Introduction to Environmental Monitoring Lecture

Question 1

Define the Ecological Footprint

Answer 1

The Ecological Footprint is a physical measure of how much biologically productive land-area and/or water-area that an individual, a city, a country, a region, or all of humanity uses to provide or produce the resources these people or communities need/consume including the area needed to absorb the sewerage and solid waste they generate.

Question 2

When did the world reach its maximum sustainable human ecological footprint?

Answer 2

1984

Question 3

Where are we on earth population wise?

Answer 3

Almost 8 billion people

Question 4

Define environmental monitoring

Answer 4

Environmental monitoring is the systematic measure of key environmental indicators, often over time, and over a potentially affected area

Question 5

Contrast Canada’s ecological footprint (numerically) to other parts of the planet.

3 points

Answer 5

• Canada’s ecological footprint is 8.5 ha/cap
• The average human ecological footprint is about 2.2ha/ca
• There are only about 1.8 ha/cap significantly productive land and water on earth

Question 6

What is the famous report of the Brundtland Commission on sustainability?

Answer 6

• The famous report is titled Our Common Future: The World Commision on Environment and Development
• it was pupblished in 1987 by the United Nations

Question 7

Define Bioaccumulation

Answer 7

Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of subtances, such as pestacides, or other organic chemicals in an organism.

Question 8

Define Biomagnification

Answer 8

Biomagnififcation is the increase in concentration of a substance up the food chain in organisms.

Question 9

List some key points about the Mt. Polley Disaster

Where and when it happened, how did it impact the salmon?

Answer 9

• The Mt. Polley tailings pond (where all the leftover mine residue goes) is located along Quesnel Lake
• Dam at the Mount Polley tailings pond collapsed Aug 4th 2014
• All the contaminated material from the pond flowed down into Polley Lake, the through Hazeltine Creek and into Quesnel Lake
• This contaminated the watershed and ruined the importand salmon habitat in Quesnel

Question 10

List some things that have been affected in BC because of climate change

4 points

Answer 10

• Green house gases - CO2 levels have increased by 10X since 1900
• With temperatures rising wildlifres are becoming more common
• We experianced a drought during late summer and early fall this year
• We had an atmospheric river last novemebr which caused severe flooding

Question 11

Be familiar with climate change concepts re: i.e., parameters that you might need to monitor.

Answer 11

• Monitor temperatures changes due to increasing green house gases
• Monitor how fast the temperatures are increasing over time

Question 12

What are some impacts associated with mining and that we might assess or monitor in order to determine deleterious effects?

Answer 12

• Acid rock drainage and acid mine draingae
• The sturctrual integrety of dams securing tailings ponds