Vocab #3

80. Composition of Water on Earth: 97.5% Seawater; 2.5% freshwater

81: Ways to conserve water: Agriculture: drip/trickle irrigation; Industry: recycling; Home: use gray water, repair leaks, low flow fixtures, native plants that use low water (xeriscape), time of day watering…

82: Gray Water: Any wastewater from a house EXCEPT TOILIET WATER; (dishwater, shower water…) this water can be used for irrigation water…

83. Aquaculture: farming aquatic species, commonly salmon, shrimp, tilapia, oysters.

84. Point Source: source from specific location such as pipe or smokestack

85. Nonpoint Source: (Area/Dispersed Source): source spread over an area such as agricultural/feedlot runoff, urban runoff, and traffic runoff.

86. Primary Sewage Treatment: first step of sewage treatment; eliminates most particulate material from raw sewage using grates, screens, and gravity (settling).

87. Secondary Sewage Treatment: second step of sewage treatment; bacteria breakdown organic waste; aeration accelerates the process.

88. BOD: (Biological Oxygen Demand), amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic materials.

89. Eutrophication: rapid algal growth (algal bloom) caused by an excess of nitrogen and phosphorous, blocks sunlight, causing the death/decomposition of aquatic plants, decreasing dissolved oxygen (DO), suffocating fish.

The rapid growth is caused by excess nitrates (NO3-1), and phosphates (PO43-) in water.

90. Hypoxia: water with very low dissolved oxygen levels, the end result is eutrophication. The BOD rises as aerobic decomposers breakdown the plants, the dissolved oxygen (DO) drops and the water cannot support life.

91. Fecal coliform (Enterococcus bacteria): Coccus (round shaped bacteria) ; indicator of sewage contamination

92. Chlorine: Good: disinfection of water; Bad: forms trihalomethanes (this group of compounds are byproducts of chlorination and are known carcinogens)

93. Minamata Disease: (19321968 Japan) mental impairments caused by methylmercury (CH3Hg)+1 poisoning

94. CAFÉ standards: Corporate Average Fuel Economy: standards enacted into law in 1975, established fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The fuel economy ratings for a manufacture’s entire line of passenger cars must currently average at least 27.6 mpg for the manufacturer to comply with the standard.

95. Primary Air Pollutants: produced by human and nature (CO, CO2, Sox, NOx, hydrocarbons, particulates)

96. Secondary Pollutants: formed by reaction of primary pollutants.

97. Particulate Matter:

a. Source: burning fossil fuels and diesel exhaust

b. Effects: reduces visibility and respiratory irritation

c. Reduction: filtering, electrostatic precipitators, alternative energy

98. Nitrogen Oxides: (NOx)

a. Source : auto exhaust

b. Effects: acidification of lakes, respiratory irritation, leads to smog and ozone

c. Equation for Acid Formation: NO + O2 à NO2 + H2O à HNO3

d. Reduction: Catalytic Converter

99. Sulfur Oxides: (SOx)

a. Source: coal burning

b. Effects: acid deposition, respiratory irritation, damages plants

c. Equation for acid formation: SO2 +O2à SO3 + H2O àH2SO4

d. Reduction: scrubbers, burn low sulfur fuels

100. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

a. Source: combustion of fossil fuels

b. Effects: greenhouse gas—contributes to global warming

c. Reduction: accomplished by increased fuel efficiency (gas mileage) mass transit (reduction)

101. Carbon Monoxide: (CO)

a. Sources: include incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.

b. Effects: binds to hemoglobin reducing bloods ability to carry O2

c. Reduction: accomplished by catalytic converters, oxygenated fuel, mass transit (reduction)

102. Ozone: (O3)

a. Source: forms as a secondary pollutant by combo of sunlight, water, oxygen, VOCs, and NOx

b. Effects: respiratory irritant, plant damage

c. Reduction: reduce NO and VOC emissions

103. Radon: (Rn): naturally occurring colorless, odorless, radioactive gas, found in some types of soil and rock, can seep into homes and buildings, formed from the decay of uranium (U), causes lung cancer

104. Photochemical Smog: formed by chemical reactions involving sunlight (NO, VOC,O/O2)

105. Acid Deposition: caused by sulfuric and nitric acids resulting in lower pH of surface waters.

106: Greenhouse Gases: Most significant: H2O, CO2, methane (CH4), CFC’s. Trap outgoing infrared energy (heat) causing Earth to warm.

107. Effects of Global Warming: rising sea level (due to thermal expansion not melting ice), extreme weather, drought, famine, extinctions.

108. Greenhouse Effect: a vital process, required for life to exist on Earth. If accelerated, bad, leads to global warming.

109. Ozone Depletion: caused by CFC’s, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, halon (haloalkanes), methyl bromide all of which attack the stratospheric ozone.

110. Effects of Ozone Depletion: include increased UV, skin cancer, cataracts, and decreased plant growth.

111. Love Canal, NY: (1950’s +) chemicals buried in old canal; school and homes built over it; caused birth defects and cancer.

112. Main Components of Municipal Solid Waste: is mostly paper and mostly put in the landfills.

113. Sanitary Landfill Problem and Solutions

a. problem= leachate; solution= linear collection system

b. problem=methane gas; solution= collect gas and burn

c. problem=volume of garbage; solution= compacted and reduce

114. Incineration Advantages: volume of waste reduced by 90% and waste heat can be used. The process that uses waste heat to generate electricity is called Cogeneration.

115. Incineration Disadvantages: toxic emissions (polyvinyl chloride, dioxins), scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators needed, ash disposal (contains heavy metals)

116. Best Way to Solve Waste Problems: reduce the amounts of waste at the source

117. True Cost/External Cost: harmful environmental side effects that are not reflected in the product’s price.

118: Brownfield: is an abandoned industrial site.

119. Keystone Species: species whose role in an ecosystem is more important than others. Examples are Sea

Otter, Sea Stars, Grizzly Bear, Prairie Dogs.

120. Indicator Species: species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged (ex. trout)