final Flashcards
(270 cards)
1
Q
6 key themes of environmental science
A
- human population growth
- increased urbanization
- sustainability
- people and nature
- a global perspective
- science and values
2
Q
what type of population growth do developed countries experience
A
logistic
3
Q
what type of population growth do developing countries experience
A
exponential
4
Q
2 types of overpopulation
A
people overpopulation
consumption overpopulation
5
Q
problems with overpopulation
A
strains resources, creates pollution, reduces quality of life
6
Q
megacities
A
cities with 10 million + people
7
Q
problem with urbanization
A
it creates special environmental problems
8
Q
heat island effect
A
vegetation is replaced by roads causing areas to heat up faster
9
Q
urban sprawl
A
cities grow larger and spread out
10
Q
sustainability
A
meeting the needs of the present without comprimising the needs of future generations
11
Q
sustainable development goal and 3 key components
A
balance the needs of humans with environmental health
ecology, economy, equity
12
Q
challenges to sustainable development: different world view
A
anthropocentric, biocentric, ecocentric
13
Q
Tragedy of the commons
A
when people only act in their own self interest, the environment suffers
overusing a shared resource
14
Q
social trap
A
decision that produces a short term benefit but hurts society in the long run
group focused
15
Q
time delay
A
action that produces benefit today but causes problems later
individual focused
16
Q
sliding reinforcers
A
actions that are beneficial at first but over time the benefits decline
17
Q
problem with wealth inequality
A
20% of the population controls 80% of the worlds resources
18
Q
head of the largest US family
A
John Eli Miller
19
Q
people and nature
A
people affect nature and nature effects people, we affect nature globally
20
Q
principle of environmental unity
A
everything in nature is connected
21
Q
science and values
A
science and ethics go hand and hand
the choices we make because of science are based on our values
22
Q
a global perspective
A
many problems in nature are global so we must take a global approach when solving them
23
Q
environmental problems with multiple causes and trade offs
A
wicked environmental problems
24
Q
what does the human carrying capacity depend on
A
the quality of life were willing to accept.
25
is science stagnant
no its dynamic
with new info, we change our ideas
26
steps of scientific method
1. make observations/ develop questions
2. form a hypothesis
3. conduct an experiment
4. collect data
5. interpret data
6. draw conclusions
7. accept/reject hypothesis
27
theory
explanation for why a phenomena occurs supported by multiple hypothesis
proven right over and over again
28
accuracy
how close a measured value is to an accepted value
29
precision
how close a set of measured values are to each other
30
law
mathematical expression for how a phenomena occurs
31
sig figs
represent precision of a measuring device
32
when are trailing zeroes significant
after a decimal
33
how to read a measuring device
estimate the last digit
34
pseudoscience examples
study skull to determine personality
astrology
35
when was the Danora PA incident
1948
36
what happened in Danora PA
toxic pollutants from a metal smelting plant got trapped in the valley
37
how many people died in how long in Danora PA
20 people died in 3 days
38
why did pollutants get trapped in Danora PA
it was in a valley which caused a thermal inversion
weather
39
when was the London Smog incident
1952
40
how many people did the London Smog incident kill in how long
4000 people died in 6 days
41
what happened in the London smog incident
cold weather caused people to burn coal->air became stagnant and a cold fog developed -> people burned more coal for more heat creating a feedback loop of pollution
42
what was the Indonesian fire incident
people slash and burned forests during el nino causing fires to rapidly spread
43
how many people got sick from the indonesian fires
20 million
44
what are the 6 criteria air pollutants
SO2, NOx, CO, Ozone (O3), PM, Pb
45
what are the 6 criteria air pollutants
SO2, NOx, CO, Ozone (O3), PM, Pb
46
NOx causes
coal plants and automobiles
47
CO causes
automobiles, gas heaters + stoves
48
Ozone (O3) causes and effects
comes from car exhaust, creates photochemical smog
49
particulate matter harmful effects
gets lodged in lungs
50
stationary air pollution
fixed location
51
what are the 3 types of stationary air pollution sources
point sources, fugitive sources, area sources
52
point source
comes from one identifiable source
easy to control
53
fugitive source
comes from open areas exposed to wind like slash and burn
hard to control
54
area source
well defined area with multiple sources of pollution
55
mobile sources
move from place to place
cars
56
primary pollutants
emitted directly into the air and no reaction occurs
CO, PM
57
secondary air pollutants
form through a rxn with a primary pollutant and atmospheric compound
ozone
58
5 general effects of air pollution
1. reduced visual quality
2. damages vegetation animals and soil
3. damages water quality
4. erodes natural and artificial structures
5. human health: reynolds uncle
59
particulate matter
mixture of solid particles+liquid droplets suspended in air
60
how is PM measured
TSP: total suspended particles
61
types of PM
SO2: sulfate particles
NOx: nitrate particles
62
PM sizes
thoractic particles: <10 microns
coarse particles: 10-2.5 microns
fine particles: >2.5
ultrafine particles: > 0.1
63
which particles are the most dangerous and why
ultrafine because theyre absorbed into the blood stream
64
what PM size does the greatest damage to the lungs
0.1-10
65
synergism
when the combined effects of the pollutants are greater than the sum of their effects
ex: sulfates+PM
66
smog
smoke+fog
produces unhealthy urban air
67
what is brown air and what is it made of
photochemical smog
sun+NOx+organic hydrocarbons=ozone,Pan,PM
68
how is brown air formed
combustion reaction creates 2NO and catalyzes with the sun to create ozone
69
gray air
comes from burning coal and oil
produces SOx
70
the process of acid rain is associated with the following except:
a) emission of NOx and SOx
b) oxidation and complex rxns of SOx and NOx
c) increase pH in lakes and streams
d) damage to waxy cuticles on leaves
c) increase of pH in lakes and streams
why: acid decreased pH
71
all of the following effects ozone related air quality in California except:
a) high temp
b) hydrocarbons
c) lead
d) sun
e) water vapor
c) lead
why: lead does not have any relation to O3
72
atmospheric inversion
warm air sits on a layer of cool air, creating stagnant air
73
1st type of atmospheric inversion (LA)
warm air descends
sea breeze moves polluted air in and mtns form a barrier, trapping the air
74
2nd type of atmospheric inversion (valley)
warm air sits on top of cool air
clouds develop and block sun->ground air cools and forms fog->people burn fuel for heat and pollutants build up
75
what 4 factors determine air pollution
1. rate of emission ^
2. downwind distance ^
3. avg wind speed v
4. elevation v
76
as rate of emission and downwind distance increase
air pollution increases
77
as avg wind speed and elevation decreases
air pollution increases
78
southern CA air pollution
VOCs
temp inversion
topography
79
Ph scale
0-7-14
80
what is rains Ph and why
5.6 bc it bonds with CO2 to form carbonic acid
81
proton donor
acids that give up H+ in chemical reactions
82
how does acidity increase
logarithmically
83
a pH of 3 is ___ times more acidic than a pH of 4
10x
84
a pH of 3 is ___ times more acidic than a pH of 5
100x
85
what kind of acid is carbonic acid
weak acid
86
pH=−log[H3O+]
pH decreases as hydronium ions increase logarithmically
87
weak acid
partial dissassociation
88
strong acid
full dissassociation
89
buffer
substance that neutralizes acids
ex: calcium carbonate
90
what kind of soil is less sensitive to acid rain
soils with calcium carbonate
91
what kind of soil is more sensitive to acid rain
soils with granite
92
how does acid harm leaves
it strips away the waxy cuticle
93
what do changes in soil acidity lead to
plants uptake heavy metal-> weakens trees->indirect deforestation
94
what do changes in water chem lead to
aquatic life dies off
95
short smokestacks
local air pollution
96
tall smokestacks
travels farther-regional air pollution
97
clean air act 1970
sets national health based air quality standards (NAAQS)
allows epa to set limits on air pollutants
98
what are state air quality implementation plans required to meet
NAAQS
99
Part 1 of clean air act
establishes 6 criteria air pollutants and NAAQS, state implementation plans
100
Part 2 of clean air act
prohibits significant deterioration of air quality
101
Part 3 of clean air act
recognizes hazardous air pollutants and sets emission standards
102
Part 4 of clean air act
recognizes coal fired power plants as regional air pollutants and requires reduction of NOx and SOx, acid rain
103
Part 5 of clean air act
recognizes motor vehicles as a local and regional source of air pollution
catalytic converters
104
what does a catalytic converter do
converts hydrocarbons to CO2 and H2O
105
what is a consequence of less developed countries having less air quality regulations
respiratory illnesses, #1 cause of death in children
106
clean air act amendments of 1990
regulations that address acid rain, toxic emissions, ozone depletion and automobile exhaust
107
global water distribution
97.5% oceans, 2.5% freshwater mostly ice caps
108
fresh water distribution
1.85% ice caps, 0.64% groundwater, 0.01% lakes rivers and wetlands
109
what is the #1 water related problem
lack of clean drinking water
110
2 takeaways from water pollution chapter
water conservation, don't pollute water
111
main abiotic water resivoir
ocean
112
the hydrologic cycle
driven by the sun
evaporation+transporation ^
condensation+precipitation v
113
why does H2O have unique properties
because its polar
114
why is H2O special
universal solvent, dissolves a wide variety of substances
115
like dissolves like
polar dissolves polar
116
heat of vaporization
amt of heat energy required for a substance to move to a gas phase
117
cohesion
H2O ability to stick to its self
helps trees pump water
118
water stress
when the demand for water by humans exceeds the envts ability to supply it
119
water war Georgia
Atlanta needs water so Georgia wants access to TN river
120
8 types of water pollutants
sewage
disease causing agents
sediment
inorganic plant and algal nutrients
organic compounds
inorganic compounds
radioactive substances
thermal pollution
121
where does sediment pollution come from
construction and soil disturbance
122
how is sediment measured in water
TSP=total suspended particles
123
what does sediment pollution do
increase turbidity
124
as sediment increases what increases with it
turbidity
125
what does turbid water lead to
absorbs more heat leading to less dissolved oxygen (DO)
clogs fish gills
smothers aquatic organisms
126
as turbidity increases what happens
heat increases, DO decreases
127
what prevents turbidity
vegetation
128
as BOD increases
DO decreases
129
3 zones of sewage release
pollution zone
decomposition zone
recovery zone
130
hypoxia
DO plummets, oxygen deficient
131
fecal coliform bacteria
indicator species for sewage pollution
132
natural eutrophication
body of water develops a high concentration of nutrients
133
cultural eutrophocation
eutrophication accelerated by N and P
134
what does eutrophication lead to
increased nutrients-> increased algae-> increased BOD -> decreased DO suffocates fish
135
eutrophic lake
old lakes
shallow, warm, cloudy, nutrient rich
136
mesotrophic lakes
medium aged lakes
moderate nutrients and depth
137
oligotrophic lakes
young lakes
deep, cold, nutrient defficient, clear
138
clean water legislation
Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
Clean Water Act of 1977
139
CWA forerunner
water pollution control act
140
wetlands
geographic areas with terrestrial and aquatic characteristics
shallow water tables
141
reclamation
draining wetlands for settlement and agriculture
142
3 defining characteristics of wetlands
hydrology, hydric soil, hydrophytes
143
hydrology
how water moves through a given space over time
144
hydric soil
soil thats formed under saturated conditions
145
hydrophytes
plants that have adapted to live partly or fully in the water
146
water budget
sum of water entering and exiting
147
residence time
how water is retained in a wetland
148
hydro period
time and pattern an area is flooded
149
less oxygen in hydric soil leads to
slower decompostion
150
how were wetlands viewed historically
smelly swamps with snakes and bugs
151
what % of wetlands has been lost in the southern US
50%
152
what % of wetlands has been lost in TN
over 60%
153
6 wetland functions
1. absorb flood water and prevent erosion
2. support life and biodiversity
3. filter water
4. recreation
5. scientific and archeological research
6. food and timber
154
how do wetlands absorb flood water and prevent erosion
absorb water slowly and release it. impacts insurance costs by preventing property damage
155
how do wetlands support life and biodiversity
many endangered sp depend on wetlands
biological supermarket
156
how do wetlands filter water
remove pollutants and silt through water purification
plants absorb pesticides
157
why are wetlands important for scientific and archeological research
indegineous people were historically close to wetlands
158
how many swamps were there in SE 200 mya, how many lost
30 M, 40% lost
159
marsh vegetation
nonwoody vegetation
160
2 types of marshes
prairie potholes
vernal pools
161
prairie potholes
depressions left by ice age glaciers in upper midwest
162
vernal pools
temporary shallow bodies of water that appear during the wet season on the west coast
163
what organisms are found in vernal pools and why
amphibians to lay eggs
no fish bc they're temporary
164
how many vernal pools have been lost in california and why
90% from development
165
what vegetation do swamps have
woody vegetation
166
2 types of swamps
bottomland hardwoods
shrub swamps
167
bottomland hardwoods
river swamps in southeast with deciduous trees that have thick bases
168
shrub swamps
adjacent to bottomland hardwood
shrubby vegetation thats too wet for trees but too shallow and dry to be a marsh
169
peatlands
water logged conditions prevent plant decomposition and produce peat
found in the north
170
2 types of peatlands
bogs
fens
171
bogs
cold, acidic, low biodiversity, carnivorous plants, ombrotrophic
172
ombrotrophic
fed by rainfall only
173
fens
feed by rainfall and groundwater, nutrient rich, less acidic
174
what kind of storage are fens important for
Carbon storage
175
section 404 of cwa
regulates discharge of dredged/fill material into wetlands
no filling wetlands without permission of US army core of engineers
176
mitigation
restoring, creating, or enchancing wetlands
177
who is exempt from section 404 of CWA
normal farming operations
178
how many chickens are there and what is the problem with this
14 billion, people are still starving
179
undernourishment
not enough calories
180
malnoursihment
poor nutritional value
181
overnourshiment
too many calories
182
when was the green revolution
post WWII
183
green revolution
new farming technologies like high-yield crops, chemical fertilizers, and irrigation systems dramatically increased food production
184
2nd green revolution
US shared agricultural methods with developing countries
185
what biome is human created
farms
186
biome land distribution
8-10% agroecosystems
187
5 ways agro-ecosystems differ from natural ecosystems
1. stops ecological succession, stays in early state
2. monocultures
3. crops are in neat rows
4. low biodiversity
5. plowing
188
problem with plowing
unlike any natural soil disturbance, leads to erosion
189
biotic succession
how communities recover from ecological disturbance
190
agriculture
art, science, and industry or managing the growth of plants and animals for human use
191
vegetable staples of agriculture
wheat, rice, corn, beans, potatoes
192
meat staples of agriculture
beef, chicken, pork, sheep, turkey(US)
193
what is needed to produce 1 kg of beef
20 kg of feed, 750 kg H2O, 245 m^2
194
conventional/demand agriculture 4 characteristics
1. relies on pesticides and fossil fuels
2. relies on intensive farm machinery
3. monocultures
4. high input=high yeild
195
where is conventional/demand agriculture
developed countries
196
3 problems with conventional agriculture
1. soil erosion/ infertility
2. pesticide resistance
3. threatened animal health
197
how does poor soil quality lead to erosion
it reduces inflitration which leads to runoff
198
4 characteristics of subsistence agriculture
1. low input=low yield
2. high levels of human and animal labor
3. less pesticides and fertilizers
4. periods of fallow
199
where is subsistence agriculture
developing countries
200
types of subsistence agriculture
slash and burn, nomadic herding
201
6 characteristics of sustainable agriculture
1. beneficial biological processes
2. "environmentally friendly" chemicals
3. no antibiotics
4. preserves soil and water quality
5. water and energy efficient
6. low input
202
sustainable agriculture practices
cover crops
crop rotation
fallow to preserve soil
biological control
contour plowing
203
"environmentally safe" chemicals
botanicals which are derived from plants; organic compounds
204
recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH)
used to increase milk production in cows, leads to udder infections
205
what milk company has a no hormone pledge
mayfield
206
3 components of sustainable agriculture
ecology, economy, equity
207
3 characteristics of organic farming
1. offshoot of sustainable agriculture
2. promotes biodiversity
3. relies on biology and ecology instead of chemistry and tech
208
*3 ways organic farming differs from conventional farming
1. more like natural ecosystems than monocultures
2. maintains soil and water quality
3. no artificial compounds
209
5 organic farming goals
1. replenish and maintain long term fertility
2. work with natural ecosystems instead of dominating
3. reduce pollution from farming
4. genetic diversity
5. sustain land in healthy condition
210
trap crop
A plant that is preferred by the pest is planted near the main crop
used in organic farming
211
flame weeding
using water above 160 to kill weeds
212
certified organic
agricultural products grown according to USDA standards
213
animal feeding operations
cramming a bunch of livestock into a giant building
unethical, pollute, antibiotic resistance
214
pesticide benefits
crop and disease protection
increase production=more money
215
target species
organism a pesticide was made to kill
216
where are pesticides applied, where are the most pesticide poisionings
applied in developed countries, 90% of poisionings in developing countries
217
*ideal pesticide
narrow spectrum, not persistent, not transported in envt, cheap
218
hard pesticide
doesnt break down easily in envt
219
soft pesticide
breaks down easily but requires more application
220
1st gen pesticides
Hg, As, S
deadly to humans
221
when were 2nd gen pesticides created
post WWII
222
2nd gen pesticides
quick, persistent, bioaccumulate, biomagnify
223
well known 2nd gen pesticide
DDT
224
pesticide revoultion
explosive pesticide growth post WWII
225
problems with pesticides
resistance
non-tagret sp killed
bioaccumulate+biomagnify
pesticide drift
harmful to humans
226
first pesticide regulation in US
Federal Insecticide Act (FIA) 1910
227
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
required registration of pesticides with dept of agriculture, labelleing and disposal standards
228
Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA)
part of FIFRA
EPA controls pesticide regulations
229
findings of US skin cancer study
skin cancer should have only increased 20-40% from ozone depletion but it has increased 90%
230
*disease
rarely has a one cause one effect relationship
231
*a global perspective: ozone
we worked together globally to fix the ozone hole
232
where is O3 a pollutant
trophosphere, irritant
233
ozone shield
stratospheric ozone that absorbs UV
234
UVA
lowest frequency=least damage
235
*UVB
medium frequency, most common
236
UVC
highest frequency=most damage
strongly absorbed but stays in space
237
what wavelength is the most dangerous
below .3 microns
238
how does ozone behave in the atmosphere
its unstable. it breaks and reforms quickly
239
what breaks O3 molecules
UV and Cl
240
CFC atmospheric behavior
stable and persist in atm
release Cl ions
241
how do Cl and O3 interact in atm
they combine to form ClO and O2 but then break again, leaving the Cl free radical to bond with more O3
242
*how many ozone molecules can 1 Cl free radical destroy
up to 100,000
243
Cl-nitrate sink and HCl sink
nitrates and H bond with Cl so it cant destroy O3 molecules
244
Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs)
special clouds in the poles made of ice and sulfuric acid seeds
245
What role do Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) play in ozone depletion?
they bond with nitrogen in atm leaving no free nitrogen to bond with Cl and convert inactive Cl
246
weather
short term atmospheric conditions
247
climate
long term atmospheric conditions
248
throphopause
warm air boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere, prevents lower atm from rising
marks where temperature stops decreasing with height
249
Milankovitch cycles
Natural changes in Earth's movement and position to the sun that affect climate over tens of thousands of years.
250
What are the three types of Milankovitch cycles?
tilt (obliquity), wobble (precision), orbit (excentricity)
251
tilt (obliquity)
Greater tilt makes seasons more extreme
252
wobble (precission)
slow wobble of Earth's rotational axis like a top
changes the timing of seasons relative to Earth's position around the Sun
253
orbit (excentricity)
orbit shape changes from circle to oval
bigger differences between seasons
254
ocean conveyor belt
system of ocean currents driven by temp differences that moves warm water around the world
255
how does the ocean conveyor belt affect seasons
warm water releases heat in atm
256
solar forcing
changes in solar energy delivered by the sun
257
natural greenhouse effect
traps heat from solar radiation in atm
258
enchanced greenhouse effect
accelerated warming from heat trapping gases like CO2
259
what is a heat trapping has that also depletes the ozone
CFCs because they absorb heat well
260
how much CO2 was detected in ice sheets before industrial revolution
200-300ppm
261
how much CO2 is in the atm now
420+ ppm
262
GHG sources
emissions from landfills, burning biomass, coal and natural gas, agriculture (rice and cattle)
263
N2O
found in fertilizers and fossil fuels, persistent
264
positive feedback
self enchancing
amplifies a change
265
negative feedback
self regulating
reduces change, returns to original state
266
which type of feedback is stronger
positive feedback
267
6 effects of climate change from positive feedback
1. wet areas get wetter, dry areas get drier
2. global biome distribution changes
3. disease spread
4. rising sea levels=coastal erosion
5. thermal expansion
6. organism displacement
268
how many years is tilt (obliquity)
40,000
269
how many years is wobble (precision)
20,000
270
how many years is orbit (excentricity)
100,000
