Ecological Threshold Flashcards
1
Q
What 5 domains was chemistry used for?
A
Textiles
Explosives
Medicine
Materials
Agriculture
2
Q
What did William Perkin discover?
A
Mauveine purple dye
3
Q
What did Alfred Nobel invent?
A
Dynamite
4
Q
What did Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch develop?
A
A process for the synthesis of ammonia
5
Q
How was Alfred Nobel able to fund Nobel Prizes?
A
His fortune from the invention of dynamite
6
Q
What was the name given to the 1980s due to the presence of new purple dye?
A
The Mauve Decade
7
Q
What level of energy reduction was achieved by the Haber-Bosch process?
A
50%
8
Q
How (in what substances) can Ammonia be used in agriculture?
A
Used alone, or turned into Urea, ammonium nitrate, or a mix of both, all of which may help fertilize the soil
9
Q
True or false: Synthetic soda ash costs more energy than making synthetic ammonia
A
False
10
Q
What is generally the second largest source of nitrogen in German agriculture?
A
Manures
11
Q
What is biofixation of nitrogen?
A
Bacteria fixes nitrogen in the soil
12
Q
What is atmospheric deposition
A
Nitrogen fixed to the soil by lighting strikes or UV rays
13
Q
When did Fertilizers overtake the next largest source in Germany?
A
1965
14
Q
When did Fertilizer overtake the next largest source of nitrogen in Chinese agriculture?
A
1975
15
Q
What is the second largest source of nitrogen in Chinese agriculture?
A
Biofixation
16
Q
What percentage of Chinese agricultural nitrogen is fertilizer-based?
A
74%
17
Q
What percentage of German agricultural nitrogen is fertilizer-based?
A
59%
18
Q
When was fertilizer introduced to Chinese Agriculture?
A
1950s
19
Q
What percentage of modern agriculture depends on fertilizer?
A
About 50%
20
Q
What two main products could be produced more cheaply when the haber-bosch process was perfected?
A
Fertilizer and Dynamite
21
Q
Invention of which product led to the development of the first large-scale chemical industry?
A
Mauveine dye
22
Q
Why did chemicals become a dirty word?
A
Due to their involvement in war, massacres, and overall just poisoning stuff
23
Q
Why did shelling and aerial bombing become more powerful in the 19th century?
A
Development of high explosives with chemicals
24
Q
At which battle did the German army first deploy poison gas? When?
A
Ypres, 1915
25
Whom did the German army deploy the first gas attack against?
French colonial soldiers on the left flank of the Canadian army
26
What gas was used in the first Gas attack in WW1?
Chlorine
27
For the Germans, Ypres was a salient or a reverse salient?
A reverse salient
28
What was one of the first counter measures developed for defending against chlorine gas?
A wet rag with urine over the mouth because it was thought that chlorine would react with the urine
29
Why was chlorine gas deadly?
It was heavier than air so it sunk to the bottom of trenches where soldiers sheltered
30
What was the advantage of Phosgene as a poison gas?
It had only a faint door, and did not really irritate the skin and eyes. Soldiers were gassed before they knew it
Then they would swell in the lungs and die of asphyxiation
31
How was mustard gas lethal??
Impossible to smell in pure form, penetrated clothing and the effects became only obvious after the exposure
32
True or false: The British only used gas attacks in the last year of the war
False. The British used it just as much as the germans
33
True or false: Gas accounted for a relatively small about of combat fatalities.
True, only about 90,000
34
What percentage of battlefield casualties was being caused by Gas at the end of ww1?
14%
35
What was the primary fear of gas attacks based on?
suffering and cruel, drawn out deaths
36
How long could mustard gas persist in soil?
up to three years
37
Was there much doctors could do about gas attacks?
Nope. Give 'em a wash and hope for the best. Also give them cocaine
38
Why were gas weapons not used on European battlefields in ww2?
Both sides had a deterrent effect on the other. No one wanted a war with poison gas.
39
Which famous German was gassed at Passchendaele?
Hitler
40
What was DuPont de Nemours accused of after WW1?
War profiteering from making munitions
41
What was DuPond de Nemour's slogan fro improve its public image?
'Better Things for Better Living... through Chemistry"
42
John Sargent made a painting of what?
A yellow tinted painting of Americans lined up having been gassed
43
Which country lost the most troops in ww1?
Russia
44
Which country lost the most troops in relative terms in ww1?
Austria-Hungary
45
How many countries had over a million men killed in combat during ww1?
Four (Russia, France, Germany Austria-Hungary)
46
What were the long term effects of gas attacks on the lungs?
Lung difficulties and higher risk of tuberculosis
47
What new technology replaced the cavalry units of the armies fighting in ww1?
Tanks
48
Why did British children get equipped with gas masks at the start of ww2?
Fear of aerial bombardment by gas shells
49
What two big accidents warned publics about the risks of technology?
The Hindenburg (1937) and the titanic (1912)
50
How fast did the Hindenburg get destroyed after it caught fire?
One minute
51
What was the Zeppelin initially used for?
German bombing raids over England
52
The destruction of the Hindenburg was a blow to the prestige of which country? Why?
Nazi Germany; The Nazis prided themselves on this German invention
53
What did the British hope to use zeppelins for?
Connecting their empire. It was an alternative to ships and railroads which could be intercepted
54
One British Zeppelin went from London to Ottawa in 1930; where did the other go?
It was supposed to go to Karachi, but it crashed in Northern France and killed 48 of its 54 passengers
55
What did the US navy hope to use zeppelins for?
Flying aircraft carriers for reconnaissance
56
Why did the US Navy abandon its zeppelin program?
Two of them crashed and sank in storms
57
When did the Hindenburg catch fire?
May 1937
58
What was the largest aircraft ever built?
The Hindenberg
59
What did the design of Auschwitz recall?
Union stockyards. it was effectively a human slaughterhouse
60
How were inmates brought into auschwitz?
cattle cars
61
How were most of the jews of auschwitz disposed?
Crematoriums
62
Where did those unfit to work at Auschwitz go?
Gas chambers
63
What was used in the Auschwitz gas chambers?
Zyklon-B, a rat poison
64
Whose work led to the invention of the poison used in the Auschwitz gas chambers?
Fritz haber
65
What did the Germans claim Zyklon-b was being used for
to protect the camp's food supply
66
Which chemist supervised the gas attack at Ypres
Fritz haber
67
Name three synthetic materials increasingly used between the two world wars?
Cellophane, Rayon, Fabrikoid
68
What did Fritz Haber's wife do in 1915?
Killed herself, some think she was protesting his war work
69
What did Fritz Haber win the Nobel Prize for
Recognition for his work on ammonia synthesis
70
What was one defence used by some Nazis on trial to justify the mass killings?
They were following the lead of American eugenicists in that different people had different value to society
71
What did the ww2 confirm about technoscience?
It confirmed the power of the systematic coordination of interdisciplinary teams in pursuit of well-defined goals, as was already practiced by the research labs of large companies
72
What was questioned as a result of ww2?
The values of modernity (efficiency, planning, control, speed) and the claims of science were questioned
73
What do fertilizers do?
Provide essential elements to plants
74
What composes fertilizers?
Elements derived from phosphorus or nitrogen
75
What is the effect of excess nitrogen in the environment
excess nutrients
76
What do pesticides do?
Fight pests that prey on crops (insects, compete with them (weeds) or plague them (fungi)
77
Wheat yields in the United States have increased in the past 80 years as a result of what?
Fertilizer
78
What are the more specific names of pesticides?
Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides
79
What effect do excess pesticide shave on the environment?
Poison the environment
80
How much did American agricultural yield increase from 1940-1961
From 15 to 25 thousands of bushels/acre
81
Why have quantities of fertilizer stopped increasing in the United States?
A maximum is reached where more nitrogen doesn't put more nutrients to the plants. Rather it becomes excess
82
How much larger are US corn yields now than in the 1930s?
6 times larger
83
Plant breeding is thought to account for ___ of the US increase in US corn yields
half
84
What are the sources of increase in corn yields in the US?
Plant Breedng
Better irrigation
Fertilizer use
Global warming
Mechanization
85
What countries have "black" fertilizer use?
Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, India, Bangladesh, China
86
What watersheds have "green" fertilizer use?
Areas where there is basically no agriculture
87
What species grows from excess Phosphorus and nitrogen?
Algae
88
What do Algae blooms do for wildlife?
They suck the oxygen from the water and kill fish and other marine life
89
How many inmates of Nazi camps are estimated to have died from typhus?
Over 200,000
90
Where is microbe causing typhus found?
in the feces of the human louse
91
What conditions cause typhus to spread?
Overcrowding, lack of sanitation, poor food
92
True or false: Typhus appeared in Naples by late 1942 with the allied invasion of Italy?
False. It was late 1943 but the rest is true
93
Why was the typhus vaccine in short supply by 1943?
It was reserved for soldiers
94
What delousing powders were applied to eliminate typhus in Naples?
DDT and MYL
95
What does DDT act on in preventing typhus?
It kills the lice (de-lousing powders)
96
What did Paul Müller discover? What did he get for it?
DDT; Nobel Prize
97
True or false: The noble prize for the containment of typhus in Naples was biased in its presentation of DDT
true; it heavily overemphasized the role of DDT
98
What was the additional "benefit" of DDT apart from just killing things
It lasted on objects for a long time; it was active for a very small dosage.
99
The Plasmodium parasite causes which disease?
Malaria
100
How does the malaria cycle work?
The plasmodium parasite infects the liver and blood cells of a human. A mosquito bites a human and acquires the parasite. Plasmodium reproduces in the mosquito, then mosquito bites human to introduce the disease
101
How could DDT control malaria?
By killing the mosquito which transmits it.
102
What two techniques with DDT were used in Africa to combat malaria?
Outdoor spraying
Indoor residual spraying
103
What areas did DDT target in outdoor spraying for malaria control in Africa? Why?
Water sources and wet areas to kill mosquito larvae.
104
How does indoor residual spraying work?
DDT's persistence keeps mosquitos from landing on surfaces inside the house.
105
Where do mosquitos usually reproduce?
Wet humid areas, marshes, rivers, ponds
106
What other drug was an important antimalarial agent?
Chloroquine
107
True or false: IRS with pyrethrum or DDT was extraordinarily effective at lowering malaria cases in Africa
Yes, but resistance to the pesticides quickly developed and are causing problems now
108
What two elements have become much more common in rivers as a result of domestic and agricultural pollution?
Nitrogen and phosphorus
109
What two elements have become much more common in rivers as a result of domestic and agricultural pollution?
Nitrogen, Phosphorus
110
What did Rachel Carson argue about pesticides and fertilizers in Silent Spring?
The impact of new synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on water quality, the food chain, and the broader environment could not be ignored.
111
What events happened at the same time to boost the resonance of Rachel Carson Argument
Smog choked los ángeles and nuclear tests produced radioactive fallout
112
What alternatives did Rachel Carson suggest for pesticides?
Use of natural enemies and specific diseases of unwanted pests, known to be effective since the 19th century
113
How does the development of insect resistance against pesticides work?
The survivors of a pesticide exposure who might be more resistant pass their genes to the next generation, meaning more will survive the next pesticide exposure
114
Why is there a push to deploy ddt again in Africa?
Malaria in Africa has been resorting and other pesticides have been losing effectiveness
115
Why does DDT use for malaria differ in different regions?
Some regions where DDT had not been used for agriculture or mosquito control, are more effective when they do
116
What is a pesticide treadmill?
A pesticide eliminates a species, but then a competitor comes and takes the original pest's place, meaning you have to apply more pesticides
117
Did environmentalists win the public debate in the United States in the 1960s?
yes
118
When did the United States pass a series of environmental quality acts?
late 1960s:
Water Quality Act (1965)
Air Quality Act (1967)
National Environmental Policy Act (1970)-- Established the EPA
119
How does DDT affect predators?
They accumulate quantities of the pesticide in their food supply
120
What does ddt do to birds' eggshells?
Thins them
121
When was DDT banned in the US?
1972
122
What agency was made to supply politicians with cost/benefit analysis about technology?
The Congressional Office of Technological assessment
123
When did the UN hold the Conference on the Human Environment (1972)
1972
124
Which were the two environmental days? What started them?
World environment day (June 5)
-the starting date of the 1972 UN conference on the Human environment
Earth Day
-Started by US Senator Gaylord Nelson calling for a day of mobilization for the environment
125
True or False: Chickens could be fattened by traditional breeding means without the use of biotechnological tools
True
126
What methods are used to increase the volume of meat in chicken farms?
-Direct Breeding
-Intensive Confinement
-Improved Nutrition
-Antibiotocs and other drugs
127
What are the three measures of success in poultry farming
Average market weight
Days needed to reach Markey weight
How much feed per pound of broiler meat
128
By what factor have chickens increased in market weight since 1925
2.5 times
129
By what factor have chickens reduced their time to get to market weight since 1925?
by over half
130
By what factor has the feed conversion ratio of chickens decreased since 1925?
2.5 times
131
Are most modern broiler chicken the result of direct genetic modification?
Nope
132
By what means has genetic engineering mainly increased crop yields?
Herbicide tolerance, pesticide tolerance,
133
What are Monsanto's "roundup ready" crops immune to?
The roundup herbicide
134
AN increasing amount of crops have what biotech traits?
They combine several biotech traits.
135
What is the downside of genetically modified crops with hybrid traits?
Sometimes they are sterile and so cannot produce offspring. Farmers have to buy each generation of crop from the seed supply
136
GM crops occupy around what percentage of global croplands?
About 10%
137
When did the total area of Biotech crops stabilize?
About 2014
138
What percentage of biotech crops have virus resistance?
Less than 1%
139
What was one result of the UN 1972 conference on the human environment (apart from world environment day)
The EU formulated its first environmental action plan the following year
140
What are some niche genetic modifications for crops?
Resistance to viruses
Enrichment in vitamins
More efficient nitrogen absorption
Drought resistance
141
The top four transgenic crops are what?
Soybeans
Corn
Cotton
Canola
142
What share of transgenic crops does soybean occupy?
50%
143
Which country has the largest share of transgenic crops?
USA
144
Which country has had the largest increase in transgenic crop usage?
Brazil
145
Which continent has the most countries in the top 5 area of transgenic crop usage?
South America
146
North American farming as practiced by Europeans was characterized by:
-Monoculture
-Lack of crop rotation
147
Why could good husbandry not take over in North America?
-Lack of markets for products other than wheat
-General scarcity of labour in NA colonies
148
By the 1940s, what was the leading cause of reduced wheat yields throughout the Canadian prairies?
Weeds
149
How did wartime development of DDT affect recognition of its safety risks?
1) Urgency of reducing risks of malaria and typhus was the focus
2) The govt was able to mobilize huge resources to get this done than was possible in peacetime
3) Part of the risks classified only piecemeal or never at all
150
For what reasons did DDT's risks not get strongly recognized?
Ignorance of long term effects
Wartime development
Was thought to be cheap and long-lasting
Academic industrial Complex
151
What is the academic-industrial complex's impact on DDT?
Protecting harvests through the eradication of pests was a cause that seemed worthwhile to scientists and that was well funded by industry. The result left little from for dissenting voices
152
By 1960 what percentage of economic entomologists worked in the field of biological controls?
Only 2%
153
Why is the creation of a refuge mandatory when using pesticides or gmo crops?
It will help slow the growth of genetic resistance
154
Endosulfan, Malathion, Dieldrin, Clorpyrifos-methyl, and Quintozene are what?
Five of the six most-found pesticides in food in the United States
155
Which scientist was key to the "Green Revolution?"
Norman Borlaug
156
What was the green revolution?
Technology transfer of publicly developed gmo crops which vastly increased crop yields
157
What is the drawback of new GMO crops?
Dependence on pesticides, fertilizers, controlled irrigation, and mechanization. Also they could not breed properly.
158
Pesticide development has more recently switched from...to....
Broad spectrum pesticides to selective pesticides
159
What was the main drawback to the highest quality hybrid chicken lines?
They could not breed. This left the production in the hands of the companies who owned the pure inbred lines.
160
What was the supplement in feed developed for chickens raised indoors?
Vitamin D
