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136 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What U.S. state did we talk about suffering from drought since the year 2000?
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California
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What percent of Earth’s surface does water cover? Of this water, what percent is saltwater and what percent is freshwater? (This is a time you do have to know numbers!)
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75% water
97.5% salt water 2.5% fresh water |
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Why is freshwater a ‘continually renewable resource’?
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Evaporation and precipitation cycle water through the solar-powered hydrologic cycle
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In the developing world, water is costly or inaccessible to the poor. Name the 3 disadvantages of living in one of these countries, as it relates to water.
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Lack safe drinking water and sanitation, and die from waterborne diseases
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Is freshwater a limiting resource in many parts of the world today?
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Yes
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Hydrologic cycle.
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Evaporation and transpiration: water rises to the atmosphere
Condensation and precipitation: water returns to the land and oceans |
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Blue and Green water.
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Green water: water in vapor form
Blue water: water in liquid form |
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Is water vapor a greenhouse gas?
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Yes
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What is humidity? Does the amount of water vapor air can hold change with the temperature? If so, how?
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Humidity: Amount of water vapor in air
As warm air cools, the relative humidity rises to 100%, and water vapor condenses to liquid water |
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What process result in fog and clouds? What about dew? How do aerosols facilitate this?
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Fog and clouds: droplets forming in the atmosphere
Dew: droplets forming on vegetation Aerosols: Attract water vapor |
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When water in an ocean or lake evaporates, only what leaves the surface?
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Only water molecules leave—solids remain
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Why does warm air rise from the Earth’s surface?
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Less dense air rises when warm
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The distribution of precipitation on Earth depends on what?
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Rising and falling air currents
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Know what happens to air as it rises and descends.
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Rising air cools and condenses, causing precipitation
Descending air warms, and evaporation increases causing dryness |
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As precipitation hits the ground, what 2 things can happen to it? What is the ratio called and what does it mean?
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Precipitation can either soak into the ground (infiltration) or run off the surface
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What is a watershed? What are surface waters?
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Watershed: all the land area contributing to a stream or river
Surface waters: ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, etc. on the Earth’s surface |
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What is the difference in capillary water and percolation?
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Capillary water: held in the soil, according to the soil’s capacity; Returns to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration (green water flow)
Percolation: trickling of water through pores or cracks in the soil due to gravity (blue water flow) |
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What is groundwater? The water table? Where must we dig wells?
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Groundwater: Water accumulated in the earth
Water table: Upper surface of groundwater Wells: Below water table |
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What are aquifers? What is the recharge area?
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Aquifer: Layers of porous material through which groundwater moves
Recharge area: Area where water returns to aquifer |
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Is groundwater generally safe for drinking? What is an example where it is not?
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Yes
Not safe: Developing countries |
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What are seeps and springs and why are they important?
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Seeps: Water that flows out into a large area
Spring: Water flows from small opening Important: Feed streams, lakes an drivers |
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Of the 3 principal loops in the hydrologic cycle, which two are the usual focus for human water resource management?
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2. Surface runoff loop: blue water runs across the ground’s surface to join the surface water system
3. Groundwater loop: blue water that infiltrates, percolates, and joins groundwater |
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Know the 4 human impacts on the hydrologic cycle (pg. 241 – 243).
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Changes to Earth’s surface
Changes to Earth’s climate Atmospheric pollution Withdrawals (diversion) for human use |
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In the year 2010, did Americans use less or more surface water than in 1980? What about total water? (Fig. 10-11)
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Surface water: less than 1980
Total water: less than 1980 |
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What’s the difference in consumptive and nonconsumptive water use?
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-Nonconsumptive: water may be contaminated, but is still available to humans; still in our control
-In homes, industries, and electric power production -Consumptive: the applied water does not return to the local water resource -Gone from human control |
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Worldwide, the largest use of water is what? What is second and third?
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-Agriculture
–Industry -Direct human use (domestic) |
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What is fracking?
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Extracting natural gas
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Know Figure 10-14 and the text that goes with it.
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The % use in each category varies with the climate and development of regions
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Is bottled water the answer?
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-plastic is being used, more expensive, storage needed.
-good for emergencies, but shouldn’t be used as generally used drinking water |
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With regards to ‘dam impacts’, what are dams built for? How have dams negatively impacted salmon?
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-Dams are built to run mill, control floods, generate electric power, and provide water for agricultural use
-Fish (salmon) cannot swim upstream to spawn or downstream to return to the ocean -Salmon: large mortality because cannot cross dam easily. (fish ladder) |
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What is an estuary? How do they rank regarding productive ecosystems?
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Estuary: productive ecosystems in bays and rivers, where fresh river water mixes with seawater
-Some of the most productive ecosystems |
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Water that supports the agriculture of the Midwestern U.S. comes from where? What aquifer supplies this irrigation?
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-Fresh water
-Ogallala |
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What is the recharge like regarding groundwater in arid regions? The resource is then considered what?
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-Has no recharge
-It must be considered nonrenewable, like oil |
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What is a sinkhole? Where are sinkholes particularly severe?
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-Underground cavern is drained of its supporting groundwater and suddenly collapses
-Florida |
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What is desalination? Where have most of the Desal plants been installed? Does Tampa Bay have one? Why is this plant special? What are the two important environmental impacts of Desal plants?
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Desalination: desalting of seawater for domestic use—especially valuable in the Middle East
75% of Earth’s water is salt, but humans need fresh water to survive Tampa bay does: 1st plants built for primary water source 1.Uses too much energy to push water through filters 2. Much salt put back into ocean, fish are being killed; Fish get stuck inside plant |
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Is present-day irrigation wasteful? What are the traditional methods of irrigation (there are 2)? Regarding water-saving methods, know surge flow and drip irrigation systems. What is the one water-saving method that we viewed via Shark Tank?
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Yes
Surge flow: Uses computers to control release of water Drip-irrigation: Pipes with holes drip water at base of each plant Shark Tank: “Tree T- Pee” |
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Regarding municipal systems, what are the 5 examples put forth by the text/lecture?
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Flushing toilets
Taking showers Doing laundry Watering lawns Filling swimming pools |
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What is happening to the water-delivery infrastructure in the U.S., built after WWII?
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-Aging; will be incredibly expensive to replace.
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What is xeriscaping?
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Using plants that don’t need watering
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What is gray water?
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Slightly dirtied water from sinks, showers, tubs and laundry tubs.
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What watershed encompasses 40% of the land area of the U.S.? What is a dead zone? What is the culprit?
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40%: Mississippi River Dead zone: Water and sediments in the gulf no longer containing oxygen Culprit: Nitrogen and hypoxia |
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What advantages did the flush toilet bring to Western Civilization? What disadvantage happened in the receiving waters?
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Flushed waste from homes
Putting waste into the body of waters making it filthy and polluted |
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What was the first federal water pollution legislation?
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Federal Water Pollution Control Act
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What happened with the Cuyahoga River in 1969? What did this incident lead to?
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Caught fire because of the amount of pollutants on surface
Clean Water Act passed |
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Distinguish between point and non-point sources of pollutants (Figure 20-2).
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Point: Anything we can identify
-Pipe leaking discharge Non-point: Poorly defined -Runoff from streets/roads |
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What are the 2 basic strategies used in attempting to bring water pollution under control? Which one is good for point sources? Which one is good for non-point sources?
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Reduce/remove the source: Non-point
Treat water before released: Point |
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What are the most common water-borne pathogens (Table 20-1)? How many deaths each year are traced to water-borne diseases?
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Giardia intestinalis (protozoan) causes Giardiasis
Vibrio cholerae causes Cholera |
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Why is the fecal coliform test important? What is the indicator organism?
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Fecal Coliform Test: Detects sewage-borne pathogens in water
Indicator organism: E. coli |
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What is organic matter? Is most of it biodegradable? What organic matter is not biodegradable?
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Organic matter: Compounds that have carbon-carbon and carbo- hydrogen; living or dead plant or animal material. Most is biodegradable except plastic and some chemicals.
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Does cold water or warm water hold more dissolved oxygen (DO)? Fish and shellfish are killed when the DO drops below what value? What advantage do bacteria have when it comes to dead zones?
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Cold water holds more DO.
Fish killed when DO is below 2 or 3. Bacteria can live in water lacking oxygen. |
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Know the difference in inorganic and organic chemicals, and examples of each.
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Inorganic: Heavy metals, Acids from mines, acid precipitation, road salts.
Organic: Petroleum, pesticides, industrial chemicals: PCBs, cleaning solvents, detergents |
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What is the suspended load? The bed load?
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Suspended load: Clay and humus are carried in suspension; makes water muddy and reduces light penetration.
Bed load: Destructive sand and silt that is not suspended, but is washed along the bottom |
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What are the 2 most important nutrients for aquatic plant growth? When do nutrients become water pollutants? What is the most obvious point source of excessive nutrients? What is the most notorious non-point source?
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Phosphorus and Nitrogen. Become water pollutants when they stimulate undesirable plant growth in water.
Point source: Sewage outfalls. Non-point sources: mostly from agriculture |
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What is the definition of pollution?
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Any quantity that is harmful to human or environmental health
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What are criteria pollutants? How many are listed by the EPA? What is the criteria maximum concentration (CMC)?
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Criteria pollutants: Identifies pollutants and recommends concentrations for freshwater, salt water and human consumption; Tested for in environmental water; toxins, nutrients, pH of water.
EPA: 167 substances. CMC: Highest single concentration beyond which impacts occur. |
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Who is given the primary responsibility for upholding water-pollution laws? If revisions are made, who/what are the revisions subject to?
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Responsible: states subjected to environmental waters
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Given the example of arsenic, could you say whether the CMC or the MCL is higher? Why was there controversy in changing the MCL of arsenic?
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Controversy: money and process of changing process of policies; arsenic was too high in drinking water; 50 to 10
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What does the NPDES program do?
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Addresses point source pollution; Issues permits regulating waste water and industrial discharges
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Are drinking water standards being (mostly) met? What about water quality standards? What are the major problems with water quality standards not being met?
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92% of drinking water meets drinking standards. 42,000 environmental waters don’t meet quality standards.
Problems: Pathogens, mercury, nutrients, oxygen depletion |
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In the United States, regulations were passed requiring municipalities to install 2 separate systems for what?
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Storm drains: collect and drain precipitation.
Sanitary sewers: receive and treat wastewater from homes and buildings |
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Most of what goes down sewer drains is what? What are the five categories of pollutants found in wastewater?
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Water.
Categories: Debris and grit, Particulate organic matter, Colloidal and dissolved organic matter, Dissolved inorganic material, Contaminants of emerging concern |
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Know the difference in primary, secondary and tertiary treatment of wastewater. Regarding disinfection, what is the most widely used disinfecting agent? Why is this problematic? Are there any alternatives?
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Primary: Physical; Bar Screen.
Secondary: Biological; Bacteria. Tertiary: Chemical. Disinfection: Chlorine gas; very dangerous. Alternatives: Sodium hypochlorite, ozone gas, ultraviolet light. |
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What is raw sludge? What 3 methods are used to treat sludge and convert it into organic fertilizer?
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Raw Sludge: particulate organic matter that settles out or floats to the surface during primary treatment.
Organic fertilizer: Anaerobic digestion, pasteurization, composting |
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Are all homes contained in the municipal system? What is the most common on-site treatment system?
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Not all homes contain municipal system; Instead use septic tank
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Know about eutrophication in Tampa Bay. How is this connected to using effluents for irrigation? Why should only treated effluents be used for irrigation?
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Tampa bay: no tertiary treatment at first Treated: Parasite and pathogens can be spread otherwise
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What advantage do wetlands have in treating wastewater? Know the Orlando example.
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Wetlands: Absorb nutrients.
Orlando Easterly Wetlands Reclamation Project: river turning green because of algae blooms, later converted back to wetland |
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Know the difference in benthic plants and phytoplankton. What do phytoplankton consist of? Know where SAV get their nutrients compared to where phytoplankton get their nutrients. Know how changes in nutrients will affect both phytoplankton and SAV.
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Phytoplankton: photosynthetic algae; from water; contains chlorophyll.
Benthic Plants: aquatic plants that grow attached to, or are rooted in, the bottom of the body of water |
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How are hypoxic conditions (i.e., dead zones) created via eutrophication?
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Covers water and creates oxygen depletion
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What is a harmful algal bloom? What is the genus and species name of the red tide dinoflagellate specific to our area in Florida?
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Harmful algae bloom: Large concentrations of algae that kill fish and cause other problem; Florida Red Tide: Karenia brevis
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What is a glyphosate advantage?
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Glyphosate: Herbicide that kills plant growth
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What 2 common household items contain phosphate? Why is this an issue?
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Laundry detergents and dishwashing detergents.
Issue: Goes down the drain to waste water treatment plant then to environment. |
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What was the landmark legislation (regarding water quality), passed in the U.S. in 1972?
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The Clean Water Act of 1972
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The EPA has identified what type of pollution as being the nation’s number 1 water-pollution problem?
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Non- point source pollution
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What is MSW, meaning what does it include and what does it not include?
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Total of all materials thrown away; does not include: hazardous and nonhazardous waste
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What are the two reasons that the amount of MSW around the world has grown steadily?
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Growing populations Increased use of disposable materials
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Looking at Figure 21-1, what are the top four categories of overall composition of MSW in the U.S.? Paper, food waste, yard waste and plastic
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Paper, food waste, yard waste and plastic |
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Most of our (United States) increase in the production of waste stems from what?
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Disposable products
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What objects pose a problem, as they represent a resource that is wasted when put into a dump or landfill? When they decay, they produce what?
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Discarded paper and cardboard; produces greenhouse gasses when decayed
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Low- and middle-income countries spend a greater proportion of their waste management resources on what? What about high-income countries?
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Developing: on collection of waste
Developed: on waste disposal mechanisms |
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What is a garbage patch (or garbage gyre)? How many are there in the ocean? Which is the largest?
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Garbage patch: currents that move floating plastic in the ocean
Largest: The Pacific garbage gyre 6 in the ocean |
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What three features of plastic make it dangerous?
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Can absorb and leach chemicals, entangles animals, mistaken for food and can kill animals who eat it
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In the U.S., who has the primary responsibility for collecting and disposing of MSW?
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Local governments
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In America’s history, many cities (by the 1920s) finally began to collect municipal waste and remove it to dumps. What prompted them to do this?
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The concern of disease spreading
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What happens in a landfill? What 2 things cause air pollution and vermin to be kept down?
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Landfill: waste is put on or in ground.
Covering it by earth and not burning is reduces air pollution and vermin. |
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What are the 4 problems of landfills? Which is the most serious problem by far?
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Ground water contamination is most serious. Leachate, incomplete decomposition, settling, and methane
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What are leachates? Why are they concerning to the flat, wet state of FL?
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Leachate: Water containing pollutants. The water is not able to easily flow down to be released
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What is biogas? What makes up 2/3 of biogas? Where is biogas formed?
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Biogas: burned waste going through anaerobic decomposition; methane is 2/3; formed in landfills
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What opportunity is presented by biogas? What are the two benefits of this?
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Benefits: can be used as fuel, less greenhouse gases produced.
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Chemically, plastics are polymers of what?
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bioplastics (biodegradable plastics)
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Are buildings ever constructed on landfills? Why or why not?
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No, deep holes are created.
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Know the advantages of combustion, especially the two pointed out in class. Know the drawbacks of combustion, especially the two pointed out in class.
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Advantages: Reduces weight of trash by 70% and volume by 90%, and waste is converted to energy;
Disadvantages: Air pollution and odor, and they are expensive |
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Getting rid of all trash is becoming more expensive, and one sad consequence of this is what?
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Illegal dumping
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Our domestic wastes and their disposal represent a huge stream of material—how do we describe this flow? Because the economic and environmental costs of this stream are high, what are we considering now? What is the best strategy?
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1 way flow; source reduction and reuse, recycling/composting, energy recovery, treatment and disposal
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What are the 2 goals accomplished by source reduction?
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Source reduction: reducing waste at its source; best for domestic wastes;
Goals: reduces waste and preserves raw materials |
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What is chitosan? What is it being used for?
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Chitosan: a material made from shrimp shells used to make biodegradable packages.
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Know the difference in primary and secondary recycling.
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Primary recycling: the waste is recycled into the same material
Secondary recycling: waste is made into different products that may or may not be recycled |
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What can paper and paperboard be remade into? What can glass be made into? What can some plastics be made into? What can old tires be made into? What can yard wastes be made into?
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Paper: other paper products,
Glass: new containers, glassphalt, fiber glass, Plastic: carpet, clothes, building materials, Tires: artificial reefs, Yard: rich soil |
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What is a life-cycle analysis?
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Compares energy costs of making products from recycled good with energy costs of making new products from scratch
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What U.S. city instituted the first citywide ban on plastic grocery bags?
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San Francisco
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Which plastic is included in Recycling Code 7? (We talked about this one in class). Can this plastic be found in people? How?
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BPA, Can be found in humans by leaching into foods and everyday items then into our bloodstreams
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When burned, tires contain more energy than what?
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Coal
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What is e-waste? Who leads the world in e-waste? Why is it hazardous? The disposal of e-waste is left up to who? Unfortunately, many “recycling” companies pack up e-waste and then do what with it? Why is this an issue?
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E-waste: discarded electronic devices left up to states and municipalities and lead by the U.S. Hazardous: toxic
Recycled: to developing nations and workers are not protected from chemicals |
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What is the Superfund Act (1980)? Has there ever been a Superfund Site near us (Florida)?
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Addresses abandoned hazardous wastes sites; Yes and Lake Apopka was affected
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What is the Pay as you Throw program?
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Instead of paying taxes for collection and disposal, you pay for the weight of your trash. The more you dispose the more you pay.
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A great deal of the world’s solid waste makes it way to where? What did the MARPOL Convention do?
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Ends up mostly in the ocean
MARPOL Convention: focuses on preventing pollution from ships |
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What is toxicology? What is the difference in acute and chronic toxicity? What is carcinogenic potential?
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Toxicology: the study of the harmful effects if chemicals on human and environmental health
Acute toxicity: immediate Chronic toxicology: long term Carcinogenic: potential to cause cancer |
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What is risk characterization?
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The process of determining level of a risk and its accompanying uncertainties after hazard assessment, dose- response assessment and exposure assessment have been found
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What is the threshold level? Above this level, the effect of a substance depends on what two things?
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Threshold level: level below which there are no ill effects
When above: this level depends on concentration and duration of exposure |
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What is a Hazmat? The EPA categorizes substances on the basis of what hazardous properties? Know what the properties mean.
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Hazmat: Chemcial that presents hazardous risk
Ignitability: catch fire easily (gasoline) Corrosivity: corrode tanks and equipment (acids) Reactivity: chemically unstable substances that may explode or create toxic fumes (explosives) Toxicity: injurious when eaten or inhaled (chlorine) |
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What is the total product life cycle? At each step in the total product life cycle, what can happen?
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Total product life cycle: encompasses all steps in a materials life from raw materials to disposal
Each step: chemicals can enter environment Commercial: |
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Two major classes of chemicals do not readily degrade in the environment—what are they?
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Heavy metals and synthetic organic compounds
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Why were heavy metals added to paint pigments, glazes, inks and dyes? What happened to children exposed to this kind of paint (banned in the U.S. since 1978)? Why are heavy metals extremely toxic?
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Brilliant colors
Banned because children were poisoned Extremely toxic: soluble in water (easily absorbed) and interfere with enzyme functioning |
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Know the 5 synthetic organic compound categories we discussed in class.
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Plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, pesticides and wood preservatives
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What’s the difference in mutagenic and teratogenic?
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Mutagenic: Causes mutation
Teratogenic: Causes birth defects |
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Organic chlorides are widely used in what 4 categories?
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Organic Chloride: Plastics, pesticides, solvents and electrical insulation
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What is a hormone? Why are disturbances to the endocrine system important? In the 1990s, the EPA developed what to deal with this? What are the 3 disturbing trends related to EDCs?
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Hormone: Messengers in the endocrine system,small changes cause significant effects EPA: Endocrine Disrupting Screening Program;
A high and increasing incidence of endocrine related disorder in humans, Endocrine-related effects I wildlife, and lab studies have linked chemical straight to effect. |
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Know what Minamata disease is.
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Minamata disease: Mercury discharged into water that effected fish that people were eating, causing health problems
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What 3 characteristics of persistent organic pollutants allow them to be found in remote areas like the Arctic? What is the latest impact of these chemicals on Arctic residents?
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Characteristics: persistence, bioaccumulation and travel
Latest impact: serious imbalance in birth, twice as many girls were born |
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What is deep-well injection? This technique remains useful why?
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Deep-well injection: drilling boreholes below ground water
Technique: remains useful because wells stop contamination of water and food |
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What is midnight dumping? What are orphan sites?
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Midnight dumping: business pocket fees to take trash, but then take hazardous waste and put it somewhere like a warehouse to get rid of it Orphan sites: companies or individuals stores waste on their own property but later when out of business, so trash stayed there
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Know the example of Love Canal.
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School and houses were built on top of chemical waste
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What is groundwater remediation? Is this always possible? If not, what will the groundwater be considered?
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Groundwater remediation: the re-purification of contaminated groundwater by any number of techniques;
not always possible, groundwater is considered unfit for drinking |
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What prompted the Superfund Act of 1980? What does this legislation do? Why do we have a system of setting priorities to different sites? What are the worst sites? Who are the ‘potential responsible parties’? Why was the “Valley of the Drums” deleted from the National Priorities List?
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Prompted: public outrage over Love Canal
Legislation: taxes on chemical raw materials created a trust fund and money used to identify, clean up waste sites and protect groundwater Worst sites: those present most immediate and severe threats Potential responsible parties: whoever generated waste Valley of the Drums: deleted because the groundwater wasn’t going to be used |
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What is bioremediation? What is phytoremediation? What are the 2 drawbacks of phytoremediation? What have sunflowers been found to capture? Poplar trees? Ferns?
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Bioremediation: oxygen and organisms are injected into the site to feed on pollutants, then die Phytoremediation: plants decontaminate soil Drawbacks: Slow process and can be used only at sites where the contaminants and their concentrations are not toxic to plants Sunflowers: capture uranium Poplar trees: soak up dry cleaning solvents and mercury Fern: thrive on arsenic |
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The Superfund Act is based on the principle that who pays? When liability can’t be tracked down, who pays? Who criticizes the Superfund Act?
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Superfund Act payment: polluter pays liability not tracked: superfund trust fund kicks in
Critics: industries that feel they are being unfairly blames for pollutants that used to not be illegal |
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What is the Brownfield Act? What are brownfields? Many brownfield sites lie where? How does brownfield site rehabilitation advantage the community?
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Brownfield Act: gives grants for site assessment and remediation work
Brownfields: abandoned, idled, or underused industrial or commercial facilities Advantage: creates jobs, provides functional facility, provides land and protects ecosystems |
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We put fuel-storage tanks underground to lessen the risk of explosions and fires, but what is the drawback of this? What material was historically used for these tanks? Many service stations are now turning to what material? Why?
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Drawbacks of fuel-storage: reduces explosions but hides leaks; Steel moved to fiber glass
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Any company producing hazardous wastes in the U.S. today is regulated by what 3 major environmental acts?
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Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Resources Conservation and Recovery Act
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When is a discharge permit required? Standards for the permits are becoming stricter why?
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Discharge permits: any facility that leaks certain amount of volume into water
Stricter: because technologies are more available to control pollution |
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Under OSHA, what does the law require?
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Workers right to know about hazardous materials used along with use of protected equipment
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Congress responded to TRIS by passing what?
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Toxic Substances Control Act
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Why is there serious concern over the effectiveness of TSCA?
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Companies can keep their chemical recipes confidential (they are “trade secrets”)
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The Basel Convention regulations are designed to prevent the types of problems caused by what?
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Prevents problems such as e-waste dumping
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The Stockholm Convention signers agreed to what 3 things?
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Signing nations outlaw nine harmful pollutants, limit DDT to malaria-infested areas and limit the accidental production of pollutants by the breakdown of other products
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What is the difference in pollution control and pollution prevention? Which one results in better product or materials management?
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Pollution control: uses technology to prevent pollutants from entering the environment
Pollution prevention: involves changing production or materials, so pollutants won’t be produced Result: Better products with less waste, and cost savings |
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What is Green Chemistry? What are the 3 approaches to preventing pollution?
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Green chemistry: finding non-hazardous substitutes for hazardous materials
Approaches: Minimization, substitution, and reuse are the three approaches to preventing pollution |
