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Env 1301 > Final > Flashcards

Final Flashcards

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
Q

Where are many wind farms considering moving due to less turbulence and greater wind speeds

A

They are planning to move offshore

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26
Q

E-85

A

a fuel supply that contains 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline

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27
Q

Methane, carbon dioxide, water vapor are all part of this group…

A

greenhouse gases

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28
Q

lead

A

a particulate substance that causes central nervous system damage in humans

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29
Q

Dams are built to…

A

generate electricity, prevent flooding, and provide irrigation

30
Q

Flood plains

A

a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows

31
Q

The Dust Bowl

A

The US catastrophe resulted from poor farming and grazing techniques

32
Q

What percentage of fuel used actually moves your car forward?

A

14%

33
Q

What is fractioned to separate the chemicals used for gasoline, lubricants, plastics and other products?

A

crude oil

34
Q

What is the waste produced from using hydrogen fuel cells?

A

H2O

35
Q

What is active solar collection?

A

Using devices to move, store, or focus solar energy

36
Q

________ continues to be the main fuel used to generate electricity in the United States.

A

Coal

37
Q

Growing ________ releases methane into the atmosphere.

A

Rice

38
Q

What part of the atmosphere is largely where weather patterns are determined?

A

Trophosphere

39
Q

What do humans use the most freshwater for?

A

agricultural irrigation

40
Q

________ represents 2.5% of all the water on our planet

A

freshwater

41
Q

What element makes up the majority of the atmosphere?

A

Nitrogen

42
Q

Reserviors

A

artificial lakes created by dams. store water for human use

43
Q

pollution

A

the release of matter or energy that causes undesirable impacts on health and well-being of humans or other organisms

44
Q

water pollution

A

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
Q

point sources (water)

A

discrete locations of water pollution such as factories, sewer pipes, oil tankers. Addressed by the US clean water Act

46
Q

non-point sources

A

multiple inputs from larger areas (farms, city streets, neighborhoods)

47
Q

wastewater

A

humans release biodegradable wastes from toilets, showers, sinks, dishwashers, etc. Developed nations treat wastewater, but many developing nations do not.

48
Q

How to treat wastewater:

A

septic systems: remove solids, algae clean and decompose pollutants in the water, check for right levels.

49
Q

Primary wastewater treatment

A

removes suspended solids

50
Q

secondary wastewater treatement

A

water is stirred and aerated
aerobic bacteria degrade organic pollutants
further treatment may remove particular pollutants

51
Q

bycatch

A

the accidental capture of non-target animals

52
Q

troposphere

A

closest to earth, where weather takes place

53
Q

stratosphere

A

protection of the earth by the ozone layer

54
Q

weather

A

small geographic location over short periods of time (weather app over bee caves, austin, waco

55
Q

climate

A

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
Q

Coriolis effect

A

the apparent north-south deflection of air currents of the convective cells, results in curving global wind patterns

57
Q

air pollution

A

the release of pollutants

58
Q

air pollutants

A

gases and particulate material added to atmosphere, can affect climate or harm people or other organisms

59
Q

point sources (air)

A

specific spots where large quantities of pollutants are discharged (e.g. power plants)

60
Q

non-point sources (air)

A

more diffuse, consisting of many small, widely spread sources (cars

61
Q

primary pollutants

A

directly harmful or can react to form harmful substances (soot and carbon monoxide)

62
Q

secondary pollutants

A

form when primary pollutants react with constituents of the atmosphere (ozone is formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide combines with sunlight)

63
Q

Tropospheric ozone (O3)

A

a colorless gas
-a secondary pollutant created from sunlight, heat, nitrogen oxides, volatile carbon-containing chemicals
-a major component of chemical smog

64
Q

Montreal Protocol (1987)

A

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
Q

climate vs. weather

A

climate: an area’s long-term atmospheric conditions. temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, etc.

66
Q

greenhouse gases

A

atmospheric gases that absorb infrared radiation. water vapor, ozone, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, halocarbons (CFCs)

67
Q

anthropogenic

A

human-caused intensification of greenhouse gases is what we are most worried about

68
Q

________ contributes the most to the greenhouse effect

A

CO2

69
Q

Proxy indicators

A

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
Q

Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) established in 1988

A

composed of hundreds of international scientists and government representatives. Predicts future changes in wildlife, ecosystems, and human societies

71
Q
A

Env 1301 (2 decks)

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