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EAS 1540 > Lecture 32- 'Marine Pollution" > Flashcards

Lecture 32- 'Marine Pollution" Flashcards

1
Q

point source pollution

A
  • a singularly identifiable source of pollution such as a direct industrial discharge sewage outfall
  • easy to control
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2
Q

nonpoint source pollution

A
  • a diffuse source of pollution

- largest cause of water pollution in the nation

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3
Q

oil spill

A
  • point source oil pollution from oil tankers spills produces catastrophic damage to local waters
  • hard to control
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4
Q

the largest source of oil discharge to the ocean overall comes from

A

nonpoint sources such as household drains and runoff from urban roadways

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5
Q

size of Gulf blow out relative to the Exxon Valdez

A

5 times bigger

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6
Q

Wild Harbor Marsh

A

oil is still present at toxic levels 40 years later

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7
Q

Argo merchant

A
  • oil tanker broke apart in 1976
  • served as a good controlled experiment
  • high morality of pelagic fish eggs and larvae which were coated with oil
  • oil can also affect food chains
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8
Q

tar ball

A
  • sand with oil

- can go back into the ocean, making the oil even deeper than it started

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9
Q

Minamata Bay, Japan (1950s to 1960s)

A
  • industrial mercury was discharged into the bay and it entered the fish populations that were consumed
  • led to birth defects
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10
Q

the main source is not point source of industries discharging heavy metals into oceans but

A

discharging heavy metals from smoke stacks from burning coal

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11
Q

smoke stacks

A
  • not only release CO2 into the atmosphere but heavy metal

- mercury in the air goes into the ocean when it rains and while low levels is not harmful, it builds up BIOACCUMULATION

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12
Q

unlike carbon, mercury

A
  • are not easily lost in the transfer from one trophic level to the next
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13
Q

mercury concentrations

A
  • increase as you go higher up the trophic level (increases by 10 fold)
  • those at the top of the food chain will have the most concentration of mercury
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14
Q

marine debris

A

plastic

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15
Q

the biggest victims of plastics in oceans

A
  • seabirds

- pick up plastic thinking it’s food and their chicks die from starvation

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16
Q

aggregation of plastic in subtropical gyre regions

A
  • surface water (westerly winds and trade winds) converges into the center of the gyre bringing floating plastic with it
  • water downwells but the plastic stays and accumulates over years
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17
Q

microplastic sources

A
  • large plastic that degrades
  • micro-beads in cosmetics
  • synthetic clothing fiber
  • industrial processes
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18
Q

microplastic

A

small plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter

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19
Q

big concern of microplastic

A
  • can absorb organics onto their surface and these potentially toxic organics are then moved up the marine food web
  • also consumed by coral reefs
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20
Q

primary treatment

A
  • simplest and least effective treatment
  • solids are settled out of suspension
  • fluid is discharged into the environment
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21
Q

primary treatment only removes

A

1/3 of the total organics and virtually none of the dissolved minerals

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22
Q

secondary treatment

A
  • aerobic microorganisms consume the organic matter down to low levels
  • most of the nitrogen and phosphorous remains in sewage effluent
23
Q

primary and secondary treatments together can remove up to

A

90% of the total organic compounds

24
Q

nitrogen and phosphorous from the effluent stream of secondary treatment

A

can cause phytoplankton to bloom and decrease the oxygen in the ocean

25
Q

tertiary treatment/ advanced waste treatment

A
  • remove plant nutrients to avoid eutrophication of surface water
  • quite expensive
26
Q

primary, secondary, and tertiary sewage treatment facilities employ a

A

cumulative process

27
Q

secondary treatment facility implies

A

both solids and dissolved organics have been removed

28
Q

tertiary treatment facility implies that

A

solid, dissolved organics, and plant nutrients have all been removed

29
Q

getting outfalls offshore and below the thermocline

A

reduces the amount of effluent reaching the surface layer of the ocean

30
Q

what is the largest pollution problem in the coastal waters of the United States?

A

plant nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorous)

31
Q

increased nutrient loads in coastal waters

A

stimulate exceptional algal (phytoplankton) growth which die and are consumed by microbes which will also consume oxygen

32
Q

oxygen concentration near the bottom of the water column

A

brought down to very low levels which creates a dead zone

33
Q

close connection between global increases in nitrogen flux to the coastal environment and

A

global increases in fertilizer consumption

34
Q

increased fertilizer demand is largely driven by

A
  • human population increases
  • increases in per capita meat consumption
  • increases in corn ethanol production
  • transition to industrial farming practices
35
Q

currently, more than — of all agricultural land is devoted to growing feed for livestock

A

2/3 for growing feed while 8% is used to grow food for direct human consumption

36
Q

traditional way of farming

A
  • spread manure to help grow corn (food for cows)

- recycle loop

37
Q

modern farm

A
  • grow corn and animals in two different places, no recycle

- buy 100% fertilizer, 37% enters the stream

38
Q

corn

A
  • leaky crop for nitrogen
  • important driver of increased fertilizer use
  • tile drains and bare fields in winter aggravate this
39
Q

CAFOs

A

apply liquid animal land which often leaches into waterways

40
Q

more than half of US rivers are unsuitable for aquatic life

A

due to nutrient pollution from industrial agricultural practices

41
Q

dead zone

A

area where water at the bottom is low in oxygen

42
Q

largest dead zone ever recorded (Gulf of Mexico)

A

summer 2017

43
Q

blooms of toxic phytoplankton

A
  • red tides
  • brown tides
  • sometimes colorless
  • intense blooms can kill marine life
44
Q

shellfish

A

toxins are concentrated to high levels in shellfish so it can be harmful to humans eating them

45
Q

frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms is tied to

A

increases in nutrient fluxes to the coastal zone

46
Q

some actions that could help change things

A
  • east less factory meat

- advocate for eliminating corn ethanol subsidies

47
Q

two additional reasons factory meat is bad for the planet

A
  • impact of freshwater demand

- impact on greenhouse gas emissions

48
Q

— of the earth’s groundwater basins now under threat

A

1/3

49
Q

going vegetarian reduces water footprint by almost

A

60%

50
Q

greenhouse gas production from meat production

A
  • methane release
  • carbon dioxide
  • nitrous oxide
51
Q

livestock contributes — to total GHG emission

A

14.5%

52
Q

overall contribution by livestock including land use changes

A

51% to total GHG emission

53
Q

if everyone in the US substituted beans for beef

A

the US could come close to meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas emission goals

EAS 1540 (28 decks)

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