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Recap > Environmental Geology (Papa) > Flashcards

Environmental Geology (Papa) Flashcards

1
Q

What are some hazardous earth processes that are related to environmental change?

A
  • Natural disasters
  • Rivers and flooding
  • Salinization and saline environments
  • Coastal hazards and erosion
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2
Q

Where is the Aral Sea located?

A

in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

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3
Q

What is the environmental issue that has occurred around the Aral Sea?

A

As the population around the lake has increase, water has been intensively extracted for agricultural and harmful fertilizes have leached into the lake. This has led the size of the lake to greatly decrease and the water has become unsuitable for crops or drinking.

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4
Q

Carrying capacity

A

the max. population size of a species that can be sustained with an area

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5
Q

S - Curve population graph

A

the population stabilizes at a carrying capacity

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6
Q

J- Curve population graph

A

the population stabilizes around the carrying capacity but continues to increase over it and then crash below it.

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7
Q

When the population around rivers increases…

A

nitrate concentrations in the river increase

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8
Q

3 parts of the Earth

A
  • atmosphere
  • hydrosphere
  • lithnosphere
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9
Q

Earth is an open system with respect to …

A

energy

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10
Q

Earth is closed system with respect to …

A

materials

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11
Q

Silicate weathering controls …

A

climate change (because it uses up CO2)

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12
Q

Precipitation

A

when a solid is formed from a solution

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13
Q

How does silicate weathering occur?

A

(geological time-scale)

Rain contains carbonic acid, when it falls this acid breaks down rocks

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14
Q

Residence time

A

the total time that a substance has spend within a controlled volume

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15
Q

Coefficient of variation

A

measures the dispersion of a probability/frequency distribution

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16
Q

Chemicals emitted during mining…

A

cause erosion and loss of habitats

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17
Q

Layers of the atmosphere in order

A 
Ground (highest temp/)
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere

The sack’s made there.

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18
Q

Energy coming from the sun has a …. wavelength

A

short

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19
Q

Energy returning to space from the Earth has a … wavelength

A

long

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20
Q

What is the atmosphere composed of? (top 3)

A
  1. Nitrogen
  2. Oxygen
  3. Argon
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21
Q

How is the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere, from thousands of years ago, measured?

A

By collecting ice core samples and analyzing gas bubbles trapped inside

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22
Q

CH4

A

Methane

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23
Q

The difference in energy outputs vs. inputs is what causes …

A

global warming

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24
Q

When the sun rays hit the surface (away from the equator) cover a broad range it is ….

A

winter

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25
Q

When the sun rays hit the surface (away from the equator) cover a narrow range it is ….

A

summer

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26
Q

What are the 3 climate cell types?

A 
From equator
1. Hadley cell
2. Ferrel cell
3. Polar cell
To poles
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27
Q

The Coriolis effect causes …

A

objects moving straight will appear to curve (because of the Earth’s rotation)

  • curve to the right on the NH
  • curve to the left on the SH
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28
Q

In a high pressure cell …

A
  • air flows in all directions (due to the high pressure the air is pushed away from the pressure cell)
  • high pressure at the center
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29
Q

In a low pressure cell …

A
  • lower pressure in the center than the areas around it

- air moves towards the low pressure cell

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30
Q

What causes the monsoonal climate of South Asia?

A

The movement of a high pressure cell from the south (in the summer / wet season) to the north (in the winter / dry season)

As the Earth rotates around the sun, causing different seasons, the intertropical convergence zone shifts and with it so does the high pressure cell

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31
Q

Intertropical convergence zone

A

Near the equator

The Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ, is a band of low pressure around the Earth which generally lies near to the equator. The trade winds of the northern and southern hemispheres come together here, which leads to the development of frequent thunderstorms and heavy rain.

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32
Q

The thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in…

A

salinity and temperature of ocean water

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33
Q

Cold water is…

A
  • denser
  • holds less salt
  • holds more gases
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34
Q

Warm water is….

A
  • less dense (expands)

- holds less salt

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35
Q

Where do upwellings occur?

A
  • close to the coast, where marine currents push water upwards
  • also driven by trade winds pushing surface water
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36
Q

What are the main seawater constituents?

A

(in order)

  1. Pure water ( 95.68%)
  2. Oxygen
  3. Hydrogen
  4. Chloride
  5. Sodium
  6. Magnesium
  7. Sulfate (SO4)
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37
Q

Pelagic …

A

relating to the open sea

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38
Q

Benthos

A

is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone

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39
Q

Benthic zone

A

the lowest ecological zone in a water body, and usually involves the sediments at the seafloor

40
Q

Nekton

A

aquatic animals that are able to swim and move independently of water currents.

41
Q

Plankton

A

the small and microscopic organisms drifting or floating in the sea or fresh water, consisting chiefly of diatoms, protozoans, small crustaceans, and the eggs and larval stages of larger animals.

42
Q

Salinity is determined by …

A

ratio between rainfall and evaporation

43
Q

As the salinity of water increases the freezing point …

A

decreases

44
Q

At what temperature is water the most dense?

A

4°C

45
Q

… liquid can hold more gas

A

Cool

46
Q

Thermocline

A

the decrease of temperature in the water column

47
Q

Hypolimnion

A

the lower layer of water in a stratified lake, typically cooler than the water above and relatively stagnant.

48
Q

If the surface of a body of water is very productive at the surface, … conditions are likely to form at the bottom.

A

anoxic

49
Q

Oligotrophic

A

deficiency of nutrients

50
Q

Eutrophic

A

over abundance of nutrients

51
Q

Primary production along coastlines is higher because…

A

of upwelling which brings nutrients from deeper water

52
Q

What are the 2 most important and growth-limiting nutrients in the ocean?

A

Phosphorus and nitrogen

53
Q

Osmosis

A

movement of water through a semi-permeable membrane

54
Q

Radiolaria/radiozoa

A

protozoa that produce mineral skeletons (usually made of silica)

55
Q

How often often does the El Niño Southern Oscillation happen?

A

every 2-7 years

56
Q

How many years does it take for the ocean to mix?

A

3,500 years

57
Q

What negative feedback occurred during the snowball Earth?

A
  • CO2 built up from volcanoes
  • since there was no precipitation there also was no chemical weathering to reduce CO2
  • causing the greenhouse effect to amplify
58
Q

HCO3

A

Bicarbonate

59
Q

CaCO3

A

Calcium carbonate

60
Q

How long ago was the Earth created?

A

4.5 - 4.8 billion years ago

61
Q

Life remained in the ocean during the early period of the life on Earth because …

A

it was protected from UV rays there, and once enough O2 was present to create an atmosphere, life slowly appeared on land

62
Q

During the coniferous period, dragonflies were …

A

2m wide (as more O2 was present)

63
Q

The equilibrium of gas concentrations in the atmosphere and ocean depends on …

A

the temperature

64
Q

Exothermic reactions …

A

release energy into the environment

65
Q

Organic carbon can only be produced by …

A

producers

66
Q

The largest carbon reservoir is …

A

deep ocean dissolved inorganic carbon

67
Q

Microbes

A

all unicellular organisms

68
Q

What are the 2 stable carbon isotopes?

A

C12 and C13

69
Q

What causes an atom to become radioactive?

A

when more neutrons are added beyond a certain point

70
Q

Isotopes of an element have the same chemical properties but different …

A

physical properties ( because they have different masses)

71
Q

Neutron and protons contribute the same amount to the mass, but electrons …

A

don’t make a big difference

72
Q

When an atom is an ion:

A

of P is NOT = to # of E

73
Q

When an atom is stable:

A

of P is = to # of E

74
Q

‘Older’ ocean water is more …

A

nutritious

75
Q

Photic zone

A

the region of the water column that receives light

76
Q

Energy is obtained from the redox reactions of N-bearing molecules by …

A

various microbes

77
Q

N2 is the most abundant form of N but…

A

it cannot be used by biota, because it has a triple bond that cannot be easily broken

78
Q

Oxidation

A
  • removal of electrons

- increase in charge/valence state

79
Q

Reduction

A
  • adding of electrons

- decrease in charge/valence state

80
Q

All compounds that contain oxygen have …

A

been oxidized

81
Q

In order for plants to used nitrogen …

A

it needs to be fixed as ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3-)

82
Q

The reduction of carbon occurs during photosynthesis. (F/T)

A

True

83
Q

Respiration is an oxidation reaction. (F/T)

A

True

84
Q

Oxygen containing compounds are not stable under anoxic conditions because …

A

O is in high demand by bacteria

85
Q

Denitrification

A

microbes reduce compounds containing N to gaseous forms of N

86
Q

The triple bonds in N2 can be split by …

A

lightning

87
Q

Humans account for … of the global transport of N in rivers

A

50%

88
Q

Sulfur is an essential component of …

A

protein

89
Q

Cation (charge?)

A

positively charged

90
Q

Anion (charge?)

A

negatively charged

91
Q

Acid rain is caused by?

hint: sulfur

A

Fossil fuels contain a lot of reduced sulfur which is oxidized during burning

SO2 (gas) reactions with H2O creating H2SO4 (sulfuric acid)

92
Q

Pyrite is an important component of the … cycle

A

sulfur

93
Q

Why is acid rain deposited close to the industries burning fossil fuels?

A

Because the industrial SO2 has a short residence time

94
Q

Sources of SO4 2- in the atmosphere:

A
  • sea salt
  • fossil fuel burning
  • deflation of desert soils containing gypsum
  • volcanism
  • biogenic gases
95
Q

Elements with a larger mass tend to have a … number of stable isotopes

A

higher

96
Q

Chemical reactions favor … isotopes

A

light

97
Q

Sea water contains more … isotopes

A

heavy

because the light isotopes have been removed from the water by chemical reactions

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