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ENVI 101 > Final Exam > Flashcards

Final Exam Flashcards

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1
Q

energy

A

fundamental physical entity, the capacity of a body or system to accomplish work

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2
Q

what are the two types of energy and examples of each

A

kinetic (motion) and potential (stored)

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3
Q

what does reliable science mean?

A

how consistently a method measures something

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4
Q

what is the peer review process?

A

when other experts in the field review other work to make sure it is accurate

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5
Q

geology

A

study of dynamic processes taking place on the earth’s surface and in its interior

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6
Q

what are the three different zones of earth?

A

core, mantle, crust

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7
Q

science

A

the systematic examination of the structure and functioning of the natural world, both physical and biological attribute

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8
Q

steps of scientific method

A

observation, question, hypothesis, predict, experiment/observation, conclusion

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9
Q

hypothesis

A

a testable explanation for an observation, proposed explanation for the occurrence of phenomenon

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10
Q

how do Hadley cells impact climate?

A

Larger atmospheric cells or circulations where air rises at the equator and then sinks at medium latitudes (warm air falls, collects moisture, forced up, distributes water, falls back down)
controls precipitation!
explains precipitation patterns seen at the equator

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11
Q

how does air circulation impact climate?

A

redistributes heat and moisture

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12
Q

What is the concept tragedy of the commons? who coined this term?

A

individuals with access to a public resource act in their own interest and ultimately deplete the resource
garrett hardin

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13
Q

What are potential solutions to tragedy of the commons?

A

government regulation or making public property private

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14
Q

list the soil layers

A

soil profile, organic, topsoil, subsoil, parent material, and bedrock

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15
Q

atomic number

A

determined by number of protons (top left corner)

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16
Q

mass number

A

total # of protons and neutrons in nucleus

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17
Q

preservationist

A

keeping something intact/free of damage
john muir

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18
Q

conservationist

A

protection of something but not off limits
gifford pinchot and teddy roosevelt

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19
Q

who help found the US wilderness society

A

aldo leopold

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20
Q

who wrote a book that led to regulation of pesticides

A

rachel carson

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21
Q

when was the first earth day?

A

April 22, 1970

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22
Q

dynamics of volcanos and an example

A

vent in surface which molten lava flows onto the ground and all states of matter are ejected into the atmosphere (magma rising through the lithosphere, reaches the earths surface through a crack/fissure); Mount Vesuvius

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23
Q

dynamics of earthquakes

A

breakage and shifting of rocks, occurs at a fault, lead to destruction of buildings, landslips, tsunamis

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24
Q

dynamics of tsunamis and an example

A

series of huge waves generated when the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops; japan tsunami (damaged nuclear reactors)

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25
Q

dynamics of glaciers

A

sheets of ice formed from deep snowpack, compressed into ice from weight; can form mounded hills or bodies of water when melted

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26
Q

molecules

A

two or more atoms of the same or different elements joined by chemical bonds

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27
Q

organic molecules

A

molecules that are carbon-based

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28
Q

why is the Great Salt Lake drying up?

A

climate change and too much water is being diverted to other sources before it can reach the lake

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29
Q

what are the effects of the Great Salt Lake drying up?

A

metals at bottom are being exposed to atmosphere and are considered cancerous, migratory bird hotspot which cause them to go endangered

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30
Q

What can be done to deal with water shortages in the Great Salt Lake?

A

make housing more expensive or make reservoirs

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31
Q

name and define biomes

A

terrestrial (treeless), boreal coniferous/taiga (cold winter, moist soil), chaparral (mediterranean climate), desert (tropical), semi-evergreen (precipitation throughout year)

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32
Q

ecological succession

A

the gradual change in species composition in a given terrestrial or aquatic system

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33
Q

primary succession

A

begins in environments that lack organic matter and have not been altered in any way

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34
Q

secondary succession

A

occurs at a location that was previously occupied by a community and then underwent a disturbance that removed all or part of the existing community

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35
Q

delta

A

area at the mouth of a river built up by deposited sediment, usually containing sediment, usually containing coastal wetlands and estuaries

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36
Q

why are our deltas sinking?

A

man-made structures reduce the flow of silt and funnel it through wetlands into the gulf of mexico + rise in sea level = deltas sinking

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37
Q

what ecosystem services do wetlands provide?

A

Large biodiversity of species
Help with reducing storm damage/coastal erosion (storing excess water from storms)
Filtering toxic pollutants rather than going out to sea

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38
Q

different types of species interactions

A

herbivory, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism

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39
Q

herbivory, predation, and parasitism

A

(+,-)

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40
Q

mutualism

A

(+,+), host and parasite both benefit from actions of host

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41
Q

commensalism

A

one species benefit and the other is unaffected (+,0)

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42
Q

ecological niche

A

total use of biotic and abiotic resources for a species in its environment

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43
Q

evolution

A

The process through which life forms change genetically over time

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44
Q

mutation

A

changes in the coded genetic information on your DNA

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45
Q

natural selection

A

individuals with certain genetic traits are more likely to survive and reproduce under a specific set of environmental conditions

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46
Q

coevolution

A

interactions between populations that impact their evolution

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47
Q

predator defenses (and the different types)

A

the characteristics that evolved in prey to avoid being detected, selected, and captured by predators
chemical, cryptic, and flashing

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48
Q

nuclear power

A

controlled nuclear fission reaction in a reactor

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49
Q

concerns around nuclear power and how to prevent nuclear meltdown

A

Low net energy yield
high costs
fear of accidents
long-lived radioactive wastes
role in spread of nuclear weapons technology

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50
Q

nuclear fuel cycle

A

Mining the uranium
Processing and enriching the uranium to make fuel
Using it in a reactor
Safely storing the radioactive waste

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51
Q

how do we extract non-renewables

A

surface mining - shallow mining, common
open pit mining - large pits
strip mining - horizontal mining close to surface
mountaintop mining - use of explosives
subsurface mining - below surface, shafts needed
block caving - V-shaped holes blown below so
deposit falls
hydrofracking

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52
Q

hydrofracking

A

oil and natural gas trapped between compressed layers of shale rock formations

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53
Q

environmental impacts of hydrofracking

A

Requires enormous volumes of water
Produces hazardous wastewater
Drilling for these wells can cause mini earthquakes
These could cause the release of hazardous wastewater into groundwater
Tap water contaminated, allowed some peoples water to light on fire!

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54
Q

cross breeding

A

-Choosing two parents to cross breed to get varieties they are looking for (traits, colors, etc.)
-seen in nature but can take a while, new combination of many genes

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55
Q

gene editing

A

-changing an existing gene already in the tomato plant, use an enzyme in a laboratory to modify DNA already in the cell in ways that are desirable
-changed one gene

56
Q

transgenesis

A

-known as genetic engineering/GMO’s, you have someone in a lab working to insert a gene from one organism into another organism to get a desired trait
-added two new genes

57
Q

integrated pest management

A

cultural
physical-mechanical (different planting times)
biological
chemical

58
Q

CAFO and its problems

A

Concentrated (confined) Animal Feeding Operation
animals in cages at farms trying to produce a larger yield
major methane emitter
diseases to become resistant to antibiotics

59
Q

issues exacerbated by agriculture

A

Top soil erosion
waterlogging (raising of water table)
soil salinization (accumulation of salts in the upper soil layers)
desertification (fertile land becomes desert)

60
Q

difference between industrial and traditional agriculture

A

industrialized:
machinery/fossil fuel usage
on crop, large farms, profits
excess water
traditional:
energy from sun and human labor
enough for family survival

61
Q

traditional subsistence agriculture

A

use energy from the sun with the labor of humans and draft animals to produce enough crops for a farm family’s survival with little left over

62
Q

traditional intensive agriculture

A

higher crop yields by increasing human and draft animal labor, animal manure for fertilizer, and water
o Farmers can sell this food for income
Less emphasize of yield for traditional

63
Q

hydroponics (pros and cons)

A

growing plants by exposing their roots to a nutrient-rich water solution instead of soil, usually inside a greenhouse
(+):conserve water
grow all year around
no nitrate runoffs
reducing carbon footprint
efficient land use
no pesticides/herbicides
fake lights more effective than sunlight (red and blue wavelengths)
(-): large energy consumption

64
Q

how to restore soil fertility

A

organic fertilizer and crop rotation

65
Q

trends in global population size and growth rate

A

pop size increasing while the growth rate is decreasing

66
Q

pros of wind energy

A

reducing independency on nonrenewable resources
high net energy yield
wind is abundant

67
Q

cons of wind energy

A

Not In My Backyard Campaign
loud
not aesthetic
kills birds, especially bats

68
Q

what are scientists saying about climate change?

A

happening now, accelerating fast, need to act now

69
Q

types of greenhouse gases

A

water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, CO2

70
Q

relationship with CO2 and temperature

A

rising CO2 comes with rising temperature
CO2 is a green house gas so it is trapping heat to raise temperatures
we need green house gases but we are emitting too many

71
Q

carbon footprint

A

amount of CO2 generated by an individual, organization, or other entity

72
Q

how are ice cores used to measure climate change

A

drilling into ice, we can see change overtime due to air bubbles and their CO2 concentration

73
Q

how are annual tree rings used to measure climate change

A

the space in between the rings tells us how much the tree grew indicating warm temperatures as well as any natural disasters

74
Q

how are pollen grains used to measure climate change

A

looking at pollen in wetlands and lake bottoms, scientists can tell what plants existed at a certain time period, indicating the climate and how its changed

75
Q

how do we assess climate change

A

global rising temperatures
glaciers and sea ice melting
sea level rising due to melting glaciers

76
Q

how do we identify which factors contribute to climate change

A

observed and consistent with human causes

77
Q

What are international policy developments around climate change?

A

Paris Agreement - limiting earth’s avg. temp. increase to below 2 degrees C (not binding/no plan)

78
Q

potential solutions to climate change

A

EPA regulations on power plants
auto industry regulations
carbon tax
carbon cap
geoengineering
clean energy tax credits

79
Q

what are the major threats to honeybees?

A

spiders
climate change
pesticides (!)
cars
disease
birds
poor nutrition

80
Q

biological extinction

A

when a species is no longer found on earth

81
Q

background extinction rate

A

1 species lost per year for every 1 million species

82
Q

What are we seeing with present-day rates of extinction?

A

rate of extinction is increasing 1000 times higher than background extinction rate
we are losing 10,000 species per year

83
Q

biodiversity hotspots (and where are they found?)

A

places that hold a lot of biodiversity that are endangered due to the previous reasons
found in coral reefs, wetlands, tropical rainforests

84
Q

endangered species and example

A

has so few individuals it could soon become extinct (blue lupin causing the carter blue butterfly to go extinct as well)

85
Q

threatened species and example

A

has enough remaining individuals to survive in the short term but because of declining numbers, likely to become endangered in the near future
blue whale, giant panda

86
Q

red list

A

overseen by International Union for Conservation of Nature
keeps track of endangered and threatened species

87
Q

What are common characteristics for species that become endangered or go extinct?

A

 Low reproductive rate
 Specialized niche
 Narrow distribution
 Feeds at high trophic levels (eating consumers)
 Fixed migratory patterns
 Commercially valuable
 Requires large territories, issue because we don’t have a lot of large, protected areas

88
Q

Why should we try to sustain wild species and keep them alive?

A

Vital ecosystem services (birds, insects may provide insect pest control, pollinators) as well as the butterfly effect
right to live
economic services

89
Q

de-extinction

A

bringing back species that have gone extinct

90
Q

stewart brand’s thoughts on de-extinction

A

could help conservation as well as introducing old genes could save current species

91
Q

How does habitat fragmentation impact extinction?

A

contributes as it creates barriers for species to disperse, locate food and find mates
more vulnerable to predators and disease

92
Q

How do invasive species impact extinction

A

Nonnative species outcompete populations of many native species for food, disrupt ecosystem services, transmit diseases and lead to economic losses

93
Q

emerald ash borer

A

burrow in bark, messing up nutrient flow in ash trees
symptoms: yellowing or browning of leaves, outer bark falling off
prevention: preemptively cutting down ash trees, don’t spread firewood

94
Q

spotted lanternfly

A

infects and attacks orchid trees, emitting substance that attracts other bugs
lots in NY due to vineyards and apples

95
Q

wild boar

A

hunted for sport, transported for this and escaped
invasive: generalists, rooting, wallowing, no natural predators and spreading disease to humans and livestock

96
Q

How is poaching related to extinction? talk about video in class as well

A

Protected animals are illegally killed for their valuable parts or captured and sold live to collectors, targeting one species will lead to extinction
video: former poachers being offered jobs to take care of the animals instead of killing them

97
Q

What are some of the different ways to delay or prevent extinction?

A

international treaties (CITES, Convention on Biological diversity)
US law (endangered species act - prohibits import, export or taking of wildlife and plants listed on red list)
seed banks
protected areas
zoos

98
Q

policies vs. politics

A

policies - the laws and regulations enacted and enforced by government
politics - the process by which individuals and groups try to influence or control the policies and actions of government at the local, state, national, and international levels

99
Q

policy lifecycle

A

Problem recognition –> research –> Policy formation –> budgeting –> Policy implementation –> monitoring –> Policy adjustment –> evaluation –> repeat!

100
Q

environmental justice

A

Ideal, whereby every person is entitled to protection from environmental hazards regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, income, social class or political factors

101
Q

What are examples of environmental justice issues?

A

hazardous wast landfills in poor/minority communities
minorities exposed to more led, diesel fumes, odors
water crisis in flint

102
Q

What is the precautionary principle in policy?

A

better to be safe than sorry, putting laws in place to prevent anything worse from happening after first warning signs, no matter the percentage of risk

103
Q

In general – how are policies made?

A

starts in house or senate
goes to committee
needs majority to pass in starting point
going to opposite house or senate
maybe goes to counsel
needs majority
president sign off
overridden veto by 2/3 of house and senate

104
Q

three branches and how they relate to law

A

legislative - where bills are written
executive - where bills are signed into law
judicial - where bills are upheld/proven to be constitutional

105
Q

NEPA

A

national environmental policy act
This law requires that federal agencies have to access any actions before going through with decisions (ex. Department of transportation wants to build a highway, follow NEPA, put together environmental impact statement (EIS) for this)

106
Q

What are examples of some other environmental laws referring to the timeline given?

A

clean air act
clean water act
safe drinking water act
superfund law (hazardous waste)

107
Q

What are some opponents and their reasoning for opposition to environmental laws?

A

corporate leaders who see profits threatened
citizens - laws threatening private property
government resent having to implement federal law due to understaffed or opposing opinions

108
Q

what are examples we went over in class of some environmental NGOs and the work that they do

A

pesticide action - using alternatives
international rivers - protection and rights to near communities
women’s environment and development network - human and gender rights with environment

109
Q

What research does Dr. Gupta do?

A

Interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersections of governance, development and justice in the context of global change
low income communities in Nepal, India
tried to understand how these communities set up their own structures

110
Q

What is the European Green New Deal?

A

Set of policy initiatives by the European
Commission with the aim of making EU
climate neutral by 2050

111
Q

How does Dr. Gupta discuss the U.S. and European Union in terms of climate leadership?

A

europe is constant while US has wavered due to leadership

112
Q

What did Dr. Gupta discuss related to Tragedy of the Commons?

A

how selfish we have become
Elinor Ostrom - how tragedy is not inevitable, there are communities that have perfected/avoided this
to prevent this: regulation and private property rights

113
Q

economics

A

A social science that deals with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services to satisfy people’s needs and wants

114
Q

Economic decisions are determined by:

A

Supply (the amount of a good or a service that is available)
Demand (the amount of a good or service that people want)
Price (the market value of a good or service)

115
Q

What are different types of capital we went over?

A

natural, human, manufactured/built, social

116
Q

natural capital

A

The natural resources and ecosystem services that support human life (ex. trees, sun)

117
Q

human capital

A

Physical and mental talents of people who can provide labor, innovation, organizational skills, etc.

118
Q

Manufactured capital/built capital

A

Things that can be manufactured/built that can come from natural capital to help aid us

119
Q

social capital

A

Relationships built with other people

120
Q

What’s the difference between neoclassical economics and ecological economics?

A

neo - The view that the earth’s natural capital as part of the human economic system and we can find substitutes for any resource or ecological service that is depleted or degraded (we can find subs)
eco - There are no substitutes for many natural resources – including clean water, clean air, soil, biodiversity and they provide important ecological services (unconditional growth is unsustainable)
(we cannot find subs)

121
Q

What are different ways to value natural resources, including nonuse values?

A

constanza (valuing ecosystem services people get from using these resources)
nonuse - existence, aesthetic, option value

122
Q

existence value

A

A value placed on an old-growth forest or endangered species just because it exists

123
Q

aesthetic value

A

A value placed on a forest or species due to its beauty

124
Q

option value

A

Willingness of people to pay and amount to protect some fore of natural capital, option to use or enjoy particular space

125
Q

Why turn natural capital into monetary values?

A

puts it in language for everyone (especially policy makers) to understand

126
Q

What is the difference between market pricing and full pricing?

A

market - what we pay (materials, labor, etc.)
full - what we pay plus other costs that in production/external (pollution, waste produced, etc.)

127
Q

What are other economic tools that can be used to address environmental issues?

A

environmental indicators - GDP
GDI (genuine progress indicator) - GDP+volunteer/unpaid work
taxing pollution - green taxes
labeling environmental goods - greenwashing (-)

128
Q

environmental ethics

A

what you believe about what is right and what is wrong in our behavior toward the environment

129
Q

environmental worldviews

A

assumptions and beliefs that you have about how the natural world works and how you think you should interact with the environment

130
Q

What are the different types of worldviews?

A

human - Focus on needs and wants of people
stewardship - humans have ethical responsibility to be caring and responsible
life - all forms of life have value
earth - all life have responsibility to preserve earth’s biodiversity

131
Q

What are some critiques for these different types of worldviews?

A

human - naive
stewardship - arrogant ignorance

132
Q

What are the different ways public lands are managed in the U.S.? How is this related to different worldviews?

A

National Park system (human and earth/life)
bureau of land management (human)
national forest system (human)
national wildlife refuges (earth/life)

133
Q

What happened with Biosphere 2?

A
  • 1991 – 8 individuals were put in a $200 million glass and steel enclosure designed to be a self-sustaining life support system
  • Had artificial ecosystems and species of plants and animals
  • Raised their own food through intensive agriculture
  • Failed experiment, not enough oxygen because soil organisms were turning into CO2 too quickly
  • ¾ animals went extinct, ran out of food
134
Q

What has been found in terms of the impact of being in nature on overall human well-being and our understanding/care for the environment?

A

Sense of awe, humility, improve attention, memory, creativity, reduce anxiety and depression, a sense of place

135
Q

What encompasses the sustainability revolution?

A

consuming less
recycle
focus less on doom and more on hope
energy efficiency
protection of natural capital and biodiversity

ENVI 101 (5 decks)

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