NEW WQ - Part 2 General Info

When is water the densest? (temps in C and F)

4°C (39.2°F)

How do water droplets actually grow/form precipitation?

Condensation Nucleation: When aerosols (specifically CCN , cloud condensation nuclei, aka cloud seeds) e.g. salt or dust are in the air, allowing water to condense around it. It allows the water to condense at lower supersaturation levels.
Coalescence: Collision between the guys from condensation (within the cloud, due to air currents) form larger droplets, until its large enough to become precipitation.

Fluoridation

the addition of fluorine into drinking water to strengthen oral health

At what pH is it considered acid rain?

What is Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)?

Cumulative knowledge, beliefs, & practices passed from generation to generation informed by cultural memories, sensitivity to change, and values that include reciprocity. TEK observations are qualitative and long-term.

Aragonite

The metastable polymorph of calcium carbonate (of calcifying organisms.)

Bioremediation 3 Examples (5 total)

Uses microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater by breaking down pollutants. Can be done in-situ (on-site) or ex-situ (removed, and treated elsewhere).
IN-SITU :
- Bioaugmentation (Specific, sometimes lab-grown microbes are added when local pops. are insufficient)
- Biostimulation (Nutrients e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, and O2 are added to encourage the activity of existing native microbes.)
- Bioslurping (Combines pumping to recover sludge, scum, etc w/ bioventing)
- Biosparging (Air is injected below the water table into the saturated zone to promote the biodegradation of groundwater contaminants.)

"small carbon reservoir"

consumers

Simpson Diversity Index

Measure of biodiversity that calculates the probability that two individuals randomly selected will belong to the same species. Ranges from 0 to 1; a lower D value indicates higher diversity Focuses moreso on dominance than Shannon.

Shannon diversity Index

Measures the uncertainty of predicting the identity of a randomly sampled individual; higher values (typically 1.5–3.5) indicate more diverse ecosystems. Gives more weight to rare species than Simpson.

Allen's rule

Warm-blooded animals in colder climates tend to have shorter limbs and bodily appendages (ears, tails, beaks) than those in warmer regions. Minimizes heat loss.

Halosere

OLD: The process where a freshwater body gradually transforms into a terrestrial habitat through a series of plant community stages. Starts with phytoplankton and ends with a climax forest, filling in with organic matter and soil over time. Moves from fully aquatic to swamp, marsh, meadow, and finally woodland.

NEW:

Internal Loading (Anoxic Release)

When bottom waters become anoxic, the chemical bond between iron and phosphorus breaks, releasing phosphorus from sediments into the water. Management Can use e.g. alum to bind phosphorus to the sediment.

Allochthonous

Organic matter that originated from same place else (a different environment, habitat, or location.)

Strahler stream order

Hierarchical method for classifying streams based on branching, where headwater streams (no tributaries) are designated 1st order. 2nd order is when two 1st-order streams meet. 3rd order is when 2 second order streams meet. If, say, a 2nd order stream is met with a 1st order stream, it's still considered 2nd order.

Ebullition

When gas (mostly methane, CH4, originating from the decomp of sediment by ANAEROBIC bacteria on the lake bed) form large bubbles, eventually rising up. Significantly contributes to greenhouse gasses!

What things drive ebullition in lakes? (1) Most (2) environmental factors (2) microbe-based factors

Most : Changes in atmospheric pressure (e.g. from storms); reduces total hydrostatic pressure at the lake bottom, allowing bubbles to expand and release
Water depth : Shallow lakes tend to have more ebullition; in deeper water, the higher hydrostatic pressure keep the methane dissolved within the porewater (in-between lakebed sediment). If bubbles do form, they might just dissolve back into water due to greater distance to surface.
Water disturbance : Via wind, storms, etc can shake bubbles loose.
High-organic-matter/eutrophic : Encourages more bacterial activity, and therefore more CH4 production.
High water temperature : Increase smicrobe activity, and therefore more CH4 production.

The largest carbon resevoir

The ocean

Red Tides

Cause by harmful algal blooms, particularly in Gulf of Mexico

Brackish water reverse osmosis

Water treatment (to become drinkable, for irrigation, etc), specifically for brackish water. Uses reverse osmosis.

Virtual water vs direct water

#1 : The water “hidden” in the products, services and processes people buy and use every day. (e.g. in beef or jeans)
#2 : The water that is seen, felt and used in a given time and location to intentionally produce an item or service (e.g. tap water)

Reverse osmosis and pros/cons

Push water through semi-permeable membranes via very high pressure (maybe after pretreatment of sediment filter of quartz, sand, etc)
Pros :
- Very clean-- ~99%; removes heavy metals, chlorine , bacteria, etc.
-Softens hard water
- More energy-efficient than other distillation systems; cheaper to buy
- Environmentally friendly-- no chemical additives etc in process
Cons :
- Removes good minerals e.g. salt, potassium, and magnesium from water
- Lots of wastewater; 3:1 or even 6:1.
- Slow compared to other methods

Allelopathy

When an organism produces biochemicals ( allelochemicals ) that influence the germination, growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. Can be detrimental (negative) or beneficial (positive). May be good for controlling HAB's. May be good for ensuring success of invasive plants e.g. hyacinth etc.
Example : Cyanobacteria (releases cyanotoxins, often during HAB's. Toxic to humans; inhibits algae/plant growth)

Novel weapons hypothesis

Invasive species succeed by introducing novel biochemicals—such as allelopathic root exudates or toxins—to which native communities lack co-evolved defenses.

Peat

A surface organic layer of a soil that consists of partially decomposed organic matter (derived mostly from plant material) which has accumulated under conditions of waterlogging, oxygen deficiency, high acidity and nutrient deficiency. Unique to peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs.

Bergmann's rule

Endothermic animals in colder climates tend to be larger in size, for insulation. (reduced surface area to volume ratio)

Give me a summary of the phosphorus cycle.

Phosphate ions are released by weathering rocks/sediment , it goes into the soil, it's used by plants/animals, which die and return it. Within the soil, bacteria break down organic matter to inorganic forms of phosphorus (mineralisation.) It can end up in water, where it's incorporated back into sediment.

Give me a cool fact about the phosphorus cycle.

• Is the slowest and most limited cycle because is sparse but important for plants, and has no atmospheric phase.

Diel vertical migration

Migration of organisms e.g. fish, zooplankton, cyanobacteria, etc between deeper parts (hypolimnion) and shallower parts (epilimnion) of lakes, often during the night (to avoid predators.) Can encourage algal blooms, increase turbidity (as zooplankton only feed on phytoplankton at night), etc.

Diel horizontal migration

DVM, but in rivers-- between the littoral and limnetic zones, for the same reason.

PAR

Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) . Designates the spectral range (wave band) of solar radiation from 400 to 700 nm that photosynthetic organisms are able to use in photosynthesis.

HCBs

Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms .
Excessive cyanobacteria growth due to nutrient pollution (nitrogen/phosphorus), warm temperatures, and stagnant water.
They release toxic cyanotoxins , which damage the liver, nervous system, and kidneys of wildlife, humans, and aquatic organisms.
They also form light-blocking mats not the surface, and increase BOD (decreasing DO .)

Ephemeral

Temporary aquatic features that flow or hold water only during or immediately after precipitation events (rain or snowmelt). Above the water table, and doesn't receive groundwater.

Why are estuaries important?

What are some recently killed coral species?

What are some emerging contaminants? Tell me about them.

(medicines/chemicals like PFAS)

How coral reefs have been ecologically harmed

Mangroves/coral reefs as carbon sinks