Environmental Science Flashcards
3 aspects of sustainability
Economic
Social
Environment
Sustainability
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Economic
Job conservation
economic development
cost to benefit balance
Social
Maintain quality of life
Environment
Pollution
Waste
Conservation of resources
Maintaining biodiversity
Main areas of impact
Water usage/pollution Climate change Air pollution Over consumption/exploitation Solid waste
Water
Single greatest resource
Water is used for
Personal use
Agriculture
Recreation
Water management
Helps communities manage water and reduce water pollution
Struggles with water
Phoenix water is above K Water wars (Colorado River)
Biomagnification
Toxic chemical pollutants released into the water are taken up (eaten by small consumers and the toxin gets stored in their muscle tissue)
Process of biomagnification
As larger and larger consumers eat more and more smaller fish, the dose of stored chemical get larger and eventually too consumers eat infected organisms and receive the largest doses of the toxin
Toxins consumed through biomagnification
DDT and mercury
Acid rain
Caused by fossil fuel emissions and produced when pollutants in the water cycle cause rain pH to drop
Effects of acid rain
Can lower the pH of a lake or stream
Can harm trees
How acid rain is produced
Emissions evaporate
Travel by wind
Blend into rain
Acid rain pH vs. normal rain pH
4.5 vs. 5.6
Smog
A haze of pollutants that hangs in the air
A combination of smoke and fog