Ecology Connelly Test 2

Ecology

10%

percentage of people who do not have enough water

40%

percentage of people who don't have safe water

freshwater

is a limited resource

hydrological cycle (water cycle)

linkage of marine and freshwater aquatic environments

water cycle

The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back

watershed

An ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water

265 million gallons

how many gallons of sewage enter the ganges a day\>

3,000

how many people die from water-borne illness in africa daily?

aquifer

an underground region of soil or porous rock which is saturated with water

infiltration

the process of water soaking into the ground

water table

the top of the underground water saturated region

saltwater intrusion

an infiltration of salt water in an area where groundwater pressure has been reduced from extensive drilling of wells

ACT and ACF river basins

where most of georias water comes from

damming rivers and creating reservoirs

How to solve the water shortage in Georgia?

benefits of damming

sources of freshwater, flood control, electricity production, boating

downsides of damming

potential evaporation, water loss

99%

how much water does metro atlanta get from river and lakes

Buford Dam

created lake lanier 1957

ACF

lake lanier

ACT

lake allatoona

tri state war

georgia, alabama, and florida fight over water

Three Gorges Dam

A barrier built on the Chang Jiang to control floods. wolds largest power station

DOWNSIDES to the Three Gorges Dam

relocated 1.2 million people, fish are affected, earthquake potential

what do we need to do to fix the water problem?

conservation, realistic pricing

conservation

Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment

realistic pricing

help fix the water problem

water conservation strategies

* low volume toilets
* xeroscaping

landscape architecture

can help water conservation and natural runoff

Stream Pollution

things being discharged in rivers

Cuyahoga River Fire

1969 fire caused by the mass pollution in the Cuyahoga River in Ohio. Molten sparks from a passing rail car set fire to oil- and chemical-soaked debris floating on the Cuyahoga. The brief blaze only torched a railroad bridge but branded Cleveland as a dirty city where water burns. Helped launch several water pollution control activities, such as Clean Water Act, EPA, and the OEPA

water scarcity

running out of water

nonpoint source pollution

pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single, specific site

point source pollution

pollution that comes from a specific site

Dead Zone Gulf of Mexico

a large zone of hypoxia caused by excessive decomposition of algae

riparian areas

The land area adjacent to a body of water that is affected by the water's presence (for example, water-tolerant plants grow there) and that affects the water itself (for example, provides shade).

benefits of riparian areas

plants are nutrient sinks, plant roots stabilize banks, ground vegetation slows runoff, shade cools water, trees provide food

Clean Water Act of 1972

Establishes and maintains goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been amended several times, most prominently in 1987 to increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more effectively address the hazard of oil spills.

hydrologic cycle

the movement of water through the biosphere

Hydrocarbons

Compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen

crude oil

Liquid petroleum removed from the ground

natural gas

A fossil fuel in the gaseous state

coal

A fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material

formation of oil

photosynthesis in oceans, dead marine organic matter, accumulation

anaerobic conditions

absence of oxygen

trap

non-porous layers of rock or salt

middle east

holds 1/2 of the 1.7 trillion barrels of global oil reserves

oil reserves

oil that has been discovered but remains unused in the ground

oil resources

the total amount of oil remaining

varying cost of oil extraction

$10 middle east, $36 US, $44 UK

deepwater gulf of mexico oil

considerably lower economic extraction costs

coal (1800s)

dominant form of energy

first commercial well

1859 near titusville, PA

1951

when did crude oil become dominant?

bottom line

some estimates are similar, but nobody knows precisely when

Hubbert curve

A bell-shaped curve representing oil use and projecting both when world oil production will reach a maximum and when we will run out of oil

Continental U.S. peak

1970, half our oil reserves were withdrawn and production began to decline; demand went beyond supply, imported oil ~$2.30/barrel back then

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, 1960

oil embargo

Economic crisis of 1973 that occurred when OPEC nations refused to export oil to Western nations. Ensuing economic crisis plagued Gerald Ford's time in office.

Trans-Alaskan Oil Pipeline

800km, took 5 years to build, cost $8bn, links oil fields of Prudhoe Bay with the oil fields at Valdez. the pipeline was built with the environment in mind: raised off the ground on stilts (so the pipeline would not be affected by the freezing thaw of permafrost) and 11 metres deep and cost $3,000 each, pipeline suspension bridges were used to cross the state's major rivers (including the 700m wide Yukon), the pipeline zig-zags in some places (meaning it is flexible and can adjust to ground movement from earthquakes)

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The USA's reserve supply of oil, which should last for about three months in the event of severe interruptions to imported oil, 1975

Department of Energy (1977)

* Promotes development of new energy sources, manages federal nuclear programs
* \*Headed by Secretary of Energy
* \*Includes National Nuclear Security Administration

history of plastic

1834, phenol extracted from coal tar. 1907-1909, first synthetic plastic. 1970s, plastic beverage containers

31.2 billion liters

how much water did american buy in 2006

Petrochemicals

Compounds that are made from oil

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific garbage patch, also described as the Pacific trash vortex, is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean discovered between 1985 and 1988.

Microdebris

small plastic pollution, normally eaten by animals

1984

when did beijing get its 1st private vehicle

heavy oil

oil that does not flow easily and cannot be drawn from wells

oil sands

Slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay

sand striped-mined

2 tons\=1 barrel of oil

Bitumen

A degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of Earth and is modified by bacteria.

oil shale

a soft, fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil and natural gas are obtained.

Deepwater Oil Drilling

dangerous drilling for oil in the ocean

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

platform exploded, causing history's largest accidental marine oil spill as of mid-2010

Stages of coal formation

peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite

how us electricity is generated

45% coal, 23% natural gas

acid rain

any form of precipitation that is unusually acidic

fracking

The pumping of water at high pressure to break apart rocks in order to release natural gas

hydraulic fracturing

the forcing open of fissures in subterranean rocks by introducing liquid at high pressure, especially to extract oil or gas.

fracking chemicals

enter drinking water and air, linked to cancers and diseases

Marcellus Formation

Marine sedimentary rocks found in eastern North America, named for distinctive outcrop near the village of Marcellus, NY in the US. The shale contains largely untapped natural gas reserves, and its proximity to the high demand markets along the East Coast of US makes it an attractive target for energy development.

wait

Course of action with the least foresight would be to...

nuclear energy

The potential energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. decay of uranium isotope

energy source percentages

hydro electric 5%, nuclear 20%, natural gas 15%, coal 20%, oil 40%

95%

what percentage of energy comes from non renewable energy sources such as oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear

Controlled vs. uncontrolled reaction

plant vs hiroshima

443 reactors, 31 countries

total global nuclear production

104 reactors

USA nuclear production

NRC

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Plant Vogtle

nuclear power plant in GA

Three Mile Island

1979 - A mechanical failure and a human error at this power plant in Pennsylvania combined to permit an escape of radiation over a 16 mile radius.

$25 billion

how much will the 2 new reactors cost for plant vogtle

Uranium Mining

Land and water degradation due to soil erosion and compaction. Habitat fragmentation.

cost of uranium mining

disturbed landscape, acidified run-off, heat alteration of streams and lakes

nuclear disposal

depleted but still radioactive

geological nuclear repository

a layer of rock in which nuclear waste and all of its toxic and radioactive elements are permanently sealed from the biosphere

Yucca Mountain, Nevada

controversial as proposed site for permanent storage of high-level nuclear waste, 70-miles northwest of Las Vegas, near volcano and earthquake faults.

Chernobyl

nuclear power plant in Russia that had an explosion in 1986 & released radioactive materials into the air

Chernobyl deaths

31-64 attributed to the accident, estimated to reach 4000

Thyroid cancer

caused by radiation