Environmental Science

Environmental Science

Chapter 11 - 12 Study Guide

Chapter 11 - Water

1. What percentage of Earth’s water is freshwater?

3%

2. What is surface water and what are some examples?

All of the body of freshwater, salt water, ice, and snow that are found above ground 

3. What activity results in the greatest amount of freshwater used worldwide?

Used for agriculture/watering plants 

4. What are some techniques farmers use to reduce water loss?

drip irrigation

5. What does industry use water for?

Energy 

6. What is point source pollution and what are some examples?

Pollutions is discharged from a single source

 boats, waste water, leakey oil tanker 

7. What is nonpoint source pollution and what are some examples?

is pollution that comes from many  sources rather than from a single specific site

Storm sewers near a body of water

8. How does the ocean get polluted?

Pollutants are often dumped directly into the ocean.

9. Where does most pollution that reaches the ocean come from?

85% comes from oil spills, toxic waste, and medical wastes.

10. What is a watershed and what is the largest example in the U.S.?

Mississippi 

11. How is chlorine used in the water treatment process?

Used to disinfect so that you can put it back into the steam, lake, or ocean.

12. How have humans inhabited deserts even though there is no water there?

the water table may be hundreds of meters beneath Earth’s surface.

13. What are some ways we can conserve water at home(list several)?

 using only the water that they need. Water-saving technology, such as low-flow toilets, can also help reduce household water use. Water your grass at night 

14. How can a dam built on a river create conflict between two countries

The country down stream will get less water 

15. What are some benefits and drawbacks to building a dam?

Benefits- Clean energy, providing jobs

Drawbacks- Flooding, habitat loss

Chapter 12 - Air

1. What are VOC’s?

Volatile organic compounds 

2. What part of your car reduces air pollution?

Catalytic converter 

3. What are the two main sources of air pollution in urban areas?

Transportation and Industry 

4. What are some examples of indoor air pollution?

CO, VOC’s

5. How does air pollution impact human health?

emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease.

6. What does asbestos do to the lungs?

Asbestos fibers can irritate and scar the lungs, causing the disease asbestosis.

7. What causes acid precipitation?  What chemicals are in acid rain?

often because of the pollution of the atmosphere.

sulfuric acid and nitric acid

8. It is considered acid precipitation if it is below what pH?

5

9. Which of the primary sources of air pollution is greatest in the U.S.?

Vehicle emissions 

10. What are temperature inversions? 

11. What is light pollution and how can we decrease it?

The use of inefficient lighting in urban areas is diminishing our view of the night sky.

Solutions to this problem include shielding light so it is directed downward, using time controls so that light is used only when needed, and using low-pressure sodium sources, which are the most energy-efficient sources of light.

12. What is noise pollution and what does it cause in humans?

A sound of any kind is called a noise. However, some noises are unnecessary and can cause noise pollution.

Health problems that can be caused by noise pollution include loss of hearing, high blood pressure, and stress.

13. What type of building experiences indoor air pollution the most?

Hot buildings with little to no ventilation 

14. Where is most pollution located in the U.S. that causes acid rain?

detroit/upper midwest

15. How can rural areas receive acid rain even though they do not have much industry?

Acid rain most of the time is not affecting the area the pollutants are coming from they affect areas that are down wind 

16. What are some ways we can reduce air pollution?

Car pool, fuel efficient cars 

Vocabulary to know for the test:

Ch. 11 - Water

• Porosity-  is the percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces.

• Permeability-  is the ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through it open spaces or pores.

• Recharge Zone- is an area in which water travels downward to become part of an aquifer. 

• Reservoir- is an artificial body of water that usually forms behind a dam. Water from a reservoir can be used for flood control, drinking water, irrigation, recreation, and industry

• Aquifer- is a body or rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater. They are an important water source for many cities.

• Artificial Eutrophication- is a process that increases the amount of nutrients in a body of water through human activities, such as waste disposal and land drainage.

• Biomagnification-  is the accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain.

• Thermal pollution- is a pollution increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life.