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56 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Water: Human Use and Impact |
modify streams to minimize flood risk and water shortages -dams keep fish from migrating and rivers from moving sediments -colorado river (huge human impact) |
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Cadillac Desert Documentary |
-1st river under human control=colorado -cut canyons but riverbed is small & unpredictable -supports SoCal and S. Nevada -Hoover Dam-Black Canyon, 300 mi from LA (huge energy source) -55 dams on Columbia and Tributaries -FLOYD DOMINY (glenn canyon) thinks man can improve nature -"Should we flood the Sistine Chapel so tourists can get closer to the ceiling?" on flooding the grand canyon. Floyd was pro-dam, lot of backlash |
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Water Cycle |
precip=infiltration/runoffl-evap-condens |
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Formation of Lakes |
-glacial -oxbow -kettle (from glaciers, but from ice blocks) |
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Basins |
-open: have outflow -closed: have no outflow (great salt lake)
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Age of Lakes |
all are relatively young, -in constant state of evolution -slowly get shallower |
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Lentic ecosystems (influenced by lakes/ponds) |
habitats vary at different depths -benthic zone: lake bottom -pelagic zone: open water -littoral zone: near shore, where light penetrates to bottom
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plankton |
-phytoplankton: important primary producers -zooplankton -rely on both a lot |
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Human use vs. Impact on Lakes |
-water quantity: arab sea (essentially almost gone), overallocation of water -water quality: the Great lakes =prone to pollution, highly populated =fertilizers and algae growth (nitrogen, phosphorous)
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Ground Water
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infiltration-percolation-water table(zone of saturation) -water contained in soil and rocks below the root zone -all groundwater starts out as surface water so it is tied to surface supplies for recharge |
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aquifer |
rock layer that is permeable to ground water -an aquaclude is a layer of rock that is impermeable -water must be pumped from unconfined aquifers |
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confined aquafers |
bounded above & below by aquacludes -pressurized by its own weight. can rise to level called potentiometric surface.
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artesian water |
very prone to contamination |
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Streams |
Effluent stream: take in ground water influent stream: lose water to ground (ground water is not renewable)
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Overuse of Groundwater |
-collapsing aquifers -saltwater encroachment: ruins human use *Ogallala Aquifer: (s. dakota to texas) levels have dropped 100ft since 1950, 1000 years to recharge *hard to clean pollution from groundwater (prevent) |
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Wet Lands |
where land meets water -anerobic colls -contains hydrophytes -marshes (tidal & nontidal) -swamps (fed by flowing water) -bogs: fed by rainfall -many ecosystem services -storage of floodwaters
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wet land human impact |
-urban expansion -drainage for disease protection |
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Estuaries |
partially enclosed bodies of water where fresh meets sea -difference in density creates complex flow patterns -wide variety of habitats -salt marshes w/ tidal rivers flowing -high rate of NPP |
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Estuaries human use and impact |
-pollutants collect there, creating dead zones -eutrophication & hypoxia -dams (fed by rivers) |
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Oceans |
-cover 71% of Earth -98% of all water -ocean currents (gyres) |
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Thermohaline Circulation |
surface currents interact w/ vertical currents -impact weather/biodiversity |
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Ocean Ecosystems |
-intertidal zone: submerged @ high tide, exposed @ low tide -pelagic zone: all open ocean waters -benthic zones: variety of habitats depending on depth & light penetration (shallow attached seaweeds, coral reefs, deep ocean)
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Forests ecosystem services |
-water purification -withdrawl/ storage for carbon -biodiversity -recreation
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forest values |
-wood products -non wood products (ex. pharmecudicals)
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Growth of Forests |
-conifers -anniosperms primary growth: (ver growth) phloem & xylem secondary growth: (rings) |
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4 stages of tree comm. development |
1. establishment 2. thinning 3. transition 4. old-growth |
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ENERGY SOURCES |
-primary (actual source) -secondary energy (transmission) -end use (light from lightbulb) *no energy is 100% efficient -energy conversion efficiency -energy end-use efficiency |
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forms of primary energy |
-non-renewable, lmtd quantities -renewable: not depleted when used primary energy sources have changed (prehistoric= solar, agricultural pd = wind, flowing water, industrial = fossil fuels 80% renewable <1%) |
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End Use |
-electricity & transport most important in USA -in 50 wealthy countries, transport consumes over 33% of energy -in developing, <20% |
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Future of Fossil Fuels |
-proven reserves: quantities that could be recovered w/ certain technologies -reserves-to-production radio (RP): proven reserves figure divided by that years level of production use *provides estimate of how many yrs will last *R/P for oil=40 |
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EROI |
useful energy produced divided by amnt of energy it took to obtain it |
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Electric power |
-electricity is a 2ndary energy source -environ impacts related to primary source |
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Generating Electricity |
-electric current, flow of particles -prim energy used to heat water & create pressurized steam -steam turns a turbine that drives electrical generator -spinning magnets create electromagnetic field providing voltage |
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Electric power grid |
-baseload: min amnt of electricity that utility must provide to meet needs -peak load: max amnt demanded by consumers *seasonal requirements *challenge for renewable energy *current system is very inefficient,problem is with communication |
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Environ Impact of Electricity |
-primary sources= most impact -transmission of energy could be related to leukemia -PCB's were used to make electrical transformers -battery disposal=signif pollution
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COAl |
-used for 5,000 yrs -1st peat then compacted to sediments -coal seams: layers of sediment w/ coal |
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types of coal |
-lignite=younger deposits, 25-30% carbon -bitominous, much denser, 45-86% C -anthracite, highest energy content 86-97% C |
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Coal Extraction |
-surface mining (strip mining) -mtn top removal= controversial -underground mining= shafts underground |
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processing of coal |
-remove particulates -particulates left behind=flyash |
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environ impacts of coal |
-mine tailings: high levels of sulfide -mtn top removal buries streams & induces flooding -exhaust from coal fires contain numerous toxic chems |
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OIL |
-leading source of energy -similar to coal, but greater depth -kerogen: waxy substance/precursor to oil -less dense than water, migrated up |
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3 geo conditions needed for oil |
1. shallow sea w/ leg quantities of aquatic orgs 2. had to migrate up to porous rock resevoir 3. resevoir has to be covered by impermeable rock |
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fracking |
-injecting high pressure liquids into rock to create porous spaces -don't know environ impacts -can effect water supply (nat gas) |
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oil processing |
-shipped to refineries -70% of every barrel is converted to fuel for cars -7% converted to aviation fuel
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environ impacts of oil |
-drilling presents risks to habitat & wildlife in sensitive environ -spills -emissions from auto (CO2, Nit Ox) -accounts for 31% of greenhouse gas emiss -wells vulnerable to terrorist attacks
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natural gas |
-mostly methane -found in assoc w/ oil deposits -r/p of 66 years -mostly found in middle east -pumped to surface, purified & transported through pipelines -liquified natural gas is easier to ship |
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nat gas environ impact |
-fracking -releases far less pollution -major concerns for methane and global warming |
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Nuclear Power |
-nuclear fission -nucleus of atom is split to form 2 nuclei -occurs naturally when radioactive isotopes of certain elements decay -uranium: when U atom is split, neutrons can then split other U atoms causing a chain reaction = atomic bomb -r/p = 120 years
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uranium |
mined from open pit mines -concentrated into yellowcake -yellowcake compressed into fuel pellets |
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environ impacts of nuclear |
-mining -excessive heat is by product -overheating and explosion of reactor cores * 3 mile island, pa *chernobyl *fukushima, japan
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cost vs. benefit of nuclear |
- no emission of greenhouse gases -extremely efficient -spent fuel rods remain radioactive for at least 1 million yrs -geologic nuclear repository (yucca, nv) |
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wind power |
-1 of earliest forms -kinetic energy of moving air is converted to energy -requires no fuel, truly CLEAN -location is problem *transportation, bird pops, aesthetics |
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solar power |
-passive solar: orientation of buildings -active solar: rooftop solar panels -its free and renewable -high upfront costs -also has geographical limitations |
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biomass energy |
-contained in wood and other plant matter -wood, charcoal, dried animal dung -abundant -EROI is very high **** |
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GeoThermal Energy |
-heat energy created and stored in the earth -ground source heat pumps -direct use of hot water from geothermal reservoir -nearly pollution free -location restricted |
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ocean energy |
-kinetic and thermal -tidal power -wave power -therm energy conversion |
