APES UNIT 5—LAND AND WATER USE

5.7: Describe two advantages of meat producing using CAFOS

I. Highly efficient…more lbs meat/units of space and time

II. Low costs to consumers and high profits to farmers

5.7: Describe two water-related disadvantages of meat production using CAFOS

I. Water depletion for animals and feed grain

II. Water contamination from manure lagoons, introducing E. coli., nutrients, and antibiotics through runoff into groundwater (leading to eutrophication and algae blooms)

5.7: Describe why producing plant protein for human consumption is a more efficient use of land than producing animal protein for human consumption

Only 1% of energy from plant producers make it to human, whereas just consuming plant protein would enable us to get 10% that the grain took in from the sun

5.7 Describe a benefit and a drawback of producing meat using free range grazing over CAFOs

(+): Solve or diminish negative effects of CAFOs; no antiobiotics/waste buildup from manure lagoons; higher quality of meat; less grain needed

(-): requires large areas of grassland, leading to overgrazing and desertification; slower-growing animals; higher costs for consumers

5.7: Describe two non-water related environmental drawbacks of consuming animal protein rather than plant protein

I. Overgrazing from animals that damages grass, kills roots, causes topsoil erosion, desertification, and causes compaction that decreases water holding capacity

II. Release of GHGs like CO2, CH4, and N2O

5.8: Describe how overfishing occurs

When fish are harvested and caught at a rate faster than repopulation; likely caused by lack of regulations, leading to tragedy to commons and fishery collapse

5.8: Describe bycatch and an ecological consequence

Catching of unintended species like dolphins or sharks in commercial fishing; can further decrease biodiversity

5.8: Describe bottom-trawling and a negative ecological consequence

Dragging of heavy nets along the ocean floor, stirring up sediments, increasing turbidity, and decreasing light penetration needed for photosynthesis; damages the coral reef

5.9: Define ore, overburden, and tailings

Ore: valuable deposits of minerals

Overburden: Soil, vegetation, non-valuable rock matter overlying ore deposit; typically excavated or blasted

Tailings/slag: leftover waste material separated from valuable metal or coal being mined

5.9 Describe an environmental consequence of mining related to overburden removal

requires destruction of forest or other habitat overlying the ore; may involve mountaintop removal which features explosions that send overburden into surrounding valleys and filling in streams/destroying habitats/increasing PM in the air

5.9: Describe an environmental consequence of mining relating to tailings

tailing ponds can contain heavy metals (mercury, selenium, arsenic) that can contaminate nearby soil/ground/surface waters if runoff leaches metals from tailings, tailing pond overflow can lead to acidification of surrounding soils/surface waters

5.9: Identify an environmental consequence that mountaintop removal mining shares with strip mining and one economic consequence that is more associated with mountaintop removal

both result in habitat loss, soil erosion, heavy metal pollution in nearby soil/water, acidic runoff into nearby soil/water

Mountaintop removal more associated with increased particulate matter leading to increased human respiratory damage and health care costs, flash flooding due to loss of soil permeability and the resulting property destruction

5.9: Explain why subsurface mining is more costly than surface mining

poses more threats to worker safety such as tunnel collapse/explosions/fires/lung diseases so worker wages/healthcare/insurance costs are higher

subsurface mining

drilling a mineshaft down into the ground or horizontally into mountains to find coal beyond shallow reserves typically quickly depleted

strip/surface mining

Stripping layers of land/soil to find coal

open pit mining

a mining technique that uses a large visible pit or hole in the ground

5.1:

I. Explain tragedy of commons and provide an example

II. Provide solutions to examples

I. Tendency to overuse and deplete a common shared resource in own self-interest; excessive cutting down of forests, a shared/public resource for timber, resulting in deforestation; overgrazing of cows

II. Incentivize responsible management, charge fees and regulations, spend $ for programs

5.2—Clearcutting

I. Identify two causes of clear cutting

II. How does clear cutting maximize short-term benefits but jeopardize long term benefits?

III. How does clearcutting impact nearby water temp.?
IV. Describe two ecosystem services devalued by clearcutting.

I. Used to clear space for fields and make space for urban developments

II. Short-term: fastest, easiest way to harvest timber and maximize short-term revenue; Long-term: results in soil erosion, decreasing forest productivity and consequent harvesting productivity, increases air pollutants and CO2

III. Decreases shade cover and lowers albedo/light reflected, meaning more light is absorbed; causes erosion leading to sediment runoff to water and turbidity

IV. Removal of PM matter (SO2, NO2) from air by tree leaves (filtration that occurs via the stomata, reduction of carbon sequestration due to lack of trees, damage to habitats of pollinator species (causing reduction in population), less groundwater filtration

5.3—Green Revolution

I. Define the Green Revolution

II. Identify three agricultural practices considered a part of the GR.

III. Benefit and drawback of mechanization

IV. Benefit and drawback of GMOs

V. Benefit and drawback of synthetic fertilizers

I. Gradual series of innovations ultimately resulting in greater food production

II. Mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, irrigation systems, high-yield varieties, monocropping, synthetic fertilizers/pesticides, GMOs

III. (+): Increased yields/acre, efficiency, lower consumer costs; (-): more reliance on FFs leading to more GHGs, CO2 release, soil compaction, decreased water holding capacity, increased topsoil erosion

IV. (+): Less pesticide use in the short term, greater yield; (-): more pesticides needed if insects evolve and adapt to have greater tolerance; reduced crop/biodiversity and genetic diversity, leading to greater susceptibility to diseases; excessive growth leading to nutrient depletion

V. (+): greater yields due to more nutrients, reduced prices for consumers, less land; (-): no return of organic matter to soil (feeding the plant over the soil); nutrients leached out of soil and cause ground water contamination and runoff, leading to eutrophication; greater FF combustion to more GHGs and leading to climate change

5.3—Green Revolution

VI. Benefit and drawback of synthetic pesticides

VII. Benefit and drawback of irrigation

VIII. Benefit and drawback of monocropping

VI. (+) Increased yields, reduced illnesses and diseases; (-): increased non-target species’ mutation death, pollution and water contamination, human exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens

VII. (+): Increased yields and less crop loss, new, expanded farming regions; (-): energy required to pump, depletion of groundwater sources, soil salinization

VIII. (+): easier to apply fertilizers/pesticides/irrigation b/c of uniformity, decreased costs; (-): soil erosion due to mass harvesting, loss of root structure and genetic biodiversity, causing diseases and illness

5.4—Environmental Impacts of Agriculture

I. Tilling: def, benefit and drawback

II. Two reasons why slash and burn agriculture is used

III. Environmental consequence of slash and burn

IV. Soil-related benefit of using organic over synthetic fertilizers

I. Defined as the process of breaking up and mixing soil to make the planting easier; (+): easier for farmers to plant in friable soil, more uniform development and enables better oxygen and water infiltration = better permeability; (-): increased erosion leading to loosened topsoil, greater CO2 release due to oxidation

II. Quickly clears vegetation to create space; returns nutrients in vegetation back to soil; lowers costs since existing land can be used over expanding

III. Release of particulate matter, air pollutants, GHGs to the air (CO2, PM, NO2) resulting in climate change; less carbon sequestration w/ loss of trees

IV. Increases depth of O horizon to retain moisture, better nutrient cycling, slower release of nutrients that’s more sustainable

furrow irrigation

furrows/trenches filled with water

(+): low cost/efforts

(-): high runoff/evaporation

least efficient; 33% loss

flood irrigation

flood fields w/ H2O

(+): cheap and easy

(-): inefficient water usage, potential for soil erosion, and the risk of waterlogging, especially in clay-heavy soils

20% loss

spray irrigation

Water is distributed and sprayed over the field from a central location. This method is more efficient than flood irrigation because it requires less water and a lot less water is lost to evaporation or runoff.

Drip irrigation

This system is localized and uses an underground hose full of holes which dispenses water closest to the plant root. While being productive, efficient (95% efficiency), and not wasteful, it is also quite costly.

5.5—Irrigation

I. Explain soil salinization

II. Propose solution to soil salinization

I. Buildup of salt in soil due to naturally occurring salt in groundwater (irrigation) and as water evaporates; can damage plant roots and kill plants

II. Flush out salt with freshwater, utilize drip irrigation

5.6—Pest Control

I. Identify two sub-categories of pesticides and the organisms they target.

II. Explain why extended use of a pesticide generally leads to a decrease in its effectiveness

III. Describe how GMOs can enable decreased pesticide application

IV. Explain how GMOs can actually make a crop more susceptible to catastrophic disease loss.

I. herbicides—plants; fungicides—fungi; insecticides—insects; rodenticides—rodents

II. due to genetic diversity, some pests in target population will have mutations that enable them to resist the pesticide; survive application and pass on resistant genes to offspring, leading to higher and higher proportions of resistant populations to pesticide

III. crops can be genetically engineered to produce compounds that control pests, reducing need to apply pesticides

IV. often have disease-resistant genes for a specific pathogen but are all genetically identical; this eliminates change that any crops in a field will have a gene allowing them to survive unexpected future pathogen

5.10—Urbanization

I. Explain why a person living in a city generally has a lower environmental impact than someone living in a suburban or rural community (assuming similar affluence/resource use)

II. Define impervious/impermeable surface, provide an example, and explain how the prevalence of these surfaces in urban areas impacts the local water cycle.

III. Describe two ways in which urbanization alters the carbon cycle

IV. Identify two causes of urban sprawl

V. Describe an environmental consequence of urban sprawl.

I. Living in cities enables ppl to drive shorter distances/walk more, enables more efficient delivery of goods/energy for consumption than less dense suburban or rural communities, compact building design means less habitat space is taken up by housing

II. Surfaces such as parking lots, pavement, building roofs that do not allow water to penetrate; reduces groundwater infiltration in the area and increases evaporation and runoff

III. increased combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles/power plants adds more CO2 to the atmosphere, decrease vegetation means less into the atmosphere, the production and landfilling of waste releases CO2 and CH4

IV. urban sprawl, or the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas, is caused by cheaper land than urban areas, desire for more space to raise a family, fear of crime, urban blight, etc

V. longer commutes result in greater FF combustion and CO2 release, increased habitat loss/fragmentation as land is cleared for housing development/roads, increased impervious ground cover and more urban stormwater runoff contaminating surface waters

5.11—Ecological Footprint

I. Explain the difference between an ecological and carbon footprint

I. Ecological footprints measure an individual or group’s resource consumption measure in space/hectares, while carbon footprints measures C released into atm. by the activities of an individual/group in a given year, expressed in tons of CO2

5.12—Sustainability

I. Define sustainability.

II. Choose an agricultural/logging/mining practice and make a claim about its sustainability. Justify your answer.

III. Choose a global sustainability indicator and explain how it can be used to assess sustainability.

I. Using a resource at a rate near or below its rate of natural replenishment and using a resource in a way that preserves it for future generations.

II. Monocropping is unsustainable b/c it depletes soil nutrients faster than they can be replenished naturally.

III. Global biodiversity indicates whether species are going extinct at a rate faster than background extinction

5.13—Reducing Urban Runoff

I. Describe how storm drain systems deliver pollutants to surface waters

II. Describe a method to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff from streets or sidewalks.

III. Describe a method that can reduce the pollutants in stormwater runoff that does enter storm drains

IV. Architectural method to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff

I. Carry urban stormwater runoff into nearby surface waters to prevent flooding but may contain pollutants like oil, road, salt, sediments, trash, fertilizer, and pet waste

II. Permeable pavement can enable stormwater to infiltrate the ground beneath rather than runoff into storm drains, rain gardens absorb runoff and recharge groundwater

III. Increased public transit reduces motor oil on the roads

IV. Vertical construction minimizes the total amount of impervious space that buildings require, green roods can catch rain falling on roofs and enables infiltration

5.14—Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

I. Define IPM

II. Describe a biocontrol to limit pesticide application

III. Describe a physical control to limit pesticide application

IV. Describe benefits to IPM

I. the use of various different pest control methods, such as biocontrols or physical controls to reduce pesticide use and its ecological consequences

II. introduction of a natural predator such as lady bugs to eat aphids, planting of species known to attract pest predators

III. tilling to disrupt pest eggs in the soil, physically pulling plant pests out of soil, crop rotation, intercropping, physical traps

IV. reduced death of non-target species like pollinators, reduced FF combustion resulting in fewer GHGs released, reduced exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens, etc.

5.15—Sustainable Agriculture

I. Two key goals of sustainable agriculture

II. Describe how each practice prevents soil erosion

1. Contour

2. Windbreaks

3. Perennial crops

4. Terracing

5. No-till agriculture

6. Stripcropping/intercropping

I. preventing the erosion and nutrient depletion of soil

1. Contour

   1. plowing parallel to natural contours of land preventing downward slope eosion; creates plow furrows that slow erosion

2. Windbreaks

   1. Plants like trees/shrubs along perimeter of fields blocks and slows wind speeds, preventing wind erosion

3. Perennial crops

   1. stabilizing roots remain in soil after harvest and plant regrows naturally, reducing need to till/re-plant

4. Terracing

   1. Cuts flat ledges into sloped soil which slows erosion and catches soil washing off from level above

5. No-till agriculture

   1. reduces destruction of roots after harvest and leaves soil intact rather than loosening and making susceptible to erosion

6. Stripcropping/intercropping

   1. tight crop rows prevent soil from being eroded by runoff/wind; may also replenish soil nutrients for legumes due to N fixing bacteria in root nodules

5.15—Sustainable Agriculture

I. Define soil fertility

II. Describe how each improves soil fertility

1. Crop rotation

2. Green manure

3. Crushed limestone

III. Describe how rotational grazing can prevent soil erosion

I. the ability for soil to support plant growth

II.

1. Crop rotation

   1. reduces soil nutrient depletion due to differing nutrient demands of diff. crops; may also replace nutrients if legumes are used

2. Green manure

   1. cover crops can be planted in between planting commodity crops and then mowed down to create green manure which returns nutrients to the soil while stabilizing between planting

3. Crushed limestone

   1. acts as a base to neutralize acidic soil leaching positively charged nutrients from soil; may also replenish soil Ca levels

III. rotating livestock between pastures prevents overgrazing or excessive compaction, preserving grass health and stabilizing soil health

5.16—Aquaculture (breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants)

I. Describe two advantages to aquaculture vs. other meat production methods

II. Consequences of aquaculture

I. does not req. habitat loss/land use of CAFOs on land, reduces damaging fishing practices like bottom-trawling (preserving ocean biodiversity), reduces FF combustion and GHG release from fishing boats, less water req.

II. high concentration of fish results in high waste concentrations leading to eutrophication, GMO fish escaping and breeding with wild populations, disease/pathogens resulting from dense living conditions, destruction of mangrove swamps for shrimp aquaculture in some regions

5.17—Sustainable Forestry

I. Describe goals of SF

II. Two methods that can reduce deforestation

III. Two methods to sustainably manage forests

I. harvesting wood in a way that doesn’t deplete its availability for future use and minimizes ecological damage

II. selective cutting (harvesting only the oldest/sickest trees from a forest to enable continued future use of the forest for timber and preserve the habitat/soil; reusing wood/purchasing recycled wood; purchasing wood from ecologically sustainable forestry

III. cutting down diseased trees to prevent disease spread; IPM to control insect pests that may damage or kill trees, prescribed burns to reduce dead biomass that typically becomes fuel for more damaging crown fires in the future