Unit 5 Flashcards

1
Q

Tragedy of the commons

A

the theory that individuals will use shared resources in their own self-interest, therefor degrading them.
ex. overgrazing, overfishing, overuse of ground water

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2
Q

Externalities

A

negative costs associated with human actions. (side effects due to tragedy of the commons)

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3
Q

Effects of Clear Cutting

A

Soil erosion
Increased soil and stream temperature
flooding and landslides

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4
Q

why does stream temp. increase as an effect of clear cutting?

A

loss of shade from trees increases the temperature of rivers and streams

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5
Q

Effects of tree plantations

A

lower biodiversity-mature, diverse forests are replaced by all the same species.
All trees are the same age-All trees are planted at the same time so there are no old dead trees for woodpeckers, insects or decomposers.

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6
Q

Consequences of Deforestation

A

-Reduces air filtering and carbon storing services
-releases CO2 into the atmosphere

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7
Q

Slash and Burn

A

a method of clearing land for agriculture by cutting trees and burning them (releases GHG into the atmosphere, but returns nutrients to the soil)
-Increases particulate matter in air which leads to respiratory issues

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8
Q

Green Revolution

A

a shift in agriculture away from small family farms to large industrial agriculture
-increased mechanization
-increased efficiency of land (high yeild)

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9
Q

Benefits and downsides of mechanization

A

benefit: increased yield and profit
Drawback: increased reliance on fossil fuels (released GHG) and heavy machinery compacts soil

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10
Q

High Yield Variety Crops

A

genetically modified crops that increased yield and food stability in regions where there was famine.

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11
Q

GMOs benefits and drawbacks

A

Benefits: have genes that allow them to grow faster, survive drought, or be tolerant to pests
Drawbacks: crops are all genetically identical. So genetic diversity is decreased, and crops are more receptable to disease.

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12
Q

Monocroping

A

growing one single species of crop
-very effective for harvest, but decreased biodiversity and increases soil erosion

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13
Q

Tilling

A

Mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier
Drawbacks: increases erosion by loosening topsoil, loss of organic matter in topsoil over time, increased particulate matter in the air and turbidity in nearby streams

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14
Q

What are the drawbacks of synthetic fertilizers

A

-the do not increase the H2O holding capacity of the soil
-Nutrients may be leached and contaminate groundwater
-Fossil Fuels are used to produce synthetic fertilizers

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15
Q

Leaching

A

when water carries excess nutrients into groundwater or nearby surface water.

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16
Q

Furrow Irrigation

A

trenches dug along crops and filled with water (easy and inexpensive)
-66% efficiency

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17
Q

Flood Irrigation

A

entire field is flooded (easier, but may be disruptive to plants)
-80% efficiency

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18
Q

Drip Irrigation

A

Hoses are put on the ground and distribute water directly to plants roots.
-very efficient (95%), but very costly

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19
Q

Spray Irrigation

A

nozzles spray water onto crops
-very efficient, but very costly

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20
Q

Waterlogging

A

overwaters so the soil is fully saturated, and all of the pore space is filled with water so there is no air flow.
-can stunt growth or kill crops

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21
Q

Soil Salinization

A

when salt builds up in the soil overtime due to using ground water for irrigation (groundwater contains small amounts of salt that build up over time)

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22
Q

Why does soil salinization harm plants?

A

excess salt in the soil can dehydrate the plants roots and prevent them from absorbing enough water.

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23
Q

Soulutions to soil salinization

A

drip irrigation
soil aeriation
flushing with fresh water

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24
Q

How is water used by humans? (%)?

A

19% is used for industrial purposes
11% is used for Municipal purposes.
70% is used for agricultural purposes

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25
Q

Unconfined aquifers

A

Aquifers closer to the surface that are able to be replenished quicker

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26
Q

Confined aquifers

A

Aquifers with a layer of impermeable rock above them. They replenish much slower but are usually cleaner.

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27
Q

Bt Corn

A

Corn with a bacteria gene that produces its own pesticides.
-decreases insecticide use

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28
Q

Round Up Ready crops

A

crops that are genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide round up
-increases herbicide use

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29
Q

GM crops are all genetically ____________.

A

Identical

30
Q

CAFOs

A

densely packed feedlots with animals that are fed grain to raise them as quickly as possible.
Benefit: maximized land use and profit.
Drawback: animals produce large volume of waste which can contaminate water

31
Q

Free Range Grazing

A

Animals graze on grass and grow at a natural rate
Benefit: no need for antibiotics and growth hormones, no corn production needed to feed the animals
Drawbacks: requires more total land, more expensive

32
Q

Overgrazing

A

too many animals grazing in an area of land, removing vegetation, which can lead to erosion and desertification.

33
Q

desertification

A

plants are killed by overgrazing and soil is compacted so much that it can no longer hold enough water.

34
Q

Rotational Grazing

A

moving animals periodically to prevent overgrazing.
-can increase growth of grass by distributing manure more evenly

35
Q

Is production of meat more or less efficient than production of plants?

A

Production of meat is LESS efficient.
It requires more total land, energy, and water.

36
Q

Fisheries

A

a population of fish used for commercial fishing.

37
Q

Fishery collapse

A

when overfishing causes 90% population decline in fisheries

38
Q

Bottom trawling

A

a especially harmful fishing method that involves dragging large nets along the ocean floor
Drawbacks: bycatch, coral reef destruction, sediment is stirred up

39
Q

Bycatch

A

unintended species caught in nets during fishing

40
Q

Ore

A

commercially valuable deposited of concentrated minerals

41
Q

Reserve

A

the known amount of a resource that is left to be mined

42
Q

Overburden

A

soil, vegetation and rocks that are removed to get to an ore deposit

43
Q

Tailings and Slag

A

leftover waste material separated from valuable metals or minerals (often stored in ponds)

44
Q

Different types of Surface mining

A

open pit, strip, mountain top, placer

45
Q

Why is surface mining so harmful

A

It can cause:
-erosion of topsoil
-habitat loss
-increased stream turbidity
-increased particulate matter in the air

46
Q

Is subsurface mining more or less expensive than surface mining?

A

MORE, high insurance and healthcare cost for workers due to poor ventilation and mine collapse.

47
Q

Acid Mine Drainage

A

rainwater leaks into abandoned mine tunnels and mixes with minerals to form Sulfuric Acid

48
Q

Mine reclamation

A

restoring land back to its original state after mining has finished

49
Q

Saltwater Intrusion

A

excessive groundwater withdrawal near the coast, lowering the water table and allowing saltwater to seep into ground water.
-sea level rise may also lead to saltwater intrusion

50
Q

Urban Sprawl

A

movement out of dense urban centers into less dense suburban areas

51
Q

What causes Urban Sprawl

A

-cheaper property in suburbs
-Cars have made it easier to commute into the city for work
-domino effect

52
Q

Solutions to Urban Sprawl

A

-Urban Growth boundary: zoning laws set by cities preventing development beyond a certain boundaries
-Public Transport
-Mixed land use-residential, business, and entertainment in the same area

53
Q

Ecological footprint

A

measure of how much a person consumed expressed in an area of land.

54
Q

Carbon footprint

A

how much carbon an individual produces through their activities expressed in tones per year.

55
Q

Sustainability

A

consuming a resource in a way that does not deplete or degrade it for future generations.

56
Q

Maximum Sustainable Yeild

A

the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without depleting the resource for future use.
-about 1/2 of carrying capacity

57
Q

4 Indicators of sustainability

A

Biodiversity: higher biodiversity=healthier ecosystem
Food Production: indicates the ability of earths soil, water, and climate to support agriculture.
Atmospheric Temp- life on earth depends on a very narrow temperature range
Human Pop. and resource depletion: how much of resources are we harvesting and how large are we

58
Q

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

A

using a variety of pest control methods that minimize the environmental disruptions and pesticide use.

59
Q

Biocontrol

A

Introducing a natural predator to control pest population

60
Q

Crop roation

A

planting different crops each season to prevent pest from becoming established and prevent soil from being depleted of specific nutrients

61
Q

Perennial crops

A

crops that will live year-round and are harvested multiple times.

62
Q

Wind Breaks

A

using trees or other plants to block the force of wind from eroding topsoil

63
Q

Strip Cropping

A

alternating rows o dense crops with rows of less dense crops

64
Q

Green Manure

A

leftover plant matter from a covercrop

65
Q

Cover Crop

A

a crop planted in the off season to stabilize the soil

66
Q

limestone

A

neutralizes acidic soil and makes toxic metals less soluble in soil

67
Q

Aquaculture Benefits

A

-requires only a small amount of water
-reduces risk of fishery collapse

68
Q

Aquaculture Drawbacks

A

-high waste concentration is produced
-disease risk is increased by the close proximity
-may introduce non-native species to an area
-fish are fed antibiotics which can contaminate water via waste

69
Q

Selective Cutting or Strip cutting

A

only cutting some of the trees in an area to preserve habitat diversity and topsoil.

70
Q

Perscribed Burns

A

Small, controlled fires to burn dead biomass preventing larger forest fires later.