midterms Flashcards
(86 cards)
1
Q
Cycle involves life
A
Bio
2
Q
cycle may include atmosphere,
water, rocks, and soils
A
Geo
3
Q
because it is chemicals that
are cycled
A
Chemical
4
Q
-the paths chemicals take through
Earth’s major systems
-complete path a chemical takes
through the four major components,
or reservoirs, of Earth’s system
A
Biogeochemical Cycle
5
Q
Earth’s Four major Components:
A
Atmosphere
Lithosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
6
Q
5 Biogeochemical Cycles:
A
➢ Water Cycle
➢ Carbon Cycle
➢ Nitrogen Cycle
➢ Sulfur Cycle
➢ Phosphorous Cycle
7
Q
Transfer of water from oceans to
atmosphere to land then back to
oceans
A
Hydrologic Cycle
8
Q
process of a liquid’s surface
changing to a gas
A
Evaporation
9
Q
gas changing to a liquid
A
Condensation
10
Q
any liquid or solid water that falls
to Earth as a result of
condensation in the atmosphere
A
Precipitation
11
Q
ways of liquid water to move
across land
A
Runoff
12
Q
-produced as snow or glaciers
melt and form streams or pools
- important type of Runoff
A
Snowmelt
13
Q
water vapor being released from
plants and soil
A
Transpiration
14
Q
carbon is exchanged among the
biosphere, pedosphere,
geosphere, hydrosphere, and
atmosphere of Earth
A
Carbon Cycle
15
Q
element present in all organic
substances from coal to oil to DNA
A
Carbon
16
Q
are compressed, chemically
altered remains of plants and
microorganisms that lived millions of
years ago
A
Coal and oil
17
Q
materials that store carbon,
includes geological formations
and standing forests
A
Carbon Sinks
18
Q
Plants take up CO2 and convert it
into organic matter
A
Photosynthesis
19
Q
reservoir of carbon
A
Terrestrial (plants and geologic
formation)
20
Q
-major carbon sink (reservoir)
- contains dissolved CO2,
Carbonate and bicarbonate ions
A
Ocean
21
Q
-Important nutrient for living
organisms
- Makes up 78% of air
A
Nitrogen
22
Q
-only organisms that can use
nitrogen gas (N2) directly from the
atmosphere; “fix” or transform N2
into a form that plants can use
(as nutrient)
- Lives within the roots of a few
plants e.g., beans, peas, clover
and alder trees - use sugars provided by the plants
and, in exchange, produce
ammonia, a form of nitrogen that
plants can use (in a mutualistic
relationship) - Excess nitrogen fixed by the
bacteria is released into the soil
A
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
23
Q
-N2 enters the trophic system
- nitrogen (N2), which has a strong
triple covalent bond, is converted
into ammonia (NH3) or related
nitrogenous compounds
A
Nitrogen Fixation
24
Q
-process of NH3 release
- Animals convert NH3 into urine,
or another chemical that is not as
poisonous as NH3
A
Ammonification
25
- Because NH3 is poisonous, most
of the NH3 which is released is
untouchable. But soil bacteria
have the ability to assimilate NH3
into proteins. These bacteria
effectively eats the NH3, and
make proteins from it.
Assimilation
26
Some soil bacteria do not convert
NH3 into proteins, but they make
nitrate NO3- instead.
Nitrification
27
- Takes NO3-, and converts it into
N2, returning nitrogen gas back
into the atmosphere.
- breaks nitrate apart.
Denitrification
28
circulation of sulfur in various
forms through nature. Sulfur
occurs in all living matter as a
component of certain amino
acids.
Sulfur Cycle
29
- is also an important component of
coenzyme A, which is used to
produce energy in cellular
respiration
- is essential to maintaining life
Sulfur
30
describes the movement of
phosphorus through the
lithosphere, hydrosphere, and
biosphere.
Phosphorous Cycle
31
- in unpolluted waters is imported
through dust in precipitation or via
weathering of rocks
- is normally present in watersheds
in extremely small amounts as
inorganic orthophosphate,
suspended as organic colloids,
absorbed onto particulate organic
and inorganic sediments
Phosphorous
32
➢ Tendency of all natural
systems to go from a state
of order toward a state of
increasing disorder
➢ Law of Entropy
Second Law of Thermodynamics
33
the rise in global
temperatures due mainly
to the increasing
concentrations of
greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere
Global Warming
34
process that occurs when
gases in Earth's
atmosphere trap the Sun's
heat
Greenhouse Effect
35
Great Smog in ____ killed
____ people in London
1952, 8000
36
established the
Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC)
to make a study
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
37
extra acidity in rain comes
from the reaction of air
pollutants, primarily sulfur
oxides and nitrogen
oxides, with water in the
air to form strong acids
Acid Rain
38
syndrome of ecosystem
responses to human
activities that fertilize
water bodies with nitrogen
(N) and phosphorus (P),
often leading to changes
in animal and plant
populations and
degradation of water and
habitat quality
Eutrophication
39
result of an excess of
nutrients (particularly
phosphorus and nitrogen)
into waters and higher
concentrations of these
nutrients in water cause
increased growth of algae
and green plants
Algae Blooms
40
effect of
harmful algal blooms
(HAB)
Red Tide
41
A international treaty that was designed
to reduce the movements of hazardous
waste between nations, and specifically
to prevent transfer of hazardous waste
from developed to less developed
countries (LDCs).
Basel Convention
42
A landmark international agreement
designed to protect the stratospheric
ozone layer.
Montreal Protocol
43
- an international agreement that aims
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
and the presence of greenhouse
gases
- Separates countries in two
groups Annex l
(developed) and NonAnnex l (developing
nations)
Kyoto Protocol
44
market based mechanism
for helping mitigate the
increase of CO2 in the
atmosphere.
Carbon Trading
45
aims to protect the country’s water
bodies form pollution form landbased sources
RA 9275: Clean Water Act of 2004
46
contamination of physical and
biological components of the
earth/atmosphere system
Environmental Pollution
47
chemicals that ended up in
environments as the result of human
activities.
Environmental Pollutants
48
- Inorganic, transparent,
tasteless, odorless and
nearly colorless chemical
substance
- Main constituent of earth’s
hydrosphere
Water
49
Contamination of water
Currently the biggest consequence
is death of aquatic creatures
Water Pollution
50
Systems to make water acceptable
for a desired usage
Water Treatment
51
- Remove or reduce contaminates in
the water to meet required
levels
- In drinking water, should
be potable and palatable
Water Treatment Process
52
healthy for
human consumption
Potable
53
free from
turbidity, color, odor and
objectionable taste.
Palatable
54
lowest part of the
atmosphere - the part we live in. It
contains most of our weather - clouds,
rain, snow. In this part of the atmosphere
the temperature gets colder as the
distance above the earth increases
Troposphere
55
extends upwards from
the tropopause to about 50 km. It
contains much of the ozone in the
atmosphere.
Stratosphere
56
region above the
stratosphere is called the __________.
Here the temperature again decreases
with height, reaching a minimum of about
-90°C
Mesosphere
57
lies above the
mesopause, and is a region in which
temperatures again increase with height.
This temperature increase is caused by
the absorption of energetic ultraviolet and
X-Ray radiation from the sun
Thermosphere
58
The region above about 500
km is called the ________. It contains
mainly oxygen and hydrogen
atoms
Exosphere
59
composite or generally
prevailing weather
conditions of a region
Climate
60
a long-term shift in global
or regional climate
patterns.
Climate Change
61
any alteration of the
physical, chemical and
biological properties of the
atmospheric air, or any
discharge thereto of any
liquid, gaseous or solid
substances
Air Pollution
62
any matter found in the
atmosphere other than
oxygen, nitrogen, water
vapor, carbon dioxide, and
the inert gases in their
natural or normal
concentrations
Air Pollutant
63
Released in a harmful form
Primary Pollutants
64
Become hazardous after reactions in the air
Secondary Pollutants
65
any building or immobile structure,
facility or installation which emits or
may emit any air pollutant
Stationary Source
66
any vehicle propelled by or
through combustion of carbon-based or other fuel
Mobile Source
67
those that do not go through a
smokestack
Fugitive Emissions
68
- any of several compound’s
consisting of one or two
carbon atoms combined
with bromine and one or
more other halogens
- Are gases and used as
fire-extinguishing agents
- Between 3 or 10x more
destructive to the ozone
layer than CFC’s
Halons
69
- form of pollution that
reduce the quality of life
–Noise
–Odors
Aesthetic Degradation
70
amount of pollution
present in a broad area
Ambient Air Quality
71
Any air contaminant, pollutant, gas
stream or unwanted sound from a
known source which is passed into
the atmosphere
Emission
72
any device or apparatus used to
prevent, control or abate the
pollution of air caused by emissions
Pollution Control Device
73
pollution control devices, production
process, fuel combustion processes
or other means that effectively
prevent or reduce emissions or
effluent
Pollution Control Technology
74
early approach done by tall
smokestacks to send emissions far
from the source
Dilution
75
used to remove sulfur oxides from
gas stream
Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD)
76
for particle sizes greater
than about 10 μm in diameter;
Cyclone
77
for high efficiency control of
particles smaller than 5 μm in
diameter
Filters
78
resembling a furnace filter; a packing of fibers is used to intercept the particles in the gas stream; good for relatively clean gases and low volumes such as air conditioning systems
Deep bed filter
79
made of natural or synthetic fibers which intercept the partiles
Baghouse
80
widely used as filtration fabrics because of their low cost, better temperature, and chemical-resistance characteristics and small fiber diameter; bag life varies from 1 and 5 years.
Synthetic Fibers
81
used when particulate
matter to be collected is
wet, corrosive or very hot
that fabric filter may not
work
Liquid Scrubbing
82
generic term
used to describe the
particulate matter
carried in effluent gases
from furnaces burning
fossil fuels
Fly ash
83
first and best step in any
pollution control strategy
which is to minimize the
production of pollutants in
the first place
Waste Minimization
84
mass transfer process in
which gas dissolves in liquid
Absorption
85
mass transfer process in
which the gas is bonded to a solid
Adsorption
86
Main water source of 2b people
Aquifers
