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Environmental Monitoring > Env. Monitoring Final Exam > Flashcards

Env. Monitoring Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

Differentiate between ACCURACY and PRECISION.

A
  • ACCURACY: degree of closeness to the true value

- PRECISION: repeatedly being near the same value

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2
Q

Provide examples of various sampling designs in monitoring aquatic environments

A
  • Control/Impact design
  • Modified Control/Impact design
  • Magnitude and Geographic Extent Control/Impact design
  • Radial Gradient design
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3
Q

For the benthic invertebrate community survey, describe the following terms:

  • Total Abundance
  • Taxon Richness
  • Simpson’s Evenness
  • Bray-Curtis Index
A
  • Total Abundance: Number of animals
  • Taxon Richness: Number of taxon or kinds of animals
  • Simpson’s Evenness: measure how evenly the animals are distributed among the taxa
  • Bray-Curtis Index: Measure of overall community composition
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4
Q

Acronyms:
QA
QC
EEM

A
  • QA: Quality Assurance
  • QC: Quality Control
  • EEM: Environmental Effects Monitoring
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5
Q

Describe the oxygen patterns found in some aquatic environments in regards to the time of day.

A
  • There is higher amounts of dissolved oxygen during the day, than at night
  • This is because of photosynthesis, which is driven by sunlight, occurs and produces oxygen
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6
Q

Define EROSION and SEDIMENT CONTROL

A
  • Controlling the AMOUNT of EXPOSED soil during construction in order to PREVENT CONTAMINATION and infiltration of storm water by sediments in municipal infrastructure and in the environment
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7
Q

Define EROSION

A
  • Due to water, glacier, wind and waves, the surface of the earth is warn away and transported.
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8
Q

Define SEDIMENT

A
  • Mineral or organic material deposited by gravity, water, air or ice
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9
Q

Define SEDIMENTATION

A
  • Settling of eroded material
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10
Q

Define TURBIDITY

A
  • Measurement of light refraction in a water sample measured in NTU’s (Nephelometric Turbidity Units)
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11
Q

Name 4 types of erosion

A
  • Sheet
  • Rill
  • Gully
  • Stream channel
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12
Q

What percentage of erosion concerns on construction sites are from raindrop impacts?

A
  • 80%
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13
Q

Name 5 types of impacts that occur due to erosion of fine sediments at construction sites

A
  • Excessive sedimentation
  • Damage to infrastructure
  • Clogging of spawning gravels, smothered eggs and fry
  • Clogging of storm sewer systems and local flooding
  • Decreased production and profitability in construction
  • Legal liability for damage
  • Decreased photosynthesis, spawning
  • Infiltration of reservoirs, shipping channels, and harbors
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14
Q

Give 5 ways to mitigate/control erosion at a construction site

A
  • MINIMIZE EXTENT and duration of soil disturbance
  • Erosion controls, PROTECT soil surface
  • Sediment controls, MANAGE storm water run off
  • Progressive STABILIZATION and revegetation
  • MONITOR and maintain
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15
Q

Provide 5 Best Management Practices (BMP) for dealing with sediment at a construction site

A
  • Interceptor/Conveyance ditches
  • Check dams
  • Silt fence
  • Sediment ponds
  • Wheel washes/gravel pits
  • Catch basin bag (CB)
  • Sumps/Sediment pumps
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16
Q

There are 4 different UNITS for TURBIDITY. Name them

A
  • NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units
  • TSS: Total Suspended Soils
  • FTU: Formazin Turbidity Units
  • JTU: Jackson Turbidity Units
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17
Q

What is the heiarchy framework for BC Environmental Management?

A
  • Legislation
  • Regulation
  • Government wide policy and procedure
  • Ministry policy and procedure
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18
Q

What is the key piece of legislation in BC in terms of environmental contamination?

A
  • EMA: Environmental Management Act
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19
Q

What is the role of the EMA (Environmental Management Act) in terms of waste management?

A
  • Governs waste management in BC

- Provides permits and approval for introducing wastes into the environment through the Waste Discharge Regulation

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20
Q

What types of waste fall under the EMA (Environmental Management Act)? (6)

A
  • Air contaminates
  • Litter
  • Effluent
  • Refuse
  • Biomedical wastes
  • Hazardous wastes
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21
Q

What are the AUTHORIZATIONS that fall under the EMA (Environmental Management Act)?

A
  • PERMITS

- APPROVALS

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22
Q

What are the “terms” of a PERMIT?

A
  • PERMIT: Long term, permanent discharges, may be amended, transferred, or suspended
23
Q

What are the “terms” of an APPROVAL?

A
  • APPROVAL: Short term discharges, max of 15 months and automatically expires, may be amended, suspended or canceled, can NOT be renewed
24
Q

What can be used to assess impacts of contaminates into the environment in BC?

A
  • Toxicity in fish or invertebrates

- Benthic invertebrate community structure and analysis

25
Q

What is the Initial Dilution Zone (IDZ)?

A
  • Zone around the point of discharge where mixing the effluent and receiving environmental water occurs
  • At edge of this IDZ, the effluent should not cause chronic toxicity in receiving the environment
26
Q

Why should we monitor (according to Mike P)?

A
  • We need to know what is going on out there..
  • Used as guidance for managers
  • Avoid wasting money
  • Avoid doing harm
  • Ensure compensation obligations are met
27
Q

What did Quigley and Harper have to say about compensation projects in 2006?

A
  • There were 52 compensation projects assessed
  • 2/3 resulted in net loss of habitat area
  • 9 in 10 had larger loss area or smaller compensation area than authorized
  • LESS that 60% met biological requirements (fish density/biomass, riparian plant survival)
28
Q

Provide 5 keys to effective environmental monitoring

A
  • Ask clear, testable QUESTIONS based on project objectives
  • Measure multiple INDICATORS
  • Collect BASELINE data
  • MONITOR reference site
  • OPTIMIZE sampling effort
  • Keep methods CONSISTANT
  • Use simple, rigorous analysis
29
Q

Why might FISH NOT be the ideal subject in monitoring aquatic environments in some cases?

A
  • Fish are highly MOBILE, and hard to catch
  • NUMBERS VARY widely, often for reasons nothing to do with the project
  • All sampling methods are BIASED
30
Q

Why might INVERTEBRATES be an IDEAL subject in monitoring aquatic environments in some cases?

A
  • EASY to sample
  • Lots of available INFORMATION
  • Good indicators of WATER QUALITY, some are highly sensitive to contaminates and pollutants
31
Q

Describe some responsibilities of an environmental MONITOR.

A
  • OBSERVE, RECORD and REPORT
  • Can not direct work
  • Can SUSPEND work
  • Provides QA (Quality Assurance)
32
Q

Describe some responsibilities of an environmental SPECIALIST.

A
  • PRESCRIBE methods and recommendations to meet site requirements
  • Can DIRECT work
33
Q

What legislation applies to PLANT and ecological communities in BC at the:

  • Federal level?
  • Provincial level?
A
  • Federal: SARA (Species At Risk Act)
    Impact Assessment Act
  • Provincial: Environmental Assessment Act
    FRPA (Forest and Range Practices Act)
34
Q

What legislation applies to PLANT and ecological communities in BC at the:

  • Federal level?
  • Provincial level?
A
  • Federal: SARA (Species At Risk Act)
    Impact Assessment Act
  • Provincial: Environmental Assessment Act
    FRPA (Forest and Range Practices Act)
35
Q

As an environmental MONITOR, what are some things you can do, and tools you can use when monitoring wildlife in the field?

A
  • INSPECT and investigate mitigation measures
  • DOCUMENT wildlife sightings
  • RECOMMEND additional measures
  • MONITOR site cleanliness
  • Tools: Environmental Plan, Environmental Assessment, Field Guide
36
Q

As an environmental SPECIALIST, what are some things you can do, and tools you can use when monitoring wildlife in the field?

A
  • Conduct PRE-DISTURBANCE species at risk surveys
  • Amphibian, small mammal SALVAGE or RELOCATION
  • Obtain wildlife PERMITS
  • Tools: Environmental Plan, Environmental Assessment
37
Q

Why is the Alouette Reservoir Lake Fertilization Monitoring program being done?

A
  • Prior to the dam being built in the 1920, this lake had salmon spawn with marine-derived nutrients (MDN).
  • Dam blocked migratory fish to the reservoir
  • Nitrogen and Phosphorus was added in 1999 to try to enhance the phytoplankton and increase MDN in the planktivorous-fish species
38
Q

Provide 2 ways the gill nets were set up for the Alouette Reservoir program.

A
  • Gill nets had variety of mesh sizes to catch a variety of different fish sizes
  • Nets were suspended at different depths, staggered every 300m, to ensure fish in all zones, or areas of the water column were captured.
39
Q

In terms of monitoring the TEMPERATURES of the North and South basin, what is the general pattern?

A
  • Once a depth of 20m was reached, the temperature remains at 5-8 degrees in all months
40
Q

In terms of monitoring the DISSOLVED OXYGEN of the North and South basin, what is the general pattern?

A
  • Generally, dissolved oxygen increased every month until a depth of approximately 15 meters was reached, and then slightly decreased or stayed the same (10-13mg/L) for up to 40m.
41
Q

What is Leibig’s law of the minimum?

A
  • The lowest board on a barrel limits its capacity
  • Growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by scarcest resources available.
  • If there is a short board in your barrel, it does not matter how big the barrel is, it can only hold as much water as the shortest board allows
42
Q

Who described the REDFIELD RATIO?

A
  • ALFRED C. REDFIELD, oceanogropher
43
Q

What is the REDFIELD RATIO?

A
  • Optimal dissolved nitrogen : dissolved phosphorus ratio, for phytoplankton growth is 16:1
44
Q

Define OLIGOTROPHIC

A
  • Lake, pond or stream lacking in nutrients (N and P), not very productive
45
Q

Define EUTROPHIC

A
  • Lake, pond or stream high in nutrients (N and P), very productive
46
Q

Define MESOTROPHIC

A
  • Between Oligotrophic and Eutrophic
47
Q

What are some tools used for sampling at the Alouette Reservoir?

A
  • Van Dorn sampler: Collects sample from different water columns
  • Multi-parameter: measures dissolved oxygen, temp, pH, conductivity
  • Secchi Disk: used to determine water clarity
  • Plankton net: Used to collect plankton to show differences in abundance
48
Q

What is NET MENDING?

A
  • tying knots and repairing the net. mending to the net when you the fish work is complete.
49
Q

Why monitor heli-skiing in this area of management (Steve Gordon)?

A
  • There is a strong connection between ungulate winter range and heliskiing areas. Tend to overlap, and disrupt the ungulate populations in these winter ranges
50
Q

What kind of data and how much was collected in the mountain goat monitoring program?

A
  • No terrain masking

- Collected over 1 million points

51
Q

Acronyms:

  • UWR
  • NWSGC
  • RMGA
A
  • UWR: Ungulate Winter Range
  • NWSGC: Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council
  • RMGA: Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance
52
Q

What is MARINE-DERIVED NUTRIENTS (MDN)?

A
  • Nutrients acquired from anadromous fish, and deposited into freshwater or terrestrial ecosystem when the fish dies
53
Q

Provide 3 “styles of monitoring

A
  • PHOTO-monitoring
  • HABITAT and STRUCTURE monitoring
  • RIPARIAN VEGETAION plot, monitoring

Environmental Monitoring (1 decks)

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