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1
Q

The international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economics

A

The intergovernmental Panel on climate change

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2
Q

The world’s most abundant fossil fuel

A

Coal

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3
Q

The US consumes more of this renewable energy than any other energy source

A

Biomass

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4
Q

freshwater makes up ____% of the earth’s surface

A

2.5%

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5
Q

What percentage of earth’s freshwater is surface water?

A

1%, the rest are in glaciers or in the ground

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6
Q

groundwater

A

makes up 20% of freshwater, usually held in pores in soil or rock

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7
Q

surface water

A

1% of earth’s freshwater, becomes groundwater through infiltration

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8
Q

Aquifers:

A

Porous formations of rock, sand, or gravel that hold water

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9
Q

Runoff

A

water the flows over land; merges in rivers and ends up in a lake or ocean

-Tributaries: smaller rivers flowing into larger ones

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10
Q

Watershed

A

the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

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11
Q

floodplain

A

areas nearest to the river’s course that are flooded periodically. Soil is fertile & is a good area for agriculture

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12
Q

Zones of lakes and ponds:

A

littoral zone: surface water
Benthic zone: bottom of the pond
Limnetic zone: open portion of lake or pond where sunlight allows photosynthesis

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13
Q

Wetlands

A

the soil is saturated with shallow, standing water

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14
Q

swamps

A

shallow water in forested areas

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15
Q

bogs

A

ponds covered in thick vegetation

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16
Q

currents

A

vast riverlike flows.
-upwelling of cold, deep water to the surface. High primary productivity and lucrative fisheries
-downwelling of warm, oxygen-rich water. Provides oxygen for deep-water life

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17
Q

North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)

A

one part of the worldwide current system. Warm water from the Gulf flows across the Atlantic ocean, warming europe. Water cools, becomes saltier, and sinks, creating a region of downwelling off the European coast.

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18
Q

El Niño (Southern Oscillation) ENSO

A

a shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation. Normally, winds blow westward, decreasing air pressure in the Eastern pacific. Leads to rich fisheries in Peru and Ecuador. El Nino destroys all of this bc it suppresses upwellings off America’s pacific coast

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19
Q

Salt marshes

A

occur along coasts at temperate latitudes, tides wash over gently sloping, sandy, or silty substrates

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20
Q

Mangroves

A

salt-tolerant trees with unique roots

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21
Q

Dams

A

any obstruction placed in a river or stream to block the flow of water. Erected to Prevent floods, provide drinking water, allow irrigation and generate electricity.
-Downsides: leads to habitat loss, migration loss

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22
Q

What was the worst oil spill in history?

A

Deepwater Horizon

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23
Q

The primary causes of acid deposition are these two oxides

A

Nitrous and Sulfur

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24
Q

Water soluble sulfur and nitrogen oxide can be removed from an industrial source with this technology

A

wet scrubber

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25
Where are many wind farms considering moving due to less turbulence and greater wind speeds
They are planning to move offshore
26
E-85
a fuel supply that contains 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline
27
Methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor are all part of this group...
greenhouse gases
28
lead
a particulate substance that causes central nervous system damage in humans
29
Dams are built to...
generate electricity, prevent flooding, and provide irrigation
30
Flood plains
a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows
31
The Dust Bowl
The US catastrophe resulted from poor farming and grazing techniques
32
What percentage of fuel used actually moves your car forward?
14%
33
What is fractioned to separate the chemicals used for gasoline, lubricants, plastics and other products?
crude oil
34
What is the waste produced from using hydrogen fuel cells?
H2O
35
What is active solar collection?
Using devices to move, store, or focus solar energy
36
________ continues to be the main fuel used to generate electricity in the United States.
Coal
37
Growing ________ releases methane into the atmosphere.
Rice
38
What part of the atmosphere is largely where weather patterns are determined?
Trophosphere
39
What do humans use the most freshwater for?
agricultural irrigation
40
________ represents 2.5% of all the water on our planet
freshwater
41
What element makes up the majority of the atmosphere?
Nitrogen
42
Reserviors
artificial lakes created by dams. store water for human use
43
pollution
the release of matter or energy that causes undesirable impacts on health and well-being of humans or other organisms
44
water pollution
has many forms and can cause diverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health -chemical indicators: pH, nutrient concentrations, dissolved oxygen concentration -Physical indicators: temperature, turbidity (density of suspended particles in water) -Biological indicators: presence of harmful microorganisms, species diversity
45
point sources (water)
discrete locations of water pollution such as factories, sewer pipes, oil tankers. Addressed by the US clean water Act
46
non-point sources
multiple inputs from larger areas (farms, city streets, neighborhoods)
47
wastewater
humans release biodegradable wastes from toilets, showers, sinks, dishwashers, etc. Developed nations treat wastewater, but many developing nations do not.
48
How to treat wastewater:
septic systems: remove solids, algae clean and decompose pollutants in the water, check for right levels.
49
Primary wastewater treatment
removes suspended solids
50
secondary wastewater treatement
water is stirred and aerated aerobic bacteria degrade organic pollutants further treatment may remove particular pollutants
51
bycatch
the accidental capture of non-target animals
52
troposphere
closest to earth, where weather takes place
53
stratosphere
protection of the earth by the ozone layer
54
weather
small geographic location over short periods of time (weather app over bee caves, austin, waco
55
climate
patters of atmospheric conditions across large geographic regions over long time periods (the south is hot and humid, the north is clod and dry)
56
Coriolis effect
the apparent north-south deflection of air currents of the convective cells, results in curving global wind patterns
57
air pollution
the release of pollutants
58
air pollutants
gases and particulate material added to atmosphere, can affect climate or harm people or other organisms
59
point sources (air)
specific spots where large quantities of pollutants are discharged (e.g. power plants)
60
non-point sources (air)
more diffuse, consisting of many small, widely spread sources (cars
61
primary pollutants
directly harmful or can react to form harmful substances (soot and carbon monoxide)
62
secondary pollutants
form when primary pollutants react with constituents of the atmosphere (ozone is formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide combines with sunlight)
63
Tropospheric ozone (O3)
a colorless gas -a secondary pollutant created from sunlight, heat, nitrogen oxides, volatile carbon-containing chemicals -a major component of chemical smog
64
Montreal Protocol (1987)
196 nations agreed to cut CFC production in half by 1998. Later agreements deepened cuts, advanced timetables, and addressed other ozone-depleting chemicals. Most successful international treaty ever
65
climate vs. weather
climate: an area's long-term atmospheric conditions. temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, etc.
66
greenhouse gases
atmospheric gases that absorb infrared radiation. water vapor, ozone, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, halocarbons (CFCs)
67
anthropogenic
human-caused intensification of greenhouse gases is what we are most worried about
68
________ contributes the most to the greenhouse effect
CO2
69
Proxy indicators
indirect evidence that serve as substitutes for direct measurements of past climate change -ice caps, ice sheets, and glaciers hold clues to Earth's climate history -trapped bubbles in ice cores provide a time scale of atmospheric change
70
Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) established in 1988
composed of hundreds of international scientists and government representatives. Predicts future changes in wildlife, ecosystems, and human societies
71

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