lect 3 Flashcards
what is the graph of coagulation-flocculation?
what is environment canada priorities number 1 (2011-2012)?
canada’s natural environment is conserved and restored for present and future generations
what is environment canada priorities number 2 (2011-2012)?
canadians are equipped to make informed decisions on changing weather, water and climate conditions
-below are the budgets given to each aspect
what is environment canada priorities number 3 (2011-2012)?
threats to canadians and their environment from pollution are minimized
what are the federal budget priorities?
-total budget of environment canada is 0.6 billion (2010-11)
-military spending will reach 22.3 billion in 2010-11, according to a report by the canadian center for policy alternatives
-canada (2010-11) had a 30 billion deficit. A decade later, 350 billion was spent to address COVID-19 in 2020-21
what occured in april 2021?
the “climate” has changed from a decade ago
-canada’s debt is now >1 trillion for the first time ever in our history, and is forecasted to hit 1.6 trillion in 2021
-there is also the promise of a greener, cleaner canada, with a promise of more than 17 billion in climate change programs, much of it in the form of incentives to encourage heavy industry to curb their emissions and grow canada’s clean technology sector
what is the definition of environmental science?
the study of the earth, air, water and living environments and the effects of technology thereon; includes traditional disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, ecology, sociology, and policy
science contributes to our understanding of the environment in the areas of:
-chemical exposure assessment: sources, distribution, reactivity, fate
-toxicology
what is the definition of environmental chemistry?
the study of the sources, reactions, transport, effects and fates of chemical species in water, soil and air environments and the effects of human activities thereon
-involves aspects of chemistry and biochemistry, reactions that occur in the environment
what is the definition of environmental analytical chemistry?
-the determination of the nature and quantity of environmental chemicals and specific pollutants
what interactions does environmental chemistry involve?
-water and hydrosphere
-air and atmosphere
-earth (geosphere)
-life: biological science is a key component of environment science and chemistry
-anthrosphere and technology: a major challenge is to integrate technology with considerations of the environment and ecology to mutually advantageous purposes
what does the biosphere refer to?
-biosphere refers to the environment with organisms and biological materials
-located at interface regions of geosphere and hydrosphere (highest amount of biodiversity)
-oxidizing atmosphere CO2->O2 (photosynthesis is a reduction reaction)
-aerobic/anaerobic respiration
what is the definition of ecosystem?
-mutually interacting organisms (community) and their environment in which materials are interchanged in a cyclic manner
what is the definition of ecology?
the science that deals with the relationship between living organisms with their physical environment and each other
what is the differences between toxicology and ecotoxicology?
-toxicology: refers to the detrimental effects of substances on organisms (individuals)
-ecotoxicology: refers to the effects of toxic substances on ecosystems (populations)
what are the two types of cycles?
-energy cycles: solar energy drives photosynthesis
matter cycles: biogeochemical cycle describes the circulation of matter (e.g. carbon, nitrogen, oxygen phosphorus, and sulfur)
-phosphorus is the only cycle that does not include the air or atmosphere
what is the definition of a pollutant?
a substance present in greater than natural concentrations from human activity that has detrimental effect or upon something of value in the environment e.g. phosphates and nitrates in Lake Winnipeg
-the fate of a pollutant is governed by its physical transport and its reactivity
what are the 3 environmental compartments?
i) atmosphere
ii) surface waters
iii) terrestrial or subsurface
what happened in lake Winnipeg?
-world’s largest inland watershed
-phosphorus runoff into L. Manitoba
-algal blooms (bright green)
-lake warming effects
-de-oxygenation of waters
what are the types of physical transport?
-advection
-convection
-diffusive/Fickian transport
-variable mobility in air, water and solids
-distribution among phases; g/l or g/s and depends on relative solubility, vapour pressure
what is advection?
movement of masses of fluids that carry pollutants with them
what is convection?
-vertical advection of air/water
what is diffusive/fickian transport?
-transport from high to low concentration (gradients)
what are some concepts?
-reactivity of pollutants includes chemical reactions and interphase exchange (next slide), mass-balance, control volume, and steady state conditions
-adsorption
-absorption
-sorption
-sorbate and sorbent (adsorbate and adsorbent)
what is the graph of adsorption?
what is chemical fate and transport?
-atmosphere level relies on contaminant volatility
-aerosol particulates can absorb gases
-hydrosphere is governed by contaminant solubility (i.e. surface vs. groundwater involves partitions coefficient considerations); K=Cs/Cw
-geosphere: movement of pollutants via groundwater and affected by geology of the geosphere
what are the effects of anthrosphere on earth?
-toxic heavy metals, organochlorine cpds, painted/coated surfaces, organo-tin containing paints, PbO pigments, old factory sites, sediments dredged from waterways, food contaminated by industrial wastes, phosphate fertilizers, dried sewage sludge
-atmospheric pollutants affect water, soil, air and living organisms
-CFC’s (like in hairspray) in upper atmosphere affect ozone and energy flow (climate change; e.g. GHGs)
