Sustainable Agriculture and Water Treatment Methods, Geography and Environmental Science Concepts

drip irrigation

most suitable for sandy soil

solution to over grazing

rotational grazing

examples of fecal coliforms

E-coli and Salmonella (in water)

expensive irrigation methods

drip and spray

cheap forms of irrigation

flood and furrow

effects of husbandry pollution on water

Increased H2O temp, turbidity, nutrient load and coliforms

reducing meat consumption

reduces GHG emissions, water use, and topsoil damage

CAFO's

large efficient animal feedlots used to meet the high demand for meat in developing countries that have high waste production.

PRO's of free range grazing

less antibiotics needed, larger waste distribution, more natural, less fossil fuels

CON's of free range grazing

expensive, can cause desertification, can cause water pollution, needs way more land

sustainable agriculture methods that mitigate erosion

No till, terracing, windbreaks, stripcropping, contour plowing, perennial crops

sustainable agriculture methods that maintain soil nutrients

green manure, limestone, crop rotation

primary sewage treatment

removal of large objects through grates or screens allowing physical waste to settle at the bottom of a tank

secondary sewage treatment

a tank is aerated to help bacteria break down the waste into inorganic sludge and CO2 that settles into the bottom of a tank

tertiary treatment

The bacteria is killed using chlorine, ozone, or UV light before the water is returned to the supply.

sewage lagoon

man made CAFO waste basin that uses anaerobic respiration to treat waste.

LD 50

refers to the dose or concentration of a chemical that will kill 50% of the organisms being studied.

finding the LD 50 on a graph

find 50% mortality and then slide to the side until you find a point on the line and that is your LD 50.

Transform boundary

slide past each other

Convergent boundary

slide towards each other

Divergent Boundary

slide away from each other

Demographic transition

transition from high to lower birth and death rates in a country or region as development occurs and that country moves from a preindustrial to an industrialized economic system

Stage 1 of DMT age population diagram

not specified

Stage 2 of DMT age population diagram

pyramid

Stage 3 of DMT age population diagram

horn

Stage 4 of DMT age population diagram

egg

Malthusian Theory

human population growth is outpacing our ability to produce food (human pop grows exponentially, food supply grows linearly) carrying capacity will decrease as we use resources up

Two largest human uses of freshwater

irrigation and drinking water

Intertidal zones

narrow band along the coast that experiences a wide range of conditions

Majority of freshwater found on Earth

glaciers and ice caps

Theory of island biogeography

It posits that larger islands and those closer to the mainland will have more species, as they experience higher immigration and lower extinction rates.

Threats to mangrove wetlands

commercial development, dam construction, overfishing, and pollutants from agriculture and industrial waste. BIGGEST = shrimp aquaculture farming

Methods to combat storm surge threat

building seawalls and maintaining mangrove forests (--> protect humans, birds, and coral)

Human activity increases ocean acidification

anything that releases CO2. more CO2 --> more ocean acidification

Effect of ocean acidification on coral

the acidification increases hydrogen ions which react with calcium carbonate which is then no longer available for coral to use to strengthen their skeleton

La Nina causes

brings cooler Pacific waters, stronger trade winds, drier U.S. Southwest, colder North American winters, and more Atlantic hurricanes.

El Nino causes

brings warmer Pacific waters, weaker trade winds, more rain in the U.S. and South America, warmer winters in North America, and fewer Atlantic hurricanes.

Economic advantage of aquaculture

efficient, cost effective, produces lots

Negative consequences of aquaculture

fish waste can contaminate water, if fish escape they can outcompete natives, fish can spread disease

TFR of the 1st stage of DMT

High TFR in less developed nations - growing rapidly

Standard TFR

2

Things that decrease dissolved oxygen

warm water, decreased circulation, sediment buildup, eutrophication

Things that increase dissolved oxygen

cold water, photosynthesis, increased circulation (moving water)

Potential sources of eutrophication

sewage, combustion, manure, runoff, fertilizer, detergents

Waterways low in oxygen

hypoxic

Monocropping PROS

Productive output, economically efficient

Monocropping CONS

soil erosion, high pest vulnerability, low biodiversity

Slash and Burn farming

Burns to create ash as fertilizer

CONS of slash and burn farming

Releases CO2, desertification

Younger soil

More nutrient rich

Older soil

Less nutrient rich

R Horizon

Soil horizon farthest down, often contains parent material

O horizon

Top-most layer, organic soil decomposing

Positive feedback loop

One negative thing causes another negative thing, which in turn reinforces the continuation of the first negative thing. EX: Less vegetation ---> more erosion ----> less vegetation

Soil type most susceptible to toxic contamination

Sandy soil

Soil lining landfills

Clay because it is the least permeable soil type and therefore prevents groundwater leaching.

CEC

Cation Exchange Capacity, or nutrient holding capacity. Clay and organic material have the highest CEC's.

Better soil pH

Basic

Best agricultural soil

Loam (a mix of silt, clay and sand, has positive properties of all three)

Sandy soil characteristics

Coarse, largest pore spaces, low water/nutrient holding capacity (CEC)

Silty soil characteristics

Medium size particles and pores and CEC

Clay soil characteristics

High water and nutrient holding capacity

Carbon sink

Something that holds/takes in more oxygen than it releases. Examples include plants, the ocean, and soil.

Ways carbon enters the biotic world

Photosynthesis, chemo synthesis (the same thing but for archaebacteria)

Ways carbon returns to the atmosphere and water

Cellular respiration, burning, decay

Nitrogen form plants cannot use before fixation

N2

Missing component in phosphorus cycle

Air

Limiting nutrient in aquatic ecosystems

Phosphorus

Biomagnification

The process by which the concentration of toxic substance increases as you go up the food chain (involves multiple organisms)

Bioaccumulation

The buildup of toxins within a single individual organism over time

Cons of pesticide use

Water contamination, killing of non-target species, can evaporate (and be breathed in), soil contamination

Ways to maintain soil fertility/decrease erosion

Crop rotation, intercropping, contour farming, windbreaks, perennial crops, terracing, no till, green manure, limestone, gypsum, calcium carbonate

Types of endocrine disruptors

Mimic - mimics hormone causing overstimulation, binder - binds to the cell hormone receptor, blocks real hormone

Sources of endocrine disruptors

Plastic, industrial waste, pesticides, rubber

Endocrine disrupting chemicals

PCBs, Phthalates

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Toxic synthetic carbon based chemicals that persist for long periods in the environment, passing through the food chain

POPs movement through the food chain

POPs are fat soluble, allowing them to be stored in an animal's fat reserves for a long time

Cons of free range grazing

Vulnerability to fires, leaves land exposed to wind erosion, desertification risks, expensive, requires more land (SOLUTION ---> rotational grazing)

Link between meat consumption and global footprint

Meat production requires high resource use (land, water, energy), Cattle produce lots of methane.

no till agriculture

less erosion, more herbicide use is usually needed (tilling turns over soil, uprooting harmful weeds)

free range grazing

more ethical and humane, less antibiotics and medications needed, animal waste is recycled back into land

watershed

an area of land where all bodies of water drain into the same larger body of water.

riparian zone

strip of buffer land preventing runoff of sediments, chemicals and nutrients getting into the water

dams effects on watersheds

upstream flooding, prevented fish migration

primary sewage treatment

physical removal of large objects via screens and gates, then waste settles at the bottom of a tank.

secondary sewage treatment

aerobic bacteria break down waste into CO2 and inorganic sludge.

tertiary sewage treatment

a final cleansing using UV, chlorine, and ozone

critical ecosystems

only cover about 1% of the ocean but support 25% of marine life

CO2 in the ocean

CO2 goes into the ocean because it is a carbon sink and it reacts with the water to form carbonic acid, the acid threatens to dissolve coral, shells and snail shells.

ocean acidification

the process by which CO2 reacts with ocean water to form carbonic acid, affecting marine life.

dissolved oxygen in water

Cold water holds dissolved oxygen better.

negative impacts of oil spills

sedimentation (turbidity impedes fish vision and photosynthesis), fishery damage, toxic to wildlife, impacts bird flight

wetlands services

Flood control, Water filtration, and Commercial fisheries

point vs non-point pollution

point source pollution is produced from a single identifiable location, non-point source pollution is produced from a diffuse, broadly defined area.

BOD

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

waste water impacts

it has a high BOD --> Less DO overall, may cause dead zones if it gets into bodies of water

oligotrophic

Lacking in plant nutrients such as phosphates, nitrates, and organic matter, and consequently having few plants and a large amount of dissolved oxygen throughout.

sources of excess nutrients in water

detergents, sewage, runoff, manure, fertilizer

fish farming vs mariculture

fish farming is done in man-made tanks and enclosures, mariculture involves open ocean enclosures

benefits of aquaculture

cost effective, requires little fuel, less habitat destruction