Unit 5 Land and Water Use

Question 1

CAFO’s

Answer 1

a densely crowded ranching method where animals are fed grain (corn) to raise them as quickly as possible. Animals are given antibiotics and growth hormones to prevent disease and maximize meat production.

Question 2

What are the reasons businesses use CAFO’s

Answer 2

it maximizes land use and profit and it minimizes the cost of meat for the consumer

Question 3

why are CAFO’s bad

Answer 3

animals produce a large amount of waste which can contaminate surface and groundwater,, it produces a large amount of CO2, CH4 (methane), and NO2. (all greenhouse gasses)

Question 4

what is a manure lagoon?

Answer 4

large open storage pits for animal waste

Question 5

Why are manure lagoons bad?

Answer 5

manure contains ammonia, hormones, antibiotics, fecal coliform, and bacteria like e coli

Question 6

what effects can manure lagoons have on the environment

Answer 6

heavy rain can flood the lagoons and contaminate nearby surface and ground water, ammonia also denitrifies and manure produces N2O which is a greenhouse gas

Question 7

what are the benefits of manure lagoons

Answer 7

they can be emptied and turned into fertilizer

Question 8

free range grazing

Answer 8

animals graze on grass and grow at a natural rate wihout growth hormones, there is no need for antibiotics because there is a dispersed population so animals are less likely to get sick

Question 9

benefits of free range grazing

Answer 9

there is no need for corn to be produced to feed the animals,, waste is naturally dispersed over the land acting as fertilizer instead of building up into lagoons

Question 10

drawbacks of free range grazing

Answer 10

it takes more overall land, it is more expensive for consumers

Question 11

overgrazing

Answer 11

when too many animals graze an area of land it can remove vegetation

Question 12

what are the drawbacks of overgrazing

Answer 12

the removal of vegetation leads to more topsoil erosion, animals can compact the soil which decreases it’s H2O holding capacity which also leads to more erosion,, desertification can also occur if plants are killed by overgrazing because the soil cannot contain enough water

Question 13

how can overgrazing be avoided

Answer 13

rotational grazing, also can encourage growth of grass because the animals will periodically drop manure as well as the animals will clip the grass back to the size where growth is the most rapid

Question 14

efficiency of meat production

Answer 14

meat production is incredibly inefficient because of the amount of land, water, and energy it uses

Question 15

energy in mp

Answer 15

all of the energy needed to grow, plant and harvest plants to feed to animals as well as the energy to bring water to animals, the energy needed to house animals, and the energy needed to slaughter and package

Question 16

land use in mp

Answer 16

all of the room needed to grow plants to feed animals as well as the actual room needed to house the animals

Question 17

water in mp

Answer 17

all of the water for crops that animals eat plus the water that the animals drink

Question 18

fisheries

Answer 18

populations of fish used for commercial fishing

Question 19

fishery collapse

Answer 19

when overfishing causes drop in 90% population decline in a fishery

Question 20

dangers of fishery collapse

Answer 20

the population may never recover due to decreased biodiversity, inability to find mates, and inbreeding depression

Question 21

economic consequences of fishery collapse

Answer 21

loss of income for fisherman, and loss of tourism for communities

Question 22

overall economic impact of overfishing

Answer 22

overfishing from 1975 to 1985 led to a large decline in profits from 1985 to 2018

Question 23

tragedy of the commons

Answer 23

no incentive or penalty to prevent overfishing from ‘75 to ‘85

Question 24

bottom trawling

Answer 24

a harmful fishing method that involved dragging a large net along the ocean floor

Question 25

Bycatch

Answer 25

unintended catchings such as dolphins, whales, turtles, that get caught in nets

Question 26

why is bottom trawling bad?

Answer 26

bycatch , turbidity (stirs up the ocean floor), destroys coral reefs, and kills non target species by destroying their habitat

Question 27

trophic cascade and fisheries

Answer 27

as we deplete large predatory species, we move down to smaller fish species. The depletion of these smaller species limits fishery recovery and decreases food supply of marine mammals and seabirds

Question 28

how can we prevent fishing difficulties

Answer 28

Turtle exclusion devices, licenses, and limits on size/number

Question 29

soil erosion due to clearcutting

Answer 29

caused by loss of stabilizing root structure, removes soil matter and nutrients from forest, and deposits sediments in local streams which warms water and makes it more turbid

Question 30

increased soil and stream temp due to clearcutting

Answer 30

loss of tree shade increases soil temperature, soil has a lower albedo than leaves of trees, loss of tree shade along rivers an streams warms them, erosion of sediment also warms the waters

Question 31

flooding and landslides due to clearcutting

Answer 31

logging machinery compacts the soil, increased sunlight dries out the soil, loss of root structure=erosion of topsoil and O horizons,, all of these factors decrease H2O holding capacity of soil causing flooding and landslides

Question 32

Tree Plantations

Answer 32

Areas where the same tree species are repeatedly planted, grown, and harvested,, it lowers biodiversity,, lowers resilience,, and less habitat diversity

Question 33

what are some drawbacks of tree plantations

Answer 33

all the trees are planted at the same time so there is not age diversity, which means that there are no dead trees for birds or decomposes to use, it also lowers biodiversity because they are all the same species,, and they are less resilient

Question 34

benefits of forest

Answer 34

filter out pollutants and carbon storing services, removal and storage of CO2 from atmosphere,, trees take in carbon s sugar, wood, other tissue and they release CO2,, and it is a habitat for organisms which increases biodiversity

Question 35

consequences of deforestation

Answer 35

reduces air filtering and carbon storing services, cutting trees down releases Co2 from decomposition of leftover organic material,, slash and burn agriculture method of clearing land agriculture by cutting trees and burning them= releases CO2, N2O, and water vapor into the atmosphere (GHG’s)

Question 36

urbanization

Answer 36

removing vegetation in order to convert natural landscape to city: replaces soil, vegetation, wetlands with impervious surfaces (concrete, asphalt, cement) which don’t allow water to infiltrate into the ground

Question 37

what are some problems with urbanization

Answer 37

it releases Co2 emissions through:
-cement production
-construction machinery
-deforestation, and loss of carbon storage
- lansfills
It also prevents groundwater recharge which causes precipitation to runoff into local bodies of water

Question 38

urbanization in coastal cities

Answer 38

population growth in coastal cities can lead to saltwater intrusion due to:
excessive groundwater withdrawal which is where water table pressure is lowered which allows saltwater to seep into groundwater
sea levels rising: die to warming of ocean (thermal expansion) and melting of ice caps (increasing ocean volume) can contaminate groundwater with salt

Question 39

what is the population trending toward currently

Answer 39

the overall trend in the us is away from less dense rural areas and toward more urban city areas,, suburbs are becoming increasingly popular

Question 40

urban sprawl

Answer 40

pop movement out dense urban centers to less dense suburban areas surrounding the city

Question 41

why does urban sprawl occur

Answer 41

cheaper property in the suburbs, larger homes for the same price, cars make it easy to still get from the suburbs to the city for work entertainment, and cultural attractions, the domino effect (neighbors leave so you leave too) fewer residents in cities leads to a decline in tax revenue for the city so cities have to hike up taxes or theres a decrease in city services, residents leave so businesses leave too, and there are abandoned businesses and homes so infrastructure gets run down a lot

Question 42

more causes of urban sprawl

Answer 42

expanded highway system, increased fuel taxes which allow for better highways to be built

Question 43

solutions to urban sprawl

Answer 43

urban growth boundaries which are zoning laws set by cities preventing development beyond a certain boundary,, public transport and a walkable city attracts residents to stay because they don’t need to drive,, and mixed land use increases walkability and sense of place