Human Influences on the Environment Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

What are the biological consequences of sulphur dioxide? (3)

A
  • Released when fossil fuels are burnt
  • Dissolves in water droplets in clouds
  • Acid rain is created
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the consequences of acid rain? (3)

A
  • Leads to aquatic organisms dying
  • Corrodes metals and limestone in buildings
  • Leeches minerals out of soil (plants and trees cannot survive)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the consequences of carbon monoxide? (4)

A
  • Released when fossil fuels are burnt incompletely
  • Binds irreversibly to haemoglobin which reduces the capacity of oxygen a red blood cell can carry
  • Leads to tiredness, unconsciousness
  • In pregnant women, can affect the grow of a fetus
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Define greenhouse gases (3)

A
  • Gases that absorb infrared radiation from the Sun
  • Trapping above the Earth’s surface
  • Leading to global warming
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Name 5 greenhouse gases and their origins

A
  • Water vapour: rivers, lakes
  • Carbon dioxide: deforestation, fossil fuels
  • Nitrous oxide: fertilisers, vehicle engines
  • Methane: cattle, rice paddy fields
  • CFCL refrigerators, aerosol sprays
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the main effects of global warming? (3)

A
  • Climate change
  • Water levels rise because glaciers melt
  • Loss of habitats
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the consequences of pollution of water by sewage? (4)

A
  • Sewage: rich in materials and nutrients (that allow decomposers and algae to thrive)
  • Decomposers (and sometimes bacteria) respire aerobically (using oxygen) to break down sewage
  • The algae bloom stops light from reaching aquatic plants, causing them to die
  • These lead to oxygen depletion, so other aquatic organisms will die
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the consequences of eutrophication? (3)

A
  • Fertilisers are washed off from the land into nearby rivers by the rain
  • Excess nutrients are washed into the lakes, encouraging rapid growth of algae
  • Algae blocks sunlight, so aquatic plants cannot photosynthesise, leading to oxygen deprivation then the death of marine life
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Define deforestation

A

The clearing of an area of trees on a mass scale

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Describe the negative effects of deforestation (4)

A
  • Leaching: trees normally take up nutrients and minerals from the soil for growth, without them, these run into bodies of water
  • Soil erosion: tree roots normally stabilise the soil, without them, the soil will be washed away by the rain
  • Disturbance of cycles: carbon cycles, water cycles
  • Imbalance in oxygen and carbon dioxide: removal of trees will result in more atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and lower oxygen levels
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly