Final Flashcards
(130 cards)
1
Q
How much CO2 is in the atmosphere and what is the tipping point for it
A
415.31 ppm; 350 ppm
2
Q
How do CO2 levels change
A
They fluctuate throughout seasons depending on vegetation
3
Q
What is the Ruddiamn hypothesis and does it hold true
A
That ancient agrarian ancestors may have started gas contributions to the atmosphere; no becuase measurable affects on the climate weren’t seen until the industrial revolution
4
Q
When was the industrial revolution what started it
A
1750-1850 and was caused by coal shifting from an organic to a fossil economy releasing accumulated energy from millions of years of photosynthesis
5
Q
What are the consequences of burning coal
A
Stored energy is released as heat and gas (methane and CO2) which escapes into the atmosphere and traps heat
6
Q
What is the great acceleration
A
most recent period of the proposed anthropocene during which the rate of impact of human activity upon the earth’s geology and ecosystems is increasing significantly
7
Q
When the great accerlation start
A
after the second world war
8
Q
When did scientists discover the CO2 abosorbed radiation and what prediction did they make off of that
A
As early as 1859 and they predicted by the 1930s that burning fossil fuels would warm up the planet
9
Q
What is the keeling curve
A
represents the measured concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere at the Mauna Loa Observatory since 1958. undulations of the curve show annual cycles of growth and decay on the land masses on the Northern Hemisphere, as plants fix and then release CO2 in their life cycle
10
Q
What was the kyoto protocol
A
adopted in 1997 and took force in 2005 with 192 parties; committed parties were only asked to adopt policies and measures on mitigation and report periodically
11
Q
What was the paris agreement
A
Legally binding international agreement meant to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees celcius
12
Q
What is an interglacial
A
minimum of ice age, glacial minimum
13
Q
When was Earth covered in 30% ice and was that a glacial minimum or maximum
A
About 18,000; glacial maximum when the oceans were a lot lower
14
Q
What is the ice age fluctuations
A
between 10 and 30% of the Earth covered in ice and there are glacial maximums every 100,000 years
15
Q
What is the evidence for widespread glaciation
A
Large boulders that are genetically unrelated to the underlying bedrock and when glaciers melted there was a large amount of water created sand
16
Q
How do we know when the ice age began
A
Plankton record the oxygen isotope compistion of the ocean where they live which is controlled by how much continential ice exists
17
Q
What are the two O isotopes and which ones predict glacial max or minimums
A
H2O 16 and 18 and higher amounts of H2O 18 in the ocean indicate glacials (glacial maximum)
18
Q
High ice correlates to high or low dust and why
A
High dust since glacials are usually very windy and they dig sediment up creating dust making it colder since it blocks light; cold causes wind to glide across top of glaciers creating even more wind
19
Q
What do CO2 and methane levels oscillate between and what is their relationship
A
CO2 oscialltes between 180 and 280 while methane switches between 700 and 300; they have a direct relationship
20
Q
What are Milankovitch cycles and what are the three of them
A
Cycles of the Earth that affect Earth’s temperatute; Earth’s orbit of the sun, Earth’s tilted axis, and tilt wobbles
21
Q
How does Earth’s orbit of the sun affect the Earth’s temperature
A
orbit changes from an oval to a circle and back every 100,000 years which is a direct correltaion with glacial max and minimums
22
Q
How dos Earth’s axis affect Earth’s temperature
A
Tilt oscillates between 21 and 24 degrees every 41,000 years and affects how harsh season will be
23
Q
What is an albedo
A
When Earth is covered in ice causing more solar energy to reflect off the ice and go into space. This causes the earth to cool more growing more glaciers
24
Q
How do GHG create a feedback loop
A
Decomposition of organic material puts CO2 in the atmosphere and when it’s warmer the organic material decomposes faster
25
By how much is the sea rising
On average thye are rising by 3mm/year but in some places the sea is decreasing like Alaska or CA but rising is Maryland and Louisiana
26
What was the rate of sea level rise in the late 1800s and what is it currently
.9 mm/year but is now 3 mm/year
27
what is causing sea level rise
45% due to melting of mountain glaciers, 38% thermal expansions, 13% melting of antartic ice sheets and 4% ice loss from Greenland
28
What is energy coupling, what is coupling, and when they start to increase
Direct correlation between energy, CO2, and GDP; Energy and CO2 increased around the 1960, and CO2 and GDP increase around the 1850s
29
When did CO2 emissions start to rise and what is the biggest contributor to these emission
around 2000 and coal
30
What type of countries have increased their emissions lately and why
developing countries due to a shift in economy
31
How does demand side management work
Provide the same management with less energy consumption by using more efficient cars, motion light switches... this could be done by incentivizing people with reduced prices for less flexibility with the AC and thermostat
32
What is a negative effect of the demand-side management
Rebound effect in which people save energy thus use that energy elsewhere
33
How does the supply side management work
Taxing everything based on carbon intensity of fuel so if something is more carbon intensive then a higher tax
34
Where has supply side management been employed
British columbia in Canada, they have witnessed a decrease in CO2 emissions and was revenue neutral so taxes wasn't raised
35
what did the kyoto protocol call for
use of flexible policies and transfers of CO2 reduction tech to developing countries where the carbon credit would flow back to country donating tech
36
What countries were required to make reductions under the Kyoto protocol
Japan, Canada, Australia, Turkey, the EU, Russia and the UK; The US would have been in it but did not sign on
37
What were the main differences between Kyoto and paris protocols
paris included less developed countries, had countries make specific plans for decrease in emissions, wanted a change that allowed the Earth to decrease temperature by 1.5 degrees celscius while Kyoto just called for countries to reduce C levels from 1990
38
What are the four sphere of Earth
Hydrosphere (water), biosphere (green of Earth), atmosphere (clouds), and lithosphere (major plates of Earth)
39
What is residence time and the equation to calculate it
Average time a substance spends in a reservoir. Equation is the reservoir divided by flow in OR out. Only meaningful if the flow in is about equal to the flow out
40
What is a non-excludable resource
A resource that you can't stop people from over consuming even if barriers to entrance are put in place
41
What is a rival resource
when use by one person makes less of the resource available to others
42
What does a rival and non-excludable resource make and what is an example of one
Makes a common property open access resource like fisheries
43
What is the tragedy of the commons
When conscientious users get less, while those exploiting the resources get more resulting in a lack of incentive to conserve thus, the resource is over-exploited
44
What is a non-rival resource
When use by one person does not take away from someone else's use of the resource
45
What are the features of a public good
Non-excludable and non-rival
46
What are the features of a common good
Non-excludale and rival
47
What are the problems associated with a public good
people over use the public good because they benefit from it but don't help create it because it is too costly
48
What are externalities
The "bad" behavior that degrades the common or public good
49
What are some ways to sovle externality problems
Educate public so they voluntarily avoid bad behavior and attach a cost to the "bad" behavior
50
How are aerosols removed from the atmosphere
rainfall
51
What lead to pattersons discovery that tetraethyl lead was dangerous
Was trying to date the Earth but kept getting the wrong answer leading him to discover that there was excess lead everywhere. Found that humans had 600x more lead in their bodies than normal
52
How does acid rain affect the environment
Causes damage to native vegetation and declines in native fish as well as displacing essential plant nutrients (Ca+2, K+2) from soil and mobilizing aluminum killing fish
53
What caused acid rain in the 1960s
Post WWII used a lot of electricity power by coal; Burning coal released sulfur and nitrogen into the environment
54
What policy was passed to get rid of acid rain and was it effective
Clean Air Act which let polluters figure out the least expensive way to reduce their acid rain emissions. Fixed amount of acid that can go in the air and factories could "trade" pollution. Improved pH levels from 4 to 5 in 3 decades
55
What is the residence time of mercury
1-2 weeks
56
How can mercury become more lethal
It is released from the atmosphere to the ocean where it can reacts with bacteria to become methyl mercury
57
What is ASGM and how does it contribute to mercury levels
Artisinal and small-scale gold mining which burns mercury to get the gold it is bonded with
58
What are the types of ozone
troposhere (bad ozone) is the inner layer and hold in ozone and stratosphere (good ozone) that is the outer layer that blocks UV light
59
What are CFCs, how are they harmful, and what is their residence time in the atmosphere
Chloroflurocarbons destroy the ozone since they live in the stratosphere for a long time resulting in them releasing a Cl when reacting with UV light. 50 years
60
What was done to decrease the amount of CFCs released into the atmosphere
Protocol was signed by every country to phase of the use of CFCs by the 2030s; allowed less developed countries 10 more years compared to more developed contries to mitigate emissions
61
How effective was the protocol to mitigate CFC emissions
emissions have depleted but the ozone hole is still really bad since CFCs have such a long residence time
62
When was the Clean Air Act passed
1970
63
What did the CAA allow the EPA to do
Develop the NAAQS to regulate Criteria air pollutants (can cause health issues but not in small concentrations) and Hazardous air pollutants (carcinogenic and dangerous pollutants in small concentrations)
64
How does the market based approach to air pollution work
permits are given to polluters that they are allowed to trade. Created a limit on pollution and did not dictate what technology could be used
65
what are some cons to the market based approach to air pollution
Can create pollution hotspots, gives large firms (more money) market power, and takes away moral stigma associated with polluting
66
What is soil
meter of biochemically altered regiolith
67
What are the uses of soil
Crop growth, filter water, regulate aquifer quality, habitat for organisms, and C storage
68
what are the 5 soil forming factors
Climate, parent material (volanic rock, ash), Steepness of terrain, Time (longer time for soil to form the better), and Biota (life that is there)
69
How does the steepness of the terrain affect plant life
Small relief (difference in highest and lowest spot) is better for soil formation
70
What is the optimal climate for soil development
Region with precipitation to evaporation ratio of one
71
How do grass roots help the soil
Grass roots are tall allowing them to grab nutrients from deep below the soil. When the grass dies the nutrients is left at the top of the soil
72
What caused the chain reaction that lead to the dust bowl
Homestead act of 1862 which created the transcontinental railroad; banks started making money from the railroad and financing houses
73
What crops were mostly used due to the homestead act
What which was not adapted to dry climates and does not have roots as deep as the grass that was there
74
What is el nino and la nina
El nino is the warmer climate while la nina is the colder climate. Used to predict if a desert or rain will come, if there is cold water a desert will come, if warm water then rain; cycles are about 7-11 years
75
What is evapotranspiration and how did it contribute to the dust bowl
When plants cool the Earth's air by evaporating water; there were no plants leaving the climate very dry
76
What was the aim of the New Deal in terms of the dust bowl
Help farmers that were not getting paid enough for their crops and were not getting much relief from the government and focus on the environment
77
How did the soil conservation service persuade farmers to use their tactics
Through education and monetary incentives
78
How did the Civilian Conservation Corp help during times of the dust bowl
Gave work to the unemployed in which they were tasked with planting trees, stocking water sources with fish, fighting fires...
79
What was the Indian Reorganization Act's goal and how did they pursue that goal
To reduce the number of livestock on the Navajo reservation to an amount that the land could handle; pursued by reducing livestock rather than monetary incentives or cooperation like with farmers
80
What is sustainable Agriculture
1. satisfies human food and fiber needs; enhancing QOL of society and farmers
2. enhances environmental quality
3. Makes the most efficient use of nonrewnewable and farmer resources
4. Sustains the economic viability of farm operations
81
what are the impacts of conventional agriculture
high levels of erosion and water use, low N fixation in the soil, negative impacts on biodiversity and health due to chemicals used
82
Why do farmers use conventional ag
engrained habits, concern about losing money if switch to other method, bad policies when it comes to crop insurance
83
What is conservation agriculture
Using alternative techniques such as no till which causes less erosion due to less plant uptake and leaves organisms in ground
84
What are the pros and cons of conservation agriculture
lower water, fertilization, herbicide, tractor, and fuel use but slightly lower yields
85
What is stopping farmers from using conservation ag
takes about 5 years for soil to reach ideal environment, lack of human capital (know how) to implement system, many farmers are renting land and this takes time to give back
86
What is organic ag
Foregoing the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
87
What are some of the cons for organic ag
requires large amounts of non-synthetic nutrients (animal waste, plant based nutrients), more land and labor intensive, less pesticide residue but might lead to more bacteria, higher price for food so less accessible for poorer people
88
Why is biodiversity important
resiliency of ecosystems from big changes (climate change), healthier ecosystems and populations of organisms living there, water filtration, can be used for medicine
89
What is species richness
number of species in an ecological community
90
What is evenness
measure of how evenly distributed species are in an area. Likelihood that two samples from an area give different species; high evenness = high amount of species that exist
91
What are charismatic megafauna
large, exotic terrestrail mammals; regarded as beautiful, impressive...
92
What is the problem with the endangered species act
protection is not necessarily given to species based on cost or chances of success but emphasis is given to charismatic megafauna
93
What does it mean for a species to be threatened
likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future
94
What does it mean for a species to be endangered
species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range
95
What is a watershed and what are other names for it
Area of land above a point that contributes water that eventaully passes that same point; AKA drainage basin or catchment
96
What is a drainage divide
high point from which water flows towards a point
97
What area of the US can water fall and never go to an ocean
the highlands
98
What makes it hard to maintain watershed quality
watersheds don't follow state or county boundaries so policies are hard to keep the same along with airsheds that covers multiple states
99
What are some pollutants of Lake matoaka
Fertilizer, sewage, road run-off from oil and things like heavy metals from airsheds
100
What are some current problems with the Chesapeake bay
Fishery declines, submerged aquatic vegeatation declines, dissolved oxygen levels
101
How can we find out when declines in watersheds started
Take a core from the bay and look at O levels and organic material
102
What is the course of events of a fishery
There are a few fishers and lots of fish thus excellent catch, stocks begin to decline while catches remain relatively constant, stocks seriously decline and effort to catch remains the same but catch declines, stock collapses and fishers leave
103
What is a TAC
total allowable catch which is when the size of the catch depends on competition and is not pre-assigned
104
How do time restictions with TACs work
Fishers are given an amount of time they are allowed to catch fish, fishers manage to catch more than managers think, time is resticted, and the root of the problem is not addressed
105
How do gear restrictions with TACs work
Managers prohibit the use of certain gear like nets sizes and number of crew
106
How do property rights help oyster fishing
Fishers are given spatial rights over fishing grounds allowing reefs to attach to specific spots and reefs to managed wisely
107
How do IFQs work
Individual fishing quotas work by dividing the TAC amongst fishers causing fishers to fish at their leisure making them more profitable and benefiting stock but may not be fair or prevent some from fishing
108
What is anoxia
Lack of oxygen
109
What is eutrophication
too much nutrients causing excess growth
110
How does eutrophication work
Plants produce CO2 and H2O which is converted by the sun into CH2O and O2 allow algae growth which whne dead takes in O killing fish
111
Looking at pollen cores what did Cooper and Brush find
There was a rise in Ragweek in the 1760s which coincides with a decrease in oak likely due to cutting down oak to build
112
How did Cooper and Brush calculate age of layers
used dated sediment and compared them discovering that around the 1800s the sedimentation rate rose by 5x
113
What are the 3 biggest pollutants in the Chesapeake bay
nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment
114
What is the biggest source of sediment to the Chesapeake Bay
agriculture
115
When did the CB go anoxic and how do we know that
1950 because that is when pyrite formed which forms in the absence of O
116
What makes ag the biggest contributor to pollution of the CB
fertilizers which contain N,P, and K, manurem soil erosion from tilling
117
Has there been a change in the CB due to efforts from the 1980s
Nope but there have been decreases in wastewater treatment plant pollution it's just a small part of the pollution
118
How do riparian buffers work
Stip of native vegetation meant to separate ag fields from water sources by stripping the ag water of pollutants but often doesn't work due to gaps in the buffer
119
Why are SAVs important
provide habitats for the lower parts of the food chain adn C storage and uses N and P as nutrition
120
What are point sources
sources that release pollutants from discrete conveyances that is regulated
121
What are nonpoint sources
combination of pollutants from large are like cars or ag runoff
122
What are CAFOs
concentrated animal feeding operations which are required to have permits but only if a certain size and are rarely enforced
123
How does the CAA try to regulate non point sources
By establishing TMDLs (total maximum daily loads) for nutrient and sediment-related pollution in each watershed
124
Why does the CAAs regulations for non-point sources fail
Non-point sources are hard to track, those with large plots of private land tend to hold political power, and the government can't buy private property at the necessary scale to affect water quality
125
How does PES work
Payments for ecosystem services works to pay people or communities to take actions that increase levels of desired ecosystems on private land
126
What is an easement
a private legal agreement between a trust and landowner specifying protection of land permanently, landowner gives up some rights to land, easement transfers with changes in ownership, and the government may provide tax benefits to landowner as benefits
127
What is the issue with easements
Not enough financial resources to incentivize owners, monitoring is insufficient, failure in an easement would require legal action which takes time and money
128
What does a Secci Disc measure
how cloudy the water is
129
What contributed to increased hg levels around the 1850s? 1950s? late 1900s?
Gold production; WWII meal mining and production; post WWII economic expansion
130
What are two natural reasons that southeastern VA is susceptible to soil erosion
VA is very wet allowing intense storms to wash soil away and it is a coastal plain which is predominantly loose sand, silt, and clay that easily erodes
