to diversion for irrigation
87
Desalinization
The removal of dissolved salts from ocean water or brackish groundwater, most widely used methods are distillation and reverse osmosis (distillation is cheaper), takes a lot of energy so it's not as affordable (generally costs 3 to 5 times more)
88
Natural flooding
primarily caused by heavy rain or rapid melting of snow
89
benefits of floodplains
land that tends to flood, people usually settle there because of the fertile soil and ample water, also beneficial for aquifer recharge and wetland habitats
90
disadvantages of floodplains
center around loss of human life and property
91
Ways humans can reduce the risk of floods
channelization (straightening and deepening streams), building levees and dams, restoring wetlands, floodplain management (move people out of floodplains)
