Unit 5

Public transportation investment

Expanding public transportation reduces reliance on private vehicles, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Benefits of walkable infrastructure

Promotes denser land use, reduces urban sprawl, and encourages physical health through walking and biking.

Primary consumers

Organisms like oysters that feed directly on producers; they are more efficient in producing food for humans compared to secondary consumers.

Secondary consumers

Organisms like salmon that feed on other animals; they require more energy to be produced due to energy loss at trophic levels.

Soil erosion from deforestation

Clear-cutting exposes soil to rain and wind, leading to increased runoff and sedimentation of waterways.

Green roofs

Structures that reduce urban heat island effect, improve stormwater management, and increase biodiversity in urban environments.

Acid rain

A result of burning coal, caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions which react to form sulfuric acid that damages ecosystems.

Pyrite in tailings

Reacts with water and oxygen to produce sulfuric acid, leading to acid mine drainage that harms aquatic life.

Topsoil and vegetation cover

An action taken in land reclamation that prevents acid formation from pyrite by stabilizing the soil and absorbing pollutants.

Commercial fishing impact

Environmental consequences like acid mine drainage and habitat destruction, in addition to overfishing.

Rate of fish harvest decline

Calculated decline in groundfish harvest from 1980 to 1985 was approximately 13,000 metric tons per year.