environmental science test 2

chlorinated hydrocarbons general characteristics

fast acting and highly toxic to sensitive organisms

In soil, how does particle size relate to pore space?

larger particles create larger pores (macropores), while smaller particles create smaller pores (micropores)

Why do persistent pollutants tend to accumulate in polar regions?

POPs accumulate in polar regions by the "grasshopper effect"; they evaporate from warm regions and condense in cold regions

what are the characteristics of clay

fine particles, high water retention, slow drainage, stickiness when wet, and tendency to crack when dry

What soil types are best for farming?

Loam soils are considered best for agriculture because they are a mixture of sand, silt and clay.

What are soil horizons?

horizontal layers of soil

types and characteristics of soil erosion

Sheet Erosion - thin layer of surface removed•

Rill Erosion - small rivulets of running water gather together and cut small channels

Gully Erosion - rills enlarge to form bigger channels too large to be removed by normal tillage

Stream bank Erosion - washing away of soil from banks of streams and rivers

Desertification - conversion of productive land to desert

What types of topology and climate conditions are conducive to wind erosion?

Wind can equal or exceed water as an erosive force, especially in a dry climate and on flat land.

Who was Jethro Tull?

English agronomist, agriculturist, writer, and inventor whose ideas helped form the basis of modern British agriculture also invented the chilled plow

Contour Plowing

Contour Plowing - plowing across slope to slow flow of water

strip farming

planting different crops in alternating strips along land contours

In what type of climate region is salinization of soil most likely to occur?

arid and semi-arid regions

What problems are associated with DDT?

reproductive issues, neurological damage, and increased cancer risk

How does the use of pesticides on farms compare to golf courses in terms to intensive use?

golf courses often exhibit a more intensive use of pesticides per unit area compared to farms

What is "Smelting" and what gas is released during the process?

Smelting - roasting ore to release metals, sulfur dioxide released

What thermal process drives the motion of tectonic plates?

convection currents

subduction

the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth's crust into the mantle beneath another plate

Crude oil comes from what kind of organisms?

ancient marine organisms, primarily tiny plankton (including algae and bacteria), and other marine life that lived millions of years ago.

Igneous rocks

form from cooled magma or lava

sedimentary rocks

accumulated sediments

metamorphic rocks

existing rocks altered by heat and pressure

Chemical weathering

selective removal or alteration of specific components that leads to weakening and disintegration of rock

• Oxidation

• Hydrolysis

Mechanical weathering

physical break-up of rocks into smaller particles without a change in chemical composition

Why is the reclamation of land that has been strip-mined so difficult?

soil horizons mix together. They can’t put soil horizons back how they were originally. It is also expensive.

What is the biggest risk imposed by the mountain top removal?

Ridge tops are removed to access a coal bed. The material is then dumped into nearby river valleys, burying streams in toxic substances

mass wasting

geologic materials are moved down slope from one place to another

what causes mass wasting?

What causes tsunamis?

large earthquakes that occur below or near the ocean floor, but can also be triggered by landslides, volcanic eruptions, or even meteorite impacts

Tropopause

boundary that limits mixing between the troposphere and upper zones as air ceases to rise

Troposphere

immediately adjacent to the earth's surface• Ranges in depth from 18 km over the equator to 8km over the poles.

Stratosphere

tropopause up to about 50 km

Mesosphere

Middle Layer where the temperature diminishes again

Thermosphere

Begins at 80 km Ionized gases and high temperatures

what layer of atmosphere do most weather events occur

the troposphere

In which layer does most weather events occur?

the troposphere

Of the 20 hottest years EVER recorded, how many of them have occurred since 1980?

19

Wedge Analysis

breaking down climate stabilization into smaller bite sized problems

albedo

the fraction of light that a surface reflects

Why are most deserts on Earth found between 30º north and 30º south latitudes?

Earth is tilted on its axis. The greatest amount of solar energy per unit area is absorbed by Earth between 30°N latitude and 30°S latitude.

The Coriolis Effect

As air warms at the equator, rises, and moves northward, it sinks and rises in several intermediate bands, forming circulation cells.

What are the advantages of contour plowing and strip farming?

reduce soil erosion and improve water retention

What causes the Coriolis effect?

because earth rotates on on its axis(23.5 degrees)

To what degree is pesticide resistance been observed? Limited numbers of species or hundreds? Specific species, or broad spectrum of species? hundreds?

hundreds of species have become resistant. Broad spectrum of species.

What is the best method of reducing soil erosion?

contour farming

what is most important metal in global economy

iron

what causes mass wasting?

removal of vegetation or no vegetation to hold soil together

what keeps layers of atmosphere from mixing

changes in temperature

How much time is required to experience substantive climate change? Decades? Centuries? Thousands of years? Millions?

Decades

The Earth’s earliest atmosphere was composed of what gasses?

Hydrogen, Helium

Was oxygen in earths earliest atmosphere?

No

Where do hurricanes get their energy?

water vapor condensing and releasing energy