ENVIRONMENTAL FINAL - Unit 4

Question 1

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

Answer 1

transfer of a gene of one organism into the genetic material of another

Question 2

GMO benefits

Answer 2

-higher crop yields
-higher profits
-less pesticide usage
-lower word hunger

Question 3

GMO consequences

Answer 3

-unsure for the safety of human consumption
-loss of biodiversity

Question 4

Who passed the law in 2022 requiring the disclosure of GMOs in foods

Answer 4

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Question 5

irrigation

Answer 5

any means used by humans to bring water to the land
-estimated that abt 1/2 of the world’s land is irrigated

Question 6

flood

Answer 6

-flooding an entire field
-water soaks in evenly and more efficient (80%)
-waterlogging and hard to control

Question 7

furrow

Answer 7

farmer digs trenches along crop rows
-easy and cheap
-67% efficient and a lot of evaporation of water

Question 8

drip

Answer 8

-slow drip hose, on the ground or underground
-delivers water directly to the root, 95% effective, great with perennial crops
-very expensive and limits the number of farms using drip irrigation

Question 9

spray

Answer 9

-sprinkler
-75-95% effective (with the spray pressure managed)
-very expensive and high energy use

Question 10

what are some major issues with irrigation

Answer 10

-waterlogging
-salinization
-aquifer depletion

Question 11

aquifers

Answer 11

pore spaces found within permeable layers of rock and sediment underneath the soil that stores groundwater (great rock: sandstone)

Question 12

unconfined aquifer

Answer 12

porous rock covered by soil

Question 13

confined aquifer

Answer 13

surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay which impedes water flow to or from the aquifer

Question 14

water table

Answer 14

uppermost level at which the groundwater in a given area fully saturates the rock or soil

Question 15

groundwater recharge

Answer 15

process by which water from precipitation percolates into the soil and works its way into the groundwater

Question 16

springs

Answer 16

natural source of water for freshwater aquatic biomes

Question 17

artesian well

Answer 17

a well created by drilling a hole into confined aquifer

Question 18

salt water intrusion

Answer 18

when salt water invades an aquifer (costal communities)

Question 19

water footprint

Answer 19

total daily per capita use of fresh water for a country or the world

Question 20

which element is the most abundant in the earth’s crust

Answer 20

oxygen

Question 21

metals

Answer 21

elements with properties to conduct heat energy

Question 22

ores

Answer 22

-minerals with economic value

Question 23

surface mining

Answer 23

strip mining
open pit mining
mountaintop removal
placer mining

Question 24

crustal abundance

Answer 24

average concentration of an element in the earth’s crust

Question 25

strip mining

Answer 25

removal of vegetation and soil in search for metals

Question 26

reserve

Answer 26

estimate amount of resource that is available

Question 27

open-pit mining

Answer 27

produces a large hole for precious metals in river sediments

Question 28

mine tailings

Answer 28

unwanted waste material

Question 29

mountaintop removal

Answer 29

removing the entire top of a mountain with explosives

Question 30

placer mining

Answer 30

process of looking for precious metals in river sediments

Question 31

urbanization

Answer 31

the process of making an area more urban, increasing the density of people per unit area of land

Question 32

monocropping

Answer 32

an agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety

Question 33

Aqueducts

Answer 33

pipes and canals that move water from where it is abundant to areas where it is scarce.

Question 34

Green Revolution

Answer 34

a shift in agricultural practices in the twentieth century that include new management techniques, mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, and improved crop varieties, that resulted in increased good output

Question 35

Salinization

Answer 35

a form of soil degradation that occurs when the small amount of salts in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation

Question 36

Waterlogging

Answer 36

a form of soil degradation that occurs when soil remains under water for prolonged periods

Question 37

Permeability

Answer 37

the ability of water to move through the soil

Question 38

Porosity

Answer 38

the side of the air spaces between particles

Question 39

subsistence farming

Answer 39

farming for consumption by the farming, family, and maybe a few neighbors

Question 40

urban blight

Answer 40

the lack of support and deterioration for urban communities

Question 41

Pesticides

Answer 41

A substance, either natural or synthetic that kills or controls organisms that people consider pets

Question 42

Herbicides

Answer 42

a pesticide that targets plant species that compete with crops

Question 43

What was the importance of “Meteor Crater” from the Youtube video we watched called “How Earth Was Made?”

Answer 43

Geologists discovered on “Meteor Crater” that meteorites are older than any rock on Earth.