Water and Air Pollution, Agriculture, and Fossil Fuels

The flashcards cover topics related to water pollution, air pollution, agriculture, and fossil fuels based on lecture notes.

Water pollution is caused by changes in the __________ properties of water.

chemical, physical or biological

Sediment pollution is often caused by excessive __________ or agricultural practices.

excavation

TRUE or FALSE? Longline fishing targets large predatory fish.

True

Of the following pollutants, which has the shortest residence time? __________.

Ammonia (NH3)

The air pollutants that generally come from vehicle emissions include __________, __________, and __________.

Carbon Monoxide, Volatile Organic Compounds, Nitrogen oxides

TRUE or FALSE? Benzene is an example of particulate matter.

False

Two important benefits of Earth's atmosphere are it provides __________ and __________.

oxygen, shields us from meteors and hazardous radiation

The Clean Air Act is considered a major environmental accomplishment because it has led to improvements in __________, including a decrease in all 6 categories of pollutants since 1970.

air quality

Nitrogen oxides come mostly from __________ emissions instead of other sources like factories.

vehicle

The mission of the EPA can be summarized as __________ standards for air and water quality.

enforcing

A traditional agriculture example includes a farm of 25 acres that mixes potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and __________ without pesticides.

carrots

Switching to drought-resistant crops addresses the problem of __________ for irrigation.

overuse of water

Overuse of pesticides leads to a cycle of pesticide resistance and the continual development of new __________.

pesticides

TRUE or FALSE? Fertilizers are not allowed in organic agriculture.

False

Eating beef is harder on the environment because raising cows requires large amounts of __________, __________, and __________.

feed, water, land

It takes approximately __________ years to form fossil fuels like coal.

100,000,000 – 500,000,000

Fossil fuels are not considered renewable because they take __________ to produce.

millions of years

TRUE or FALSE? Coal and oil can usually be extracted from the same location.

False

Point-source pollution comes from __________ locations like sewer pipes or factories.

discrete

Non-point source pollution arises from __________ inputs over a large area.

multiple

Forms of water pollution include toxic chemicals, pathogens, and __________ pollution.

nutrient

Nutrient pollution can cause __________ and __________ in water bodies.

eutrophication, hypoxia

The oil pollution events include the Exxon Valdez oil spill in __________ and the Deepwater Horizon explosion in __________.

1989, 2010

Plastic takes __________ years to degrade at sea.

500-1000

The Clean Air Act was first enacted in __________.

1963

The major classes of air pollution include Carbon Monoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, and __________ oxides.

Nitrogen

Particulate matter is solid or liquid particles suspended in the __________.

air

__________ devices are used in industrial plants to remove pollutants before they are emitted.

Scrubber

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged with enforcing air quality standards according to the __________.

Clean Air Act

Lead was historically produced by the combustion of __________ gas.

leaded

The average U.S. citizen spends __________% of their time indoors.

90

Indoor air pollution risks include radon, secondhand smoke, and __________ from old furnaces.

carbon monoxide

Sustainable agriculture mimics __________ ecosystems.

natural

Organic agriculture does not use synthetic __________ or __________.

fertilizers, pesticides

Fossil fuels consist of highly combustible substances formed from the buried remains of __________ organisms.

ancient

Natural gas primarily consists of __________ (CH4).

methane

The extraction of oil often requires lots of __________ drilling at great depths.

exploratory

The carbon footprint of natural gas is __________ when burned compared to coal and oil.

lower

Oil is extracted from crude oil which has not yet been __________.

refined