Lecture 5.6 Flashcards
- Some pollutants decompose but some do not
- The pollutants that do not decompose work their way up into food chains and food webs Ex) DDT pesticide = Biological magnification
Pollution from agriculture and industry
a grassland is overused and turns into a desert
Desertification
A species found naturally in only one geographic area and no place else is said to be
Endemic
o Erosion
o Changes in rainfall
o Greenhouse effect
Results of deforestation
our sun heats the earth, some of the heat re-radiates and is held in by our atmosphere. If you cut down trees, they are burned and the carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere which leads to a warming affect. In addition the trees are no longer there absorbing the carbon dioxide.
Greenhouse effect
- Vehicles – puts out nitrogen oxides
- Coal burning plants – puts out sulfur oxides
- When these chemicals combine with moisture in the air they form weak acids
Acid rain
15-25Km in the air
Filters out UV light
Ozone layer
chemical used in industry that were released and worked there way up through the atmosphere and destroyed the ozone molecules
CFC’s
are used to make Styrofoam, refrigerator coolants
CFC’s
HOW ARE WE AFFECTING THE HYDROSPHERE?
Water quality problems
Water treatment plants
___ people in the world have little to no access to clean drinking water
1 in 7
What is unique about Singapre and their water problem
Not much natural running water
Catch rainfall which supplies 20% of their water
Import water = 40%
Reclaim water through water treatment plants = 30%
Desalination of ocean water = 10%
HOW ARE WE AFFECTING OTHER ORGANISMS?
Conservation Biology
Dealing with the Issues of Extinctions
We need to keep the overall earthly temp change under
2 degrees celsius
Prediction yet to come
More severe weather events
Increased extinctions
Ocean acidification
Sea level changes
