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EESC test 2
air pollution, water pollution, soil, land pollution
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Hydrology | study of the movement, distribution, and the quality of water throughout the Earth |
| Water | the only substance that naturally exists and is stable in all 3 states, solid, liquid, gas |
| Surface tension | when there is a strong bond of water molecules on the surface of the water |
| High specific heat capacity | takes a lot of energy to raise the temperature even one degree |
| Hydrologic cycle | evaporation, evapotranspiration, condensation, precipitation, overland flow/runoff, infiltration, underground gravitational flow |
| Evaporation | water changes from a liquid form to a gas, usually by temperature |
| Evapotranspiration | water traveling from trees into the atmosphere |
| Condensation | opposite of evaporation, when gas molecules turn into liquid molecules |
| Precipitation | water raining down as liquid molecules, full of more chemicals than what evaporates |
| Overland flow/runoff | water flows as a river into a water body, or as run off from the land |
| Infiltration | when water trickles down into the soil |
| Underground gravitational flow | groundwater’s flow beneath the surface and eventually ends up at some sort of water surface |
| Rain shadow | usually occur when there is a mountain range near an ocean, ending up with wet air on one side of the peak and dry on the other side ex. Seattle |
| Watershed | area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place |
| Human impacts on the hydrologic cycle | deforestation, development, wetland removal (causing erosion, runoff, floods), over-withdrawal of groundwater |
| Gray water | instead of flushing toilet with clean water, use other water from for instance the tub |
| Policy and cooperation | create policies for water quantity and quality, re-examine subsidies for irrigated crops, manage watersheds as integrated ecosystems, consider needs downstream |
| Water pollution | any chemical, biological, physical change in water quality that has a harmful effect on organisms and makes the water unsuitable for desired uses |
| -6 types of water pollutants | inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, pathogens, organic wastes, inorganic plant nutrients, suspended sediments |
| Inorganic chemicals | metals(lead, mercury, arsenic), acids, salts, comes from- burning fossil fuels, mining and industry, cause mercury poisoning of animals and plants, get scrubbers for factories and stop run off |
| Organic chemicals | petroleum products, plastics, pesticides, industrial chemicals(PCB, solvents, detergents), industry waste, run off from roads and cars, oil spills, controlled by Clean Water Act |
| Pathogens | harm causing microorganisms, viruses, bacteria, parasites, unclean water causes death and illness to living things, found in animal wastes that run off into the water, water treatment and sewage treatment, prevent waste from running off with composting |
| Organic wastes | carbon-based, leaves, manure, caused from runoff and not treating sewage - extra phosphorus and nitrogen, more bacteria than needed so they use up all of the oxygen, bad water quality, solution- regulation of runoff, water treatment |
| Inorganic plant nutrients | nitrates and phosphates, come from fertilizers in runoff and infiltrates into the ground, create dead zones through algae explosions, |
| Eutrophication | Algae die and bacteria decompose the algae which suck up all of the oxygen |
| Suspended sediments | comes from runoff in mining and agricultural farms and lawns, makes water murky and it carries everything that is attached to it with it, use vegetation to prevent heavy runoff |
| Water quality problems | fish kills, algae blooms |
| Water pollution protection | prevention, clean up, restoration |
| Clean Water Act 1972 | restore the integrity of our waters, but only refers to point source pollution |
| Point source pollution | drainage pipes |
| Nonpoint source pollution | runoff |
| Safe drinking water act of 1974 | ensure high quality water at the tap, set up government oversight for water treatment |
| Ongoing efforts | education people on water quality, improving treatment of waste water, funding for better conservation and agricultural techniques, programs to clean up waters |
| Spheres in order | Troposphere-> Stratosphere->mesosphere->ionosphere |
| Atmosphere make up | mostly nitrogen with some oxygen, CO2 and Argon |
| ozone layer location | just above the stratosphere |
| ozone layer receives | 95% of harmful UV rays |
| ozone hole | concentration of ozone reduced, yearly occurrence especially over Antartica, linked to chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) |
| Ozone depletion effects | decreased plant growth and productivity (suppresses their immune system), problems with human health (cataracts and skin cancer), adverse effects on marine food chain (algae and coral reefs), deterioration of materials (fading paints) |
| Ozone depletion solutions | grassroots efforts (individuals took action on their own), industrial pressure (industries pressured the government to make a law against) Montreal Protocol |
| Montreal Protocol | over 30 countries attended agreeing to cut down on CFCs and were able to develop equal cost alternatives |
| Difference between climate and weather | climate looks at average |
| Climate change | when the patterns change in time (winter months get warmer) and space (monsoons occur further south) |
| Scientific evidence of climate change | air bubbles in ice cores, amount of CO2 , annual tree rings, sediment cores |
| Greenhouse effect | suns energy enters the atmosphere, heating the earth, and then heat either gets trapped by the atmosphere or releases into space |
| Greenhouse gases | CO2, water vapor, methane, CFCs, Nitrous Oxide |
| CO2 | comes from burning fossil fuels and trees, makes up for 0.038% of the atmosphere, concrete manufacturing, 60% responsible for global warming |
| Water vapor | holds in heat, 0-5 % of the atmosphere, |
| Methane | cows burping, underwater vents, buried under permafrost, swamps and wetlands, rice patties, landfills, responsible for 20% of global warming |
| CFCs | manmade, aerosol cans, |
| Nitrous Oxide | burning gasoline and oil in our cars, overuse of fertilizer, volcanic eruptions |
| Carbon sequestration | taking carbon from smokestacks and putting it somewhere else. |
| Thermal inversion | warm air at ground level, that is pushed up by cool ocean air which causes smog and pollutants |
| Industrial smog | mix of soot, sulfur compunds, and water vapor, heavy industry and use of coal |
| Photochemical smog | air pollution which is caused by reactions between sunlight and pollutants like hydrocarbons and nitrogen dioxide and can be extremely harmful, leading to irritations of the respiratory tract and eyes |
| Secondary pollutants | ozone, acid rain, acid precipitation |
| Primary pollutants | nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, lead, radon |
| Effects of air pollution | human health, ecosystem health, materials damaged |
| Clean air act of 1970 | created EPA by Nixon, determined adequate margin of safety, regulated many different gases |
| Environmental stresses of drylands/causes of desertification | overcultivation, over-irrigation and salinization, overgrazing, deforestation, climate change and catastrophes |
| Desertification | when the productive potential of arid or semiarid land falls by 10% or more |
| Dust bowl | example of desertification, beginning of soil conservation service |
| Effects of desertification | decline in crop yields and food production, increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, hunger, malnutrition, famine |
| Prevention and restoration of desertification | reforestation (replanting vegetation), soil conservation (cover crops, mulching, erosion prevention), agroforestry techniques (windbreaks, alley cropping, mixed agriculture), community education |
| “Best management practices” | contour plowing or terraces, no-till agriculture, more organic matter |
| Lithosphere | land |
| Why is soil important? | provides raw materials, enable us to produce food, stores, purifies and collects water, provides habitat |
| Where do all plant ecosystems start? | in the soil |
| Soil composition | mineral matter(weathered rock), organic matter(detritus, organisms), air and water |
| Physical properties of soil | texture, structure, organic matter content, water-holding capacity, nutrient-holding capacity |
| Soil texture | sand, silt, clay |
| Sand | >.05 mm, feels gritty,, provides aeration |
| Silt | .oo2 to .o5 mm feels smooth when wet, helps hold water |
| Clay | <.002 feels sticky when wet, holds water, nutrients, and O.M. |
| Loam | mix of all three types and is the best |
| Soil organic matter | additional organic matter in the soil AKA detritus or humus, broken down dead plant and animal materials, breaks down at 1-3% per year |
| Water-holding capacity | want enough water so that plants have enough water but don’t have too much |
| Nutrient holding capacity | soil fertility, ability to support plant growth |
| Soil pH | the acidity or alkalinity of a soil |
| Soil fertility | presence and availability of nutrients |
| Soil profiles | group of soil layers, form the top down |
| A layer | plow layer, topmost, deep productive soils, fertile |
| Organic layer | top most part above the soil, like leaves and grasses |
| Virginia state soil | Pamunkey soil |
| Soil degradation | land pollution |
| Soil erosion | wearing away of soil components, usually from water, wind, gravity, or ice |
| Effects of soil erosion | soil becomes less fertile, less able to hold water, less able to support life |
| Rainssplash erosion | when rain drops splash on to the soil and it causes erosion |
| Drylands | (arid and semi-arid lands) where low precipitation and temperatures are often high |
Created by:
lfalkens
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