Environmental Science Exam 2

3 Drinking Water Sources

oceans, groundwater, fresh surface water

Pros and Cons of Ocean drinking water

Pros: infinite(?)

Cons: not everyone lives nearby, Expensive, takes a long time and a lot of energy

Groundwater

Half of US drinking water, overdraft, paving affects recharge of GW

Fresh Surface Waters

used in absence of sufficient GW, globally most accessible source, ecological importance

Aquifer

geologic body that can hold and transmit usable amount of water

Impact on surface water dams

drinking water, irrigation, water storage, recreation, stocked fish, hydroelectricity

Environmental Impacts of dams

loss of land/habitat, flood hazard, sediment build up (builds land in river mouth), ecosystem fragmentation

Channelization

straightening, deepening, widening, clearing, or lining existing stream channels

what does Channelization do

Control over where water goes, less neighborhood flooding, consistent/faster water flow

Example of channelization

Kissimmee river (controlled flooding, lowered plant/fish/bird diversity, disturbed hydrological cycle)

Environmental impacts of channelization

degradation of hydrologic qualities - loss of microhabitats, removal of vegetation, downstream flooding, loss of wetlands, aesthetic loss

Water use consumptive

Consumptive: drinking, cooking, showering, irrigation, agriculture, toilets → take water out of the source and don’t put it back

Water use non-consumptive

River bathing, hydropower, cooling towers → using the water in the source

Agriculture water use

#1, most consumptive

Domestic water use

most consumptive

Industry water use

both consumptive and non-consumptive

Industrial Conservation

saves $$, recycles water, on-site treatment (fracking)

Agricultural conservation

drip irrigation, climate appropriate crops

Residential conservation

gray water, xeriscaping

virtual water

all the water that goes into daily lives

Water quality

Microplastics, garbage patch, factory waste, oil spills, pesticides, agricultural waste, drinking vs. other uses, bad for biodiversity

Water pollutant

Biological, physical, chemical substance known as harmful to other desirable organisms

Chemical water pollution

Oil spills, industrial, pesticides, metals, nutrients

Physical water pollutant

Pacific garbage patch, microplastics, sediments

Biological water pollution

Agricultural, pathogens, sewage

Point source

“you can point to it”, industrial, animal feedlot, oil tankers, pipe

Non-point source

residential areas, farms, mines

Eutrophication fixes

efficient fertilizer use, riparian buffers, flood control/wetlands, nitrate reduction in treatment plans

Eutrophication

the process of a body of water becoming enriched with nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to excessive algae growth (algal blooms)

Riparian buffers

Planted vegetation that blocks sediment/runoff from going into water

Sediment pollution

greatest pollutant (by mass and volume), prevent by vegetation, barriers

Thermal Pollution

Industrial cooling towers, vegetation removal, stratification (warm water on top, cold water at bottom, not really mixing.)

Reducing surface water pollution

Waste water treatment plants, Primary (physical) - screens, solids taken out, Secondary (Biological) - treated

Issues involving agriculture

Infrastructure - building manufacturing, energy

Habitat alteration, pesticide/herbicide, overfishing, aquaculture, food waste, flooding/drought

Food Security

All people at all times, having physical, social, and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food

Food insecurity is caused by

insufficient funds, inadequate distribution, war/crises that disrupt production

Soil

Is a renewable resource but takes a long time, dirt w/ minerals, water retention, microorganisms, organic matter

Benefits of soil

Purification and storage of water, metabolism/breakdown of contaminants (microorganisms), biogeochemical cycling

Soil Profile

Entire cross section of soil (all horizons)

Soil Horizon

Individual layers of soil (Topsoil has greatest amount of organic matter, reduces erosion, moisture retention, supply nutrients)

Weathering

Breaking down in place by wind, water, plant roots, etc, in small pieces

Erosion

All the pieces get moved somewhere else

Early problems w/ agriculture

dependency on few crops, vulnerability to weather, dependency on harvest timing, need for intense physical labor

How does farming change biosphere

land conversion, domestication, carbon dioxide production, biogeochemical cycling (N, P, C), biodiversity

Monoculture

Planting one thing in vast areas. 

-Little/no biodiversity, vulnerability, weeds, pests

Polyculture

Planting multiple plants in vast areas

Affects of erosion

loss of organic matter (protective layer), exposure to sun/wind/rain

Features of agroecosystems

crops are early succession, monoculture, habitat uniformity, simple food chain, plowing - soil erosion, genetically modified crops

Desertification

Deterioration of land in arid or dry areas

Causes of desertification

climate change, overgrazing, farming of marginal soils, poor forestry practices, irrigation of arid soils

Indicators of desertification

lowered water table, increased salts in soils, reduced surface water, soil erosion, loss of vegetation

No-till

letting plants die and enter soil → nutrients

• reduces carbon dioxide from soil

• labor intensive

Contour Plowing

minimizes erosion, minimizes water loss

Intercropping

Planting rows of different crops - minimizes erosion, biodiversity

Terracing

retain water, slows erosion

Crop rotation

natural regeneration of nutrients, return organic matter, messes w/ pests, reduces pesticides

Industrial agriculture

mechanized production, production determined/limited by demand

Organic Agriculture

Integrated pest management, minimal pesticide use, conservation of resources, no artificial, minimizes enviro impacts

Organic farming

avoids monoculture, sustainability, farmers markets, community supported agriculture

Integrated Pest Management

Combines biological controls, pesticides, no till, and crop planting techniques

-moves away from monoculture

Four types of Environmental hazards

Physical, Cultural/Voluntary, Biological, Chemical

Physical Enviro Hazard

landslides

Cultural/voluntary enviro hazard

rock climbing, alcohol, food gun violence

Biological enviro hazard

infectious diseases

Chemical enviro hazard

paints, pesticides, chemicals, cleaners, batteries

Two types of chemical enviro hazard

Natural occurring - carbon monoxide, mercury, etc

Synthetic - microplastics, pesiticides/herbicides

Potency

How much is too much?

LD50

lethal dose

ED50

Effective dose

TD50

Toxic dose

Threshold

where an individual starts responding

Carcinogen

Cancer causing

Mutagen

Mutation causing

Teratogen

Birth Defect causing

neurotoxins

nervous system

Heavy metals

naturally occurring elements, extremely toxic, BIOACCUMULATE and BIOMAGNIFY

Bioaccumulate

stay in system and accumulate

Biomagnify

concentration increasing as it goes up the food web

Precautionary principle

precautionary measures should be taken if there may be an effect

global distillation

the process where pollutants evaporate in warmer regions and then travel to colder regions, where they condense and accumulate

Risk Assessment

Identify hazard, dose response assessment, exposure assessment (route of exposure), risk characterization (high/low risk, what are you going to do about it?)

Waste management strategies

water as disposal site, concentrate and contain

Sanitary landfills

above water table, arid, less permeable soil, low land value

Leachate

toxic liquid that forms as water seeps through waste

Benefits of incineration

Energy generation, waste volume reduction

Types of hazardous waste

Explosive/flammable, toxic (heavy metals, radioactive), corrosive, reactive

E-waste

Electronic waste

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

“from cradle to grave”

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

Disposal regulations, addresses risk of hazardous waste sites, holds parties accountable for contamination or bad waste management

Superfund

US federal program that investigates and cleans up sites contaminated with hazardous substances

Brownfield Development

the process of reusing previously developed land, often former industrial or commercial sites, whose use may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants

Land disposal of Hazardous Waste

Underground injection, etc

Surface impoundment

Surface impoundments are generally used for temporary storage or treatment

Deep-well disposal

a method of injecting liquid waste into deep underground geological formations for permanent storage

Secure landfills

specially engineered facilities for disposing of hazardous waste, designed with multiple safety measures to prevent pollution

Influent vs effluent streams

water flowing into a system vs. water flowing out of a system

Primary water treatment

removing large and visible solids from wastewater

secondary water treatment

uses biological methods to remove dissolved and suspended organic matter and particulates

Hypoxia

deficiency of oxygen in body tissues or in an environment

Anoxia

complete absence of oxygen to the body's tissues