Lecture 32- 'Marine Pollution"

Question 1

point source pollution

Answer 1

• a singularly identifiable source of pollution such as a direct industrial discharge sewage outfall
• easy to control

Question 2

nonpoint source pollution

Answer 2

• a diffuse source of pollution

- largest cause of water pollution in the nation

Question 3

oil spill

Answer 3

• point source oil pollution from oil tankers spills produces catastrophic damage to local waters
• hard to control

Question 4

the largest source of oil discharge to the ocean overall comes from

Answer 4

nonpoint sources such as household drains and runoff from urban roadways

Question 5

size of Gulf blow out relative to the Exxon Valdez

Answer 5

5 times bigger

Question 6

Wild Harbor Marsh

Answer 6

oil is still present at toxic levels 40 years later

Question 7

Argo merchant

Answer 7

• oil tanker broke apart in 1976
• served as a good controlled experiment
• high morality of pelagic fish eggs and larvae which were coated with oil
• oil can also affect food chains

Question 8

tar ball

Answer 8

• sand with oil

- can go back into the ocean, making the oil even deeper than it started

Question 9

Minamata Bay, Japan (1950s to 1960s)

Answer 9

• industrial mercury was discharged into the bay and it entered the fish populations that were consumed
• led to birth defects

Question 10

the main source is not point source of industries discharging heavy metals into oceans but

Answer 10

discharging heavy metals from smoke stacks from burning coal

Question 11

smoke stacks

Answer 11

• not only release CO2 into the atmosphere but heavy metal

- mercury in the air goes into the ocean when it rains and while low levels is not harmful, it builds up BIOACCUMULATION

Question 12

unlike carbon, mercury

Answer 12

• are not easily lost in the transfer from one trophic level to the next

Question 13

mercury concentrations

Answer 13

• increase as you go higher up the trophic level (increases by 10 fold)
• those at the top of the food chain will have the most concentration of mercury

Question 14

marine debris

Answer 14

plastic

Question 15

the biggest victims of plastics in oceans

Answer 15

• seabirds

- pick up plastic thinking it’s food and their chicks die from starvation

Question 16

aggregation of plastic in subtropical gyre regions

Answer 16

• surface water (westerly winds and trade winds) converges into the center of the gyre bringing floating plastic with it
• water downwells but the plastic stays and accumulates over years

Question 17

microplastic sources

Answer 17

• large plastic that degrades
• micro-beads in cosmetics
• synthetic clothing fiber
• industrial processes

Question 18

microplastic

Answer 18

small plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter

Question 19

big concern of microplastic

Answer 19

• can absorb organics onto their surface and these potentially toxic organics are then moved up the marine food web
• also consumed by coral reefs

Question 20

primary treatment

Answer 20

• simplest and least effective treatment
• solids are settled out of suspension
• fluid is discharged into the environment

Question 21

primary treatment only removes

Answer 21

1/3 of the total organics and virtually none of the dissolved minerals

Question 22

secondary treatment

Answer 22

• aerobic microorganisms consume the organic matter down to low levels
• most of the nitrogen and phosphorous remains in sewage effluent

Question 23

primary and secondary treatments together can remove up to

Answer 23

90% of the total organic compounds

Question 24

nitrogen and phosphorous from the effluent stream of secondary treatment

Answer 24

can cause phytoplankton to bloom and decrease the oxygen in the ocean

Question 25

tertiary treatment/ advanced waste treatment

Answer 25

- remove plant nutrients to avoid eutrophication of surface water - quite expensive

Question 26

primary, secondary, and tertiary sewage treatment facilities employ a

Answer 26

cumulative process

Question 27

secondary treatment facility implies

Answer 27

both solids and dissolved organics have been removed

Question 28

tertiary treatment facility implies that

Answer 28

solid, dissolved organics, and plant nutrients have all been removed

Question 29

getting outfalls offshore and below the thermocline

Answer 29

reduces the amount of effluent reaching the surface layer of the ocean

Question 30

what is the largest pollution problem in the coastal waters of the United States?

Answer 30

plant nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorous)

Question 31

increased nutrient loads in coastal waters

Answer 31

stimulate exceptional algal (phytoplankton) growth which die and are consumed by microbes which will also consume oxygen

Question 32

oxygen concentration near the bottom of the water column

Answer 32

brought down to very low levels which creates a dead zone

Question 33

close connection between global increases in nitrogen flux to the coastal environment and

Answer 33

global increases in fertilizer consumption

Question 34

increased fertilizer demand is largely driven by

Answer 34

- human population increases - increases in per capita meat consumption - increases in corn ethanol production - transition to industrial farming practices

Question 35

currently, more than --- of all agricultural land is devoted to growing feed for livestock

Answer 35

2/3 for growing feed while 8% is used to grow food for direct human consumption

Question 36

traditional way of farming

Answer 36

- spread manure to help grow corn (food for cows) | - recycle loop

Question 37

modern farm

Answer 37

- grow corn and animals in two different places, no recycle | - buy 100% fertilizer, 37% enters the stream

Question 38

corn

Answer 38

- leaky crop for nitrogen - important driver of increased fertilizer use - tile drains and bare fields in winter aggravate this

Question 39

CAFOs

Answer 39

apply liquid animal land which often leaches into waterways

Question 40

more than half of US rivers are unsuitable for aquatic life

Answer 40

due to nutrient pollution from industrial agricultural practices

Question 41

dead zone

Answer 41

area where water at the bottom is low in oxygen

Question 42

largest dead zone ever recorded (Gulf of Mexico)

Answer 42

summer 2017

Question 43

blooms of toxic phytoplankton

Answer 43

- red tides - brown tides - sometimes colorless - intense blooms can kill marine life

Question 44

shellfish

Answer 44

toxins are concentrated to high levels in shellfish so it can be harmful to humans eating them

Question 45

frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms is tied to

Answer 45

increases in nutrient fluxes to the coastal zone

Question 46

some actions that could help change things

Answer 46

- east less factory meat | - advocate for eliminating corn ethanol subsidies

Question 47

two additional reasons factory meat is bad for the planet

Answer 47

- impact of freshwater demand | - impact on greenhouse gas emissions

Question 48

--- of the earth's groundwater basins now under threat

Answer 48

1/3

Question 49

going vegetarian reduces water footprint by almost

Answer 49

60%

Question 50

greenhouse gas production from meat production

Answer 50

- methane release - carbon dioxide - nitrous oxide

Question 51

livestock contributes --- to total GHG emission

Answer 51

14.5%

Question 52

overall contribution by livestock including land use changes

Answer 52

51% to total GHG emission

Question 53

if everyone in the US substituted beans for beef

Answer 53

the US could come close to meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas emission goals