ESS All Topics

Acid Deposition

General term for acid coming down from the air

Acute Pollution

When large amounts of a pollutant are released causing a lot of harm

Advantages of Biomass

Cheap and readily available energy source / if the crops are replanted biomass could be a sustainable source

Advantages of Coal

Plentiful supply / easy to transport / needs to processing / relatively cheap to mine

Advantages of Concentrated Solar Power

Renewable source / cost of power station equivalent to fossil fuel power station

Advantages of Geothermal

Potentially infinite supply / used successfully in some countries

Advantages of Hydroelectric Power

High quality energy output / creates water reserves as well / reservoirs used for recreation / good safety record

Advantages of Natural Gas

Highest heat of combustion / lot of energy gained from it / ready-made fuel / relatively cheap / cleaner fuel than coal and oil

Advantages of Nuclear Fission

Raw materials are relatively cheap once the reactor is built / small mass of radioactive material produces high energy / no pollutants released

Advantages of Oil

High heat combustion / many uses / once found its cheap to mine

Advantages of Pyramids

Allow easy examination of energy transfers and losses / Gives us an idea of what feeds on what

Advantages of Pyramids of Biomass

Overcomes some of the problems of pyramids of numbers

Advantages of Pyramids of Numbers

Simple, easy method of giving an overview / good at comparing changes in population numbers with time or season

Advantages of Pyramids of Productivity

Most accurate system / allows comparison of ecosystems based on energy flows / pyramids are not inverted

Advantages of Solar-Passive

Minimal cost if designed properly

Advantages of Solar-Photovoltaic Cells

Potentially infinite supply / single dwellings have their own energy supply / safe to use / low quality energy converted to high

Advantages of Tidal

Should be ideal for an island country / potential to generate a lot of energy / tidal barrage can double as a bridge and help prevent flooding

Advantages of Wave

Ideal for island country / more likely to be small local operations than on a national scale

Advantages of Wind

Clean energy supply once turbines are made / little maintenance required

Advantages of Wood

Cheap and readily available / if trees are replaced then its renewable

Aerobic Respiration

Energy is released and used and the waste products are carbon dioxide and water

Albedo

Measure of the reflectivity of a surface. It's the proportion of solar radiation that is reflected by a particular body or surface

Amount of Biomass Assimilated

Carnivores - assimilated 80% of the energy in their diets
Herbivores - assimilate about 40% of their diet

Amount of Biomass Produced

Varies on space and temperature

Anthropogenic

A process, effect of activity derived from humans

Assimilation

Once living organisms have taken in nitrogen they assimilate it or build it into more complex molecules

Atmosphere

A dynamic system with inputs, outputs, storages and flows, that has undergone changes throughout geological time

Beneficial Effects of Exposure to UV Radiation

In animals it stimulated the production of vitamin D / used to treat psoriasis and vitiligo / used as a sterilizer / water and air purifier / industrial uses in lasers and forensic analysis

Bioaccumulation

The build up of persistent / non-biodegradable pollutants within an organism because they can't be broken down

Biodegradable Pollutant

Don't persist in the environment and break down quickly

Biodiversity Increases During Succession

As more species arrive and then decreases slightly if a stable climax community is reached

Biomagnification

The increase in concentration of persistent or non-biodegradable pollutants along a food chain

Biomass

Decaying organic plant or animal waste is used to produce methane in biogas generators

Biome

Collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions

Black Market

There is an illegal market for ozone depleting substances and requires constant monitoring

Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Carbon is stored in carbon sinks - fossilized life forms, oceans

Carrying Capacity

Maximum number of species that can be sustainably supported by a given area

Changes Occurring During a Succession

Size of organisms increases / Energy flows become more complex / Biodiversity increases / Productivity : ratio falls

China vs USA

China and the US produce the most and China may now have overtaken the US as the biggest emitter

Chronic Pollution

Results from the long term release of a pollutant but in small amount

Closed System

Exchanges energy but not matter with its surroundings

Coal

Mined from seams of coal which are in strata between other rocks / burned to provide heat directly or electricity by burning to create steam

Combustion of Fossil Fuels

Produces sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides as primary pollutants. These gases may be converted into secondary pollutants of dry deposition or wet deposition

Communities are

affected by periods of disturbance to a greater or lesser extent and these disturbances make gaps available that can be colonized by pioneer species

Community

A group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat

Compensation Point

Where the rates of photosynthesis and respiration are equal and there is no net release of either oxygen or carbon dioxide

Competition

All the organisms in any ecosystem have some effect on every other organism in that ecosystem

Competition + Carrying Capacity

Competition reduces the carrying capacity of each competing species

Concentrated Solar Power

Mirrors are arranged to focus solar energy on one point where heat energy generated moves a turbine

Consumers

Feed on producers and other consumers to obtain energy

Damaging Effects of Exposure to UV Radiation

Genetic mutation and effects on health / damage to living tissue / cataract formation / skin cancers / suppression of the immune system

Denitrification

Reverse the process by converting ammonium, nitrate and nitrite ions to nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria

Direct Measurements of Pollution

Acidity of rain water / amount of gas in the atmosphere / amount of nitrates in soil or water

Disadvantages of Biomass

May be replacing food crops of a finite amount of crop land / when burned it still emits pollutants / if crops aren't replanted then non-renewable

Disadvantages of Coal

Non-renewable / burning releases CO2 / coal mines leave degraded land and pollution

Disadvantages of Concentrated Solar Power

Required area of high insolation / relatively new technology but improving all the time

Disadvantages of Geothermal

Can be expensive to set up / only works in areas of volcanic activity / geothermal activity might calm down leaving the power station redundant

Disadvantages of Hydroelectric Power

Costly to build / can cause flooding of surrounding areas / dams have ecological impacts / silting of dams / lack of water downstream

Disadvantages of Natural Gas

Only limited supply of gas / gives of CO2 but less than oil and coal

Disadvantages of Nuclear Fission

Extraction costs high / nuclear reactors are expensive to build / nuclear waste is radioactive and highly toxic / accidents are rare but can happen / terrorist threat

Disadvantages of Oil

Limited supply / gives off carbon dioxide / oil spill danger from tanker accidents

Disadvantages of Pyramids of Biomass

Only uses samples from populations / organisms must be killed to measure biomass / time of year measured affects results

Disadvantages of Pyramids of Numbers

All organisms are included regardless of their size / doesn't allow for juveniles / numbers too large to represent accurately

Disadvantages of Pyramids of Productivity

Very difficult and complex to collect energy data / still problem of assigning a species to a particular trophic level when they may be omnivorous

Disadvantages of Solar-Passive

Requires architects who can design for solar passive technology

Disadvantages of Solar-Photovoltaic Cells

Manufacture and implementation is costly / need sunshine / need maintenance - regular cleaning

Disadvantages of Tidal

Construction of barrage is costly / only a few estuaries are suitable / opposed by some eco groups

Disadvantages of Wave

Construction may be costly / may be opposed by local groups / storms may damage them

Disadvantages of Wind

Need the wind to blow / often windy sites not near highly populated area / noise pollution / manufacture is costly / some local people object to them

Disadvantages of Wood

Low heat of combustion / not much energy created / when burned it emits pollutants / high cost of transportation as high volumes

Each Biome

Has characteristic limiting factors, productivity and biodiversity

Early Stages of Succession

Low GPP but high percentage of NPP
Little increase in biomass

Ecological Footprint

Area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a given population

Ecological Tipping Point

When an ecosystem experiences a shift to a new state in which there are significant changes to its biodiversity. E.G = lake eutrophication

Ecosystem

Made up of the organisms and physical environment and the interactions between living and non-living components within them

Effects of Acid Deposition

Weakening tree growth / more aluminium in rivers will lead to less fish / leaching of nutrients from plants

Efficiency

energy produced / energy consumed

Efficiency of Assimilation

Gross productivity x 100 / food eaten

Efficiency of Biomass Productivity

Net productivity x 100 / gross productivity

Energy Budget

Quantities of energy entering, staying within and leaving the animal or population

Energy Conservation

Can limit growth in energy demand and contribute to energy security

Energy Flow Diagrams

Allow easy comparison of various ecosystems

Energy Security

Ability to secure affordable, reliable and sufficient energy supplies for the needs of a particular country

Energy Subsidy

Additional energy that we have to put into the system above that which comes from the Sun's energy

Entropy

The measure of the amount of disorder in a system

Environmental Impact Assessments

Incorporate baseline studies before a development project is undertaken. They assess the environmental, social and economic impacts of the project, prediction and evaluating possible impact and suggesting mitigation strategies for the project.

Environmental Value System

Worldview that shapes the way an individual or group of people perceive and evaluate environmental issues.

Estimates of Fossil Fuels Running Out

Coal - 230 years
Gas - 170 years
Oil - 100 years

Examples of Energy Security Choices

Ukraine - Russia Gas Disputes = cut off supply as they hadn't paid their debts
USA Shale Oil = now economic to drill it so their energy security has improved

Exponential Growth

When there are no limiting factors slowing growth

Factors Affecting Energy Choices

Availability of Supply / Technological Developments / Politics / Economies / Cultural Attitudes / Sustainability / Environmental Considerations

Factors Affecting Population Density

Natality / Mortality / Migration

Factors Affecting Resilience

Diversity / Biodiversity / Size of Ecosystem / Speed of Reproduction Process

Factors Influencing Climate

Abiotic factors - temp and precipitation
Biotic - plants and animals

First Law of Thermodynamics

States that energy in an isolated system can be transformed but cannot be created or destroyed

Five Major Biomes

Aquatic, Deserts, Forests, Grassland, Tundra

Food Chain

Flow of energy from one organism to the next

Formation of Ozone

1. UV radiation splits oxygen making 2 separate molecules
2. Free molecules reform to make oxygen but also collide with oxygen and join making ozone
3. Ozone molecules can be decomposed by UV radiation into a free atom and an oxygen molecule

Formation of Photochemical Smog