Human Geo 11.3 Questions Flashcards
What is urban air pollution?
Air pollution is severe where emission sources are concentrated (urban areas, due to factories, motor vehicles, and other polluters in a concentrated area. It is worst in cities of China and India). Worst urban air pollution occurs with slight winds, clear skies, and temperature inversions (when air is warmer at higher elevations, so pollutants are trapped near the ground). Sunlight provides energy for the formation of smog.
Urban air pollution has what 3 components?
- Carbon Monoxide: Breathing it reduces the oxygen level in the blood, impairs vision/alertness, and threatens those with breathing problems.
- Hydrocarbons: With sunlight, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides form Photochemical smog. It causes respiratory problems, eyes stinging, & a haze over cities.
- Particulates: A combination of dust & smoke particles, ex. smoke from factories, exhaust from a deisel truck.
What is climate change and the greenhouse effect?
Earth’s surface temperature has increased by 2°F since 1880. This is linked to human actions. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is discharged into the atmosphere, most of which is absorbed by plants & oceans, but increased fossil fuel burning has led to much more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These gases in the atmosphere could trap or delay the return of some of the heat leaving Earth’s surface for space, raising the temperatures (greenhouse effect).
Describe the relationship between GNI and pollution:
As per capita income increases in a country, its per capita carbon dioxide emissions increase. Some wealthy European countries show declines in pollution, but the world’s richest countries (including the US and some in Southwest Asia), display the highest pollution levels.
Describe key characteristics of water and water usage:
Some manufacturers use a lot of water (ex. aluminum producers locate near sources of hydroelectric power because of how much electricity it takes). We use 9 billion cubic meters of water per year (1,400 cubic meters per capita). The heaviest demand is for agriculture, then industry & municipal sewage systems. China, India, 7 the US use more than 1 billion cubic meters each (US is highest at 2,800 per person per year, because of agriculture (feeding animals/irrigating crops).
What is one way in which water pollution can harm aquatic life?
When runoff carries fertilizer from farm fields into streams or lakes, the fertilizer nourishes excessive aquatic plant production (algae) that uses too much oxygen. A source of pollution that increasingly affects aquatic life: small pieces of discarded plastic entering the food chain that are difficult to remove from the human water supply.
Describe the differences in water pollution between developed and developing countries.
In MDCs, sewers carry wastewater from sinks, bathtubs, toilets to a treatment plant, where pollutants are removed. The treated wastewater is dumped back into a river/lake. Most treatment plants meet high water-quality standards. In LDCs, sewer systems are rare, and wastewater drains untreated into lakes, so the drinking water may be inadequately treated as well. Drinking water can be deadly, and carry diseases like cholera, typhoid, & dysentery.
Explain about sanitary landfills and solid waste in the US:
They would seem to eliminate solid waste pollution, but only hide it temporarily. Chemicals released by the decomposing waste leaks into groundwater, which contaminates water wells, soil, and streams. US landfills have declined by 3/4 since 1990 (large regional dumps replace small ones). They have expanded capacity due to better compaction methods. NJ and NY dispose of it by paying to transport it out of state.
What is hazardous waste and how is it released?
Heavy metals (mercury, zinc), PCB oils from electrical equipment, cyanides, strong solvents, acids, & caustics. They’re unwanted by-products generated in manufacturing. 2.2 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the land in 2016. Most were recycled, treated, or discharged other than into the land. Mining operations were the largest polluters. If we’re not careful, chemicals can contaminate groundwater or escape into the atmosphere. Cancer, mutations, etc. can be caused.
Explain about plastic in the Great Lakes
Most plastics are used in manufacturing many products (from cars to computers) and packaging. Many of these packages are discarded, flow into bodies of water, and wash up on shore. 10,000 metric tons (22 million pounds) of plastic end up in the Great Lakes annually. It isn’t distributed uniformly through the lakes, either. Lake Michigan had the most waste, so distribution is related to population concentrations and water circulation.
Materials that would otherwise be thrown away are collected and sorted in what 4 ways?
- Curbside programs: Place recyclables at the curb in a container at a specified time of week. Trash collectors give homes special containers.
- Drop-off centers: Sites with several large containers at a central place for people to leave recyclables (separate container for each type, and containers are periodically emptied by a processor/recycler).
- Buy-back centers: Commercial operations may pay consumers for aluminum cans, plastic containers, & glass bottles (not processed).
- Deposit programs: Glass/aluminum containers can be returned to retailers. The consumer may pay a deposit fee that the retailer refunds.
What are examples of and uses for materials that can be remanufactured?
4 major manufacturing sectors account for more than 50% of recycling activity (paper, steel, plastic converters, and iron/steel foundries). Common household items that contain recycled materials: laundry detergent bottles, paper towels. Recycled materials are also used in industrial applications like recovered glass in roadway asphalt (glassphalt) and recovered plastic in carpet, park benches, and pedestrian bridges.
What are the first two principal inputs of recycled material into manufacturing?
- Paper: Most types of paper can be recycled (newspapers, computer paper). Rapid increases in virgin paper pulp prices have led to more plants capable of using waste paper being built.
- Plastic: Different types can’t be mixed, or the melt can be ruined. The plastic industry has developed a system of numbers to tell types apart. Types 1 and 2 are commonly recycled, and others less frequently.
What are the last two principal inputs of recycled material into manufacturing?
- Glass: Can be used repeatedly with no quality loss. It’s 100% recyclable. The process of remanufacturing it is efficient (producing no waste or unwanted by-products). Unbroken clear glass is valuable, but mixed-color glass is nearly worthless, and broken glass is hard to sort.
- Aluminum: The principle source of recycled aluminum is beverage containers. Aluminum cans replaced glass beer bottles in the ’50s and soft drinks in the ’60s. Aluminum scrap is readily accepted for recycling.
