Midterms - Problems Flashcards
Ethics?
What ppl are expected to do by society.
Morals?
What ppl are expected to do by themselves.
What is Environmental Ethics? When?
1968 - 1970; intrinsic value to all things. We are expected to follow ethics for earth’s health.
2 events leading up to environmental ethics?
1968 - moon landing
1968 - The Population Bomb by Paul Ehrlich
2 philosophers leading up to environmental ethics?
1916 - Muir; we are made of same things as microscopic things.
1949 - Leopold; it is right to support integrity of the biosphere.
Who proposed the idea of Deep Ecology? When?
Naes (1973)
What is the difference between Biospheric Egalitarianism and Deep Ecology? Which one came first? Why did it change from one to other?
Biospheric Egalitarianism came first. B.E. stated that life has intrinsic value. It was changed into Deep Ecology because the idea that non-organic and lower life forms had self interest was controversial.
Name four points of Deep Ecology.
Deep Ecology was redefined to say that (1) value is independent of human purposes, and that biodiversity is necessary and should not be damaged by human life activities. It states that the (2) human activities are worsening biodiversity. It further states that (3) policies and ideologies must be changed to appreciate life quality (happiness rather than GDP). Finally, it also says that (4) everyone has a personal responsibility to follow these points.
What is the opposite of Biospheric Egalitarianism? (Two Answers)
Anthropocentrism and Atomic Individualism (Human is individual with Self/essence separate from other life forms.)
What is Relationism? What is it related to?
Identity arises from its ecological relation to other things. Related to Deep Ecology.
What is the ancient Greek philosophy regarding Earth? Name 2 philosophers and their thoughts.
Plato: Earth is an organism with sensations.
Aristotle: Earth is interconnected. Slightly anthropomorphized the purpose of earth with human function. (ex. sight).
What is the modern hypothesis regarding Earth?
Earth is a machine.
Who ushered in the modern era? When?
DeCartes in 1650.
Who ushered in a return to “earth as being” hypothesis? What is the name of that hypothesis? What did he do? What was regulating air in his PoV?
Gaia Hypothesis by Lovelock. He was an atmospheric composition pioneer. (Air is like fur for cats, which is regulated by life.)
What is the Hummingbird a metaphor for? Why?
Hummingbird ~ Equilibrium in Environment. Hummingbird works in pollination, and is stopped by caffein released by plant (bitter) if it takes too much honey. Life (hummingbird and flowers) regulates the environment.
Another example of life regulating environment to benefit the whole?
Plankton in ocean releases Me2S, which causes rain to increase ionic composition/balance pH for all animals.
What are Dead Zones?
Anoxic environment near coast of NM and LA where runoff from fertilizers, etc. cause abundance of certain microorganisms that disturbs the balance of organisms, causing depletion in oxygen levels.
Rio De Jeneiros Bay– What happened in 2008, 2010, and 2011? How much $ was allocated? Did it work?
2008: Predicted that 1/3 bay will disappear under garbage. In 4/8 areas, sewage replaced water.
2010: Considered one of the most polluted ecosystem of the world. Pollution from industrial waste, agricultural waste, and domestic waste.
2011: ++ cyanobacteria in water b/c of sewage –> known liver cancer carcinogen produced.
$1 B allocated, corruption made it useless.
What are 4 sources of water pollutants in the US?
- Underground tanks/storage leak oil. Determined by odorous MTBT in drinking water.
- Run-off into river.
- Badly constructed landfills; rain washes off bacteria, metals, etc. to ground.
- Animal production waste, inc. steroids.
What 3 things do wastewater treatments monitor for, and why?
- Nutrients; guard against dead zones.
- Pollutants; make sure pollutants from air isn’t contaminating water. (ex. Mg from coal).
- Marine life; guard against bioaccumulation.
What 5 can be used to disinfect water?
Cl, O3, UV, biotreatment, and filters.
What is the New York Harbor? What is the New York Bight?
Harbor is part of NY Bight. Bight is shallow water along the coast including bottom of LI.
What does NY Harbor contain that is of ecological importance?
Estuaries, where salt water (Atlantic) meets fresh water (Hudson). It is a breeding ground for species.
What are the core areas of interest when talking about NY water pollution?
Hudson River, Upper and Lower Bay, Arthur Kill (Staten Island), Kill van Kull (Staten Island), Jamaica Bay, and East Rv
What is RCRA? What does it stand for? When was it passed?
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976). Landmark because it made the government an authority over protecting health and environment as well as - waste and conserving energy by recycling.
What was a reauthorization of RCRA? When was it passed? What did it say?
Hazardous Waste Management Program (1984). Unique because it is a “Cradle to Grave” that monitors manufacturing and disposal of chemicals, and gave power to the EPA in allowing permits for handling hazardous chemicals.
What are the two toxic contamination characterizing methods set by EPA?
- Ecosystem Approach, which sets maximum [compound], which is based on levels at which organisms will die/not reproduce.
- Chemical Specific Approach, which sets maximum [compound] to protect humans from 1:1M chance of cancer.
What were the results of two toxic contamination characterizing methods on the NY Bight/Harbor?
- Ecosystem Approach: bottom dwellers still diminishing, and sediment still toxic in harbor. Question is whether this compound truly causes - effect.
- Chemical Specific Approach: Striped Bass along the harbor can be eaten only once a month because of potential harm
Both have a bandaid effect.
What is PCB?
Polychlorinated Biphenyl.
What is a positive characteristic of PCB? Negative? (4 negatives)
Positive: Excellent insulators for electric parts with ++ BP.
Negative: Accumulates in fat, neurotoxic, thyroid toxin, and effects DNA’s physical property, leading to cancer.
Where and at what percentages do PCBs continue to contaminate Hudson?
50% Tributaries at Upper Hudson
22% Sewage Treatment
15% Storm water
At which places did GE produce capacitors with PCB?
Hudson Falls and Ft. Edwards.
Around what time was PCB produced in terms of Hudson River? When was it found to be dangerous? When did EPA mandate cleanup? When did clean-up actually start?
1940s; 1966; 1976; 2008.
What does Phase I of GE PCB cleanup entail? What does Phase II entail? What are the timelines? What is the target end date?
Phase I: 2008 - 2009; Targeting 10% of toxic sediment dredged.
Phase II: 2011 - 2012; 40 mile cleanup along the river.
Target 2015
What is another body of water polluted besides Hudson? Where is it? Who polluted it?
Arthur Kill (Staten Island), Exxon-Mobil
How did Mobil pollute Arthur Kill? What was Mobil’s motivations?
Mobil poured petroleum-bases waste into 2 open air ponds near Arthur Kill. They had much profit from barge (ship) cleaning business, and needed to dispose of waste somehow.
Why did EPA file waste case against Mobil in 1996 (3 reasons)? When was the case finally settled?
1993: Mobil discharged benzene without Hazardous Waste Permit. Mobil fudged # to deny that the benzene level was 12x the legal limit. EPA forbade the use of open-air pond, so Mobil dumped in Arthur Kill instead.
Case settled 2001 with $ compensation.
What is the Monaco Declaration? When was it signed?
2009: Scientists signed declaration warning that marine life will die off with this condition (overfishing, pollution, etc.)
What happened Christmas 1968?
Picture of earth from lunar orbit.
What happened Nov 25, 1968?
White Album by Beatles.
What is an air pollutant?
Substance not naturally found in air or not at that [].
What is a 1’ Pollutant?
Produced by a certain process and emitted directly in air.
What kind of pollutant are Oxides?
1’.
How does Sulfur Oxide pollute? What kind of pollutant is it? Where does it come from?
1’. Natural and human sources (smelting sulfur-based metals). Causes acid rain and respiratory irritation. (Acid Rain: SO2 + H2O -> H2SO3 ->H2SO4).
Where does Nitrogen Oxide come from? What kind of pollutant is it?
1’. Fuel Combustion.
Where does Carbon Monoxide come from? What kind of pollutant is it? What is its effect? How?
1’. Incomplete fuel combustion. Toxic because it binds to Fe in Hb; C-Fe bond strong, won’t let go; suffocation.
What kind of pollutant are Toxic Gases? Examples of it? (3)
1’. H2S, Methane, Volatile Hydrocarbons.
Example of VHC?
Benzene
Where does H2S come from? What kind of pollutant is it? What does it do? How do we capture it? Name the plant nearby.
2’. From water treatment plants, where cystine (a.a with S) break down. Heavier than air, so collects in low areas; deadens sense of smell (heavy bond to olfactory receptors) despite its disgusting smell. Must be captured before emission with activated charcoal filters (ex. 125th Water Treatment Plant)
What kind of pollutant are Particulate Matter?
1’, but can be 2’ pollutant when reacted to produce smog.
What are different kinds of PM?
- PM 2.5, which has diameter < 2.5 µm
- PM 10, which has diameter 2.5 µm < x < 10 µm
- Unnamed PM with diameter 10 µm < z < 50 µm
Where do PM come from? How can PMs be captured?
Mine and diesel trucks (from combustion). Trapped by filters.
What are health effects of various kinds of PM? Mechanism?
PM 2.5 highly associated with morbidity and mortality because PM 10 caught by cilia in lungs, but PM 2.5 stay in artery to release toxins creating plague.
What is the journal where he keeps getting studies from?
Environmental Science and Technology
20th c. Atmospheric Metal Flux in Central Park Lake: What was the method? How was the initial year known? How were the subsequent years known?
Take soil sample, assume constant rate of deposition, and analyze samples. The initial year was known to be 1858 because Central Park Lake is man-made. The subsequent year (1954) was known because of Cs-137, which was used during aboveground nuke testing.
20th c. Atmospheric Metal Flux in Central Park Lake: Cs-137 levels? Two years? Why?
1954: First appearance from aboveground nuke testing
1963: Maximum when Nuclear test ban treaty by Kennedy was signed.
20th c. Atmospheric Metal Flux in Central Park Lake: What was the purpose of analyzing the soil?
To determine if Pb levels were lowered due to banning tetraethyl lead in gasoline (1986).
20th c. Atmospheric Metal Flux in Central Park Lake: When was Pb level expected to be highest? When was it actually the highest? What does it mean?
Pb level expected to be highest in the 1980s, when tetraethyl lead was banned. However, it was the highest from 1930s - 1960s. The dominant source, then, was something else.
20th c. Atmospheric Metal Flux in Central Park Lake: What was the actual source of Pb?
Incinerators.
Refuse Incinerator Particulate Emission in NYC: When were incinerators being used? Why?
1800s, to decrease volume of garbage and to burn food to prevent pests.
Refuse Incinerator Particulate Emission in NYC: When were incinerators most abundant? What was bad about the incinerators?
1930s: 700+ cities had them. Unfortunately, they did not have APC (Air Pollution Control) to catch all but CO2 and H2O.
Refuse Incinerator Particulate Emission in NYC: When did NYC start closing its incinerators? What number was there first? When were all incinerators closed?
1969 - 1994: From 11 incinerators to 0.
Refuse Incinerator Particulate Emission in NYC: What kind of incinerators were the most dangerous? Why?
Household incinerators. No APC, no regulations, no skilled workers.
Incinerators in Detroit: The basic run-down of the story. What is the incinerator’s purpose? Why is it controversial? Why is Detroit not equipped for the incinerator by itself?
City burns trash at incinerators to provide steam energy, but because the incinerator is in private contractor’s hands with requirement of certain amount of trash burned per day, residential and commercial trash is burned.
Incinerators in Detroit: Why did the incinerator become private in the first place?
Found to have produced dioxin and mercury; fined; Detroit couldn’t afford the incinerator, and handed it to a private company.
Particulate Emission NYC: What were two times the students were measured?
Winter (during school) and summer (during vacation.)
Particulate Emission NYC: What were the 4 monitors used? What were their purposes?
- Ambient Monitors - “Urban Fixed Site: Rooftop of HS.
- Ambient Monitors - Upwind Fixed Site: Rooftop of Palisade, NY as control
- Home Indoor
- Outdoor attached to student.
All accounting for control or the places student was expected to spend much time in.
Particulate Emission NYC: How were the monitors analyzed for contaminants?
Filter dissolved in HCl and ran through AAS Assay (Atomic Absorption Spectrometer).
Particulate Emission NYC: What pollutants were tested for (3)? Why?
- Mn: Chronic long-term exposure –> Parkinson
- Fe: ~Cardiovascular Disease
- Cr: ~Cancer
Particulate Emission NYC: What was the result of Fe analysis?
Fe Levels: 4.2 x home outdoor sample, 5.8 x home indoor sample, but in vacation time, student monitor similar to home location.
Particulate Emission NYC: What was strange about Fe:Mn levels?
In all but with personal monitors, Fe:Mn level similar to earth’s crust. Personal monitor had ratio of 104, similar to ratio of steel.
Particulate Emission NYC: Where did the abnormal level of Fe come from?
Subway breaking –> steel dust in air.
What is a landfill?
For garbage disposal.
What is a brownfield?
Polluted land polluted with oil, gasoline, and metals from human activities, such as car shops and metal working.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: Purpose of the study?
Guide public policy on refuse management? (How should they be treated? What are we even dealing with?)
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: Why is NYC a uniquely suited place for this study?
NYC record is well kept, including separate collections for ash, garbage (mostly food), and rubbish (mostly old furniture).
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: Why, despite the records, are there limitations in using NYC?
NYC records did not include Queens in early 20th c., and commercial refuse were not qualified if exported out in the late 20th c.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: When were there most garbage? when were there least?
1940: 940 kg/capita
1963: 320 kg/capita
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: When were two longest periods of sustained increase in rate/capita? Why sustained increase?
- 1920 - 1930: Roaring 20s
- 1963 - 1973: LBJ The Great Society/War on Poverty
Both mean economic boom.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: What is interesting about plastic as garbage over years?
They existed only from 1970s onwards, and have been rather steady in terms of weight. But there are more of them, just that they’re lighter in general.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: What is interesting about ash as garbage over years? What caused the change? (Give 2 reasons)
80% of all garbage in 1905, but replaced by paper as most abundant refuse by 1950 due to lack of incinerators in the later 20th c. Also, heating changed from coal to oil.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: What is interesting about metals and glass as garbage over years? What laws pertain to glass recycling?
They saw their peak at 1971, but were replaced by plastic and aluminum. Deposit laws are important to public policies because it is forcing society to pay for recycling.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: What is interesting about “other” as garbage over years? What takes up the majority of these?
Only from 1989 were “others” introduced and took up much room. They are disposable diapers.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: What were the first plastic introduced as?
Nylon, for stockings.
Quantifying the Composition and Rates of per Capital Residential Refuse in NYC: What do the change in composition of garbage show? (2)
- Chemical complexity increases from 1970s.
2. Organic refuse increased 4x.
What is Land Revitalization?
Restore land to community asset by maximizing its economic, ecological, and social uses while protecting human and economical health.
What does EPA Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization provide? Specifics?
Technical assistance for sustainable redevelopment of contaminated properties while empowering the community and giving them a stake. Specifics include green jobs (grants), stakeholder outreach, brownfield grants, etc.
What are the main pollutant concerns of brownfields?
VOC/ Volatile Organic Compounds.
New Bedford: What was Superfund created by? When?
1980: Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
New Bedford: What is CERCLA?
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
New Bedford: What is Superfund? How is it effective in real life?
Buyer of land must pay to clean up the brownfields. But many gov’t agencies use tax $ to clean up the property to entice buyers.
New Bedford: What is a watershed? What is NY’s watershed?
Area in which rainfall flows into a river. NY’s watershed is Catskills.
New Bedford: Why is the historical study such as that of New Bedford important? (2)
- Show that decisions have long-term consequence.
2. Can identify companies that dumped toxic waste.
New Bedford: What are the 4 eras of New Bedford?
- Agricultural
- Whaling
- Textile
- Post-Textile
New Bedford: How much of watershed can be cleared before erosions?
20%
New Bedford: How did the bridge effect Bedford?
∆ river flow to prevent east side for development due to sediment change. Also killed off bottom dwelling things.
New Bedford: Textile Mills were built on this kind of land, specifically named this. Why?
Wetlands, specifically Clark’s Cove. Wetlands were thought to be expendable because they are smelly, thought to be dirty, and there are no tax incomes, which means the city will sell it for cheap.
New Bedford: Wetlands are important because (3)…
- Filters contaminant
- Habitat and nursery
- Curbs erosion
New Bedford: What is CSO?
Combined Sewer Overflow?
New Bedford: Why do CSOs happen?
Sewage and storm drains are combined, which means that with rain, the pipes overflow and the small scale dam over the pipe that flows into river is overflowing.
New Bedford: What is the Atlas Tack Co.? Why is it important?
Contaminated grounds NEAR watershed and turned in into a brownfield with metal, PAH, PCB, DDT, cyanide, and toulene.
New Bedford: What is PAH? Why are they bad?
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon. Carcinogenic.
New Bedford: What is the 1’ Treatment of Sewage?
Big Stuff Removed
New Bedford: What is the 2’ Treatment of Sewage?
Smaller stuff, like sand, oil removed. Chlorination, UV, and bacteria used to treat water and disinfect it.
3 winters that were hottest on record
1998, 2006, 2012.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
Sunlight comes in as UV, plants absorb UV (+kinetic energy –> E absorption), Infrared released (-E, so cannot go back out of the greenhouse).
Why is CO2 a Greenhouse Gas? What wavelength does it absorb? What happens with that energy to cause glacial melt?
C=O absorbs infrared radiation (from plant) , collides with other molecules (O, N), hits ice in glaciers to melt them.
Why is CO2 a particular problem in greenhouse gas?
Emitted in large amounts by human activities.
What is similar to CO2 in its greenhouse gas effects?
Methane.
Global Warming in NYC: Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Climate Change (2009) declared that… (4)
- Annual temp +
- Blackout/brownout
- +Rainstorms
- Downtown NYC flooding
When scientists calculated the amount of coal burned from Industrial Revolution, they found that they calculated 2x the atmospheric CO2. How is that possible?
Ocean acts as Carbon Sink.
Can Ocean be a Carbon Sink indefinitely? Which ocean comes to mind?
No. South Ocean saturated in 2007 because rate of diffusion due to water mixing was underestimated.
