section 2 Flashcards
who moniters and set guidlines for water quality?
gov’t (federal and provincial)
biological indicators
aquatic invertebrates?
examples?
and microbiological indicators
live organisms that live in water to help determine water quality
(animals w/out backbone that live in specific areas - by seeing where they live u can determine water quality)
fish, worms, insects, plankton, bacteria
dangerous (if too many) microscopic organisms in water
- water samples are taken to see how many bacteria are in it
what likely indicates good water quality?
does it mean the water is safe?
greater diversity of organisms
doesn’t mean its safe for humans
what units are used to measure chemical concentrations?
ppm (parts per million)
ppb (parts per billion)
how does temperature affect dissolved oxygen?
colder temp = high dissolved o2
warm temp=low dissolved oxygen
how does turbulance affect dissolved oxygen?
high turbulance = more levels of dissolved oxygen
how does photosynthesis affect dissolved oxygen?
more photosynthesis = more dissolved oxygen
how does the amount of organisms in water affect dissolved oxygen?
more organisms = less dissolved oxygen
how do nitrogen and phosphorus normally enter water
- fertilizers (get into nearby bodies of water)
- sewage system (high amounts of nitrogen/phosphorus in system that may find its way into nearby bodies of water)
Increased Phosphorus and Nitrogen causes…
increased plant/algae growth
decreases the amount of living fish/invertebraes
plants/algae die, increasing pop. of bacteria who use up oxygen when decomposing
leading to decreased oxygen levels+organism death
what happens when pH goes below 5.6
most fish disappear below 5.6 and
rain/snow becomes acidic
what is spring acid shock?
what does it affect?
in areas with lots of acidic precipitation, acidic desposits build up in ice/snow in winter
in SPRING it melts and a lot of acid is released
eggs/babies of aquatic organisms that hatch/grow in spring
What is toxicity?
how is it measured
how poisonous a substance is
measured in number of deaths
LD50
lethal dose 50%
amount of a substance that causes 50% of a group of test animals to die if they are given a specific dose of the substance all at once
if n amount of a toxin killed 50/100 test rats, the LD50 is n
heavy metals
has a density of 5g/cm3 or more
+5x heavier that volume of water
cooper, lead, zinc, mercury, nickel, cadminium
top 4 components of unpoluted air
percentages?
nitrogen 78%
oxygen 21%
argon 0.9%
carbon dioxide 0.03%
how is air quality measured?
measuring levels of pollutants in the air [better]
estimating amount of emissions from pollution sources
sulfur dioxides
form smog + acid rain
effects lungs and respirotory system
major source is fossil fuels [in alberta]
scrubbers use limestone to make gypsum (prevents co2 from being released)
nitrogen oxides
forms smog and acid rain
affects respirotory system + eyes
forms from combustion in vehicles, factories, and industrial processes
carbon monoxide
forms when hydrocarbon combust [producing co2]
if theres not enough oxygen, carbon monoxide is made instead
[reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carries by blood]
“silent killer”
sources: vehicles, fireplaces, cigar smoke
ground level ozone
odourless, colourless, made of 3 oxygen atoms
forms from reaction between oxygen and nitrogen oxides + chemicals called VOCs
affects wheat, soy beans, onions
sources: fuel combustion in vehcile engines, factories
greenhouse gases
gases in the atmosphere that trap heat
methane, CO2, NO2, SO2, water vapour
greenhouse effect
atmosphere gases act like greenhouse glass - trapping heat close to the earths surface
enhanced greenhouse effect
too many greenhouse gases in the atmonsphere that traps the heat inside our atmosphere
