Exam 5 (Chps 17 - 20) Flashcards
(137 cards)
1
Q
adaptation strategies
A
- shift agriculture
- eco structures
- emergency preparedness
- help poor
- promote development/ economic progress
- control disease
2
Q
Safe Drinking Water Act
A
- 1974
- higher standards than CWA
- 94 contaminents
3
Q
sources of VOCs
A
- incomplete combustion
- evaporation of solvents and gas
- emissions from plants
4
Q
climate sensitivity
A
- response to greenhouse gases
- concentrations measured in rise in temp as a result of rise in greenhouse gas concentration
5
Q
primary clarifiers
A
- 3rd step in primary treatment
- organic matter settles to bottom, fat to top
6
Q
4 environmental hazards
A
- Chemical
- Cultural
- Biological
- Physical
7
Q
Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
A
- CSAPR
- replaces CAIR
- requires reductions in NOx and SO2 to aid states in the East to achieve ozone and particulate matter reductions
8
Q
Biological Nutrient Removal
A
removing nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) and oxidizing detritus from treated waste water so no eutrophication occurs.
9
Q
Atmospheric-Ocean General Circulation Models
A
- AOGCM
- computer models generated from:
- atmosphiric circulation patterns
- ocean circulation
- radiation feedback from clouds
- land surface processes
10
Q
bar screen
A
- 1st step in primary treatment
- removes debris (which is incinerated)
11
Q
sources of nitric acid
A
photochemical reactions between NOx and OH radicals
12
Q
A
13
Q
eutrophication
A
nutrient rich water supporting algae or other surfact plants
14
Q
positive feedback
A
a process leads to even more intensification of that process
ex: evaporation leads to more water vapor leads to more heat leads to more evaporation…
15
Q
risk factors of povery
A
- shorter life (less medical treatment)
- malnutrition
- less education
- priorities/inequality (how government helps or not, environmental racisim)
16
Q
sources of lead
A
- battery manufacture
- lead smelters
- combustion of leaded fuels and solid waste
17
Q
oligotrophic
A
low in nutrients
18
Q
windrows
A
long narrow piles that allow air to circulate easily
19
Q
sources of ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrates
A
photochemical reactions between VOCs and NOx
20
Q
Meridional Overturning Circulation
A
- MOC
- conveyor belt of ocean continually moving water masses from the deep to the surface
21
Q
Health effects of air pollution
A
- respiratory (ozone, particulates, NOx)
- blood function (carbon monoxide)
- immune system (NOx)
- brain (mercury)
- cancer (benzene)
22
Q
Milankovitch cycles
A
- periodic oscillations in climate due to solar orbit
- 100K, 41K, 23K cycles
23
Q
activated sludge
A
mixture of detritus feeding organisms that breadk down biomass in secondary treatment
24
Q
criteria maximum concentration
A
any pollutant over this highest single concentration will have negative impact
25
sources of suspended particulate matter
* soot,
* smoke,
* salts,
* combustion carbon,
* dust,
* dirt
* metals,
* atmospheric reaction of gases
26
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
* 2011
* EPA rules that require all coal and oil fired power plants to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants
* industries had 4 years to comply
27
Mitigation strategies
* cap and trade
* remove subsidies
* tax fossil fuels
* renewable energy
* nuclear energy
* carbon capture (sequestration and reforestation)
* stabilize population growth
28
climate
average temp expected in a typical year in a given region
29
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
progressive lung disease that makes it hard to breathe involving asthma, bronchitis and emphysema
30
biogas
gaseous mixture 2/3rds methane
31
Clean Air Interstate Rule
* CAIR
* 2005
* EPA rule establishing cap-and-trade programs for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in 28 eastern states
32
secondary pollutants types
* sulfuric acid
* peroxyacetyl nitrates
* ozone
* nitric acid
33
Air Pollution Control Act
1955
became Clean Air Act
34
epidemiology
study of the causes of disease through an examination and comparison of large populations in different locations or following different lifestyles or habits
35
cap-and-trade
a form of market-based environmental policy that sets a maximum level of pollutant, distributes permits, and allows industries to trade permits to achieve their allowable pollution
36
trickling filter system
* 1st step of secondary treatment
* allows water to percolate through bed of rocks with various bacteria and detritus
37
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
An EPA administered program that addresses point-source water pollution through issuance of permits that regulate pollution discharge.
38
North Atlantic Deep Water
* NADW
* Water from the south moves north, cools, sinks to 4000m
* becomes denser when evaporation increases salinity
39
sources of sulfuric acid
photochemical reactions between sulfur dioxide and OH radicals
40
maximum contaminent level
max level of pollutants in drinking water
41
industrial smog
* smoke + fog
* soot, sulfurous compounds, water vapor
42
stratosphere
* 16-50K
* temp increases w/ altitude
* little vertical mixing, slow exchange of gases w/ tropo via diffusion
43
phosphorus in water
a limiting factor or an organic pollutant
44
acid deposition
any form of acid precipitation but also fallout of dry acid
45
inversions
* flip the usual warm air below / cool air above
* warm air traps pollutants
46
atmospheric brown cloud
ABC
forest fires, fossil fuels, farm wastes, stoves
47
pH
expression of concentration of hydrogen ions from 0-7
48
albedo
reflectivity of surface to sunlight
49
biosludge
* organic matter remaining after anaerobic digestion
* nutrient-rich humus-like material suspended in water
50
3 factors that influence atmospheric cleansing
1. amount
2. space
3. mechanisms that remove pollutant
51
Thermohaline Circulation
* movement of temp and salinity in the oceans
* Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC)
* North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)
52
ENSO
* El Niño La Niña Southern Oscillation
* reverse the trade winds
* El Niño is warm
* La Niña is cold
53
Montreal Protocol
* 1987
* reduce CFCs 50% by 2000
* 196 nations
54
acid neutralizing capacity
in a water body, ability to neutralize acid with buffer chemicals
55
Maximum Achievable Control Technology
MACT
The best technology available for reducing the output of especially toxic industrial pollutants
56
evidence for recent climate change
* increase in warter temps / decrease in cooler
* heat waves and droughts increasing and intensifying
* droughts cover more land
* more fires
* patterns of precipitation changing, increasing floods and storms
* shifting seasons
* melting sea ice and glaciers
* migrating wildlife
* ocean acidification
57
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
Legislation establishing energy policy by emphasizing demand-side policies (conserving energy, renewables)
58
normal atmospheric cleansing
1. hydroxyl radicals - render pollutants harmless
2. sea salts - aerosols that form rain
3. sunlight - breaks molecules
59
toxicology
study of the impacts of toxic substances on human health and the pathways by which such substances reach humans
60
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NAAQS
allowable levels of ambient criteria air pollutants set by EPA
61
Ocean Atmospheric Oscillations
* North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
* Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO)
* El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
62
Integrated Risk Information System
IRIS
evaluation of risk information on hazards that chemicals pose to human health
run by the EPA
63
photochemical smog
produced when several pollutants from cars (nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons) are acted on by sunlight
64
equity principle
* rich and poor should have the same decision-making powers
* international and intergenerational
65
base
releases hydroxide ions when disolved in water
66
How CFCs and halogens destroy the ozone layer
in stratosphere UV breaks them apart releasing chlorine atoms which attack ozone
chlorine catalytic cycle
67
sources of nitrogen oxides
* combustion
* wood burning
68
raw sludge
fat and organic matter seperated in primary clarifiers
69
Steps to bring back the ozone layer
* banned CFCs in cans
* Montreal Protocol, 1987, reduced 50% by 2000, 196 Nations
* using HFCs and HCFCs
* thinking about methyl bromide and nitrous oxide
70
grit chamber
* 2nd step in primary treatment
* allows grit to settle (then taken to landfill)
71
3 methods for turning sludge to fertilizer
1. anaerobic digestion
2. pasturization
3. composting
72
criteria pollutants
levels used as gauge for determination of air or water quality
73
primary pollutant types
1. particulates,
2. VOCs,
3. Carbon Monoxide,
4. Nitrogen Oxides,
5. sulfur dioxide,
6. lead,
7. air toxics,
8. radon
74
sludge cake
treated sludge dewatered by rollers
75
pasteurization
dried and heated sludge cake
76
nitrogen
in water a limiting factor or a nutrient
77
tropopause
* between troposphere and stratosphere
* air begins to warm
78
criteria continous concentration
highest sustained
79
mortality
incidence of death in a population
80
acid
releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water
81
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System
addresses point-source pollution and issues permits that regulate discharges from wastewater treatment plants and industrial sources
82
ambient standards
levels that need to be achieved to protect environmental and human health
83
Impacts of Air Pollution on the Environment
* crop damage
* forest damage
* ozone depletion
* acid deposition (including soil damage)
* pH in aquatic systems
84
Climate Change Science Program
20 reports from hundreds of scientists across different disciplines about research on climate change
85
activated sludge system
1st step in secondary treatment
detritus-feeding organisms (activated sludge) consume most of the biomass as water percolates over rocks
air bubble or paddle system for aeration
86
how primary pollutants are produced
direct products of combustion and evaporation
87
criteria pollutants
167 chemicals
88
Tabacco Control Act
2009: gave the FDA authority to regulate tobacco
89
pathways of risk
* poverty
* tobacco use
* disease transmission
* toxic chemicals
* natural disasters
90
nonpoint sources
discharge of pollution that isn't easy to ID source (run-off, deposition, etc.)
91
benthic plants
attached water plants
* submerged aquatic veg (SAV)
* emergent veg
92
rotavirus
highly contagious and common virus that almost every child gets. Causes severe diarrhea that can kill children in developing countries.
93
tipping point
we are likely close, if not past, but we can mitigate disaster
94
Total Maximum Daily Load
evaluates all nonpoint sources according to the water body's ability to assimilate the pollutant
95
epidemiological study
tracks how sickness spreads through a community
96
benzene
* carcinogen
* organic chemical in oil products and tobacco smoke
97
sources of air toxics
* combustion
* industrial processes
* building materials
* solvents
98
anaerobic digestion
* put in sludge digesters
* bacteria feeds on sludge w/out oxygen
* by-product is biogas
99
point sources
discharge of substances easy to ID (factories, etc.)
100
how secondary pollutants are produced
primary pollutants undergo reactions with naturally occuring compounds in the atmosphere and produce undesirable compounds
101
weather
variable, local, short term
102
radiative forcing
* influence any particular factor has on energy balance of the atmophere-ocean-land system
* positive = warming
* negative = cooling
103
phytoplankton
photosynthetic algae, protists, cynobacteria
104
secondary treatment
or biological treatment
uses organisms (natural decomposers and detritus feeders) to desolve gunk
only oxygen needs to be added
105
bed load
sediments washed along the bottom of a body of water
106
pathogens
disease causing bacteria, viruses, parasites
107
108
Younger Dryas
* at the end of the last ice age
* 6000 years of warming, then sudden 1,500 yrs of cold
* then 7 degree increase in 50 years
109
photochemical oxidants
formed by interactions between nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons driven by sunlight
110
risk management
111
hygiene hypothesis
immune systems need to encounter microbes when they are young in order to keep inflammatory responses under control
112
best management practices
soil and water
all the practices that can be used to minimize erosion, runoff, leaching
113
monsoon
seasonal airflow created by major differences in cooling and heating between oceans and continents usually leading to excessive rain
114
NAO
* North Atlantic Oscillations
* pressure centers switch, alternating wind and storms
115
CFCs
synthetic organic molecules that contain one or more of both chlorine and fluorine atoms and that are known to cauce ozone destruction
116
risk assessment
process of evaluating risks associated with a particular hazard
117
hydroxyl radical
* OH
* oxidizes many gasous pollutants into products that are harmless or can be brought down to earth
118
troposphere
* between 8-16K from the ground
* temp decreases w/ altitude
* much verticle mixing, turbulent
* substances entering may be washed back to Earth
* all weather and climate
119
Kyoto Protocol
* 1997
* 38 nations (not developing) agreed to reduce emissions of 6 greenhouse gases to 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012
* India, China, US not participating
120
Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation
* IPO
* pressure centers switch, altering wind and storms (similar to NAO)
* over decades
121
criteria pollutant types
SPLONC
* sulfur dioxide
* particulates,
* lead
* ozone,
* nitrogen oxide,
* carbon monoxide,
122
composting
raw sludge mixed with wood chips or water absorbing material then placed in windrows and turned. Bacteria break down to humus-like material
123
sources of radon
* rocks and soil
* natural breakdown of radium and uranium
124
acid precipitation
* acid rain, fog, snow and any other form of precipitation that is more acidic than normal (less than pH 5.6)
* sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen
125
chlorine catalyst cycle
* in the stratosphere
* cyclical chemical process in which chlorine monoxide breaks down ozone
* promotes chemical reaction without itself being used up
126
sources of sulfur dioxide
combustion of sulfur containing fuels (esp. coal)
127
secondary clarifier
* 2nd step of secondary treatment
* organisms settle and become next batch of activated sludge
* water trickles out for BNR
128
Copenhagen Accord
* 2009
* 187 countries
* pledges to limit temp increases to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels
* set targets by 2020
* not binding
129
cryosphere
snow, glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice
130
aerosols
microscopic liquid or solid particles originating from land and water surfaces
131
morbidity
incidence of disease in a populatin
132
Clean Air Act Amendments
* 1970, 1977, 1990
* set ambient standards
* established control methods and time tables
133
fronts
boundaries of air masses w/ different pressures and temps
134
Durban Platform
* 2011
* agreement to begin negotiations that would lead to legally binding agreement by 2015,
* to take effect in 2020
135
National Center of Environmental Assessment
* NCEA
* EPA agency
* assessment of substances and processes that are widely released into the environment
136
types of greenhouse gases
1. carbon dioxide
2. water vapor
3. methane
4. nitrous oxide
5. ozone
6. CFCs
7. other hydrocarbons
137
greenhouse gas
absorbs infrared energy and contribues to air temp (blanket)
