APES LAND AND WATER USE QUIZ

Renewable resource

A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed

Nonrenewable resource

A natural resource that is not replaced in a useful time frame.

Surface Mining

cheaper and can remove more minerals; less hazardous to workers because

Ecosystem services of forests

heat balance; carbon storage; water cycling; soil stabilization; habitats

Economic benefits of forests

fuelwood, lumber, mining, recreation, jobs

Selective cutting

cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind

Strip cutting

clear-cutting a strip of trees along the contour of land within a corridor narrow enough to allow natural regeneration

Advantages of clear cutting

higher timber yields, maximum profits in shortest time, can reforest with fast growing trees, good for tree species needing full or moderate sunlight

Disadvantages of clear cutting

reduces biodiversity, destroys and fragments wildlife habitats, increases water pollution, flooding and erosion on steep slopes, eliminates most recreational value

How to prevent forests from pathogens and insects

Integrated pest management and the removal of affected trees

Solutions to urban runoff

Replace traditional pavement with permeable pavement, planting trees, using public transportation, building up not out

Economic mining impacts

Provides low cost energy and material necessary to make products

Environmental mining impacts

Destroy habitats, contaminate ground water, releases dust particles and methane

old-growth forests

forest that has never been cut and replanted; original forest - highest biodiversity

Surface fires

Only burn undergrowth and leaf litter- typically beneficial to forests, recycle nutrients

Crown/canopy fires

Typically harmful to forests, burn living trees, increase soil erosion, pose threats to humans and structures

Ecosystem based management

Minimize impacts on the ecosystems and ecological processes that provide the resources

Deforestation is most notable in ____ countries

Developing

It takes ____ times as much land to generate the same amount of calories from meat as from plants

20

Cons of CAFOs

Large amounts of organic pollution, runoff leads to eutrophication, health of animals is secondary

Difference between rangelands and pastures

Rangelands are unfenced, pastures are managed or enclosed

Cons of free range grazing

Requires more land, higher cost to operate, fewer jobs, variability in meat quality

Economic impact of overgrazing

Livestock require more area due to degradation, lower quality forage affects meat/milk production, health is compromised

Rotational grazing

Confining animals to a small area for a short time (often only a day or two) before shifting them to a new location

Conservation grazing

the use of grazing livestock to maintain and increase biodiversity of natural or semi natural grassland by controlling more aggressive plant species and preventing the development of scrub

Stable runoff

the share of runoff from precipitation that can be depended on every month

Withdrawal of water

Total amount taken

Consumptive use of water

Removed and not returned

Non-consumptive use of water

does not remove, or only temporarily removes, water

Advantages of dams

Electricity, flood control, water-security, recreation

Disadvantages of dams

Alter ecosystems, alter periodic flood cycle, increased sedimentation behind damn, anadromous fish migration

Subsidence

A depression of the land surface as a result of groundwater being pumped. Cracks and fissures can appear in the land.

Sinkholes

a large surface crater caused by the collapse of an underground channel or cavern; often triggered by groundwater withdrawal

Aquifer

An underground formation that contains groundwater

Reduce water activity

Low water use irrigation methods, low-flow faucets, consumer education

Reuse water

Grey water usage

Recycle water

Treatment

Clear water

Treated and purified, usable for bathing and drinking

Gray water

wastewater from baths, showers, bathrooms, and washing machines (used for toilets, irrigation)

Black water

Any water containing human waste (unusable)

Xeriscaping

landscaping using plants adapted to dry conditions

Mineral resources

Non renewable, naturally occurring in earth's crust, must be extracted and processed

Second growth forest

a stand of trees resulting from secondary ecological succession

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

Many meat or dairy animals are reared in confined spaces, maximizing the number of animals that can be grown in a small area.

Free range grazing

raising livestock on rangelands, the most common land use type in the U.S., using less fossil fuel energy than feedlots, but can lead to overgrazing

Overgrazing

occurs when too many animals graze for too long- causes loss of vegetation which leads to soil erosion

Desertification

Degradation of low precipitation areas toward being increasingly arid until they become deserts

Less consumption of meat impacts

Reduce CO2, methane, N2O emissions, conserve water, reduce use of antibiotics, improve topsoil

Urbanization

An increase in the percentage and in the number of people living in urban settlements.

Urbanization leads to

Depletion of resources, habitat fragmentation, saltwater intrusion in the water cycle

Urban sprawl

the change in population distribution from high population density areas to low density suburbs that spread into rural lands, leading to potential environmental problems

Gangue

Worthless material that surrounds ore

Smelting

Using heat and chemicals to turn ore into usable material

Slag

stony waste matter separated during smelting

Reclamation

Returning land to "usable" state

Remediation

Removing harmful chemicals to render safe

Restoration

Returning land back to its "original" condition

mixed-use zoning

zoning that permits multiple land uses in the same space or structure

Types of coal in order of concentration of carbon

Anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, lignite

Cleanest coal type

Anthracite

Dirtiest coal type

Lignite

Mountaintop removal

a mining technique in which the entire top of a mountain is removed with explosives

Oil is found...

In liquid form inside of rocks

Most abundant type of coal

Aquifer depletion

removal of groundwater more rapidly than it can be recharged by precipitation or melting snow

Acid mine drainage

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams.

Why is smelting bad?

Requires a lot of energy, Emits Co2 and So4

Crude Oil Refinement

The separation of hydrocarbons based on their boiling points

Why is surface mining safer?

Workers aren't subjected to cave-ins, toxic air, or limited ventilation

Where are the most bauxite reserves found

Australia

Depleted uranium

composed almost entirely of U-238 because much of the U-235 that it once naturally contained has been removed

Enriched uranium

uranium that has a higher percent of U-235 than its natural abundance of about 0.7%

Salvage logging

the removal of dead trees following a natural disturbance

Deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

Effects of deforestation

increased loss of species, increased soil erosion, increased global warming, decreased soil fertility

How can you ensure that meat you consume is produced ethically and sustainably?

Buy local

Examples of mineral resources we refine and extract

Aluminum, lithium, gold

How is natural gas transported across oceans?

Converted to liquid form (process called liquefaction) and shipped in tanks