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ES110- Environmental Studies > Midterm > Flashcards

Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

what is the anthropocene

A

period when human activity replaced natural processes as the dominant force shaping the earth

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2
Q

what is overshoot day

A

each year we go into deficit

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3
Q

what can mass extinction be caused by

A

major volcanic events, asteroids, natural changes in temperature/ sea levels

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4
Q

what is the definition of the environment

A

the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates
OR: the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area

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5
Q

what is environmentalism

A

term refers to social movements with aims of improving/ protecting aspects of the environment

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6
Q

why do we study the environment

A

we use scientific and social science methods to generate a continually improving understanding of Earth, its systems, and human role within them

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7
Q

what are the 4 challenges in environmental studies

A

complexity of the systems
scale of phenomena being studies
timeframes
bias, ignorance

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8
Q

human activity has caused significant changes to..

A

the climate system (elevated CO2 levels)
stratosphere (ozone depleting substances)
oceans (acidification, plastic debris)

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9
Q

what is natural capital

A 
natural resources (air, water, soil, energy, etc)
ecosystem services (ability of environment to break down waste, water purification)
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10
Q

what is carrying capacity

A

the maximum number of individuals of a given species that can be sustained indefinitely in a given space

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11
Q

what is sustainable development

A

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

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12
Q

3 key elements to develop a sustainable society

A

intragenerational equity
intergenerational equity
integration of economic, social, political and environment in decision making, policy making and management

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13
Q

what is the ImPAcT model

A 
I=PxA*xT
where 
I- impact on environment
P- population
A- affluence*/ consumption
T- technology
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14
Q

what does the ImPAct model suggest

A

that a small, affluent and technology advanced population will have a greater impact on the environment than a larger, poorer, less technologically advanced population
small numbers of wealthy people have greater impact

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15
Q

What were the the reasons for bison hunting

A

for skins
to open grazing land for cattle
some say to hasten extermination of indigenous people on the plains

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16
Q

What are the limiting factors for bison population before European contact

A 
human predation
climate, weather
non- human predation
disease
availability of grass
natural hazards (eg. flood, fires)
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17
Q

what were the limiting factors for the bison population after the european contact

A

european predation
anthropogenic habitat change
disease

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18
Q

what is the decline of the bison population an example of

A

of biodiversity loss

steep decline in last century

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19
Q

what does “background” extinction mean

A

the number of species that might go extinct for natural reasons

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20
Q

what are the key causes of biodiversity decline and species extinction

A 
destruction or damage to habitat caused by humans
pollution
overexploitation
invasive species
climate change (an emerging threat)
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21
Q

what are the 4 reasons that biodiversity is important

A

livelihood importance
economic importance
food systems
cultural, spiritual, intrinsic value

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22
Q

what is biodiversity

A

at local: the variety of species in a given location or habitat and their relative abundance
at larger: the genetic diversity of species
the diversity of habitats in ecosystems
the diversity of ecosystems

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23
Q

What are keystone species

A

a species that, when it is missing, causes habitat or ecosystem to change
when this species is removed, other species may either grow or fall in numbers

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24
Q

definition of carrying capacity

A

describes the upper limit to the number of organisms that an ecosystem can support over the long term

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25
Q

What is environmental resistance

A

sum total of factors that limit the potential for a species to increase its numbers or its geographic range
can be abiotic factors (temperature) or biotic factors (disease)

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26
Q

what is biotic potential

A

the ability for a species to increase in number under optimum conditions

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27
Q

what is the r rate

A

r represents the fastest rate of population increase (if population had unlimited resource and no environmental resistance)- does not actually occur because there is always

28
Q

what are r- selected species

A

species that can reproduce quickly, with large numbers of offspring
ex. fruit flies
j- curve; rapid increase and decline

29
Q

what are k- selected species

A

species that reproduce slowly, with small numbers of offspring
typically have trouble alongside humans

30
Q

what is the critical number

A

the minimum number of organisms required to ensure that a population will not go extinct

31
Q

what are the 4 trees in danger of extinction

A

butternut
elm
ash
chestnut

32
Q

what are the key causes of biodiversity loss

A 
destruction or damage to habitat caused by humans
pollution
overexploitation
invasive species 
climate change
33
Q

what are some options to lessen the destruction to habitats caused by humans

A

protect habitat/ species
with laws and regulations
create protected areas; through education and collective action

34
Q

what were the 2 birds that are protected under the migratory birds convention act

A

trumpeter swans and whooping cranes

35
Q

what are the implications of a SARA listing

A

cannot harm any individual or destroy its residence

36
Q

what are protected areas

A

areas set aside to minimize human disturbance

parks could be set aside for conservation or protection

37
Q

what are some proactive interventions

A

citizen interventions
habitat recreation or modification
zoos, sanctuaries

38
Q

what is energy

A

the capacity to do work, move things, or cause changes of state

39
Q

what are the 3 types of energy

A

kinetic= when matter is moving
potential= energy not in use ATM
electromagnetic radiation= waves of energy in space/ emitted

40
Q

what are the 2 laws of thermodynamics

A

1) new energy can not be spontaneously created

2) when energy changes from one form to another, you always lose some efficiency

41
Q

environmental impacts of fossil fuels

A

extraction
transportation
consumption

42
Q

why are the alberta tar sands inefficient and polluting

A

only 1 unit of oil is produced for every 15 units of tar sand unearthed
energy intensive and uses a lot of water
not cost- effective
contaminates water

43
Q

what is fracking

A

horizontal slickwater hydraulic fracturing

process whereby pressurized water, chemicals and sand are injected into rock containing oil or natural gas

44
Q

what is remediation

A

remove toxins from site, cap and seal pipes, wells and revegetate site
companies try to delay cleaning their stuff up cause of costs

45
Q

to reduce environmental impact we need to grow what and shrink…

A

grow biomass a little
grow electricity a lot
shrink oil, natural gas and eliminate motor gasoline

46
Q

what is the electricity distribution model

A

large amounts of electricity are generated at single points and then distributed by a network of wires to consumers
“the grid”

47
Q

what is biomass energy

A

term that refers to the burning of any number of combustible materials to generate heat

48
Q

what is biomass energy farming

A

planting fast growing plants specifically for use as fuel for steam turbines

49
Q

what are the different human factors to blame for the decrease in salmon population

A

overfishing, pollution, damming of rivers and deforestation

50
Q

what was the problem between salmon and electricity

A

in the 1920s-1950s, 3 dams were built to supply electricity but it interrupted the sockeye salmon migration route, population declined

51
Q

what are the 4 key factors to aquatic biodiversity

A

access to sunlight
temperature
dissolved oxygen availability
dissolved nutrients

52
Q

what are dead zones

A

zones from large amounts of nutrient pollution (phosphates, fertilizers) that were washed off farmland into rivers and discharged

53
Q

what is a mangrove

A

a mix of shrubs and trees common in coastal areas of the tropics
can withstand having their roots in standing salt water

54
Q

what is ocean acidification

A

carbon dioxide in atmosphere gets slowly dissolved into oceans water surface
increasing acidity harms creatures that make shells

55
Q

what does protecting ocean biodiversity require

A

strong laws and enforcement to reduce pollution
collective action to reduce plastic
regulation of fishing

56
Q

what is the key problem when it comes to the open ocean and protecting it

A

countries only have jurisdiction over their coastal waters, open ocean belongs to no one and few rules

57
Q

what are the 2 important properties of fresh water

A

1) water is at its densest when the temperature is 4 degrees

2) cold water contains more dissolved oxygen than warm water

58
Q

how do humans impact freshwater systems

A

damming
draining wetlands
changing the shore environment
pollution

59
Q

what is bio- accumulation/ bio- concentration

A

processes by which toxins accumulate in the tissues of living organisms

60
Q

2 ways to deal with water pollution and key challenge

A

1) reduce the production of pollution at source
2) collect polluted water and treat it
challenge is to prevent and capture “non- point source”

61
Q

what is an example of a non- point source

A

urban streets

suburban development

62
Q

what are the 3 stages of evolution of sewage capture and treatment

A

1) no capture, wastewarer collects in low- lying areas
2) storm drain and collection sewers built
3) interception trunk and treatment centre built

63
Q

what is the ontario clean water act

A

requires planning at the watershed level to protect water quality
“watershed”= large area that drains to a single point

64
Q

what was the walkerton crisis

A

in 2000, 7 people died and 2300 people became sick after e.coli bacteria entered the towns drinking water supply wells

65
Q

what does protecting freshwater resources require

A

active management of watersheds
minimize nutrient run- off
treat waste water before discharge
laws, regulation

66
Q

why are there water problems in poorer countries

A

most low- income countries are colonies of European powers that did not invest in sanitation
lack money to invest
weak governments to fund enforcement

ES110- Environmental Studies (1 decks)

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