UNIT 4 Flashcards
the spheres
list each sphere with its energy sources
- Lithosphere: Fossil fuels, Nuclear,Geothermal
- Hydrosphere: Hydro (water), Ocean currents, Tidal
- Atmosphere: Wind, Solar
list 2 pros and 2 cons for each energy source in the litosphere (fossil fuels, nucelar, geothermal)
- fossil fuels: PRO, very high energy output, reliable/abundant, CON, non renewable, high GHG emissions
- Nuclear: PRO, high energy output, low carbon emissions, reliable, CON, disasters can be catastrophic, produces nuclear waster
- Geothermal: PRO, renewable, reliable, efficient, CON, thier plants can cause earthquakes, can only be built at specific sites
list 2 pros and 2 cons for each energy source in the hydrosphere (Hydro, ocean currents, tidal)
- Hydro: PRO, renewable and clean (no GHG emissions, CON, can cause flooding, geographic dependent
- Ocean currents: PRO, zero GHG emissions, renewable, reliable, CON, can affect marine environment, high costs
- Tidal: PRO, efficient, no waste, renewable, predictable, CON exepensive, can impact animal migration
list 2 pros and 2 cons for each energy source in the atmosphere (wind and solar)
- wind: PRO, renewable, clean (GHG emissions), low operation costs CON, loud, weather dependant, not visually appealing
- solar: PRO, renewbale, provides energy independence, clean, CON, expensive, weather dependent, polluting once used up, uses a lot of space
name at least 2 environmental impacts of mining
- erosion and sinkholes
- loss in biodiversity
- water pollution
- contamination of soil
- greenhouse gas emissions
what does soil depletion mean?
a loss of minerals and nutrients from the soil, which decreases soil fertility
what causes soil depletion?
- heavy machinery used to harvest crops compacts the soil = deprives soil of oxygen and prevent rain from penetrating the earth (so the run off water carries away the nutrients
- the more and more fertilizers and pesticides that are being used = excess fertilizer runs off into lakes, pesticides accumulate in living organisms tissues and kills them (those microorganisms, insects and small animlas helped maintain soil balance)
- acid rain (carrying chemicals from by products of the burning of fossil fuels) = cause poor nutrient retention, kill microorganisms, slow or stop plant growth
4
list exemples of soil contaminants
- fertilizers
- pesticides
- leaked fossil fuels
- heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury)
what is bioremediation?
it is the idea of using microorganisms or other living things to neutralize or remove contamination from waste
give 3 exemples of bioremediation
- enzyme cleaners
- use of plants( to clean up the soil (phytoremediation)
- use of oil degrading microbes (biodegredation)
what is permafrost?
ground that has been 0 degrees celcius or lower for at least 2 years
list 3 effects of global warming on permafrost
- softening of the soil which can cause damage to infrastrucutre by destabilizing the foundation
- landslides
- methane and CO2 trapped underneath permafrost can be released
what is the difference between a carbon sink and a carbon source
a carbon sink absorbs and stores carbon, while a carbon source puts carbon back into the environment
list 5 carbon sources
- plant and animal respiration
2.volcanoes - weather and erosion
- forest fires/clear cut logging
- decomposition of dead organisms
list 5 carbon sinks
- photosynthesis
- limestone formation
- reforestation
- shellfish and coral
- ocean sediments
what does the nitrogen cycle allow?
it allows living organisms to intake nitrogen for primarely making DNA and Proteins since they cannot directly take in N2 gas
5
list the steps of the nitrogen cycle
- nitrogen fixation
- nitrification
- absorption
- decomposition
- denitrification
describe the steps of the nitrogen cycle
- nitrogen fixation: nitrogen fixing bacteria breaks apart N2 molecules from the atmosphere and fixe the nitrogen into other nitrogen-containing molecules, like ammonia and ammonium (NH4)
- nitrification: nitrifying bacteria converts the ammonia and ammonium into nitrates and nitrites (molecule plants can easilly assimilate) (NO3, NO2)
- absorption: plants absorb these molecules through the soil, or animal eat the plants that have them
- decomposition: the plants and or animal decompose putting NO3 and NO2 back into the soil
- denitrification: denitrifying bacteria converts nitrates and nitrites back into the atmospheric N2 gas
3
why is the phosphorus cycle important?
- like carbon and nitrogen, phosphorus is essentiel to life
- phosphate is found in parts of DNA and ATP (a molecule neede for energy storage in the human body)
- animals need phosphorus for their shells, bones and teeth
4
list the steps of the phosphorus cycle
1.erosion
2.absorption
3.decomposition
4.sedimentation
describe the steps of the phosphorus cycle
1.erosion: wind and rain wear away at small amounts of phosphorus in rock, the phosphates gets absorbed into the soil or water supply
2.absorption: plants absorb the phosphates, herbivores in the plants that have them, and carnivores eat the herbivores
3.decomposition: digested phosphates (poo) from animals are returned to the soil as waste, decompsoers (fungi, microorganisms) release phosphates when they break down the dead plants and animals
4.sedimentation: remains sink to the bottom of the ocean as sediment, over time the sediment solidifies into rock and can be uplifted (brought to ground)
what is the coriolis effect
the air asses /wind appear to move diagonally due to the spinning of the earth
the air surrounding the earth is in…
constant motion
air rises above …. of the earth and air descends over …. of the earth
warm regions, cold regions
list the 3 prevailing winds and with what direction they go
- polar easterlies: east to west
- westerlies: west to east
- trade winds: towards the west
List 4 atmospheric contaminants
- sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (acid rain)
- metals like mercury, arsenic, and lead (by products from the combustion of oil and coal
- CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) which destroy the ozone
- dust and airborne particles from factories and car exhaust
what is the greehouse effect?
when greenhouse gases (H2O, CO2,CH4,N2O) which are suspended around the earth in the atmosphere keep in some of the energy of the sun
NOT the greenhosue gases specifically
List the greenhouse gas contributors
- methane (largely from cows)
- trapped methane released when permafrost melts
- volcanoes and earthquakes release trapped gases
- CO2 from respiration and decomposition
- CO2 from deforestation
- H2O as product of combustion
a watershed is also known as a … and a …
catchment area or a drainage basin
What is a watershed?
an area that drains water to a specific location
catchment areas are usually what??
seperated topographically from adjacent areas by geographical barriers (mountains)
what are the factors that affect watershed locations?
- Topography (shape, slope and area terrain)
- Geology (type, depth, and structure of rocks)
- Climate (precipitation, temperature, etc)
- Vegetation ( density, diversity)
- Agricultural, industrial, and urban development of surrounding areas (farms, factories, sewage installation, etc)
how does eutrophication occur?
when an excess of organic material and nutrients (rich in nitrogen and phosphorus) accumulate in waterways (rivers)
how is eutrophication related to the phosphorus and nitrogen cycle?
since nitrogen and phosphorus originate from the run-off of fertilizer and pesticides and septic leaks and detergents containing phosphates and nitrogen-rich molecules
cuz its rich in those two things
5 steps
explain the process of eutrophication
- algae feed on nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer run-off. This explosion of growth is called an algal bloom.
- As the algae dies, it sinks to the bottom, where it is decomposed by microorganisms. (decomposers)
- The microgoraganisms comsume lots of oxygen as they decompose the organic matter. Therefore, the amount dissolved O2 in the water significantly decreases.
- Other aquatic organisms (fish,frogs,insects) do not have enough oxygen for respiration
- Slowly, the ecosystem dies
Algal bloom will also do what?
- Block sunlight from penetrating the water.
- Underwater plants have difficulty doing photosynthesis and die.
- This also increases the rate of decomposition and therefore contributes to the decrease in dissolved O2
List exemples of hydrosphere contaminants
- oil spills
- fuels from boats
- chemical discharged from industries
- wastewater (sewage systems)
- microplastics
What are the 3 main steps of water filtration? and briefly explain them
- Physical treatment (remove large pieces of debris, remove sand and grit, primary sedimentation)
- Biological treatment(microorganisms digest fine organic matter, secondary sedimentation)
- Disinfection (treatment of water with chemicals,radiation, chlorine compounds,ozone, or UV rays)
what is the difference between surface currents and deep-water currents?
-surface water currentsmakes up about 10% of all the water in the ocean, it is the upper 400 meters of the ocean, it is affected by the Earths rotation and the wind
WHILE
-deep water currents make up the other 90% of the ocean, and they move around due to changes in density (affected by temperature and salinity)
for surface currents, winds do what?
winds move warm water away from the equator and cool water away from the poles
how is density affected by salinity?
- when ocean water is exposed to warm air (at lower latitudes)
- density goes up,
- because as water molecules evaporate, the concentration of salt (salinity) increases
- THIS MAKES THE WATER DENSER
theres also the salt part
how is density affected by temperature?
- when ocean water is exposed to cold air (at high latitudes)
- density goes up
- because as temperature decreases, water molecules move closer together
- so the water contracts and becomes denser
- this also cause it to sink
- hot water = less dense (particles are seperated)takes up more space
what is thermohaline circulation?
it is a slow conveyor belt that moves water around the Earth and it regulates climate
break down the word thermohaline
thermo = temperature and haline = salt
what is thermohaline circulation made of?
surface currents and deep water currents
how does thermohaline circulation affect the climate?
since it regulates climate it influences the rate of sea ice formation near the poles
what is the difference between glaciers and pack ice?
- glaciers is a mass of freshwater ice on land while pack ice is frozen seawater (brackish=freshwater and seawater) floating on oceans near the North and South poles
- glaciers cause and increase in sea lel while pack ice causes no change in sea level
- glaciers are MELTING due to global warming while pack ice are currently WARMING due to global warming
what happens when glaciers melt?
- freshwater from them flow down its watershed into the ocean, adding to the volume of ocean water
- it also dilutes the saltwater, decreasing the salinity and therefore affecting the thermohaline circulation
what happens when pack ice melts?
it does not add volume but does change salinity
matter must be recycled due to what?
due to the law of conservation of matter, which states that matter cannot be created nor destroyed
the carbon cycle is one of several…
biogeochemical cycles
List the steps of the carbon cycle
- photosynthesis
- Respiration
- decomposition
- weathering of rocks
- human caused increase of CO2 in the atmosphere
what are the dangers of glaciers and pack ice melting
- affects thermohaline circulation = climate
- species displacement or extinction
- decreases in albedo (reflecting sunlgiht)
