ENV Quiz 3

Social Norms

Standards of behavior that are based on widely shared beliefs as to how individual group members ought to behave in a given situation.

Montreal Protocol

1987 treaty to regulate the use of chlorofluorocarbons to protect the ozone layer from depletion

Scientific Consensus

based around the preponderance of evidence built through scientific process

Bioaccumulation

Buildup of absorbed chemicals in an organism over time

Biomagnification

Increased concentrations of chemicals through trophic (food chain) relationships

Silent Spring (book)

Published in 1962, Carson argues that widespread and underregulated application of pesticides and herbicides caused irreversible and devastating harm to wildlife and human populations

False balance (“bothsideism”)

Equal media platform given to opposing views in the interest of balance despite one view holding expert and evidentiary support

Carbon footprint

amount of carbon dioxide emitted due to our daily activities

in-stream water use

does not involved withdrawals

(ex: transportation, recreation, hydroelectricity, ecosystem maintenance)

off-stream water use

requires withdrawals (ex: Thermoelectric energy generation, irrigation agriculture, manufacturing, drinking water, bathing)

Non-consumptive water use

a type of off-stream water use that allows water to be recaptured, treated, and then used again within the same stream or groundwater system

Consumptive water use

A type of off-stream water use where water is not returned directly to the stream or groundwater system from which it was withdrawn.

Acre Foot

Unit of water use amount of water that would cover one acre of space to a depth of one foot.

Enabling conditions for agriculture in the colorado river basin

• long, predictable growing season

• Nutrient-rich, alluvial (river-derived) soils

• Highly controlled watering environment

“Rain follows the plow”

A widespread, discredited notion that the development of land had a transformational impact on local climatology, such that semi-arid and desert lands would see increased precipitation following the establishment of farms

Prior Appropriation Doctrine

• Water rights are established by putting water to beneficial use

• Water users need not be located on or near to watercourse nor own land inside the watershed

• Earlier rights take priority over later rights, and water rights can be sold without affecting priority

Riparian Doctrine

• Water is not owned or owed

• Landowners with adjacent water access may put water to reasonable use

• Uses may not affect reasonable use by other users

• Water returned must be equivalent to that removed in quantity and quality

Colorado River Compact (1922)

• Establish limits for withdrawals based on the average flow of the river

• Allocates water based on the uses and dependent populations in each basin state

Boulder Canyon Project Act (1928)

• Construct dams to control flooding and siltation in the lower basin

• Develop canals to transport water to distant urban and agricultural centers

Damming impacts on ecosystems

Damming alters downstream riparian ecosystems adapted to fluctuating rivers, reduces natural flood scouring, facilitates invasive plants, modifies water temperature and cloudiness for sport fishing, and threatens native fish species due to habitat changes and competition with introduced species.

what makes a species invasive?

• Native: Within natural range

• Alien: Introduced outside its range

• Established Alien: Alien that establishes a viable, self-sustaining population

• Invasive Alien: Established alien that negatively affects local systems

Winters v. United States (1908)

determined tribal rights to water established when reservations were created

• In recent decades, tribes have adjudicated for water rights, securing roughly 25% of the Colorado Basin outflow

Paper Water

refers to existing water rights that, due to logistical, economic, or historical circumstances, cannot be exercised.

Effects of declining reservoir levels

• threaten supplies to downstream users

• This may affect electricity generation in the near future, disproportionately affecting reservations

Salton Sea

• Overflow lake located in California’s Imperial Valley, filled during 1905 flood event

• Lake levels maintained through agricultural runoff during the 20th century, attracting wildlife and tourism

• Contamination from growing agricultural use and evaporation led to eutrophication and wildlife die-offs

• Drying trends combined with greater efficiency in water use in the Imperial Valley are threatening air quality with toxic dust

The “bomb pulse”

A detectable excess of atmospheric carbon-14 resulting atmospheric nuclear weapons tests

Coral Atolls

• Coral reefs form in shallow waters around a volcanic island

• Over millions of years, natural processes erode islands, leaving coral rings above the surface

Ghyben-Herzberg lens

Freshwater derived from precipitation sits atop denser seawater within limestone substrate

Immediate Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Testing

• Loss of vegetation

• Loss of topsoil

• Damage to coral reefs and passages

• Destruction of settled/gardened islands

• Sinking of multiple test vessels with fuel and unexploded ordinance

Immediate Health Impacts from Nuclear Fallout

• Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue

• Hair loss

• Sores on mouth and skin

• Changes in eyesight

Long-Term Health Impacts from Nuclear Fallout

• Stillbirths, miscarriages

• Birth defects and genetic disorders

• Increases in thyroid cancers, cervical cancers, liver cancers, and leukemia