exam 4 Flashcards
(34 cards)
Be able to compare and contrast urban challenges in the developing world and the developed world.
In the developing world, urban challenges include things like not being able to keep up with population growth, poor water and air quality, housing and waste management.
In the developed world, issues include pollution, poverty, and sprawl which undercuts urban sustainability
The two main avenues of urban growth are Natural increase and Immigration. Know the details of each.
Natural increase is fueled by the birth rate being more than the death rate which can happen with improved food supply, better sanitation, and advances in medical care.
Immigration is caused by push factors that may encourage people to move away from their current residence.
Smart growth
involves strategies for well-planned developments that make efficient and effective use of land resources and existing infrastructure.
What is stated in the theory Island biogeography?
A larger island will have a larger population than a smaller island. The immigration and extinction rate need to be the same in order to have an equilibrium.
What is the relevance of Simberloff and Diamond?
Diamond (1975) proposed that the distribution of birds in the Bismark Archipelago, and particularly the fact that some pairs of bird species did not co-occur on the same islands (producing a checkerboard pattern), was evidence that competition between species limited their distributions.
Connor and Simberloff (1979) subsequently pointed out, was that a null model was necessary to determine whether it was actually different from random patterns of apparent non-independence between species pairs. Further, other mechanisms (different habitat requirements, speciation, dispersal limitations) could also produce non-independence between species pairs.
Understand the wind and ocean current patterns
The Coriolis effect is how the wind curves around the shape of Earth. The winds that are influenced by the earth’s movements allows it to be predictable.
What is urbanization?
The growth of cities to accommodate more people in a small space. Turning a small farming town into a city with more office jobs.
Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas: Know the pros and the cons of each!
We have a lot of coal to use but the burning of coal releases a lot of pollutants.
Oil is somewhat easy to access but it can be dangerous to filter and use plus it causes pollution.
Natural gas is becoming more easily accessible and burns cleaner than the others but is only found in certain places.
Why was the carboniferous period important for present-day energy production?
is what created all of the coal we use for energy production today.
In general, how is nuclear power generated? What are the pros and cons of this technology? Is CO2 produced as a by-product?
Nuclear power is usually generated with pressurized water reactors. It’s very expensive but with low carbon. Although not much carbon is produced, there is nuclear waste which is produced and we aren’t sure how to handle it.
sustainable energy types
Solar energy, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy.
wind could meet all our energy needs but it poses risks to wildlife so they have to be strategically placed. Co-generation is the generation of both heat and electricity at once.
Understand why water is important for all life.
every living thing at some point needs water.
What are the four unique properties of water discussed in lecture, and why is each important for sustaining life in an environment?
polarity, cohesion, adhesion, high specific heat.
Know the breakdown of where our water resources are. For example: how much of the water on the earth is fresh? How much of that is ice? Etc.
only about 3% is fresh water
of that 3%, 87% of that is ice and glaciers.
What is meant by “water stress”? What are some causes of water stress?
water stress occurs when renewable water supplies are inadequate to satisfy essential human or ecosystem needs. Poor countries which don’t have the means to create renewable water supplies suffer from this the most.
How many gallons of water per year are considered to be the minimum necessary for an individual?
264,000 gallons
Know the differences between climate and weather.
weather refers to the short term patterns of temp and moisture while
climate refers to long term patterns of temp and precipitation
What is the atmosphere mainly composed of? What are the layers of the atmosphere and what are the characteristics of each layer?
Mostly nitrogen.
The first layer that we live on is called the troposphere.
The second layer is the stratosphere.
The third is the mesosphere
fourth is the thermosphere.
Know what is meant by the “greenhouse effect” and be sure to know the main gases that contribute to this effect. What anthropogenic activities increase the greenhouse effect?
the retention of long-wave terrestrial energy in the atmosphere. It’s made of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Anything that produces carbon emission will contribute to greenhouse gases.
What is a Milankovitch cycle?
A cycle of the changing Earth tilt. (from an estimated 22 degrees to 25 degrees), which takes an estimated 41,000 years
How much have CO2 levels risen since the beginning of record in 1958 (measured in ppm)?
around 1,200 ppm
How do we know what the atmosphere was like over 400,000 years ago?
air stuck in ice pockets can tell us what the atmosphere was like.
Review the known and predicted effects of global climate change (many examples were covered in lecture).
Most of the ways we function as a society heavily relies on fossil fuels so the carbon emissions will destroy the ozone layer and contribute to global warming.
What is environmental health? Review what “HIPPO” stands for, and know examples discussed.
habitat loss
invasive species
pollution
human population
over-harvesting
