Sustainability, Ecology, Toxicology, and Climate Change Flashcards

Flashcards related to sustainability, ecology, toxicology, and climate change, based on lecture notes.

Triple Bottom Line

A business framework that measures overall success based on Social (People), Economic (Profit), and Environmental (Planet) aspects.

Tragedy of the Commons

When individuals use too much of a shared resource, leading to its depletion or degradation (e.g., overfishing).

Trophic Pyramid

A representation of energy flow in an ecosystem, with producers at the bottom and energy loss (90%) at each level.

Decomposers and Detrivores

Organisms that break down dead organic matter and recycle nutrients in an ecosystem; often listed alongside a trophic pyramid.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy (glucose), removing carbon from the atmosphere.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which organisms convert glucose into usable energy, releasing carbon dioxide.

HIPPCO

An acronym representing major threats to the environment: Habitat Loss, Invasive Species, Pollution, Climate Change, and Overexploitation.

Ecosystem Services

Benefits that humans receive from ecosystems, such as water purification by wetlands and air quality regulation by rainforests.

Biodiverse Farm

A farm that utilizes biodiversity for pest management, topsoil preservation, and soil fertilization, contrasting with conventional farming practices.

CAFO

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation; pros include efficient space use and lower prices; cons include pollution and overuse of antibiotics.

Neurotoxin

A poison that affects the nervous system.

Carcinogen

Any substance that can cause cancer.

Teratogen

Substance that causes birth defects.

Mutagen

Physical/chemical substance that can induce changes in an organism’s DNA, causing mutations.

Endocrine Disruptor

Substance that disrupts hormones.

Allergen

Trigger an allergic reaction.

Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

Lists published by the EWG to inform people about pesticide contamination in fruits and vegetables.

Biomagnification

The process where chemicals and toxins become increasingly concentrated in the food chain.

Bioaccumulation

The process where chemicals and toxins become increasingly concentrated in a single organism over time.

PFAS

"Forever chemicals" that persist in the environment and can contaminate drinking water.

Modern Sanitary Landfills

Landfills designed to handle municipal solid waste, industrial waste, and toxic waste with measures to prevent leaching and air pollution.

Incinerators

Facilities that burn waste to reduce its volume and generate energy but can produce air pollution and ash.

The 4 R's

Reduce/Refuse, Reuse, Rot (composting), and Recycle; strategies for waste management.

Downcycling

Making something less valuable in the recycling process (e.g., plastic into fleece).

Circular Economy

An economic system where everything is connected in a cycle, following a cradle-to-cradle approach.

Water Loops

Series of steps where you can follow and get back to the start (ex. Evaporation, condensation, precipitation)

Pools (Water)

Reservoirs where water is stored

Fluxes (Water)

Movement of water between pools

Desalination

freshwater from saltwater

Aquifier

Underground layer of rock/sediment that can hold water

Point-Source Pollution

Pollution from a single, identifiable source (e.g., a pipe polluting a stream).

Nonpoint-Source Pollution

Pollution from diffuse sources (e.g., runoff from a field).

Forms of Water Pollution

Surface water, groundwater, chemical, microbiological, nutrient, and suspended matter.

BOD

Biological Oxygen Demand; A measure of the amount of oxygen needed to break down the organic matter in water.

Dead Zones

Areas in bodies of water with low oxygen levels, often caused by nutrient pollution.

St. Lawrence Seaway and Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal

Benefits - efficient transportation, economic growth; Drawbacks - Introduces invasive species to Great Lakes (Zebra Mussels) and needs constant maintenance

Water Conservation

Essential due to scarcity of usable water, driven by uneven distribution, population growth, climate change, and pollution.

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

In a closed circuit, the amount of useful energy declines over time, explaining energy loss during production/conversion.

Renewable Energy

Sources that are naturally replenished at a rate faster than they can be consumed.

Nonrenewable Energy

Sources that cannot be replenished at a rate faster than they can be consumed.

Nuclear Energy

Pros: high efficiency, small area; Cons: radioactive waste, accident risk.

Fossil Fuels

Oil (petroleum), Coal, and Natural Gas. Formed from the buried remains of aquatic organisms or swampy, precursor peat with heat and pressure

Peat

soft plant decay

Energy Conservation

Sealing windows/doors and updating appliances.

Primary Pollutant

Emitted directly from the source (e.g., CO2, VOCs, SO2, Particulate Matter).

Secondary Pollutant

Formed in the presence of sunlight, water, or oxygen (e.g., Tropospheric Ozone, Sulfuric Acids).

EPA's 6 Criteria Air Pollutants

NO/NO2 (nitrogen oxides), O3 (ozone), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), CO (carbon monoxide), Pb (lead), and Particulate Matter (PM).

Indoor Pollutants

PM, Soot, Carbon Monoxide, VOCs.

Photochemical Smog

Brown smog, primary pollutions from nitrogen oxides and VOCs, secondary pollutions of ground level ozone and requires hot sunny dry Usual conditions.

Industrial Smog

Gray/Black smog, fossil fuels - PM. Primary pollutants from fossil fuels, secondary pollutions of Sulfuric Acid, and needs cool damp foggy Usual conditions.

Thermal Inversion

A condition where a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the surface, exacerbating air pollution.

Acid Rain

Soil/water Acidification, Damage structures, and are the primary pollutants are that Sulfuric Acid and Nitric Acid

Ozone Layer

Beneficial because It effectively block harmful UV rays

Montreal Protocol

1987 - severe ozone depletion. Bans CFCs: 1. Convincing evidence of the problem 2. CFCs were produced by only a few companies, 3. Had alternative HFCs

Greenhouse Effect

Warming of the earth from radiant/infrared heat from the sun.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere; water vapor, CO2, methane and nitrous oxide

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

Lifetime + how well it traps heat

Albedo

A measure of how reflective a surface is; ice has a higher albedo than liquid water.

Positive Feedback Loop

-leads back to itself (self-reinforcing). When changes in reflectivity impact climate change

Anthropogenic Climate Change

Examples of direct evidence = Point of contact exposure Past climate conditions; Examples of proxy evidence = Ice layers; Examples of Modeling=Computer simulations

Climate Change (threats to human health)

1. Infectious disease 2. Food systems 3. Respiratory illness

Keeling Curve

Measures CO2 levels in Hawaii since 1957 - provides irrefutable evidence of rising CO2

Greenhouse gas emissions (ways to reduce)

Improve efficiency: LEDs ex Use renewable energy Reduce Waste