Principles of Environmental Sustainability Quiz 2

Concentration Units

ppm = parts per million by mass

ppb = parts per billion by mass

ppm = 1/10(^6)

ppb = 1/10(^9)

so 1000 ppb are in 1 ppm

Safe Drinking Water Act and National Primary Drinking Water Standards

• Safe Drinking Water Act allows EPA to set and regulate standards for tap water (not bottled)

• National Primary Drinking Water Standards regulates over 87 pollutants in drinking water

Clean Water Act and Total Maximum Daily Loads

• Clean Water Act requires that states develop a 303d list of waters that are not expected to meet water quality standards

• prioritize waters/watersheds

• TMDLs: the maximum amount of a specific pollutant that a surface water body can receive every day and still safely meet water quality standards

Sustainable solutions to the water pollution crisis

• dams and aqueducts

• desalination

• rainwater harvesting

• water conservation

• water recycling

West Basin: Sources and users for water

• Sources: Hyperion water treatment facility.

• Users: Chevron, Sofi Stadium, the Topgolf next door, and various parks and businesses in the 6 districts they serve.

West Basin: types of water produced:

• irrigation: filtered twice + disinfected

• groundwater replenishment (potable): filtered by microfiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, then disinfected

• cooling tower water: removed ammonia

• low pressure boiler feed water: filtered by microfiltration and reverse osmosis

• high pressure boiler feed water: filtered by microfiltration and goes twice through reverse osmosis

• Groundwater replenishment is notably the most expensive, since it needs to be treated to the highest level to be potable. 

West Basin: processes used to treat water

1. solids separated using ozone gas

2. water goes through carbon gravel filter to remove separated solids

3. water goes through microfiltration to filter smaller waste particles out

4. water goes through reverse osmosis to filter on the molecular level to remove viruses/other pollution

5. water treated with UV for disinfection

6. minerals and co2 is readded into the water

Climate and global change

• the earth’s climate is changing. scientific consensus = humans are altering the composition of the atmosphere and increasing the average temp of earth’s surface

• increase in temp will have unpredictable impacts on weather patterns around the globe

• planet is measurably warmer that it was at the start of the last century, scientists predict the change that will occur over the 21st century will be even greater.

intergovernmental panel on climate change

• IPCC established in 1988 by World Meteorological Org and UN Environmental Program.

• Meant to assess available scientific information on climate change, assess the environmental socioeconomic impacts of climate change, and formulate appropriate response strategies.

intergovernmental panel on climate change: physical science basis presentation

• human influence has warmed the climate at a rate that is unprecedented in at least the last 2000 years (1.1 deg C warmer)

• CO2 concentration is the highest in at least 2 mill years, sea level rise is at its fastest rates in at least 3000 years, arctic sea ice area is at its lowest level in at least 1000 years, and glacial retreat is unprecedented in at least 2000 years.

• human influence on climate change = extreme heat more frequent and intense, heavy rainfall more frequent and intense, increased drought, more frequent fire weather, ocean warming, acidification, and loss of oxygen

• observed warming is driven by emissions from human activities, with greenhouse gas warming partly masked by aerosol cooling

• climate impact drivers could go over thresholds known to lead to severe consequences for people, agriculture, or wildlife.

el nino (be able to describe it)

• a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation in the tropical Pacific Ocean

• unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific

• specifically represents the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation.

• trade winds relax in the central and western Pacific = flattening of thermocline in the eastern Pacific and elevation in the west. Rainfall follows the warm water eastward = (towards CA) flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia.

factors influencing climate and greenhouse gases: the sun

• provides light and warmth

factors influencing climate and greenhouse gases: the atmosphere

• the atmosphere absorbs/reflects most of the sun’s energy before it even reaches the surface

• atmospheric cases w/3+ atoms in their molecules (aka greenhouse gases) tend to absorb infrared radiation given off by the Earth’s surface, then re-emit it back downwards, causing the re-warming of the atmosphere (greenhouse effect)

• global warming potential = relative ability of greenhouse gas molecule to contribute to warming

factors influencing climate and greenhouse gases: the oceans and forests

• forests = a possible reservoir for CO2, but many have been cleared, reducing the biosphere’s ability to remove CO2

• oceans = another reservoir for CO2, but anthropogenic fluxes in CO2 have caused ocean acidification.

factors influencing climate and greenhouse gases: humans

• combustion of fossil fuels transfers CO2 from one reservoir (underground deposits) to another (the atmosphere)

• anthropogenic (human generated) intensification of the greenhouse effect has taken place over the last 250 years.

• nitrous oxide in the atmosphere has increased due to auto emissions, feedlots, and the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers

• ozone concentration has grown due to photochemical smog.

• human activities are sending more CO2 from earth’s surface to its atmosphere than is moving from the atmosphere to the surface.

factors influencing climate and greenhouse gases: others

• aerosols = microscopic droplets, can have warming/cooling effect depending on the particle. soot particles absorb solar energy, most other aerosols (eg sulfur) reflect solar energy and have a cooling effect.

• radiative forcing = amount of change in thermal energy that a given factor exerts on Earth’s temperature. positive forcing warms, negative forcing cools. all factors considered = net radiative forcing of 2.3 watts/m squared.

climate change and global change

• atmosphere of earth is 78% N2 and 21%O2. Greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4, and N2O are increasing.

• The mean annual globe temp is expressed as a deviation from a fixed average reference temp of 14C. 11 of the years from 1995-2006 are among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of the global surface temp.

• Northern Hemisphere temp appears to be increasing, shaped like a hockey stick

• National Research Council concluded high level of confidence that global mean surface temp during the past few decades is higher at any time of the preceding 4 centuries.

NOAA global monitoring laboratory:

• warming in global surface change is unprecedented in 2000 yrs

• C02 is increasing linearly, similarly to Nitrous Oxide and Methane. CFC-11 and CFC-12s had increased in the past but are now leveling off. These 5 most contribute to the AGGI.

• The AAGi in 2024 was 1.54 = increment of heat added by greenhouse gases from the industrial era has increased by 54% since 1990.

• CO2 is by far the largest contributor to the value of the AGGI and how it has changed over time

• atmospheric CO2 is increasing as a result of human use and release of fossil fuels.

golden toad of monteverde

• discovered in Monteverde, Costa Rica in 1964

• in an ideal habitat, mountainous cloud forest

• vanished within 25 years (last seen 1989)

• Theories: climate change caused the forest to dry out or a fungus killed them.

• New evidence shows that El Nino caused an unusually severe dry season at around the time the golden toad was wiped out. (indirect climate change)

ecology

• study of interactions among organisms and their environment

• tightly intertwined with evolution

evolution + examples

• the process by which different kinds of living organisms are though to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth

• foundation of modern biology

• generates biodiversity

• 1858: both Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution.

adaptation

• adaptive trait = a trait that promotes reproductive success

• sexual reproduction = genetic variation, producing new combination of genes

• organisms need time to adapt to changing conditions

• environmental conditions determine the pressures of natural selection and which traits become adaptive.

natural selection + examples

• the process in nature through which living organisms adapt and change in response to an environmental condition

• organisms struggle to survive and reproduce

• they produce more offspring than can survive

• individuals of a species vary in their characteristics because of genes and the environment

• some individuals are better suited to the environment and reproduce more effectively

• helps elaborate and diversify traits

• eg. hawaiian honeycreepers have evolved to adapt to different food sources

• artificial selection: process of selection conducted under human direction, eg dogs and crops.

biological diversity (biodiversity) + examples

• the variety of life across all levels of biological organization

• species, genes, populations, communities

• eg. coral reefs hosts tons of different species of fish, coral, and invertebrates. tropical rainforests hosts a variety of birds, mammals, and plants.

biosphere

• the total living things on earth and the areas they inhabit

extinction + examples

• the disappearance of a species from earth

• biodiversity is now being lost at an astounding rate

• number of species = speciation - extinction

• occurs when environment changes rapidly and species can’t adapt.

• endemic species that only exist in a certain specialized area are very susceptible to extinction, and usually only have small populations

• eg. the dinosaurs, golden toads

population and population ecology

• population: group of individuals/species that live in a particular area

• investigates population changes and the distribution and abundance of individuals (size, low vs high densities and the pros and cons)

• why some populations increase and others decrease (natality, mortality, immigration, emigration)

community and community ecology

• a set of populations of different species living together in a particular area

• community ecology focuses on patterns of species diversity and interactions

ecosystem ecology

• studies living and nonliving components of systems to reveal patterns

• ecosystem: all living things in an area interacting with each other and with the elements of nonliving environments.

• eg. temporary pond in a pothole, a lake, an entire ocean basin

define the 4 ecosystem services categories

• provisioning: nature provides us with food, water, fuel, material, etc

• regulating: nature reserves and purifies water, purifies air, regulates temperatures, prevents floods, decomposes waste

• cultural: we enjoy recreational experiences in nature. nature contains landscapes we appreciate and subjects of worship or sites for education

• supporting: supports the first 3 services, oxygen generated through photosynthesis, water is circulated in nature, soil formation, nutrient recycling

identify ecosystem services for an ecosystem (eg. Ballona Wetlands) and classify the service with the appropriate ecosystem service category

• Water filtration system, organisms break down heavy metals and toxins from urban runoff, cleansing the water. This is a regulating service

• A source of beauty, can provide a needed break from the stresses of city life. This is a cultural service

• Groundwater recharge, cleanses the water and recharges our local groundwater supply, which has been largely depleted. Provisioning service.

• Air purifiers. plant plankton use CO2 to photosynthesize, producing O2. Supporting service.