Unit 4

Front 1

What is the significance of the thermosphere and the stratosphere?

Back 1

The thermosphere absorbs a large amount of the x ray & ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun. It is the outer layer of the earth that is composed of nitrogen and oxygen. The stratosphere holds large concentration of ozone, also holds green houses gases in various concentrations which impacts surface temp. & overall climate.

Front 2

What are VOC's ?

Back 2

Volatile Organic Compounds are groundwater contaminants of concern b/c of very large environmental releases, human toxicity, & a tendency to contaminate drinking H2O. Part of the photochemical pollution.

Front 3

What is photochemical smog and the effect it has on the environment?

Back 3

Unique type of air pollution which is caused by reactions between sunlight and pollutions like hydrocarbons and nitrogen dioxide. It can be harmful due to leading irritations of the respiratory system & eyes. usually caused by factories when they release chemicals in the air.

Front 4

Thermal Inversion layer and the effect on human population

Back 4

areas where the normal decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude is reversed and air above the ground is warmer than the air below it.

Front 5

indoor Pollution

Back 5

These include combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products

Front 6

Outdoor Pollution

Back 6

Ozone (O3) -(smog).

Particulate matter

Sulfur dioxide/sulfuric acid

Carbon monoxide

Nitrogen oxides

Diesel exhaust

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Front 7

Details on Ozone Layer

Back 7

The ozone layer or ozone shield refers to a region of Earth's stratosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It contains high concentrations of ozone (O3) relative to other parts of the atmosphere, although still very small relative to other gases in the stratosphere.

Front 8

Solid Waste (ch.21)

Back 8

Solid waste means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural operations

Front 9

What is a sanitary landfill? How does it work?

Back 9

Sanitary landfills are sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe.

waste layers are built in previously water proof / lined areas. These areas must be degasified through the installation of wells and pipes to carry out the generated biogas. The waste is covered with a layer of earth at least once a day. Once an area is filled out, it is closed and a final cover layer is applied. The waste decomposition sub-products are managed on facilities closed to the landfill, they are percolated liquids and biogas.

Front 10

What is the Superfund Act?

Back 10

address abandoned hazardous waste sites.

Front 11

How is hazardous waster different from solid waste?

Back 11

Hazardous wastes or substances can be potentially hazardous to human health or the environment when they are improperly managed. They possess at least one of four characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity), or appear on special EPA lists.

Solid wastes are non-liquid, non-soluble materials ranging from municipal garbage to industrial wastes that contain complex and sometimes hazardous substances. Solid wastes also include sewage sludge, agricultural refuse, demolition wastes, and mining residues. Technically, solid waste also refers to liquids and gases in containers.

Front 12

What is the story of "Love Canal" and how is it significant?

Back 12

Its 4 miles south of Niagara Falls, its near of a working class of the middle class. So people began to be sick around the area so when they investigated they discovered that the reason that they were getting sick is that underground was a toxic waste disposal. The result was the Superfund.

Front 13

What is deep well injection?

Back 13

Deep well injection is a waste disposal technology that has been used for decades in the United States.The primary concerns are the potential for groundwater and aquifer contamination as well as geological damage, mainly whether the practice of boring deeply into the earth might trigger small earthquakes.

Front 14

What is bioaccumulation? Who does it affect the most?

Back 14

Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost.

Front 15

What is the keeling curve and its significance?

Chapter 19

Back 15

The Keeling Curve is a graph which plots the ongoing change in concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere since 1958. It is based on continuous measurements taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii that began under the supervision of Charles David Keeling.

Front 16

What is the significance of climate change models?

Back 16

They are used to understand present climate and what factors create a particular climate in any one region. They are used to project climatic conditions into the future.climate models are a tool to find out what natural processes or human activities may affect a region’s environment in the future.

Front 17

What gases are considered green house gases?

Back 17

carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O

Front 18

What is the significance of the Kyoto Protocol?

Back 18

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty, which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) man-made CO2 emissions have caused it.

Front 19

What is the US stand on Kyoto Protocol?

Back 19

the United States disengaged from the Protocol in 2001 and has not ratified it.

Front 20

Why are species becoming extinct?

Chapter 9&4

Back 20

-Growth of human population

-Changes of environment condition

-ecological footprints

-Consuming large quantities of resources.

Front 21

Why should we care that they are?

Back 21

of the ecosystem and economic services they provide. It can take million of years for nature to recover from large scale extinctions, and because many people believe that species have a right to exist regardless of their usefulness to us.

Front 22

what is causing the mass extinction we are seeing now?

Back 22

-Global changes

-global warming or cooling

-volcanic eruptions

-changes in sea level

Front 23

What are invasive species?

Back 23

An invasive species is defined as an organism (plant, animal, fungus, or bacterium) that is not native and has negative effects on our economy, our environment, or our health. Not all introduced species are invasive.

Front 24

What is an Indicator species ?

Back 24

Indicator species are plants and animals that, by their presence, abundance, lack of abundance, or chemical composition, demonstrate some distinctive aspect of the character or quality of an environment.

Front 25

What does the Endangered Species Act do?

Back 25

Once a species becomes listed as "endangered" or "threatened," it receives special protections by the federal government. Animals are protected from “take” and being traded or sold. A listed plant is protected if on federal property or if federal actions are involved, such as the issuing of a federal permit on private land.

Front 26

What is the CITES Law?

Back 26

(the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.