AP-Environmental-Science-Unit-5

AP Environmental Science Unit 5: Land and Water Use

Tragedy of the Commons

Definition: An economic situation where individuals prioritize personal gain over communal benefits, leading to resource depletion and negative consequences for the collective.

Examples:

• Overfishing: Excessive fishing practices result in significant declines of breeding populations, threatening marine ecosystems and the sustainability of fisheries.

• Clear Cutting: The complete removal of trees for industrial and agricultural uses disrupts habitats, leads to soil erosion, and contributes to loss of biodiversity.

The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution signifies the period when modern agricultural practices were introduced, including the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides.

• Pros: Drastic increases in food production and crop yields, aiding in food security for growing populations.

• Cons: This revolution has led to harmful effects on beneficial insects, reduced biodiversity, increased reliance on chemical inputs, and encouraged the consolidation of family farms into larger agribusinesses, threatening rural livelihoods.

Agricultural Impacts

Urbanization Effects: Rapid growth of urban areas demands substantial increases in agricultural output to feed the escalating population, leading to land-use changes and agricultural intensification.

Types of Agricultural Practices:

• Slash and Burn: A traditional method involving the clearing of land through burning, often leading to degraded soil quality and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

• Fertilizers: Chemical substances designed to enhance crop growth, but excessive use can contaminate waterways through runoff, contributing to dead zones.

• Pesticides: Chemicals used to eliminate pests; however, they can also harm non-target species, including pollinators essential for food production.

• Tilling: A method of preparing soil for planting that can lead to soil erosion and loss of soil organic matter if practiced excessively.

Irrigation Methods

• Flood Irrigation: Simple method where water flows over the land surface, but it can lead to waterlogging and soil salinization.

• Drip Irrigation: A more efficient technique delivering water directly to plant roots, significantly reducing water waste, though it requires a higher initial investment.

• Spray Irrigation: Utilizes a system of pipes and pumps to spray water over fields, ensuring even distribution, yet it consumes significant energy and water.

• Furrow Irrigation: Involves creating trenches to channel water, but can result in uneven water distribution and potential evaporation losses.

• Salinization: Refers to the accumulation of salts in soil due to evaporation of irrigation water; it can degrade land productivity if not managed effectively.

Pest Control Methods

• Pesticides: Commonly used to manage pest populations; although effective, they pose risks to human health and can lead to resistance among pest species.

• Herbicides: Target unwanted plant species but can disrupt local ecosystems and damage beneficial plants.

• Insecticides: Designed to kill insects like aphids and moths but can also harm pollinators, such as bees, critical for many crops.

• Fungicides: Used to control fungal pathogens, they may also impact non-target organism and contribute to resistance in fungal populations.

• Rodenticides: Chemicals used to control rodent populations, which can have unintended side effects on predatory bird species.

Meat Production Methods

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs):

• Pros: Increased meat production efficiency, high turnover, and job creation in rural areas.

• Cons: Associated with significant environmental problems, including pollution of water resources, greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare concerns, and antibiotic resistance due to over-medication of livestock.

Free Range Farming

• Pros: Promotes animal welfare by allowing livestock to roam and access natural diets, potentially leading to healthier meat products.

• Cons: Typically incurs higher costs due to lower stocking densities, and may generate larger amounts of waste that can pollute water bodies.

• Overgrazing: Occurs when livestock graze excessively on vegetation, leading to soil erosion, loss of plant cover, desertification, and a decline in ecosystem health.

Mining

Impacts of Mining: Involves the removal of valuable minerals from the earth, often resulting in substantial habitat destruction, soil erosion, and pollution from heavy metals and toxic runoff.

Types of Mining:

• Open Pit Mining: Removal of large areas of soil and rock to access minerals, resulting in expansive landscape alteration.

• Strip Mining: Involves stripping away soil and rock to expose coal or minerals near the surface, leading to severe environmental degradation.

• Mountaintop Removal: Deforestation at the summit of mountains followed by blasting to access mineral deposits, causing major ecological damage.

• Underground Mining: Extraction of minerals through tunnels, which can lead to land subsidence and pollution of groundwater.

• Mining Waste: Associated processes produce tailings, which often contain hazardous substances harmful to both ecosystems and human health.

Impacts of Urbanization

Urbanization leads to significant changes in land use and ecological relationships:

• Economic Growth: Increased job opportunities in urban centers often accompany population growth.

• Disruption of Natural Cycles:

  • Water Cycle: Decreased groundwater recharge due to impermeable surfaces.

  • Nitrogen Cycle: Excessive nitrogen inputs from fertilizers can cause eutrophication in water bodies.

  • Carbon Cycle: Increased fossil fuel use for transportation and energy leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions, aggravating climate change.

• Urban Sprawl: The outward expansion into rural areas causes habitat loss, fragmentation of ecosystems, and increased pollution from transportation.

Ecological Footprints

Definition: A measure of the environmental impact that human activities have on natural resources, particularly regarding land and water usage. This concept relates directly to issues such as waste generation, resource consumption, and carbon emissions leading to environmental degradation.

Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability: The practice of using natural resources in a manner that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.Sustainable Yield: The practice of harvesting agricultural produce at a rate that maintains the resource's viability for the long-term.

Methods to Reduce Urban Runoff:

• Development of green infrastructure to improve water infiltration and prevent flooding.

• Replacement of impervious surfaces with permeable materials to enhance water absorption into the ground.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

An ecologically sound approach to pest control that includes:

• Physical Control: Non-chemical methods to deter pests, such as barriers or traps.

• Chemical Control: Use of synthetic pesticides only when necessary and in targeted applications to minimize collateral damage.

• Intercropping: Planting diverse species of crops to naturally deter pests through ecological competition.

• Biological Control: Employing natural predators or parasites to manage pest populations effectively.

• Crop Rotation: A strategy used to disrupt pest and weed cycles by alternating crops in a planned sequence.

Sustainable Agriculture

• Contour Plowing: Plowing along the contours of the land to reduce soil erosion and improve water retention.

• Terracing: Creating flat, step-like sections on sloped land to cultivate crops and reduce run-off.

• Windbreaks: Planting trees or shrubs around crop fields to prevent wind erosion and protect crops.

Aquaculture

The cultivation of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, and mollusks to promote healthy populations, economic stability, and food security.

• Con: Potential for habitat degradation due to waste accumulation, possible pollution of water bodies, and over-reliance on specific fish species.

Sustainable Forestry

• Reforestation: A crucial strategy involving the replanting of trees in deforested areas to restore ecosystems and combat climate change.

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Adapted for forestry to minimize chemical use while controlling pest populations effectively.

• Wood Reuse: Promoting the reuse and recycling of wood to reduce demand for new timber and decrease deforestation.

• Urban Tree Project: An initiative aiming to increase tree canopy coverage in urban areas, which enhances air quality, conserves energy, and aids in climate adaptation.

AP Environmental Science Unit 5: Land and Water Use

Tragedy of the Commons

• What it is: When people take as much as they want from shared resources, it can run out.

• Good aspects: None really, as it leads to problems.

• Bad aspects:

  • Overfishing: If too many fish are caught, there aren’t enough left to grow back, which can hurt the ocean.

  • Clear Cutting: Cutting down all trees destroys homes for animals and can make the soil weak, which is bad for nature.

The Green Revolution

• What it is: When farms started using special seeds, fertilizers, and sprays to grow more food.

• Good aspects: Grows a lot of food quickly so many people have enough to eat.

• Bad aspects:

  • Hurtful to bugs: Using too many sprays kills helpful bugs, which helps plants grow.

  • Less Nature: Bigger farms mean less space for smaller farms and animals, which is bad for them.

Agricultural Impacts

• What it is: Changes in how we farm because more people live in cities.

• Good aspects: Better food when we use new methods.

• Bad aspects:

  • Slash and Burn: Burning land can make the soil less good for growing food.

  • Fertilizers & Pesticides: Can wash into rivers and hurt fish.

Irrigation Methods

• What it is: Ways of watering plants.

• Good aspects: Helps plants grow better when there’s not enough rain.

• Bad aspects:

  • Flood Irrigation: Too much water can drown plants and make the soil salty, which is bad.

  • Drip Irrigation: Good, but costs a lot to set up.

Pest Control Methods

• What it is: Ways to keep bugs away from food.

• Good aspects: Helps keep plants safe from bugs.

• Bad aspects:

  • Pesticides: Can hurt helpful bugs and make them go away.

  • Resistance: Bugs can get used to sprays, and then they don’t work anymore!

Meat Production Methods

• What it is: How we raise animals for food.

• Good aspects: Raises a lot of meat quickly.

• Bad aspects:

  • CAFOs: Makes dirties water and hurts animals because they live too close together.

  • Free Range: Animals are happier, but can make more waste that can pollute water.

Mining

• What it is: Digging up dirt to get minerals.

• Good aspects: Provides materials we need.

• Bad aspects:

  • Habitat Destruction: Can hurt places where animals live, making them go away.

  • Waste: Creates leftover dirt that can make the water bad.

Urbanization

• What it is: More people living in cities.

• Good aspects: More jobs and services for people.

• Bad aspects:

  • Lose Nature: Trees and land are changed into homes and roads.

  • Pollution: More cars mean more dirt in the air.

Ecological Footprints

• What it is: An estimate of how much nature people use.

• Good aspects: Helps us see how we can do better for the planet.

• Bad aspects:

  • Waste: If we use too much, there won’t be enough for animals and kids in the future!

Sustainability

• What it is: Using things carefully so there will be plenty left for the future.

• Good aspects: Helps us keep the Earth healthy.

• Bad aspects:

  • If we don’t: We might run out of clean water or healthy food!

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• What it is: A smart way to keep bugs away without hurting everything else.

• Good aspects: Uses many ways to be nice to plants and bugs.

• Bad aspects:

  • Maybe too complicated: Needs careful planning to work right.

Sustainable Agriculture

• What it is: Farming that keeps the land healthy over time.

• Good aspects: Helps the earth stay good for growing food.

• Bad aspects:

  • Takes time: Learning to farm this way can take a while.

Aquaculture

• What it is: Farming fish and other water animals.

• Good aspects: Gives us yummy seafood!

• Bad aspects:

  • Waste: If we’re not careful, it can make the water dirty and hurt fish living there.

Sustainable Forestry

• What it is: Taking care of forests so they can keep growing.

• Good aspects: Helps keep forests nice for animals and people.

• Bad aspects:

  • Can be slow: It takes a long time for trees to grow back when we cut them down.