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Environmental Science Field Skills > Exam 3 > Flashcards

Exam 3 Flashcards

1
Q

Point Source

A

pipes, ditches, and sewage outfalls

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2
Q

Nonpoint sources

A

runoff from agricultural fields, lawns, forestry, and parking lots
Atmospheric deposition and gaseous pollutants that dissolve in water
HARDEST TO CONTROL

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3
Q

Living Organisms as a Pollutant

A
  • pathogens and fecal coliform
  • contributes to 26 mil deaths/yr
  • highest in urban areas from untreated human sewage, animal waste in fields, and meat packing factories sending waste into water
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4
Q

Types of toxins and how they’re pollutants

A

heavy metals - remain in ecosystems for long periods of time and are from industry and fossil fuels

Inorganic acids - acids in streams are a byproduct of industrial processes and mining, acid rain is from combustion of ffs

Salt - sources are from road salt, toxic in high doses, and can change salinity in ecosystems

toxics organics - pesticides, herbicides, cleaning agents

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5
Q

Bioaccumulation

A

ingested and metabolize, stored in fatty tissues

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6
Q

Biomagnification

A

more concentrated in successive tropic levels of food web

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7
Q

Sediment as a pollutant

A

80% of water degradation comes from erosion
Erosion…
- smothers bottom dwellers
- decreases water clarity
- may have nutrients/toxins attached

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8
Q

Thermal pollution

A

decreases DO, loss of riparian vegetation, harmful to cold-blooded organisms

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9
Q

Plastic pollution

A

microplastics are found in humans and fish, plastic fragments can absorb toxic chemicals and harbor dangerous microbes

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10
Q

What does the oxygen sag curve tell us?

A

Tells the direction of the flow of dissolved oxygen. Right after the DO hits the decomposition zone, it decreases. Gets higher when there is more flow in the recovery zone. (8 ppm for fish and 2 ppm for microorganisms)

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11
Q

Biological Oxygen Demand

A

the amount of oxygen consumed in five days by microorganisms in the water

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12
Q

How have humans altered the N cycle? Gulf of Mexico?

A

we’ve added more nitrogen, so algal blooms are caused more frequently in coastal ecosystems

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13
Q

Clean Water Act

A

restore and maintain chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s water

all water should be swimmable and fishable

set limits on discharge by industries and municipalities

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14
Q

Groundwater

A

water that lies beneath the ground surface, filling the pore space between soil particles, sedimentary rock layers, and cracks/crevices

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15
Q

Vadose zone

A

all material between the earth’s surface and zone of saturation

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16
Q

Water table

A

upper boundary of the zone of saturation

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17
Q

Capillary fringe

A

layer of variable thickness that directly overlies the water table (takes up water through capillary action)

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18
Q

aquifer

A

a body of saturated rock or sediment through which water can move easily

19
Q

Unconfined aquifer

A

a partially filled aquifer exposed to the land surface and marked by a rising and falling water table

20
Q

confined aquifer

A

an aquifer completely filled with pressurized water and separated from the land surface by a relatively impermeable continuing bed, such as shale

21
Q

How do unconfined aquifers recharge?

A

water tables rise in wet seasons and fall in dry seasons as water drains out of the saturated zones into rivers

22
Q

Gaining stream

A

a stream that receives water from the zone of saturation

23
Q

Losing stream

A

a stream that loses water to the zone of saturation

24
Q

What factors control the movement of groundwater?

A

clay content
friction
surface tension
shape, size, orientation of grains
hydraulic gradient

25
Q

Which direction does groundwater flow?

A

higher elevation to lower elevation
areas of lower use to higher use
wet areas to dry areas

26
Q

How do properties of soil influence groundwater?

A

porosity (fraction of void space in rock or soil) determines if water will move through fast

permeability - measure of earths materials to transmit fluid

hydraulic conductivity - ability of material to let water move through it

27
Q

Order (from highest to lowest) the types of soils flow rates.

A

coarse sand and gravel –> coarse fine –> fine silt and clay

28
Q

Darcy’s Law

A

rate of flow is proportional to the hydraulic gradient and determined by the permeability of the medium

Q = -KA * dh/dl

29
Q

Explain the components (with units) of Darcy’s Law.

A

Q - discharge (m^3/s)
K - hydraulic conductivity (m/s)
A - area (m^2)
dh/dl = hydraulic gradient (slope = rise/run)

30
Q

What is a well?

A

a deep hole, generally cylindrical, that is dug or drilled into the ground to penetrate an aquifer within the saturated zone

31
Q

Hydraulic head

A

measure of energy potential, driving force of groundwater flow

32
Q

Hydraulic head in confined aquifer

A

hydraulic head is above confined aquifer and there is substantial pressure energy

33
Q

Hydraulic head in unconfined aquifer

A

head is equal to water table elevation at any location

34
Q

Cone of Depression

A

depression of the water table formed around a well when water is pumped out

35
Q

Drawdown

A

lowering of water table near a pumped well

36
Q

What happens when withdrawal > recharge?

A

Regional water table drops

37
Q

Why does the water table drop when withdrawal > recharge?

A

ground surface settles because water no longer supports rock and sediment

38
Q

Why do wells need to be deeper, what are the costs?

A

because the groundwater goes deeper

costs include:
- needing more electricity to pump water to the surface
- sinkholes can form

39
Q

How can groundwater become contaminated by salt water in regions of extreme groundwater withdrawal?

A

groundwater pumping can change groundwater flow patterns and cause saltwater to be drawn into freshwater zones

40
Q

Relationship between urbanization and decline in groundwater

A

more impervious surfaces, so less water seeps into the ground to recharge groundwater

41
Q

Kaushal et al

A
  • chloride concentrations made up up to 25% of the concentration of waters in streams in Maryland NY in winter
  • up to 100x more in unimpacted forests in summer
  • mean annual chloride concentration increased as a function of impervious surfaces
42
Q

Weitjers et al

A

-altered catchment land use has a major effect on freshwater biodiversity and the rate of species loss
- on average, every 10% of natural land use lost leads to a loss of almost 6% of native freshwater fish and macroinvertebrates

43
Q

Ledford & Lautz

A
  • chloride concentrations in connected streams had less temporal variation because of groundwater discharge acting as a buffer
  • In summer, there was no nitrate in disconnected because of high primary productivity and lack of resources BUT it was higher in connected streams because of high vegetation riparian zones

Environmental Science Field Skills (2 decks)

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