Env. Monitoring Final Exam Flashcards
Differentiate between ACCURACY and PRECISION.
- ACCURACY: degree of closeness to the true value
- PRECISION: repeatedly being near the same value
Provide examples of various sampling designs in monitoring aquatic environments
- Control/Impact design
- Modified Control/Impact design
- Magnitude and Geographic Extent Control/Impact design
- Radial Gradient design
For the benthic invertebrate community survey, describe the following terms:
- Total Abundance
- Taxon Richness
- Simpson’s Evenness
- Bray-Curtis Index
- 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
Acronyms:
QA
QC
EEM
- QA: Quality Assurance
- QC: Quality Control
- EEM: Environmental Effects Monitoring
Describe the oxygen patterns found in some aquatic environments in regards to the time of day.
- 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
Define EROSION and SEDIMENT CONTROL
- 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
Define EROSION
- Due to water, glacier, wind and waves, the surface of the earth is warn away and transported.
Define SEDIMENT
- Mineral or organic material deposited by gravity, water, air or ice
Define SEDIMENTATION
- Settling of eroded material
Define TURBIDITY
- Measurement of light refraction in a water sample measured in NTU’s (Nephelometric Turbidity Units)
Name 4 types of erosion
- Sheet
- Rill
- Gully
- Stream channel
What percentage of erosion concerns on construction sites are from raindrop impacts?
- 80%
Name 5 types of impacts that occur due to erosion of fine sediments at construction sites
- 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
Give 5 ways to mitigate/control erosion at a construction site
- 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
Provide 5 Best Management Practices (BMP) for dealing with sediment at a construction site
- Interceptor/Conveyance ditches
- Check dams
- Silt fence
- Sediment ponds
- Wheel washes/gravel pits
- Catch basin bag (CB)
- Sumps/Sediment pumps
There are 4 different UNITS for TURBIDITY. Name them
- NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Units
- TSS: Total Suspended Soils
- FTU: Formazin Turbidity Units
- JTU: Jackson Turbidity Units
What is the heiarchy framework for BC Environmental Management?
- Legislation
- Regulation
- Government wide policy and procedure
- Ministry policy and procedure
What is the key piece of legislation in BC in terms of environmental contamination?
- EMA: Environmental Management Act
What is the role of the EMA (Environmental Management Act) in terms of waste management?
- Governs waste management in BC
- Provides permits and approval for introducing wastes into the environment through the Waste Discharge Regulation
What types of waste fall under the EMA (Environmental Management Act)? (6)
- Air contaminates
- Litter
- Effluent
- Refuse
- Biomedical wastes
- Hazardous wastes
What are the AUTHORIZATIONS that fall under the EMA (Environmental Management Act)?
- PERMITS
- APPROVALS
What are the “terms” of a PERMIT?
- PERMIT: Long term, permanent discharges, may be amended, transferred, or suspended
What are the “terms” of an APPROVAL?
- APPROVAL: Short term discharges, max of 15 months and automatically expires, may be amended, suspended or canceled, can NOT be renewed
What can be used to assess impacts of contaminates into the environment in BC?
- Toxicity in fish or invertebrates
- Benthic invertebrate community structure and analysis
What is the Initial Dilution Zone (IDZ)?
- 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
Why should we monitor (according to Mike P)?
- 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
What did Quigley and Harper have to say about compensation projects in 2006?
- 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)
Provide 5 keys to effective environmental monitoring
- 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
Why might FISH NOT be the ideal subject in monitoring aquatic environments in some cases?
- 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
Why might INVERTEBRATES be an IDEAL subject in monitoring aquatic environments in some cases?
- EASY to sample
- Lots of available INFORMATION
- Good indicators of WATER QUALITY, some are highly sensitive to contaminates and pollutants
Describe some responsibilities of an environmental MONITOR.
- OBSERVE, RECORD and REPORT
- Can not direct work
- Can SUSPEND work
- Provides QA (Quality Assurance)
Describe some responsibilities of an environmental SPECIALIST.
- PRESCRIBE methods and recommendations to meet site requirements
- Can DIRECT work
What legislation applies to PLANT and ecological communities in BC at the:
- Federal level?
- Provincial level?
- Federal: SARA (Species At Risk Act)
Impact Assessment Act - Provincial: Environmental Assessment Act
FRPA (Forest and Range Practices Act)
What legislation applies to PLANT and ecological communities in BC at the:
- Federal level?
- Provincial level?
- Federal: SARA (Species At Risk Act)
Impact Assessment Act - Provincial: Environmental Assessment Act
FRPA (Forest and Range Practices Act)
As an environmental MONITOR, what are some things you can do, and tools you can use when monitoring wildlife in the field?
- INSPECT and investigate mitigation measures
- DOCUMENT wildlife sightings
- RECOMMEND additional measures
- MONITOR site cleanliness
- Tools: Environmental Plan, Environmental Assessment, Field Guide
As an environmental SPECIALIST, what are some things you can do, and tools you can use when monitoring wildlife in the field?
- Conduct PRE-DISTURBANCE species at risk surveys
- Amphibian, small mammal SALVAGE or RELOCATION
- Obtain wildlife PERMITS
- Tools: Environmental Plan, Environmental Assessment
Why is the Alouette Reservoir Lake Fertilization Monitoring program being done?
- 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
Provide 2 ways the gill nets were set up for the Alouette Reservoir program.
- 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.
In terms of monitoring the TEMPERATURES of the North and South basin, what is the general pattern?
- Once a depth of 20m was reached, the temperature remains at 5-8 degrees in all months
In terms of monitoring the DISSOLVED OXYGEN of the North and South basin, what is the general pattern?
- 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.
What is Leibig’s law of the minimum?
- 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
Who described the REDFIELD RATIO?
- ALFRED C. REDFIELD, oceanogropher
What is the REDFIELD RATIO?
- Optimal dissolved nitrogen : dissolved phosphorus ratio, for phytoplankton growth is 16:1
Define OLIGOTROPHIC
- Lake, pond or stream lacking in nutrients (N and P), not very productive
Define EUTROPHIC
- Lake, pond or stream high in nutrients (N and P), very productive
Define MESOTROPHIC
- Between Oligotrophic and Eutrophic
What are some tools used for sampling at the Alouette Reservoir?
- 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
What is NET MENDING?
- tying knots and repairing the net. mending to the net when you the fish work is complete.
Why monitor heli-skiing in this area of management (Steve Gordon)?
- There is a strong connection between ungulate winter range and heliskiing areas. Tend to overlap, and disrupt the ungulate populations in these winter ranges
What kind of data and how much was collected in the mountain goat monitoring program?
- No terrain masking
- Collected over 1 million points
Acronyms:
- UWR
- NWSGC
- RMGA
- UWR: Ungulate Winter Range
- NWSGC: Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council
- RMGA: Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance
What is MARINE-DERIVED NUTRIENTS (MDN)?
- Nutrients acquired from anadromous fish, and deposited into freshwater or terrestrial ecosystem when the fish dies
Provide 3 “styles of monitoring
- PHOTO-monitoring
- HABITAT and STRUCTURE monitoring
- RIPARIAN VEGETAION plot, monitoring
