Chapter 18 and 20.1 Flashcards
Disinfection
Chlorine is added to water for disinfection
Corrosion control
pH is adjusted
Screening
wood, rocks, and even dead animals are removed from the wastewater
Pumping
the water has to be pumped into aeration tanks if the plant is built above groud
Aerating
shake up the sewage and expose it to air so some of the dissolved gasses are released from the water
What does aeration replenish?
oxygen
Early in the Industrial Revolution…
Chemicals and sewage were dumped directly into the U.S. waterways
Pathogens
disease-carrying bacteria, viruses, parasites
Organic matter
human and animal wastes, leaves, grass, trash, etc.
Inorganic chemicals
heavy metals, acids from mine drainage or precipitation
Organic chemicals
petroleum, pesticides, industrial chemicals
Industrial chemicals
polychlorinated biphenyls, cleaning solvents, detergents
Biomagnification
chemicals become concentrated when going up the food chain
What do land weathering and storms wash into water?
sediments
What increases sedimentation?
Erosion from farms, deforestation, overgrazing, construction, mining, and roads
Atmoshpere
a collection of gases held by gravity around the Earth
Troposphere
the lowest level (ground to 10 miles up)
What occurs in the troposphere?
air pollution, weather, and storms
Why is the troposphere important?
Weather is dependent on changes in this layer
Stratosphere
temperature increases with altitude (40 miles above Earth’s surface)
What does the stratosphere contain?
Ozone (O3)(ozone destruction area)
Ozone
absorbs the sun’s high energy radiation
Mesosphere and thermosphere
declining ozone levels (highest levels)
Weather
day-to-day variations in temperature, air pressure, wind, humidity, precipitation, all mediated by the atmosphere
Climate
the result of long-term regional weather patterns
Meteorology
the study of the atmosphere (weather and climate)
Climate
the general patterns of weather that characterize different regions of the world
Climate results from all the combined elements of:
- general atmospheric circulation patterns and precipitation
- wind and the weather systems
- rotation and tilt of Earth (creates seasons)
Adaptation
anticipate harm and plan adaptive responses to decrease vulnerability of people, property, and the biosphere
Mitigation
take action to prevent emissions
The world’s larges GHG emitters are not participation
India, China, U.S.
Cap-and-trade programs
government sets GHG limits, which are gradually lowered over time to reduce pollutants.
- penalties are applied if limits are exceeded
Bush actions on climate change
- edited reports from fed. agencies to emphasize uncertainties
- stifled communication from climate scientists
- EPA didn’t consider GHG pollution as a threat
As of 2012, there was no national policy for climate change; however,
many states were addressing it
Mitigation tools
15 wedge strategies in four categories
15 wedge strategies in four categories
efficiency, conservation, fossil fuels, nuclear, renewables
Two most efficient ways to reduce GHGs
Efficiency and renewables
Examples of adaptation strategies
- Agriculture
- Structures
- Emergency preparedness
- Reducing risks
- Development, controlling disease, economic progress
Agricultural examples of adaptation strategies
climate-resistant crops (switching from corn to cotton), irrigation
Structural examples of adaptation strategies
seawalls (levys: earth walls that hold water back), reservoirs, revegetation of coasts
Emergency preparedness examples of adaptation strategies
early-warning systems
Reducing risks as adaptation strategies
financial safety nets, proper insurance
Who will climate change impact the most
developing nations
Who will suffer disproportionately because of climate change?
the poor
Who will bear the greatest burden because of climate change
countries with the fewest resources
Geoengineering
Futuristic schemes to fight climate change may not work
Examples of geoengineering
- fertilizing oceans with iron to stimulate photosynthesis
- scrubbers to remove and store CO2
- sulfate particles or satellites to block solar radiation
Biomes
reflect plant, animal, and microbe adaptations to the prevailing weather patterns of a region
What are biomes characterized by?
precipitation and temperature
The film An Inconvenient Truth
about increasing CO2 levels leading to increased temperatures
Proxies
other records providing information on climate
What do proxies help us study?
climates from the past
What do proxies use?
temperature, ice cover, precipitation, tree rings, pollen, landscapes, marine sediments, corals, etc.
