Enviro Unit 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

clearcutting

A

cutting down most or all trees in an area

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2
Q

why clearcutting?

A

to harvest wood
clear the land for agriculutre or developement

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3
Q

slash and burn and why

A

trees are cut and the rest is burned down.
-fast, efficient, and economically profitable

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4
Q

direct affects of clearcutting

A

– incr. soil erosion
(no roots holding soil in place)
–incr soil and stream temperature
(loss of tree shade warms soil/water incr. turbidity)
– flooding and landslides
(machinery compacts soil) (incr sunlight dries out soil)
(all decr water holding capacity which cause flooding and landslides)

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5
Q

forest benefits

A

–filtering of air
(stomata removes VOCs, NO2, PM from air & stores in tree)
– removal & storage of CO2 from atm.
–habitat for organisms
– prevention of erosion

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6
Q

deforestation consequences

A

–reduces air filtering and carbon storage services
– cutting down trees releases CO2 from decomposition of left overt organic material
– slash& burn method releases CO2 into atm.

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7
Q

difference between deforestation and clearcutting

A

deforestation is no chance or will to regrow trees, removing forest for ever
clearcutting you can regrow trees in the future

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8
Q

tragedy of the commons

A

individuals will tend to use a shared public resource in their own self interest rather than condisering the common good, therby depleting the resource

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9
Q

tragedy of the commons examples

A

-overgrazing
- overfishing
-air/water pollution
-overuse of groundwater

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10
Q

why does the tragedy of the commons happen?

A

– when no one owns the resources, no one directly suffers the consequence of overusing it
– people assume others will overuse it if they don’t
– no penalty for overusing, degrading, polluting many public resources

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11
Q

how to solve tragedy of the commons?

A

–private land ownership (government or individual)
–fees or taxes for use EX permit for system for grazing, logging
– taxes, fines, criminal charges for pollution
Examples_ clean air act, clean water act,

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12
Q

the green revolution

A

shift in agriculture away from small, family owned farms to large, industrial-scale agribusinessess

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13
Q

what increases in the green revolution

A

mechanization, GMOs, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides

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14
Q

green revolution pros and cons

A

+ greatly incr efficiency of lands, short-term profitabilty and food supply
+ decr. world hunger and incr. earth’s carrying capacity for humans
- soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, ground and surface water contamination, fossil fuel use

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15
Q

mechanization

A

increased use of machines for plowing, tilling, harvesting

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16
Q

mechanization pros and cons

A

+ increases yield and profits
- increases reliance on fossil fuels emits GHGs to atm
- heavy machinery also compacts soil, decreasing H20 holding capacity

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17
Q

HYV crops (high yield variety) pro

A

hybrid or genetically modified crops that produce a higher yield
+incr yield and food stability in regions previosly prone to famine

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18
Q

hybrid

A

cross-pollinatinig different parent plants with ideal traits

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19
Q

GMOs definitoin

A

crops with new genes “spliced” into their genome. have genes for drought tolerance, pest resistance, faster growth and larger fruit/grain

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20
Q

GMOs pros and cons

A

+ increases profitability with fewer plants lost due to drought, disease, pest
+ less land needed to grow the same amount of food
- GMO crops are all genetically identical so genetic diversity decreases and susceptibility to disease or pests is increased

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21
Q

GMO BT corn example

A

BT corn has been modified with a gene from soil bacteria to produce a protein that kills many diff corn pests

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22
Q

Synthetic fertilizer

A

shift from organic fertilizers (like manure and compost) to synthetic fertilizers (man made ammonium, nitrate, phosphate)

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23
Q

synthetic fertilizers pros and cons

A

+increases yield and profits with more key nutrients needed for plant growth added to the soil
+ can customize, doesn’t smell like manure, easy storage and application
- excess nitrate phosphate are washed off fields and into nearby waters where they cause eutrophication
- require Fosil Fuels for production releasing CO2

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24
Q

irrigation

A

drawing water from the ground or nearby surface waters and distributing it on fields to incr. plant growth

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25
Q

irrigation pros and cons

A

+ makes agriculutre possible in many parts of the world that are naturally to dry
- can deplete freshwater sources (aquifers, rivers)
- overwatering can drown roots and cause soil salinization

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26
Q

pesticides

A

increase in use of synthethic pesticides - chemicals sprayed on crops that kill weeds, insects, and other pests that eath or damage crops

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27
Q

pesticides pros and cons

A

+ icnreases yield and profits with fewer plants lost to pests
- can wash off into runoff and kill or harm non-target species in local soil or waters (bees especially)

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28
Q

monocropping pros and cons

A

+ highly efficient for harvest, pesticide and fertilizer application
- incr soil erosion
- decr habitat diversity for species living in the area
- can deplete soil nutrients unless crops are rotated

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29
Q

tilling

A

mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier
-incr erosion by loosening top soil
- loss of organic matter & topsoil nutrients over time
- inc. particulate matter in air and sediments in nearby watter

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30
Q

slash and burn
loss of:

A

loss of habitat, biodiversity, CO2 sequestration, air pollution filtration

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31
Q

slash and burn consequences

A
  • releases CO2, CO, N2O
  • incr. PM in air (astma)
  • lowers albedo making area warmer
32
Q

leaching

A

water carries excess nutrients into grounwater or into surfacewaters

33
Q

leaching effects

A

contaminates groundwater for drinking
causes eutrophication of surface waters

34
Q

global human water use

A

industrial 19%
municipal 11%
agriculture 70%

35
Q

industrial

A

power plants, metal/plastic manufactering

36
Q

municipal

A

households (toilet, shower, drinking water)

37
Q

agriculture

A

water for livestock, irrigation water for crops

38
Q

furrow irrigation

A

trench dug along crops & filled with water
-easy & inexpensive , water seeps into soil slowly
-66% efficient, 33% lost to runoff % evap

39
Q

spray irrigation

A

ground or surface water pumped into spray nozzles
– more efficient than flood or furrow (75-95%)
– move expensive (requires energy for pumps & movement of sprinklers)

40
Q

flood irrigation

A

flood entire field, easier but more disrupive plants
– can waterlog soil & drown plants
– 70% - 80% efficient, 20-30% lost to runoff/evap.

41
Q

drip irrigation

A

most efficient, but also most costly
– over 95% efficient
– holes in hose allow water to drip out
– avoids waterlogging % conserves water

42
Q

waterlogging

A

overwatering can saturate the soil, filling all pore space with water
– doesn’t allow air into pores, so roots can’t take 02 they need
– can stunt growth or kill crops

43
Q

solution to waterlogging

A

drip irrigation, or soil aeration

44
Q

soil aeration

A

poking holes or cores in soil to allow air in % water to drain

45
Q

soil salinization

A

– groundwater used for irrigation has small amounts of salt, water evaporates and salt is left in soil. Over time it can reach toxic levels , dehyrdating plant roots and preventing growth

46
Q

soil salinization solutions

A

drip irrigation, soil aeration, flushing with freshwater, using freshwater sources instead

47
Q

groundwater

A

H20 stored in pore space of permeable rock & sediment layers

48
Q

aquifers

A

useable groundwater deposits for humans
- replenished by groundwater recharge

49
Q

unconfined vs confined aquifers

A

unconfined aquifers recharge quickly
confined aquifers are longer-term water deposits that recharge more slowly

50
Q

salt water intrusion

A

excessive pumping near coast lowers water table pressure, allowing saltwater to seep into groundwater

51
Q

cone of depression

A

forms when water table is lowered by excessive pumping, depleting water and drying nearby wells

52
Q

how do pesticides cause pests to become resistant to pesticide?

A
  1. genetic diversity gives some pests resistant traits
  2. pesticide kills all the non-resistant ones (artificial selection)
  3. pesticide treadmill
53
Q

pesticide treadmill

A

more pesticide or new pesticide must be used to kill pests due to resistance to original pesticide

54
Q

pesticide impacts

A
  • decr. crop loss due to pest damage which incr. crop yield/profit
    -can kill or harm non-target species EX bees, ladybugs
    —DDT thinned shells of bird eggs, especially eagles
    -can persist in environment and lech into groundwater
55
Q

pesticides :: GMOs, BT corn and Round Up Ready Crops

A

gene for pest resistant trait is added to the plant through genetic modification.
– BT corn with bacteria gene that produces BT crystals toxic to pests
–Round Up Ready crops are GM to be resistant to broad herbocide meaning roundup will kill weeds not crops

56
Q

CAFOs stands for?

A

concentrated animal feeding operations

57
Q

what are CAFOs

A

densely crowded method where animals are fed grain to raise them as quickly as possible

58
Q

CAFOs pros and cons

A

+maximizes land use and profit (most meat production per/ unit of area)
+ minimizes cost for consumers
- given antibiotics & growth hormones to prevent disease outbreak & speed meat production
- animals produce large volume of waste which can contaminate nearby surface or groundwater
- produces large amounts of CO2, CH4 (methane) and N20 (greenhouse gasses )

59
Q

manure lagoons

A

-large open pits for animal waste, (manure)
- waste contains: ammonia, hormones, antibiotics, E.coli
- heavy rain can flood lagoons and contaminate nearby surface with runoff and infiltrate into groundwater
- denitrification of ammonia in manure produces N20, (extremely powerful greenhouse gas)
- can be emptied and buried in landfills or turned into fertilizer pellets.

60
Q

E. coli –>
ammonia–>
antibiotics–>

A

E. coli is toxic to humans
ammonia causes eutrophication
antibiotics & growth hormones alter endocrine system of humans

61
Q

Free range grazing

A

animals graze on grass and grow at a natural rate without growth hormones

62
Q

Free range grazing pros and cons

A

+ no need for antibiotics with dispersed population
+ doesn’t require production of corn to feed animals
+ waste is dispersed over land naturally, acting as fertilizer instead of building up in lagoons
- requires more total land use / pound of meat produced
- more expensive for consumer

63
Q

overgrazing cons and solutions

A
  • too many animals grazing an area of land can remove all the vegetation
  • animals also compact soil, decr. H2) holding capacity
  • desertification can occur if plants are killed by overgrazing and soil is compacted so much that it can’t hold any water
    solution:
    rational grazing (moving animals periodically) can prevent overgrazing
    can even incr. grass growth by distributing manure and clipping
64
Q

inefficiency of meat

A

producing meat for humans to eat is far less efficient than producing plants in terms of energy, land, and wateruse

65
Q

inefficiency of meat Energy

A

all of the energy needed to plant, grow and harvest plants to feed to animals PLUS
– energy needed to bring water to animals
— energy needed to house animals
– energy needed to slaughter and package

66
Q

inefficiency of meat land

A

all of the land needed to grow plants to feed animals PLUS
– room the animals take up

67
Q

inefficiency of meat wateruse

A

all of the water for crops that animals eat PLUS
– the water the animals drink/use

68
Q

fisheries overfishing

A

populations of fish used or commercial fishing

69
Q

overfishing

A

harvesting fish at rate faster than they can be sustainably replenished

70
Q

what is overfishing caused by?

A

-modern fishing methods (seine nets, gill nets, bottom-trawling)
-growing global population
- subsidies and other economic incentives

71
Q

bottom trawling

A

especially harmful fishing method that involves dragging a large net along the ocean floor
-by-catch
-stirs up ocean sediment and destroys coral reefs
- decr. biodiversity by killing non-target species & removing coral reef habitat

72
Q

by-catch

A

unintended species like dolphins, wales and sea turtles that get caught in nets

73
Q

gill nets

A

wall of netting that hangs in the water column
- also an issue of by-catch, although large mesh nets are no longer allowed
- can lead to ghost nets (abandoned or lost nets)
- decr. biodiversity by killing non-target species, especially sea turtles

74
Q

fishing down the food web and trophic cascade

A
  • as we deplete large, predatory fisheries, we move down to smaller fish species
  • depletion of smaller fish pop. limits fishery recovery and decr. food supply of marine mammals and sea birds
75
Q

fishery collapse

A

-when overfishing causes 90% population decline in a fishery
-pop. may never recover from fishery collapse
-decr. genetic biodiversity of fish populations & species biodiversity of ocean ecosystem
economic consequences

76
Q

pop. may never recover from fishery collapse due to

A
  • decreased biodiversity
  • inability to find mates
  • inbreeding depression
77
Q

economic consequences of fishery collapses

A

–> lost income for fisherman
–> lost tourism dollars for communities