Earth Science Final Flashcard Study Set

What are the hypotheses to explain mass extinctions that involve rapid climate change?

1. Plate tectonics (create new pattern of ocean circulation0

2. Volcanic activity (large eruptions release huge quantities of carbon dioxide that warm the climate)

3. Extraterrestrial Impacts (meteors release dust that block solar radiation)

When was the first mass extinction?

446 million years ago

When was the Late Devonian mass extinction

365 million years ago

When was the Permian mass extinction

250 million years ago

The fourth extinction (Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction) is linked to climate change and volcanism and happened how many years ago?

200 million years ago

The fifth extinction coincides wit the end of the Cretaceous period and the K-T boundary and was? (K is used because Cretaceous is spelled with a K in some languages)

-65 million years ago

-caused by the impact of a large asteriod

-brought an end to the large dinosaurs

The sixth mass extinction is occurring today because of?

Increases in the human population, deforestation, and agriculture

Biological extinction

No species member alive

Trophic cascade

Population declines or extinctions among connected species

mass extinction

Many species in a short amount of time

Regionally extinct

In areas a species is normally found

The greatest threat to any species are (in order), remember HIPPCO

1. Habitat destruction, degradation and fragmentation

2. Invasive species

3. Population and resource use growth

4. Pollution

5. Climate change

6. Overexpliotation

What is the single greatest threat to species (remember HIPPCO)

Habitat destruction, degradation and fragmentation

Where have all the honeybees gone?

-Globally, about 1/3 of the food supply comes from insect-pollinated plants

-agriculture depends on one single species of bee

-suffering from colony collapse disorder (affects 30-50% of colonies in the U.S. and Europe

We should avoid the speeding up of the extinction of wild species because?

-plants for food, fuel, lumber, and medicine

-ecotourism

How many millions of years will it take for nature to recover from this century's large-scale extinctions?

5-10 million years

Why do people poach/smuggle animals and plants?

-animal parts

-pets

-plants for landscaping and environments

How do we prevent the poaching/smuggling of animals and plants?

Research and education

West and Central African wild animals...?

supply major cities with exotic meats

Hunting has driven one species to extinction

Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey

threatened species

monkeys, apes, antelope, elephants, and hippos

What percent of the world species are declining?

70%

Why are forests cleared?

Farms, lumber plantations, roads, development

Birds are an ______ species and....?

indicator, respond quickly to environmental damages

Why is Point Pelee National Park important?

It is important for monarch butterflies

How can we sustain wild species and their ecosystem services?

wildlife preserves and wildlife refuges

How can we help protect species?

1- seed banks, they preserve the genetic material of endangered plants

2-Botanical gardens and arboreta, for only very rare and exotic living plants

3-Farms that can raise organisms for commercial sale (grow trees/shrubs)

Techniques for preserving endangered terrestrial species

1- Egg pulling

2-Captive breeding

3-Artificial insemination

4-Embryo transfer

5-Use of incubators

6-Cross-fostering

Solid industrial waste is from...

mines, farms, industries

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is from...

trash

Hazardous waste...

threatens human health of the environment

Classes of hazardous waste

-Organic compounds

-Toxic heavy metals

-Radioactive waste

What is the fastest growing solid waste problem?

e-waste (1400 tonnes)

The composition of e-waste includes...

- High-quality plastics

- Valuable metals

- Toxic and hazardous pollutants

What kind of approach does the European Union have towards e-waste?

A cradle-to-grave approach (they do not give their e-waste to anyone else)

North Americans spend more $ on trash bags than how many other countries spend for everything?

90

Waste management

-High-waste approach

-Burying, burning, shipping

Waste reduction

-Low-waste approach

-Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, and recover

Intergrated waste management

-Uses a variety of strategies

Waste reduction is based on:

-Refuse - don't use it

-Reduce - use less

-Reuse - use it over and over

-Recycle (lots of things still end up in the landfill)

Composting

Using bacteria to decompose biodegradable waste

Primary, closed loop recycling

Materials recycled into same type

Secondary recycling

Materials converted to other products

Recycling Paper

Inks and dyes are hard to get out, but can be done

Recycling plastics

some things can't be discarded

Burning waste

-To heat water or produce electricity

- Toxic chemicals that are filtered must be disposed of or

stored

burying waste

- is cheaper

- we have land to bury the waste

Sanitary Landfills

- Compacted layers of waste between clay or foam

- Bottom liners; containment systems

Open Dumps

- Widely used in less-developed countries

- Rare in developed countries

- Large pit

- Sometimes garbage is burned

Physical method of detoxifying waste

Distillation, filtration, precipitation

Chemical method of detoxifying waste

using a chemical to break it down into something less harmful

Biroemediation

Using bacteria or enzymes

Phytoremediation

Using plants or algae

Troposphere

-lowest layer

-78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen

Stratosphere

- The second-lowest layer

- similar to the troposphere but contains less water

- the ozone layer filters UV radiation and allows life to exist on land

air pollution

presence of chemicals in the atmosphere

Natural sources of air pollution

- Dust blown by wind

- Pollutants from wildfires and volcanoes

- Volatile organics released by plants

Human sources of air pollution

- mostly in industrialized and/or urban areas

- Stationary sources: power plants and industrial facilities

- Mobile sources: motor vehicles

Primary pollutants

emitted directly into the air

secondary pollutants

from reactions of primary pollutants

Acid Rain

caused mainly by coal-burning power plants and motor vehicle emissions

acid rain deposition

-sulfuric acid and nitric acid compounds

-wet deposition - rain, snow, fog, cloud vapor

-dry deposition - particles

tempature inversion

atmosphereic condiction when warm air traps cooler air in Earths surface

Major indoor pollution problems in developing countries

indoor burning of wood, charcoal, dung, crop residues, coal

Major indoor pollution problems in developed countries

1. Tobacco Smoke

2. Formaldehyde

3. Radioactive radon- 222 gas

4. Very small (ultrafine particles)

Air pollution prevention (motor vehicle)

-walk, bike, use mass transit

-use less polluting engines and fuels

-restrict driving in polluted areas

-improve fuel efficiency

-tax breaks for low-pollution efficient vehicles

-get older, more pollution cars off the road

Air pollution clean up (motor vehicle)

-require emission control devices

-inspect car exhaust systems twice a year

-set strict emission standards

Top 3 polluted rivers in Canada

1. Yamuska River, Quebec

2. Don River, Ontario

3. Rivière Bayonne, Quebec

cultural eutrophication

-Overnourishment of aquatic ecosystems with plant nutrients (mostly nitrates and phosphates)

-causes algal blooms

-increased bacteria

-more nutrients

How to prevent or reduce cultural eutrophication

-Remove nitrates and phosphates

-Diversion of lake water

The 1972 Canada and the United States Great Lakes pollution control program caused what?

-Decreased algal blooms

-Increased in dissolved oxygen

-Increased fishing catches

-Better sewage treatment plants

Problems that still existed with water pollution

-raw sewage and biological pollution

-nonpoint runoff of pesticides and fertilizers

-Atmospheric deposition of pesticides and Hg (mercury)

water pollution

Change in water quality that can harm organisms or make water unfit for human uses

Point sources

-Located at specific places

-Easy to identify, monitor, and regulate

Nonpoint Sources

-Broad, diffuse areas

-Difficult to identify and control

-Expensive to clean up

Why are agricultural activities a leading cause of water pollution?

-sediment eroded from the lands

-fertilizers and pesticides

Why are industrial facilities a leading cause of water pollution?

inorganic and organic chemicals

Why is mining a leading cause of water pollution?

erosion and toxic chemicals

Infectious disease organisms can

-contaminate drinking water

-about 1.6 million people die per year, mostly kids under 5

Major water pollutants can cause

-Cholera

-Typhoid

-Guinea-worm disease

Cesspools can...

break, leak, or overflow, sending dangerous microbes, nitrate pollution and drug-resistant bacteria into water supplies

Scientific name for dangerous water microbes

pfiesteria piscicida

Thermal pollution

formed by nuclear power plants, create a barrier so fish can't swim through

Sediments are a major water pollutant because they can...

-choke out fish

-when there are no trees, the sands can move

Heavy metals in water

-mercury

-chromium

-cadmium

-lead

-arsenic

Safe Drinking Water Act

Sets maximum contaminant levels for any pollutants that affect human health

Health scientists can

help strengthen the law

water polluting companies can

weaken the law

Oil availability is determined by...

1. Demand

2. Technology

3. Rate at which we remove the oil

4. Cost of making the oil available

5. Market price

How long will oil supplies last?

42-93 years

Conventional Oil advantages

ample supply for 42-93 years

-low cost

-high net energy yield

easily transported within and between countries

-low land use

-technology is well developed

-efficient distribution system

Conventional oil disadvantages

-moderate water pollution from oil spills and leaks

-environmental costs not included in market price

-need to find substitute within 50 years

-releases CO2 and other air pollutants when burned

-vulnerable to international supply interruptions

Oil sands

clay + sand + water + bitumen

Bitumen

high viscosity, thick heavy oil with high sulfur content

Threats posed by oil sands extraction

1.release of greenhouse gases

2. scarred landscape from open-pit mining

3. resource-and-energy draining separation of oil from bitumen

4. drainage of toxic waste into huge tailing ponds

Oil Shale advantages

-large potential supply

-moderate cost (oil sand)

-efficient distribution system in place

-easily transported between countries

-technology is well-developed

Oil Shale disadvantages

-high cost (oil shale)

-releases CO2 and other air pollutants when burned

-low net energy yield

-large amount of water used for processing

-severe land disruption from mining

-water pollution from mining

Conventional Natural Gas

-More plentiful than oil

-has a medium high net energy yield and a fairly low production cost

-is a clean burning fuel

Unconventional Natural Gas

-underground sources

-methane hydrates

-producing it has created environmental problems (50-90% methane)

Natural gas advantages

-ample supplies (62-125 years)

-high net energy yield

-emits less CO2 and other air pollutants than other fossil fuels

-low cost (with large subsidies)

-Easily transported by pipeline

-good fuel for fuel cells and gas turbines