Exam 3 Flashcards
(133 cards)
1
Q
continental shelves
A
sit beneath the shallow waters bordering the continents
2
Q
shelf-slope break
A
where the continental slope angles more steeply downward to the deep ocean basin below
3
Q
currents
A
flow horizontally within the upper 400m of water for great distances and in long lasting patterns
4
Q
upwelling
A
where horizontal surface currents diverge from one another, cold, deep waters are pulled to the surface
5
Q
El nino-southern oscillation
A
a shift in the atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation in the tropical pacific ocean
6
Q
el nino
A
suppresses upwelling along the pacific coast of the americas which prevents the nutrients that support marine life and fisheries. changes weather patterns around the world. conditions triggered when air pressure decreases in the eastern pacific and increases in the western pacific, weakening the equatorial winds and allowing the warm water to flow eastward toward south America
7
Q
la nina
A
opposite of el nino; usually cold waters rise to the surface and extend westward in the equatorial pacific when winds blowing to the west strengthen and weather patterns are affected in the opposite ways. periodic and irregular occurring every 2-8 years
8
Q
intertidal
A
“littoral” where the ocean meets the land
9
Q
tides
A
periodic rising and falling of the ocean’s height at a given location, caused by gravitational pull of the moon and sun
10
Q
salt marshes
A
occur where the tides wash over gently sloping sandy or silty substrates. “tidal creeks” are channels tides flow through. high primary productivity
11
Q
mangroves
A
type of tree that is salt tolerant and have unique roots
12
Q
estuaries
A
water bodies where rivers flow into the ocean mixing
13
Q
kelp
A
large brown algae along temperate coasts that grows form the floor of the continental shelves and grow toward the sun
14
Q
coral reef
A
mass of calcium carbonate composed of the shells of tiny marine animals known as corals
15
Q
exxon valdez
A
1989 oil tanker spill in Prince William Sound. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil spilt and caused ecological disaster along the Alaskan coast
16
Q
deep water horizon
A
2010 British Petroleum’s drilling platform exploded and sank into the gulf of Mexico
17
Q
harmful algal blooms
A
excessive nutrient concentrations gives rise to dinoflagellate algae
18
Q
red tides
A
harmful reddish pigments produced by dinoflagellates and discolors surface water
19
Q
purse seining
A
vessels deploy large nets around schools of fish near the surface. Some use driftnets which usually target species that traverse open water in schools
20
Q
longline fishing
A
setting out extremely long lines with up to several thousand baited hooks spaced
21
Q
trawling
A
entails dragging immense cone-shaped nets through the water with weights at the bottom and floats at the top can destroy entire ecosystems *reefs
22
Q
bycatch
A
accidental capture of animals *dolphins
23
Q
marine protected areas (MPA)
A
area of ocean set aside to protect marine life from fishing pressures. Along developed countries coasts about 3% of world’s oceans are some sort of protected. Kind of like national parks but allow fishing and other damaging activities
24
Q
marine reserves
A
no-take areas
25
atmosphere
layer of gases that envelops earth.
26
atmosphere is mostly this gas
nitrogen
27
services provided by atmosphere
moderates our climate, provides oxygen, helps to shield us from meteors and hazardous radiation, and transports and recycles water and nutrients.
28
4 layers that make up the atmosphere
thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere
29
downwelling
surface water sinking (opposite of upwelling)
30
why do ocean contain mo such salt?
oceans collect salt from runoff from rocks and winds blow salt from land
31
how does CO2 affect sea life?
CO2 diffuses into water making it more acidic
32
natural underwater physicals structures is a sign of...
thriving life
33
Where is the continental shelf located?
Along the continent
34
What is between the continental shelf and continental ridge?
The continental slope
35
Where does seafloor spreading occur?
Oceanic ridge
36
Some islands are formed from:
volcanic activity along trenches
37
Where the oceanic crust is subducted:
trenches
38
Coriolis effect
causes surface water to move away from coast
39
Benefits of salt marshes
habitat for many important birds, fish, and shellfish.
Filter pollution.
Stabilize shorelines against storm surges
40
What contributed to hurricane Katrina flooding?
lack of salt marshes
41
Mangrove benefits
slow runoff, filter pollutants, retain soil. Help maintain coral reefs and eelgrass beds. Protect against storm surges and tsunamis
42
kelp benefits
absorb wave energy and protect shorelines from erosion. Eaten by people and (alginates) are used in consumer products (cosmetics, ice cream, paint)
43
How can we reduce harmful algal/ red tide blooms?
Reducing nutrient runoff into coastal waters
44
Atmosphere
layer of gases that envelops out planet
45
services provided by the atmosphere
Moderates our climate, provides oxygen, helps to shield us from meteors and hazardous radiation, and transports and recycles water and nutrients
46
the atmosphere is made up of mostly this gas
nitrogen (78%)
47
the 4 atmospheric layers
thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere
48
which atmosphere layers are the densest?
bottom
49
troposphere
bottommost/thinnest/densest layer, provides us air to breathe, movement within the sphere drives weather. Tropopause: boundary that limits the troposphere from mixing with other layers. Temperature drops
50
stratosphere
second layer, absorbs UV rays, pollution stays here for a long time due to minimal vertical mixing. Contains the most ozone. Temperature rises
51
Ozone layer/concentration
absorbs UV radiation
52
mesosphere
burns up meteors
53
thermosphere
extends into the exosphere where the atmosphere merges with space
54
relative humidity
ratio of water vapor contained in air at a given temperature to the maximum amount it ~could~ contain at that temperature
55
weather
specifies atmospheric conditions in a location over short time periods
56
climate
describes typical patterns of atmospheric conditions in a location over long periods of time
57
warm front
boundary along which a mass of warm, moist air replaces a mass of cool, dry air. Light precipitation occurs when moisture condenses with cooler air
58
cold front
boundary where a cold, dry air mass displaces a warm, moist air mass. Wedges under the less dense warm air causing the warm air to rise and create clouds and storms as the moist warm air mixes with the dense cold air. Heavy precipitation. Usually will clear the sky once it passes through as well as drop the temperature and humidity
59
high pressure system
contains air that descends because it is cool and then spreads outward as it nears the ground. Bring fair weather
60
low pressure system
warmer air rises, drawing air inward toward the center of low atmospheric pressure. The rising air expands and cools and clouds/precipitation often form
61
Coriolis effect
As the Earth rotates on its axis, regions near the equator move faster then regions near the poles. As a result, air currents of the convective cells that flow north to south appear to be deflected from a straight path. This deflection results in the curving global wind patterns.
62
air pollutants
gases and particulate material added to the atmosphere that can affect climate or harm people or other forms of life
63
"ambient air pollution"
outdoor air pollution
64
3 natural forms of air pollution
wildfire, volcanoes, and dust storms
65
residence time
amount of time a pollutant spends in the atmosphere. Car pollution is short lived. Climate change and ozone pollutants are long-lasting.
66
Clean Air Act
1963, 1970, 1990. Funds research into pollution control, sets standards for air quality, and encourages emissions standards for automobiles and for stationary point sources.
67
carbon monoxide (CO)
(CO) colorless and odorless gas produced primarily by the incomplete combustion of fuel. Hazardous because it binds to hemoglobin in red blood cells which prevents the hemoglobin from binding with oxygen. vehicles/engines
68
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
carbon-containing chemicals emitted by vehicle engines and a wide variety of solvents, industrial processes, and household chemicals.
69
Lead (Pb)
metal mainly from industrial metal smelting. Phased out of gas in 80s
70
ozone depleting substances
airborne and human-made chemicals
71
halocarbons
human-made compounds derived from simple hydrocarbons in which hydrogen atoms are replaced by halogen atoms like chlorine, bromine, or fluorine.
72
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
type of halocarbon used in refrigerants, fire extinguishers, as propellants in aerosols, and cleaners. Can linger in stratosphere for over a century.
73
how do CFCs deplete the ozone?
UV radiation separates CFCs into chlorine and carbon atoms. Each chlorine atom can destroy thousands of ozone molecules.
74
ozone hole
1985 ozone area over antacrtica that thinned in half
75
montreal protocol 1987
worlds nations agreed to cut CFCs emissions in half by 1998. Halted the advance of ozone depletion!
76
indoor air pollution
pollution within workplaces, schools, and homes
77
is indoor or outdoor pollution more damaging to our health?
indoor
78
Which gov group monitors pollutant emissions?
EPA
79
what is the #1 major pollutant emitted by the US?
carbon monoxide
80
primary indoor pollutants
tobacco smoke and radon (lung cancer, etc.)
81
radon
naturally occurring radioactive gas. results from the decay of uranium in soil and rock. colorless, odorless and risk depends on underground geology
82
what factors contributed to LA and Mexico City's pollution problem?
surrounded by mountains and receive a lot of sunlight/UV
83
climate
an area’s long term atmospheric conditions (includes temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, barometric pressure, solar radiation, and other characteristics.)
84
three of earth's factors that influence climate change
the sun, atmosphere, and oceans
85
greenhouse gas
H2O, O3, CO2, N2O, CH4, and halocarbons. Absorb infrared radiation. Differ in their ability to warm the troposphere and surface
86
Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC)
has taken up the task of periodically reviewing summarizing all available data
87
cap-and-trade
system where industries and utilities would compete to reduce emissions for financial gain. Gov sets a cap on the amount of pollution it will allow
88
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
treaty in 1992 that outlined a plan for voluntarily reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 1990 by the year 2000. Emissions kept rising so the kyoto protocol was formed
89
kyoto protocol
1997 bound participating (127) countries to reduce emissions from 2008-2012 to that of below 1990 levels. US was the only developed nation not to ratify. Produced mixed results
90
carbon trading
permits fluctuates freely in the market according to supply and demand, creating the same kinds of financial incentives as any other commodity that is bought and sold
91
carbon offset
voluntary payments intended to enable another entity to help reduce the emissions that one is unable to reduce
92
Oil sands/tar sands
layers of sand/clay saturated with a viscous tarry type of petroleum called bitumen
93
fossil fuels
highly combustible substance formed from the remains of organisms from past geologic ages
94
EROI (energy returned on investment)
EROI = Energy returned/Energy invested
95
Higher EROI ratios means
we receive more energy from each unit of energy that we invest
96
coal
compressed organic matter
97
oil
mix of hydrocarbon molecules
98
natural gas
is a gas consisting primarily of methane and lesser variable amounts of other volatile hydrocarbon
99
hydraulic fracturing "fracking"
pumping chemically treated water under high pressure into deep layers of rock to crack them
100
carbon capture and storage
capturing carbon dioxide emissions and coveting gas to liquid form and then sequestering it in the ocean or underground in a geologically stable rock formation
101
rebound effect
efficiency gains from better tech are partly offset when people engage in more energy-consuming behavior as a result
102
US has a lot of this fossil fuel
coal
103
```
In the US
most oil goes to _______
and
most resources going towards _________
are lost
```
transportation
104
what country produces and consumes the most coal
china
105
what country produces and consumes the most oil and natural gas?
US
106
how do carbon emissions drive climate change?
by disrupting the carbon cycle
107
passive solar energy
simplest way to harness solar. Buildings are designed to maximize absorption of sunlight in winter yet keep the interior cool in the heat of summer
108
Photovoltaic cells (PV)
convert sunlight to electrical energy when light strikes one of a pair of plates made primarily of silicon
109
wind turbines produce energy by
converting wind's kinetic energy into electrical
110
not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY)
people who oppose wind farms being near them
111
geothemal energy
thermal energy that arises from beneath earth surface
112
why is wave energy not more used?
not thoroughly tested for commercial use
113
tidal energy is accomplished by
erecting dams across the outlets of tidal basin
114
what percent of energy consumed in the US is from renewable energy?
10%
115
what percent of electricity consumed in the US is from renewable energy?
13%
116
are renewable or conventional methods growing faster now?
renewable
117
what 3 countries lead the world in wind power?
china, us, and germany
118
which country obtains the highest percent of its needs from wind power?
denmark
119
why offshore wind farms are appealing
higher wind speeds
120
geothermal uses
direct water heating and electricity
121
rock
solid aggregation of minerals
122
mineral
naturally occurring chemical or inorganic compound with crystal structure, a specific chemical composition, and distinct physical properties
123
mining minerals
systematic removal of rock, soil, or other material for the purpose of extracting minerals of economic interest
124
metal
chemical element/mass of an element that typically is lustrous, opaque, and malleable and can conduct heat and electricity
125
downside of processing metals
can be water and energy intensive and can generate greenhouse gas
126
alloy
the product of mixing, melting, and fusing a metal with another metal or nonmetal. (steel is an alloy made from fusing iron with carbon)
127
acid mine drainage
process by which strip mining pollute waterways when sulfide minerals in newly exposed rock surfaces react with oxygen and rainwater to produce sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid runoff leeches toxic metals from rocks, can pollute groundwater supplies, and can affect aquatic organisms. Natural but accelerated by mining. May mitigate effects of hydraulic fracturing
128
subsurface mining
shafts are excavated deep into the ground and networks of tunnels are dug or blasted out to follow deposits of the mineral deep underground. Generates acid drainage. Most dangerous form of mining
129
pacer mining
using running water to separate lightweight mud/gravel from heavier minerals that accumulate in riverbed deposits. Wash large amounts of debris into streams.
130
mine reclamation
restoring mine sites. Removing all structures, replacing overburden, filling in shafts, and replanting vegetation.
131
General Mining Act of 1872
still guides mining policy in US. encourages people and companies to prospect of minerals on federally owned land by allowing any US citizen/company with permission to do business in the US to stake claims on any plot of of public land open to mining.
132
general mining act was established for
the gold rush / mining rushes
133
salt marshes occur along what kind of latitudes?
temperate latitudes along the coast.
