Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Bio 346 - Freshwater Eco. > Bio 346 - Freshwater Eco. (Chpt 27) --> Acidification of Waterways > Flashcards

Bio 346 - Freshwater Eco. (Chpt 27) --> Acidification of Waterways Flashcards

1
Q

Aquatic acidification

A

Decrease in the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of waterways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the leading 2 influences of aquatic acidification?

A
  1. Industrial

2. Mining

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What determines how systems respond to acidification??

A

Geology of waterways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What causes specie loss or change in abundance?

A

H+ deposits directly on water surfaces and the indirect effects of high H+ [ ] on catchment soils and vegetation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What do high levels of H+ [ ] lead to?

A

Release of metals from soils and their subsequent stream transport to the receiving lakes and wetlands
- Can be harmful to humans/wildlife who are drinking the water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are 3 ways that people are indirectly affected by the death of natural resources?

A
  1. Loss of desirable fish or invertebrate species
  2. Loss of forests
  3. Irreparable damage
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What do buffered drainage basins do?

A

Help to resist acidification

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What 2 chemicals are released during combustion of coal, oil and gas?

A
  1. Sulphur dioxide

2. Nitrogen oxides

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is an example of long distance transport?

A

Atmospheric residence

- can travel up to 400km in a day

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is en example of wet deposits?

A

Rain or snow containing compounds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is an example of dry deposits?

A

Aerosol or gases

- Hard to accurately determine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the pH of normal rain compared to acid rain?

A

Normal rain = 5.5-6

Acid rain = 4 or lower

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What causes the pH to drop in rainfall?

A

heavy human impact

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the cause of H2CO3 in the atmosphere?

A

Volcanic sources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What NH3 is released, what does it produce? And what does it do?

A

Produces OH that neutralizes atmospheric H+

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What 3 things is aerosols made from?

A
  1. Ammonia (NH3)
  2. Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)
  3. Nitric acid (HNO3)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What does the reaction of aerosols consume?

A

H+

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What was the cause of the doubling of emissions of SO2 and NOx in the 20th century?

A

Burning coal and fuel oil for electricity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Where does NOx come from?

A

Internal combustion engines (fossil fuels)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What type of lakes are most sensitive to acidification?

3 things

A
  1. Transparent
  2. Low salinity
  3. Low acid neutralizing capability
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What does chemical sensitivity indicate?

A

That a small amount of acid produces a large decrease in pH

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What does ecological sensitivity indicate?

A

That small addition of acid will result in biological changes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

A small change in what, can make a huge effect on acidification?

A

pH

- Most sensitive with a ph between 5-7

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What happens to the sulphur and nitrogen oxide deposition rates as distance increases?

A

Decreases

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Paleolimnology

A

Studies the relationship between algal communities in sediments and pH have been developed to hindmost pH

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What 2 factors influence the decrease in pH?

A
  1. Geology

2. Deposition rates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What 4 things is susceptibility to acidification affected by?

A
  1. Ability of catchment soils and rock to neutralize acids
  2. Lake morphology and catchment attributes
  3. Organic acids in runoff
  4. Neutralizing agents and precesses in the system
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What does ANC stand for?

A

Acid neutralizing capacity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

High ANC

A

Large fraction of catchment covered by easily weathered rocks and soil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Low ANC

A

Glaciated areas with highly insoluble bedrock

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What can increase ANC?

A

Calcareous drift from glaciers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

When surface soils are of igneous origins (low ANC), what 3 things are susceptibility determined by?

A
  1. Lake morphometry
  2. Catchment attributes
  3. Atmospheric dust (CaCO3)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What are 3 risks of headwater lakes?

A
  1. Small catchment
  2. Thin soils
  3. Precipitation reaches lake directly
34
Q

What 3 things can predict pH?

A
  1. Elevation
  2. Lake morphometry
  3. Catchment attributes
35
Q

What do wetlands release?

36
Q

What can microbes do?

A

Neutralize SO2 by processing them

37
Q

If H+ input is large and CaCO3 supply is limited, what happens to fraction of HCO3 when CO2 and pH decreases?

A

The increase fraction of HCO3 is lost

38
Q

How can you remove H+?

A

In a process of dissolving the aluminum hydroxides, oxides and SiO2 contained in the clay minerals produced during the breakdown of weathered silicates

39
Q

Soil produced from igneous rocks can see as a buffer and protect the outflowing rivers and the receiving lakes and wetlands is a function of: (3 things)

A
  1. The abundance of silicate and clay minerals to be weathered
  2. The extent to which negative charged clay particles in soil and sediment are associated with base cations such as Ca+, Mg2+ or NH4+ and Al3+ available to exchange places with the incoming H+
  3. The thickness of the soil or more correctly, the overburden and flow path contact time that the water has with the soil
40
Q

What is the most important factor in determining buffering capacity?

A

Acid neutralizing capacity of water

41
Q

What happens when the supply of acid actions exceed the base cations?

A

ANC less than 0 and waterways will be strongly acidic with pH below 5.5

42
Q

What happens when microbes oxidize reduce sulphur and N compounds?

A

You get a reduction in ANC

43
Q

How can acid deposition in bogs be neutralized?

2 things

A
  1. By the uptake of plants

2. Microbial reduction

44
Q

What does aeration of previously anoxic soils allow?

A

Microbes to oxidize sulphur

45
Q

What has a negative short term effect on pH and alkalinity?

A

Seasonal reduction in cation outputs from still frozen soils during spring melt of acidic snow

46
Q

What does anoxia increase?

A

ANC

- but effect is lost when toxic conditions return

47
Q

What 2 things can come from permanent gains in ANC?

A
  1. Loss of SO4 and NO3

2. Uptake by forest vegetation

48
Q

What has a positive short term effect on ANC?

A

Periodic patterns of summer anoxia in lakes or wetlands

49
Q

What does the accumulation of terrestrial vegetation remove?

A

Significant amounts of base cations in the production of aboveground biomass
- Thereby, adding to the acidification potential

50
Q

What does NH3 uptake by plants result in?

A

Soil acidification

- Unless its offset by denitrification

51
Q

Is Al solubility high or low in non-acidified systems?

52
Q

Al solubility does what at low pH?

53
Q

What does a large scatter of data indicate with regarding pH and Al [ ]?

A

That pH alone does not determine [Al]

54
Q

Where is Al most abundant?

A

In the earths crust

55
Q

What are 2 important determinants of Al solubility?

A
  1. Dissolved organic matter (DOM)

2. pH

56
Q

What happens to pH and DOC as the reactive Al increases?

A

They both decrease

57
Q

What happens to pH as transparency increases?

A

Decreases

- Which is an increase in H+

58
Q

What is the domino effect with an increase in penetration of light?

A
  • Reduced near-surface heating
  • Increase in depth of thermocline
  • Increase in depth where photosynthesis is possible
  • Increases Uv penetration depth
59
Q

What does lower primary production affect?

A

Transparency

60
Q

What are 4 stressors of acidification?

A
  1. Al [ ]
  2. seasonal changes in DOC
  3. Fod predation
  4. Competition
61
Q

What happens to biodiversity when pH is below 6?

62
Q

What is the main way biological systems are effected?

A

Solubility of heavy metals

63
Q

What happens when you have more zooplankton at a higher pH?

A

Increase in species richness

64
Q

What 2 things does acidification have little effect on?

A
  1. Microbes

2. Sediment

65
Q

At what pH is the development one extensive algal mats?

66
Q

What are phytoplankton sensitive to? (2 things)

A
  1. Al

2. Addition on H+

67
Q

What size of species is more sensitive to acidification?

A

Large zooplankton

68
Q

What species are sensitive to low pH?

A

Benthic macro-invertebrates

- Experience problems with gardening of the exoskeleton

69
Q

What is a consequence for higher levels in the food chain?

A

Loss of biodiversity

70
Q

What kind of environment has the greatest reducing effect on fish and birds? (3 things)

A
  1. Low alkalinity
  2. High elevation
  3. Low buffering capacity
71
Q

What happens to community structure when acidification occurs?

A

Gradual decrease

- Different species have different tolerances

72
Q

What does pH lower?

A

Prey abundance

73
Q

What does low pH in boreal lakes (typically highly oligotrophic) display? (3 things)

A
  1. Variability in water colour
  2. Trophic status
  3. Contaminant loads
74
Q

What are reproductive losses due to? (4 things)

A
  1. Failed spawning
  2. Failed egg maturation
  3. Death of recently hatched larvae
  4. Lack of food
75
Q

Negative effects with low pH?

A

Low pH waters have high [Al]

76
Q

Temporary recovery can come from what?

77
Q

What does liming do?

A

Initially is neutralizes acids and precipitates Al

- The remainder buffers against acids

78
Q

What are 3 negative effects on liming?

A
  1. Protection is only temporary
  2. Expensive
  3. Increases pH and ANC compared to other similar systems
79
Q

What are 5 environmental effects of liming?

A
  1. Reduced clarity
  2. Reduced mixing depth
  3. Reduction in eutrophic zone
  4. Reduction in benthic algae
  5. Change in food web structure following reproduction of fish eating (piscivorous) fish species
80
Q

What is rate of recovery a function of? (2 things)

A
  1. Dispersal ability

2. Reproductive strategy

81
Q

What is the long term solution to reduce acidification?

A

Reduction in emissions

82
Q

What are 3 effects of reductions in sulphur emissions observed by?

A

Variability in…

  1. Historic deposition
  2. Soil buffering
  3. Hydrology

Bio 346 - Freshwater Eco. (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions