ENVR 100 Exam 2

regulating services

regulating services

natural processes that provide favorable conditions for humans (ex: erosion reduction provided by vegetation, waste decomposition from microbes, storm surge/flood protection from coral reefs, wetlands, etc), wider influence than provisioning services, connects ecosystems at a landscape scale

climate

the long-term average of weather conditions for a given region

weather

short-term variations in conditions such as temperature, moisture, and wind in a specific place

proxy

an observable and measurable phenomenon that serves as an indirect indicator of changes in climate

greenhouse effect

Earth receives solar radiation from the sun, which is absorbed by the earth and converted to heat, which then radiates back out where some is “trapped” by the atmosphere

what are the main greenhouse gasses and their characteristics?

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂) — part of carbon cycle,

• methane gas (CH₄) — related to carbon cycle, heavily impacted by animal husbandry

• nitrous oxide (N₂O) — part of the nitrogen cycle, related to fertilizer use and exhaust emissions

albedo

a measure of reflectivity of a surface, in this context, the surface of Earth

hindcasting

a scientific technique where simulations are run on a particular model to see how its predictions match up to actual or historical real-world observationes

surface current

an ocean current affecting the top 400 meters of water that starts because of air blowing across the water surface

deep current

the flow of ocean water below the surface caused by variations in density, temperature, and salinity

gyre

a large circular ocean current

thermohaline conveyor

a large-scale ocean circulation driven by surface and deepwater ocean currents and changes in water temperature and salinity

upwelling

a place where ocean currents draw up colder water from the deep

ENSO

El Niño-Southern Oscillation, a change from normal ocean currents that significantly weakens or even shifts the direction of trade winds and ocean currents in the southern Pacific

feedbacks

a loop in a system that responds to and produces changes that either amplify or counters change; can be positive (ex: results of warming climate reinforce conditions causing global warming) or balancing/stabilizing (change is being buffered/reversed)

atmosphere

a dynamic envelope of gases extending up from Earth’s surface that clings to our planet because of gravitational pull

What is substances mostly make up air composition?

Mostly nitrogen (N₂), O₂, CO₂, H₂O

air pressure

the concentration of gas molecules in the atmosphere; more gas molecules —> higher pressure; weight of air presses down on lower layers, causing molecules in lower layers to be more tightly packed

what are the different levels of atmosphere?

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere (in order of closest to furthest)

jetstream

a prevailing wind pattern near the top of the troposphere

primary pollutants

substances that are harmful in their directly emitted form

secondary pollutants

a pollutant that is the product of reactions occurring in the atmosphere

PM

particular matter — tiny particles and droplets less than 10 micrometers in size that are suspended in the air we breath

VOC

volatile organic compounds — a gas released through the evaporation or incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and other organic chemicals

smog

a secondary pollutant that forms when chemicals from the combustion of fossil fuels interact in the presence of sunlight at warm temperatures

ozone

a gas compound composed of 3 oxygen atoms (O₃), occurs in the upper atmosphere and at ground level, can be good or bad depending on where it is (ex: pollutant if in the troposphere)

acid deposition

a phenomenon where air pollutants react with water, making an acid that precipitates from the sky, also known as “acid rain”

CO

carbon monoxide, poisonous gas, primary pollutant

denitrification

a process in which microorganisms use nitrogen compounds for respiration and create N₂ gas, returning it to the atmosphere

Clean Air Act (1970, 1990)

a law that established two important policy strategies: air quality standards and regulations on the source of pollutants; 1990 amendment put emission allowences in place

CAFE standards

corporate average fuel economy — regulates automobiles, companies should try to improve the average fuel economy of their cars/trucks/etc

tradeable emissions allowance

one source can decrease emissions so that another can emit more, therefore balancing the emissions produced

residence time

the average amount of time water/pollutants/etc spends in a reservoir

the water cycle

complex system involving various processes that water undergoes as it moves through Earth

point sources

readily identifiable, specific sources of pollution

nonpoint sources

large, diffuse sources of pollution

Safe Drinking Water Act (1974; ‘86; ‘96)

set standards for drinking water quality and monitors states, local authorities, and water suppliers to make sure standards are follow; ‘86 — amendment requires EPA to regulate more than 80 contaminants, expanded abilities of SDWA; ‘96 — continued stronger protections for drinking water, made information about water contamination available to the public

Clean Water Act (1972)

regulates pollution discharges into water

oceanic zones

zones of ocean depth based on amount of sunlight recieved; Euphotic, Dysphotic, and Aphotic zone (in order of shallowest to deepest)

What are some of the major humans impacts on life in the ocean (table 7.1)

• garbage & plastic pollution (garbage accumulates in ocean, plastic can contain toxic chemicals and break down into microplastics)

• fossil fuel pollution (oil spills, other commercial disasters, mercury which can accumulate in the food chain)

• agricultural runoff (synthetic fertilizers and animal waste cause “dead zones” due to eutrophication)

• overfishing (the percentage of fishing stocks are deemed fully exploited and over exploited with rising fish consumption)

• ocean acidification (CO₂ emissions dissolving in sea water, where it forms carbonic acid which raises the pH)

• climate change (ocean ecosystems are sensitive to even small changes in temperature, ocean temps have risen 0.2F on average over the past 100 years0

what are the key points of the urban heat riskscape paper?

Urban heat islands (UHI), microclimate modification, inequality of location of UHIs

what is the problem addressed in urban heat riskscape?

Extreme heat in urban areas, particularly areas where heat is more concentrated

what are the 4 research questions presented in urban heat riskscape?

1. How variable, both spatially and temporally, is the cooling effect of vegetation in Phoenix?

2. What is the total water use for sustaining vegetation that provides cooling ecosystem services for Phoenix?

3. How could potential rates of water use vary as a result of decisions to sustain different levels of vegetated land cover?

4. Throughout 1970-2000, do the availability and associated costs of cooling ecosystem services depend on neighborhood economic status?

what types of things are we measuring in lab?

pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, total dissolved solids, conductivity, discharge