Unit 5

IDENTIFY ONE recommendation (other than green roofs) that you could make to local leaders for smarter growth in an urban area. EXPLAIN why this recommendation would provide benefits to the area and/or the environment.

Recommendation: Invest in and expand public transportation (e.g., light rail, bus rapid transit) and create walkable/bikeable infrastructure.

 Explanation:

 This reduces reliance on private vehicles, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

   It decreases traffic congestion, improving quality of life.

    It promotes denser, more efficient land use, reducing urban sprawl and preserving natural habitats.

    It also improves the health of the population due to more exercise, and less air pollution.

EXPLAIN why aquaculture operations that raise primary consumers like oysters are more efficient as a way of producing food for humans than aquaculture operations that raise secondary consumers like salmon.

Explanation: Primary consumers (like oysters) feed directly on producers (algae, plankton), which are abundant.

Secondary consumers (like salmon) feed on other animals, requiring more energy to be transferred up the food chain.

Energy is lost at each trophic level, so raising primary consumers is more efficient in terms of converting resources into human food. It requires less input to produce the same amount of food.

Describe an environmental concern, other than climate change resulting from the clear-cutting of a forest

 Environmental Concern: Increased soil erosion and sedimentation of waterways.

  Explanation:

    The removal of trees leaves the soil exposed to rain and wind.

   This leads to increased runoff, carrying soil into streams and rivers.

   Sedimentation reduces water clarity, harms aquatic habitats, and can clog waterways.

IDENTIFY THREE benefits of green roofs in an urban environment

 Three Benefits:

   Reduced urban heat island effect: Green roofs absorb sunlight and cool the surrounding air.

   Improved stormwater management: They retain rainwater, reducing runoff and flooding.

    Increased biodiversity: They provide habitat for insects and birds in urban areas.

DESCRIBE an environmental impact, unrelated to the mining operations, associated with burning coal as a source of heat and electricity.  Make sure you provide a specific environmental impact.

  Environmental Impact: Acid rain due to the release of sulfur dioxide (SO2).

  Explanation:

   Coal contains sulfur, which is released as SO2 when burned.

    SO2 reacts with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid.

    Acid rain damages forests, acidifies lakes, and corrodes buildings.

A coal mining company in West Virginia has created a large amount of tailings.  DESCRIBE an environmental impact from pyrite (pyrite contains sulfur) in the tailings from mountaintop removal.  Make sure you provide a specific environmental impact.

A coal mining company in West Virginia has created a large amount of tailings.   IDENTIFY an action the mining company could take as part of land reclamation to reduce the impact of the tailings on the surrounding environment.  Describe how this action would reduce the impact on the environment.

DESCRIBE a negative environmental impact from commercial fishing besides simply overfishing a species to ecological extinction.

  Environmental Impact: Acid mine drainage.

 Explanation:

    Pyrite (iron sulfide) in tailings reacts with water and oxygen to produce sulfuric acid.

    This acidic water leaches into surrounding soil and waterways, harming aquatic life and contaminating drinking water.

MAKE A CLAIM as to whether fish farming or commercial fishing has a greater impact on global warming and climate change.  JUSTIFY your claim.

  Action: Cover the tailings with a layer of topsoil and plant vegetation.

  Explanation:

    The topsoil layer prevents water and oxygen from reaching the pyrite, reducing acid formation.

    Vegetation stabilizes the soil, preventing erosion and absorbing some of the remaining pollutants.

The graph below shows the decline in the catch of groundfish (such as cod) from the George’s Bank from 1965 to 1995.  This decline resulted in the closure of large portions of the fishery.   For the five-year period you identified in the previous question, CALCULATE the rate of decline in the fish harvest, in metric tons per year.  Show your work.

  1980: Approximately 225,000 metric tons

 1985: Approximately 160,000 metric tons

 225,000 metric tons - 160,000 metric tons = 65,000 metric tons

 65,000 metric tons / 5 years = 13,000 metric tons per year

The rate of decline in the fish harvest from 1980 to 1985 was approximately 13,000 metric tons per year.