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Environmental Science > Chapter 12 > Flashcards

Chapter 12 Flashcards

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1
Q

A few major water bodies are drying up around the world - why?

A

The Rio Grande does not reach the Gulf of Mexico because we take water from it for agriculture and domestic use. The Colorado River, the Dead Sea, and the Aral Sea are also drying up.

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2
Q

What is polarity of water?

A

Uneven distribution of electron density. One side is slightly negative, the other side is slightly positive.

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3
Q

What is the difference between condensation, fog, and dew?

A

Dew forms on surfaces, Fog occurs in the air, low to the ground. Condensation is a process that happens when water changes from a gas to a liquid.

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4
Q

What is relative humidity?

A

The percentage of water vapor in the air that it can hold at a certain temperature.

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5
Q

Convectional storms

A

Caused by convectional currents. 4When water in soil is evaporated, it rises and condenses in the atmosphere, creating rainclouds. Can become thunderstorms.

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6
Q

Orographic storms

A

Occur as air is cooled in passing over mountains.

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7
Q

Frontal/cyclonic storms

A

When fronts form at a contact between hot and cold air. May cause tornadoes

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8
Q

Convergent rain

A

Warm, moist air in the tropics is drawn into areas of low pressure. May cause tropical storms, hurricanes, or typhoons.

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9
Q

How much of earth is covered by water? What percentage is fresh and drinkable?

A

71% of earth is covered in water. 2.5% is fresh and drinkable.

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10
Q

Define the hydrological cycle

A

Solar radiation causes evaporation from surface water, which rises and cools as it rises. Cooling water vapor condenses and forms rain clouds

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11
Q

Infiltration

A

When water soaks into the ground

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12
Q

Percolation

A

When water seeps into cracks and pores in soil and rock

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13
Q

Gravitational water

A

When water seeps so far down, it becomes groundwater

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14
Q

Capillary water

A

water held in the soil that evaporates or enters plant roots

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15
Q

Water table

A

the underground boundary between the soil surface and the area where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in rocks.

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16
Q

Aquifer

A

Layers of porous material through which groundwater moves

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17
Q

Karst systems

A

Underground caves that have developed due to acidic water dissolving rocks like limestone. This water collects co2 as it sinks through the ground.

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18
Q

Floodplain

A

A plain bordering a river and subject to flooding

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19
Q

Watershed

A

All land area that contributes water to a particular stream or river.

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20
Q

Hadley cell

A

Air rises near the equator and flows towards the poles, drops again and returns to the equator. It also drops rainfall just North and South of the equator and generates trade winds.

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21
Q

Human impacts on the hydrological cycle

A

Urbanization, overgrazing, overcultivation, deforestation, pollution,

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22
Q

Point source pollution

A

A source of pollution that is direct and easy to identify like sewage treatment plants, factories, disposal sites, and abandoned mines.

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23
Q

Consumptive water

A

Removing water from a body of water without returning it. Typically used for irrigation or agriculture.

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24
Q

Non-consumptive water

A

Doesn’t remove, or temporarily removes water from a water body. This water remains available to humans for the same or different purposes.

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25
How many gallons of water does one person typically use per day?
100
26
How many gallons of water is used for agriculture per day?
700
27
5 main water pollution types
pathogens, organic waste, chemicals, sediments, and nutrients.
28
What safety measure are taken to make sure our water is clean?
Purification of water supply, sanitary treatment of sewage, and sanitary practices for processing food.
29
Biochemical oxygen demand
a test that measures the amount of organic material.
30
Chemical pollutants
inorganic chemicals, heavy metals, acids, and road salts.
31
Organic pollutants
petroleum, pesticides, and detergents.
32
Bioaccumulation
the accumulation of organic pollutants that gather in the fats of animals.
33
Biomagnification
refers to the increased concentration of a toxic chemical the higher the animal is on the food chain.
34
How are sediments a problem if they build up?
A build up of sediments can cause a loss of hiding/resting places for small fish and poor light penetration.
35
How are nutrients a problem if they build up?
A build up of nutrients can cause eutrophication
36
Land subsidence
settling of the land due to a drop in the water table
37
saltwater intrustion
when fresh water pumped from an aquifer close to the coastline gets too low, saltwater can rush in from the ocean.
38
tributary
a smaller river flowing into a larger one
39
estuary
where rivers flow into the ocean, mixing fresh water with saltwater.
40
describe the distribution of fresh water on earth
most of our fresh water is tied up in glaciers and ice caps. most of our fresh surface water resides in lakes.
41
describe the freshwater, marine, and coastal portions of the interconnected aquatic system
97.5% of earth's water is saltwater. 2.5% is fresh water.
42
Discuss how humans use and alter aquatic systems
By constructing dams, levees, withdrawing water for human use, and introducting pollution
43
How do we treat drinking water and waste water?
In primary treatment, water is separated from large particles. In secondary treatment, bacteria are added to ingest organic solids, and in tertiary treatment, the water is filtered and disinfected
44
What is the state of ocean fisheries today?
They are exploiting remote areas, fishing more intensively, capturing smaller fish, and targeting undesirable species.
45
Why are ocean fisheries declining?
Overfishing
46
Transpiration
The exhalation of water vapor through the stomata of a plant or leaf
47
What are the most important processes involved in the water cycle?
Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
48
Gravitational water
water that moves through the soil by force of gravity
49
Zone of aeration
is the upper layer of an aquifer that contains pore spaces partly filled with water
50
Zone of saturation
is the lower layer of an aquifer that contains pore spaces partly filled with water
51
recharge zone
an area where water infiltrates earth's surface and reaches an aquifer below
52
Confined aquifer
when an aquifer is confined between layers of less permeable substrate
53
Unconfined aquifer
is not confined so it can be recharged by surface water
54
Hydrogen bonding
Holds water molecules loosely together because of the polarity of the water molecules. One water molecule's negative is attracted to another's positive
55
Solid ice
hydrogen bonds holding molecules together become stronger because they slow down. This holds the ice in place.
56
Liquid water
Between 32 and 212 degrees kinetic energy is higher and hydrogen bonds continuously break and reform. This keeps water fluid.
57
Water vapor
Above 212 degrees, hydrogen bonds break entirely and water changes from liquid to gas.
58
Rain shadow effect
Is a dry area on the side of a mountain because the mountain blocks the rainy weather. This dry side of the mountain is called the leeward side.
59
How is water used?
Agriculture, industry, and residential.
60
Sediments
are runoff and erosion from farms, deforested areas, or overgrazed rangelands.
61
Oligotrophic
a condition that is low in nutrients, with limited plankton, and low turbidity.
62
Eutrophication
too many nutrients in a body of water, due to runoff which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
63
What does North America use its majority of water for?
Industry.
64
What does Africa and Asia use the majority of their water for?
Agriculture.
65
What is the main contributor to unsustainable water use?
Irrigation.
66
What are the ecological consequences of overdrawing groundwater?
Land subsidence and saltwater intrusion.
67
The Floridan Aquifer
Underlies an area of about 100,000 square miles.
68
Riparian forests
Are productive and species rich riverside forests.
69
Littoral zone
where plants grow along the shoreline
70
Limnetic zone
the layer of open, sunlit water, where photosynthesis takes place.
71
Profundal zone
this area of water does not get reached by sunlight
72
benthic zone
the bottom of the water body, rich in nutrients, detritus, and low in oxygen.
73
Eutrophic
water bodies high in nutrients, and low in oxygen
74
wetlands
shallow standing water with lots of vegetation
75
Swamps
same as wetlands, but they occur in forested areas.
76
bogs
ponds covered in thick floating mats of vegetation and can represent a stage in aquatic succession.
77
vernal pools
seasonal wetlands that form from snowmelt and dry up later in the year
78
the worlds 5 major oceans
pacific, atlantic, indian, arctic, and antarctic
79
Why is the ocean salty?
Because runoff collects salt from weathered rocks and sediment.
80
Upwelling (cold)
the rising of deep, cold, dense water toward the surface
81
Downwelling
Warm surface water, rich in dissolved gases, displaced downward providing a source of oxygen for deep-water life.
82
What is the planet's longest mountain range?
The Mid-Atlantic Range
83
Thermohaline circulation
A worldwide current system where less dense and salty warm water moves along the surface and colder, saltier water moves below
84
North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)
Warm surface water in the gulf stream flows across the atlantic to europe. it heats europe and becomes colder, and sinks, creating a region of downwelling.
85
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
An irregular variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the eastern pacific, affecting climate in the tropics and subtropics
86
el nino
refers to a warming of the ocean surface (above average) in the central and eastern pacific
87
la nina
warm water moves west from south america to indonesia, this causes cold water to rise near south america
88
How often do ENSO cycles occur?
Every 2 to 8 years
89
Intertidal (littoral)
where ocean meets the land. This region spreads from the uppermost reach of high tide, and the lowest.
90
Tides
the periodic rising and falling of the ocean's height caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon
91
salt marshes
where tides wash over gently sloping sandy or silty substrates
92
coral reef
a mass of calcium carbonate composed of the skeletons of tiny colonial marine organisms called corals
93
Zooxanthellae
symbiotic algae which inhabit the bodies of coral and produce food through photosynthesis and provide the diversity of different colors.
94
Photic zone
the well-let, top layer of the ocean
95
Pelagic
habitats occurring between the ocean's surface and floor
96
benthic
habitats that occur on the ocean floor
97
Water mining
withdrawing water faster than being replenished
98
Why are floods beneficial to natural systems and agriculture?
floodwaters build and enrich soil by spreading nutrient-rich sediments over large areas
99
Levees
Are long raised mounds of earth adjacent to river banks to protect against flooding
100
Solutions to address depletion of fresh water
desalination, conservation, efficiency measures, low-pressure spray irrigation, or gmos.
101
Xeriscaping
a type of landscaping that uses native plants and minimal water in arid conditions
102
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
an area larger than Texas, in which tiny pieces of floating plastic outnumber organisms by a 6-1 margin.
103
Gyres
An area of the ocean where currents converge and floating debris accumulates.
104
Thermal pollution
waters ability to hold dissolved oxygen decreases as temperature rises and some aquatic organisms may not survive
105
Septic system
water proceeds to a drain field of perforated pipes laid horizontally in gravel-filled trenches where microbes decompose the waste
106
Primary treatment
the physical removal of contaminants in settling tanks, this removes about 60% of solids.
107
Secondary treatment
water is stirred and aerated so that aerobic bacteria degrade organic pollutants., this removes 90% of solids.
108
Tertiary treatment
the final cleaning process that improves water quality before it is reused, recycled, or discharged into the environment.
109
Purse seining
vessels deploy large nets, some as long as 0.6 miles, around schools of fish near the surface and then draw the net shut.
110
Trawling
Dragging immense cone-shaped nets through the water.
111
Bycatch
the accidental capture of nontarget animals.
112
Maximum sustainable yield
monitors the number of fish of a certain species that can be harvested without reducing future catches.
113
Marine protected areas (MPAs)
An area of ocean set aside to protect marine life from fishing pressures.
114
Marine reserves
An area of ocean designated as a "no fishing" zone
115
Ocean acidification
occurs as ocean water absorbs CO2 from the air and forms carbonic acid.
116
PCBs
cancer causing chemicals that were banned in the 80s
117
Endocrine disruptors
chemical compounds that mimic hormones that occur naturally within the body and can cause mutations
118
Is there a more creative way to handle chicken manure?
It could be treated the same way as human waste, and trees could be planted on poultry farms to utilize the nutrients.
119
True or false: a hadley cell is a global wind movement cell at the equator. It is fueled by solar radiation
True
120
True or false: the accumulation of water underground, above an impervious rock layer is called percolation
False
121
True or false: when water soaks into the ground instead of running off the surface it is referred to as infiltration
True
122
True or false: convergent precipitation is produced when warm, moist air in the tropics is drawn into areas of low pressure
True
123
True or false: convectional and orographic are two types of rainstorms
True
124
True or false: warm air holds less water vapor than cold air
False
125
True or false: droplets forming when water vapor contacts cool leaf surfaces at night makes rain
False
126
True or false: water is considered polar because one side of the molecule is slightly negative and the other is slightly positive. This is because the oxygen nucleus attracts more electrons at any given moment than the hydrogen atoms
True
127
True or false: all rivers flow to sea
False

Environmental Science (11 decks)

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