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Final Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Air pollution

A

any material added to the atmosphere that harms living organisms, affects the climate, or impacts structures

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2
Q

Primary air pollution

A

air pollutants released directly from a mobile or stationary source

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3
Q

Secondary air pollution

A

formed when primary air pollutants react with one another or with chemicals in the air

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4
Q

Ground-level ozone

A

secondary pollutant that forms when some of the pollutants released during FF combustion react with atmospheric oxygen in the presence of sunlight (smog)

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5
Q

Particulate Matter

A

particles or droplets small enough to remain aloft in the air for long periods of time (smoke and soot)

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6
Q

Transboundary Pollution

A

pollution that is produced in one area but falls in a different region

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7
Q

Environmental Justice

A

the concept that access to a clean, healthy environment is a basic human right

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8
Q

Acid Deposition

A

precipitation that contains sulfuric or nitric acid; dry particles may also fall and become acidified once they mix with water (secondary pollutant)

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9
Q

Clean Air Act

A

main US law that authorizes the EPA to set standards for dangerous air pollutants and enforce those standards

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10
Q

Volatile Organic Compounds

A

chemical that readily evaporates and is released into the air as a gas; may be hazardous (paints, carpets, cleaner)

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11
Q

Command and Control Regulation

A

legislative control of an activity or industry via rules that identify acceptable actions/ national limits on how much pollution can be released into environment

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12
Q

Green Taxes

A

a tax assessed on environmentlaly undesirable activities

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13
Q

Tax Credits

A

a reduction in the tax one must pay in exchange for some desirable action

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14
Q

subsidies

A

financial assistance given by the government to promote desired activities

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15
Q

Cap and Trade

A

regulations that set an upper limit for pollution, issue permits to producers for a portion of that amount, and allow producers that use or release less their their allotment to sell permits to those who exceeded their allotment

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16
Q

smokestack scrubbers

A

send the emissions through a mist of water and limestone to trap containments and prevent their release

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17
Q

Nuclear energy

A

energy in an atom; can be released when an atom is split (fission)

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18
Q

atoms

A

the simplest form of matter that retains the characteristics of that element

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19
Q

Element

A

a substance composed of all the same type of atoms

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20
Q

Atomic number

A

number of protons it possesses

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21
Q

Atomic Mass

A

number of protons plus the number of neutrons

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22
Q

Mass number

A

number of neutrons

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23
Q

Isotopes

A

atoms that have different numbers of neutrons in their nucleus but the same number of protons

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24
Q

Radioactive

A

atoms that spontaneously emit subatomic particles and/or energy

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25
Q

Fuel Rods

A

hollow metal cylinder filled with uranium fuel pellets for use in fission reactions

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26
Q

Nuclear Fission

A

reaction that occurs when a neutron strikes the nucleus of an atom and breaks it into two or more parts

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27
Q

Control Rods

A

cylinder that can be added to a fuel assembly to absorb neutrons and slow the fission chain reaction

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28
Q

Radioactive Decay

A

spontaneous loss of particle or gamma radiation from an unstable nucleus

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29
Q

Environmental Science

A

an interdisciplinary field of research that draws on natural and social sciences and the humanities in order to understand the natural world and our relationship to it

30
Q

Environmental problems are difficult to solve because

A

there are mulitple causes and consequences, different stakeholders prefer different solutions, potential solutions come with trade-offs

31
Q

Environmental literacy

A

can help solve or prevent environmental problems

32
Q

A triple bottom line is a solution that is:

A

affordable, good for the environment

33
Q

Trade-offs

A

imperfect and sometimes problematic responses that we must at all times choose between when addressing complex problems

34
Q

Triple Bottom Line

A

solutions must be good for the environment, society, and affordable

35
Q

Typical order for the scientific process:

A

observation, hypothesis, experimentation, results, peer-review

36
Q

Hypothesis

A

an inference that proposes a possible explanation for what we have observed and is based on some previous knowledge

37
Q

Weather

A

meteorological conditions in a given place on a given day

38
Q

Climate

A

long term patterns or trends of meteorological conditions

39
Q

Climate Change

A

alteration in the long term patterns and statistical averages of meteorological events

40
Q

Albedo

A

the ability of a surface to reflect away solar radiation (positive feedback loop)

41
Q

light colored surfaces

A

high albedo

42
Q

darker surfaces

A

low albedo

43
Q

Adaptation

A

responding to warming that has already or will inevitably occur

44
Q

Greenhouse gases

A

molecules in the atmosphere that absorb heat and reradiate it back to earth

45
Q

Most potent greenhouse gas

A

carbon dioxide

46
Q

Climate Mitigation

A

efforts to minimize the extent or impact of climate change

47
Q

Climate mitigation

A

efforts to help deal with existing or impending climate change problems

48
Q

Population

A

all the individuals of a species that live in the same geographic area are able to interact and interbreed

49
Q

Range q

A

geographic area where a species or one of its populations can be found

50
Q

Population growth rate

A

change in population size over time that takes into account the number of deaths and births as well as migration

51
Q

Growth Factors

A

resources individuals need to survive and reproduce

52
Q

Resistance factors

A

things that directly (predators, disease) or indirectly (competitors) reduce population size

53
Q

Population momentum

A

populations that are bound to increase for another generation (young population)

54
Q

Transitional Population

A

population rise bound to slow. More males than females

55
Q

Green city

A

designated to improve environmental quality and social equity while reducing overall environmental impact

56
Q

Smart Growth

A

strategies to help create walkable communities with lower environmental impacts

57
Q

Infill development

A

development of empty lots within a city

58
Q

Niche specialists

A

very specific habitat or resource requirements that restrict where it can live

59
Q

Niche generalists

A

occupies a broad niche because it can utilize a wide variety of resources

60
Q

Keystone species

A

provides a unique service that impacts its community more than its mere abundance would predict

61
Q

What kind of extinction has occured to an animal that can only be found in a small region?

A

local extinction/extirpation

62
Q

The red-cockaded woodpecker makes it illegal to destroy forests that have individuals. Based on this, what type of species are they?

A

umbrella species

63
Q

endemic species

A

only found in one part of the world

64
Q

Debt for nature swaps

A

a wealthy nation forgives the debt of a developing nation, in return for a pledge to protect natural areas in that nation

65
Q

On earth, all ecosystems function through two fundamental processes, nutrient cycling and energy flow. Which statement is correct?

A

Energy flow is considered an open process

66
Q

Which factor is a way that humans disrupt the nitrogen cycle?

A

using excessive fertilizers

67
Q

which legislative act makes the US drinking water so dependable?

A

the safe drinking water act

68
Q

What was the dramatic event that helped spur passage of the 1972 clean water act?

A

the Cuyahoga river catching fire

69
Q

What is the leading cause of impaired surface water in the US?

A

oxygen depletion

70
Q

The end result of eutrophication:

A

decreased oxygen content of the water

71
Q

The deepest zone in the ocean is the

A

hadal

72
Q
A

Env Bio (1 decks)

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