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AP Environmental Exam 2025 > Unit 5 > Flashcards

Unit 5 Flashcards

Land and Water Use (60 cards)

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1
Q

tragedy of the commons

A

individuals will use shared/public resources in their own self interest, degrading them

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2
Q

externalities

A

negative costs associated with human actions, that aren’t accounted for in the price (unintended side-effects)

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3
Q

mechanization

A

increased use of tractors for plowing and tilling fields and combines for harbesting

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4
Q

GMOs

A

genetically modified crops have genes for drought tolerance, pest resistance, faster growth and larger fruit/gain

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5
Q

synthetic fertilizer

A

shift from organic fertilizer (manure and compost) to synthetic fertilizers (man-made ammonium, nitrate and phosphate)

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6
Q

irrigation

A

drawing water up from the ground or nearby surface waters and distributing it on fields to increase plant growth

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7
Q

monocropping

A

growing one single species of crop

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8
Q

tilling

A

mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier

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9
Q

slash and burn

A

cutting down vegetation and burning it to clear land for agriculture and return nutrients in plants to soil

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10
Q

furrow irrigation

A

trench dug along crops and filled with water

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11
Q

drip irrigation

A

holes in a hose that allow water to slowly drip out

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12
Q

flood irrigation

A

floods the entire field, which is easier but more disruptive to plants

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13
Q

spray irrigation

A

ground or surface water pumped into spray nozzles (the machines we see)

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14
Q

waterlogging

A

overwatering can saturate the soil, filling all soil pore space with water (can kill plants because of lack of O2)

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15
Q

soil salinization

A

the process of salt building up in a soil over time (usually comes from groundwater used for irrigation)

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16
Q

industrial water use

A

power plants, metal/plastic manufacturing

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17
Q

municipal water use

A

households: toilet, shower, drinking water

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18
Q

agricultural water use

A

water for livestock, irrigation water for crops

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19
Q

groundwater

A

H2O stored in pore space of permeable rock and sediment layers

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20
Q

aquifers

A

useable groundwater deposits for humans

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21
Q

groundwater recharge

A

rain water percolating down through soil into aquifer

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22
Q

saltwater intrusion

A

excessive pumping near coast lowers water table pressure, allowing saltwater to seep into groundwater

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23
Q

cone of depression

A

forms when water table is lowered by excessive pumping, depleting water and drying nearby wells as well

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24
Q

CAFOs

A

(feedlots) - densely crowded method where animals are fed grain (corn) to raise them as quickly as possible

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25
manure lagoons
large, open storage pits for animal waste
26
free range grazing
animals (cows) graze on grass and grow at a natural rate without growth hormones
27
desertification
can occur is plants are killed by overgrazing and soil is compacted so much that it can't hold enough water anymore
28
fisheries
populations of fish used for commercial fising
29
bycatch
unintended species like dolphins, whales, and turtles are caught up in fishing nets
30
bottom trawling
harmful fishing method that involves dragging a large net along the ocean floor
31
ore
commercially valuable deposits of concentrated minerals that can be harvested and used as raw materials
32
reserve
the known amount of a resource left that can be mined (usually measured in years left after extraction)
33
metals
elements that conduct electricity, heat and have structural properties for building (found in ores)
34
overburden
soil, vegetation, and rocks that are removed to get to an ore deposit below
35
tailings and slag
leftover waste material separated from the valuable metal or mineral within ore (often stored in ponds at the mine site)
36
surface mining
removal of overburden to access ore near the surface
37
acid mine drainage
rainwater leaks into abandoned mining tunnels and mixes with pyrite, forming sulfuric acid
38
mind reclamation
process of restoring land to original state after mining has finished: - filling empty mine shafts/holes -restoring the original contours of the land -returning topsoils, with acids, metals and tailings removed -replanting native plants
39
urbanization
removing vegetation to convert the natural landscape to city and replaces soil, vegetation, and wetlands with impervious surfaces
40
suburbs
less dense areas surrounding urban areas
41
urban sprawl
population moves out of dense urban centers to less dense suburban areas surrounding the city
42
ecological footprint
measure of how much a person/group consumes, expressed in area of land
43
ecological footprint
measured in land (global hectacre - gha)
44
carbon footprint
measured in tonnes of CO2 produced per year
45
sustainability
consuming a resource or using a space in a way that does not deplete or degrade it for future generations
46
maximum sustainable yield
the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without reducing or depleting the resource for future use (1/2 carrying capacity)
47
environmental indicators of sustainability
factors that help us determine the health of the environment and guide us towards sustainable use of earth's resources
48
integrated pest management (IPM)
using a variety of pest control methods that minimize environmental disruption and pesticide use
49
biocontrol
using a natural predator, parasite or competitor to control the pest population
50
crop rotation
many pests prefer one specific crop/crop family and rotating crops can prevent pests from becoming established since it disrupts their preferred food source (disrupts weed growth as well bc it prevents bare soil from being taken over by weeds)
51
intercropping
push-pull system can be used to push plants that emit repellant chemicals and pull plants emit chemicals that attract moths to lay eggs in them, instead of crop
52
contour plowing
plowing parallel to natural slopes instead of down slopes (makes designs)
53
terracing
cutting flat platforms of soil into a steep slope
54
perennial crops
crops that live year round and are harvested numerous times
55
windbreaks
using trees or other plants to block the force of the wind from eroding topsoil
56
no till
leaving leftover crop remains in soil instead of tilling under
57
strip cropping
another name for intercropping (alternating rows of dense crops (hay/wheat) with rows of less dense crops (corn, soy, cotton)
58
crop rotation
allows soil to recover from nutrient depletion from planting the same crops
59
green manure
leftover plant matter from a cover crop planted in the off season
60
aquaculture
raising fish or other aquatic species in cages/enclosures underwater

AP Environmental Exam 2025 (9 decks)

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