Unit C Environmental Chemistry: 2.0 - 3.0 Flashcards
Why might lakes become cloudy in the summer?
Excessive algal growth
What can clear water sometimes indicate?
High acidity
Who sets guidelines for water quality?
Provincial and federal guidelines
What are the five classifications that water is used for?
Human drinking water Recreation such a swimming Livestock drinking water Irrigation Protection of aquatic life
What are biological indicators?
Organisms in the water that can help determine water quality
What are some biological indicators?
Fish, plants, worms, insects, plankton, Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses
What are microbiological indicators?
Microscopic organisms such as bacteria
How does bacteria affect water quality?
They can cause serious health problems if they are present in large numbers
How do scientist use microbiological indicators to measure water quality?
They frequently take samples and if the samples have to much bacteria in them then they require extra treatment
How do scientists use aquatic invertebrates to measure water quality?
Different invertebrates need different water quality so they see which kind of invertebrates there are
What are invertebrates?
Insects without back bones
What are the types of invertebrates that live in water?
Crustaceans, worms, mollusks and insects
Finish the sentence: The diversity of organisms decreases as acidity ….
Increases
What are the most commonly monitored indicators of water quality?
Dissolved oxygen Acidity Heavy Metals Plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus Pesticides Salts
What is the concentration of chemicals usually measured in?
Parts per million or ppm. Or milligrams per liter
How many zeros does 1 million have?
6
What does the level of dissolved oxygen depend on?
Temperature
Turbulence
Amount of photosynthesis
Number of organisms using the water
How does the number of organisms using the water affect the oxygen?
Decreased oxygen level
How can phosphorus and nitrogen enter water bodies?
Sewage pitfalls and run off
What happens if there is increased growth of algae due to phosphorus and nitrogen?
The more algae and plants grow the more that die. The dead plants become food for bacteria and bacteria increases in number and use all the oxygen
What is the ph level of normal rain and snow?
5.6 because carbon dioxide dissolves in it
What ph level is acid precipitation?
Anything lower than 5.6
What is acidic deposition?
When the thin soils and chemical composition of rocks cannot neutralize acids rain
What is spring acid shock?
When acid precipitation deposits build up in ice and snow in winter then in spring when it melts it flows into water systems
What does spring acid shock affect?
The eggs of aquatic organisms and offspring as well as organisms living in the water
Why are some pesticides still in today environment?
Because they were not made to be broken down
How are pesticide resistant pest created?
Insects reproduce quickly and their offspring become resistant to pesticides
What is toxicity?
Describes how poisonous a substance is
What are toxins?
Poisonous substances that produce serious health problems when introduced to an organisms
What is LD50?
Lethal dose 50 %. It calculates the lethal dose that will kill 50 percent of lab animals given the same amount of a toxin at the same time
What are the symptoms of mercury poisoning?
Numbness, involuntary movement, nerve damage, and brain damage
What are heavy metals?
Metals that have a density of 5/cm3 of more
How can heavy metals get into the environment?
Acid rain can corrode pipes and bring them into the water system
What percent of the air is nitrogen?
78 %
What percent of the air is oxygen?
21 %
What percent of the air is argon?
Less than 1 %
What ways can air quality be determined?
By measuring the amount of pollutants in the air
By estimating the amount of emissions from pollution sources
What is sulfur dioxide?
A major pollutant that forms smog and acid rain
How does sulfur dioxide affect your body?
It can affect your respiratory system and irritate your eyes
What is the major source of sulfur dioxide?
Industrial processes
What are scrubbers used for?
They reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 99%. They use limestone to convert the pollutant to a useful product called gypsum
What are nitrogen oxides?
Major pollutants that also produce smog and acid rain
Where do nitrogen oxides come from?
Car emissions and combustion from generating plants and oil refineries
What is carbon monoxide?
The silent killer because it has a colorless odorless gas
Why does carbon monoxide form?
During combustion when there is not enough oxygen for carbon to pair with them they each get one
How does carbon monoxide affect organisms?
If inhaled in reduces he amount of oxygen blood carries and can cause headaches, sleepiness, chest pain, brain damage and death
What concerts carbon monoxide into a safer form?
Catalytic converters
Why is ozone good an bad?
It is is good up in the air because it protects from the harmful gasses but bad lower because it is a harmful pollutant
What is ozone?
A colorless, odorless gas composed of 3 oxygen atoms
How doe ozone form?
From reactions between volatile organic compounds or VOCs
What are VOCs?
Oxygen, nitrogen compounds
What is the major source of ozone?
Fuel combustion in vehicles and industry
What are greenhouse gasses?
The atmospheric gases that trap heat in the earth
What are some greenhouse gasses?
Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides,
What is the enhance greenhouse affect?
Greater concentration of gases trapping more heat due to production of greenhouse gases
What is global warming?
The temperature increase worldwide
What is global warming?
Caused by human activities and the changing temperature of the the earth
How high is the ozone layer?
15-50 km above earths surface
What is the problem with the ozone layer?
Over the years it is becoming thinner exposing people to UV radiation
What is the thinking of the ozone caused by?
The use is of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons. Chlorine atoms combine with oxygen atoms that destroy ozone
Where are chlorofluorocarbons from?
Hair spray, fire extinguishers etc
What is ozone holes sped up by?
Ice particles
