APES Unit 5 Study Guide

When was the Mining Law signed into legislation?

1872.

When was the Wilderness Act signed into legislation?

1964.

Describe Soil Conservation.

A combination of practices used to protect the soil from degradation. Involves treating the soil as a living ecosystem. This means returning organic matter to the soil on a continual basis.

What are some methods that can be implemented to mitigate &/or solve the problems associated with Urban Runoff?

Adding plants, protecting trees, digging trenches, covering soil, cutting down on fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, etc.

Describe one environmental advantage and one environmental disadvantage of using GM crops.

Advantage: Higher yields per acre and hence less acreage needed/impacted by agriculture. Disadvantage: Insect resistance may impact beneficial insects. AND GM crops are often engineered to have lower genetic variability than non-GM crops, thereby making GM crop monocultures more vulnerable to mass mortality than non-GM crop monocultures exposed to disease or pest outbreaks or severe environmental changes.

Describe one economic advantage and one economic disadvantage of using GM crops.

Advantage: Reduced soil erosion. Disadvantage: Have increased fertilizer demand to reach yield potential.

What are some advantages & disadvantages of meat production?

Advantages: It creates jobs and a lot of food for cheap. Disadvantages: It contributes to disease (such as E-COLI and salmonella), antibiotic resistance, pollution, etc.

What are some advantages & disadvantages of meat Consumption?

Advantages: Reduced appetite and increased metabolism, better iron absorption, stronger bones, retention of muscle mass, etc. Disadvantages: Negative effects on the planet (since livestock produces most of the carbon emissions of fossil fuel which in turn can contribute to climate change), killing wildlife, causes deforestation and forest fires, is an inefficient way to eat, etc.

Describe some of the methods used for mitigating Deforestation.

Afforestation/reforestation, and forest management for carbon stocks and wood products. There are also ways that everybody can reduce deforestation including by planting trees, using less paper, recycling and using recycled products, reducing meat consumption, etc.

Flood irrigation

Flooding an entire field with water and letting the water soak in evenly. Sees about 20% of the water lost to evaporation and runoff. Can also lead to waterlogging of the soil.

When was the SMCRA (Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act) signed into legislation?

August 3, 1977.

If meat production is less efficient than agriculture, (It takes 20 times more land to produce the same number of calories from meat that we get from plants) than why is the meat industry so large and why do we continue to produce so much of it?

Because humans like to eat meat, and it is a regular part of the urbanized pallet.

Explain why the RCRA is important to the environment.

Because it does and has restored contaminated land, reduced emissions, regulated waste and its management, and even promoted recycling.

Explain why the Superfund Act is important to the environment.

Because it gives the government a means to taking responsibility and making accountable for contamination, addressing it by cleaning it up. Its main purpose to resolve hazardous threats and wastes to humans and the environment.

Explain why the Wilderness Act is important to the environment.

Because it guarantees the security and protection of area from development, leaving them untouched, preserving biodiversity and the benefit it offers for the present and future.

Why is the loss of Genetic Diversity in the use of Genetically Modified Crops an issue?

Because these genetically modified crops/species can overrun existing species due to the fact that they often have more desirable traits, or traits that allow them to survive better in an environment. In turn, food sources can be depleted from the introduction of new, genetically modified species, depriving existing species of basic needs.

Why are small prescribed burns important for many forests?

Because they help to reduce the damage of wildfires on our lands and surrounding communities. They do this by reducing excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, which in turn, encourages the new growth of native vegetation.

How can we mitigate the impact we have on our forests?

By afforestation and/or reforestation.

Furrow irrigation A) involves flooding an entire field B) involves dripping water near the roots of a plant C) involves digging trenches and filling them with water D) requires stripping old crops from a field

C. This system is inexpensive, but about 1/3 of the water is lost to evaporation and runoff.

Reducing meat consumption per capita will reduce emissions of which of the following greenhouse gases?

CH4 (Methane).

Slash and burn agriculture leads to the increase of which gas in the atmosphere?

CO2

Describe the differences between Clearcutting, Selective Cutting, & Deforestation.

Clear-cutting is the process of removing all trees from an area; selective cutting is the process of removing the mature trees from an area; and deforestation is the clearing of trees from an area without replacing them. Clear-cutting is severely more destructive than selective cutting however, deforestation is the most destructive. With deforestation, the removed trees are not replanted, often for development purposes but, in clear-cutting practice, the trees are replanted.

What are the environmental impacts of using Pesticides?

Contamination of soil, water, turf, and other vegetation. Pesticides can also be extremely harmful to a host of other organisms including birds, fish, beneficial insects, non-target plans, and humans.

Describe the Wilderness Act.

Created a legal definition of wilderness in the U.S., protecting over 9 million acres of it as federal land.

What are some of the different methods used to conserve soil?

Crop rotation, reduced tillage, mulching, cover cropping and cross-slope farming, etc.

Identify & Describe the types of Sustainable Agriculture talked about in this unit.

Crop rotation, the practice of planting one crop one year and another one the next year so all of the nutrients in the soil are not used up. Intercropping, a type of polyculture method where you plant at least two different crops in an area next to each other and agroforestry, when you integrate trees and shrubs into a farm.

What is polyculture?

Crops arent planted in neat rows but are intercropped in a helter skelter pattern. Where many different crops are planted in same field.

What are some of the different methods used to improve soil fertility?

Cultivation (the act of caring for or raising plants), grazing, composting, soil conservation, green manuring, soil testing, etc.

Which of the following is least likely to be an environmental problem associated with abandoned tailings? A) acid mine drainage B) increased turbidity in nearby bodies of water C) desertification d) excess nutrient load in nearby bodies of water

D

When was the Superfund (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) signed into legislation?

December 11, 1980.

What are the environmental impacts of tilling?

Disruption of soil structure, acceleration of surface runoff and soil erosion, reduction of crop residue, etc.

Describe Urban Runoff.

Either wet weather (rainwater) or dry weather (water waste) that flows from urban landscapes into storm drain systems that lead to the beach.

Explain why the Mining Law is important to the environment.

Emphasized the claim validity, and the land you used for your mineral extraction, and it brought attention to the impacts of mining on the environment.

Describe a Prescribed Burn.

Essentially a planned fire, or "controlled burn," their purpose is to consider the safety of the public and fire staff, weather, reducing forest fires, and probability of meeting burn objectives.

Subsurface Mining

Extraction of a metal ore or fuel resource such as coal from a deep underground deposit. Pro: Disturbs surrounding environment less than surface mining. Con: It is more dangerous for humans than surface mining. Hazards include cave-ins, explosions, fires, and lung disease.

Describe the difference in environmental impacts between fisheries & Aquaculture.

Fisheries often cause bycatch, use a lot of energy, and it is not being done sustainably and we are overfishing. Aquaculture requires a lot of feed and water, large amounts of waste is created, and populations within the tanks are susceptible to diseases.

Contour Strip Mining

Form of surface mining used on hilly or mountainous terrain. Pro: Minimal erosion and landslide problems. Con: Higher initial capital costs for additional equipment and decreased rate of production.

Describe the Superfund Act.

Gives the funding for the federal cleaning of waste sites and accidents, spills, and generally just addressing any pollution or contamination of the environment.

Describe Urban Sprawl.

Growth of low-density development on the edges of cities and towns.

What are TWO advantages of the Green Revolution?

Has allowed us to produce more food, food is cheaper, and higher yields can become consistent, even in challenging conditions.

What are the advantages of a CAFO?

Help to reduce issues with food waste, food prices are low, more efficient sewage and manure management, etc.

What are the environmental impacts of using Fertilizers?

Increase of greenhouse gases present in the environment (since fertilizers contain chemicals like methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and nitrogen), which contributes to global warming and weather changes. Fertilizers can also cause eutrophication and severely affect aquatic species.

What are the disadvantages of a CAFO?

Increase to antibiotic resistance, produce a lot of pollutants, a negative influence on the environment (due to greenhouse gas emissions), animals have fewer opportunities to live a natural life, the animals that live in CAFO's often reach unnatural sizes, etc.

Explain why the SMCRA is important to the environment.

Institutes reclamation, which although isn't perfect, it attempts to reduce and mitigate the negative impacts from mining, and tries to restore the soil to before the area was mined.

Spray irrigation

Involves pumping groundwater into spray nozzles across an agricultural field. More efficient than flood and furrow irrigation, with only 1/4 or less of the water lost to evaporation or runoff. More expensive, more energy used.

Furrow Irrigation

Is when small parallel channels are created along the field length in the direction of predominant slope. Water is applied to the top end of each furrow and flows down the field under the influence of gravity.

What are some environmental impacts of mining?

It consumes large amounts of freshwater and energy and produces pollution and waste.

What are some economic impacts of mining?

It creates high-paying jobs (supports more than 1.1 million jobs) and provides the raw materials essential to every sector of the economy.

What are the environmental impacts of Monoculture?

It disturbs the natural balance of soils. If there are too many of the same plant species in one area, the soil with be robbed of its nutrients, and the things that the soil needs to maintain fertility.

Describe the Disadvantages of using IPM over other traditional Pest Control methods.

It is time and energy consuming, non-target organisms may be affected, which can result in species loss, etc.

What are the environmental implications of urban sprawl?

Land loss, habitat loss, reduction in biodiversity, high water and air pollution, increased traffic fatalities, etc.

When was the RCRA (Resource Recovery & Conservation Act) signed into legislation?

October 21, 1976.

What are some ecological impacts of urbanization?

Poor air and water quality, insufficient water availability, waste-disposal problems, and high energy consumption due to the high population densities urban areas tend to have.

Describe the Benefits of using IPM over other traditional Pest Control methods.

Promotes sound structures and healthy plants, sustainable bio-based pest management alternatives, reduces environmental risk associated with pest management by encouraging the adoption of more ecologically benign control tactics, reduces the potential for air and ground water contamination, etc.

Describe the RCRA.

Purpose was to address the disposal of hazardous waste and managing.

Describe the SMCRA.

Regulated surface mining, specifically of coal extraction and the reclamation of land after mining.

Describe the Mining Law.

Regulates the mining of mineral resources by the federal government, and it promoted the development of society in the west, however, it led to safety hazards and ill mining practices due to a lack of regulation.

Open-Pit Mining

Removing minerals such as gravel, sand, and metal ores by digging them out of the earth's surface and leaving an open pit behind. Pro: Faster production. Con: Very large amounts of waste rock are mined.

Surface Mining

Removing soil, subsoil, and other strata and then extracting a mineral deposit found fairly close to earth's surface. Pro: Can recover more of the resource (usually up to 100% within the mining excavation). Con: The large-scale surface disturbance.

Describe Sustainable Forestry.

Seeks to balance our need for forest-based resources and economic benefits with the long-term health of the forest.

Describe Tilling.

Simply turning over and breaking up the soil. The purpose of this is to mix organic matter into your soil, help control weeds, break up crusted soil, or loosen up a small area for planting.

What environmental effects do abandoned mines have?

Soil erosion, desertification, loss of habitat and biodiversity, soil-laden runoff into nearby bodies of water, acid mine drainage, and leaks from cyanide heap leaching.

Describe what a "CAFO" is.

Stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and offer a more efficient system to feed and house animals through specialization, increased facility size, and close confinement of animals.

Describe IPM.

Stands for Integrated Pest Management and is a sustainable, science-based, decision-making process that combines biological, cultural, physical and chemical tools to identify, manage and reduce risk from pests and pest management tools and strategies in a way that minimizes overall economic, health and environmental risks.

What are TWO real world examples of the Tragedy of the Commons.

The Grand Banks fisheries (which resulted in overfishing), and Earth's atmosphere (which is severely degraded by air pollution).

Describe Sustainability.

The ability of earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.

What is an Ecological Footprint?

The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply a population with the renewable resources it uses and to absorb or dispose of the wastes from such resource use. It is a measure of the average environmental impact of populations in different countries and areas.

What is aquaculture?

The breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae, and other organisms in all types of water environments for commercial use.

Describe Urbanization.

The creation or growth of urban areas, or cities, and their surrounding developed land.

What is monoculture?

The cultivation of a single crop in a given area.

What are the environmental impacts of Slash-&Burn Agriculture?

The decrease of biodiversity, especially due to loss of habitat, an increase in air pollution (the release of carbon into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change), and deforestation.

What is overfishing?

The harvesting so many fish of a species, especially immature individuals, that not enough breeding stock is left to replenish the species and it becomes unprofitable to harvest them.

Describe Sustainable Yield.

The highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply.

Spray Irrigation

The method of applying water to a controlled manner in that is similar to rainfall. The water is distributed through a network that may consist of pumps, valves, pipes, and sprinklers.

Drip irrigation

The practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops. Most efficient, with only 5% of water lost to evaporation and runoff. Very expensive.

Describe Reforestation.

The renewal of trees and other types of vegetation on land where trees have been removed; can be done naturally by seeds from nearby trees or artificially by planting seeds or seedlings.

Explain what the Green Revolution is and what caused it.

The time of increased food and agricultural production due to pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation that helped reduce hunger in the world. It provided the basis for a quantum leap forward in food production.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

The total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by our actions.

What is bycatch?

The unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species.

What are TWO disadvantages of the Green Revolution?

The use of pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation can degrade soil, and cause major health issues to the environment and to humans. Great for large agricultural businesses, but bad for small town farmers that could not afford all of the expensive inputs.

Agricultural practices that can cause environmental damage include:

Tilling, slash and burn farming, and the use of fertilizers.

Mountain Top Removal

Type of surface mining that uses explosives, massive shovels, and large machines called draglines to remove the top of a mountain to expose seams of coal underneath a mountain. Pro: It is cheaper than other mining methods. Con: It can irreversibly damage the environment.

Area Strip Mining

Type of surface mining used where the terrain is flat. Pro: Much more efficient compared to underground mining. Con: Can severely erode the soil or reduce its fertility.

Differentiate between Urban & Rural.

Urban areas refer to town, cities, and suburbs, often with high population densities and large amounts of development. Rural areas refer to areas known as the "country," rural areas have low population densities and large amounts of undeveloped land.

What are some ecological impacts of building roads, sidewalks, and buildings?

Urban hotspots, which is where urban areas are generally warmer, because buildings absorb heat. Habitat destruction is also a result of construction.

Describe Genetic Resistance in relation to the use of pesticides in agriculture.

When a pesticide is first used, it may be extremely effective, killing most of the pest population however, a small amount of that pest population may have a resistance to that chemical due to their genetic makeup. Over time, offspring will start to receive the gene that gives resistance to the chemical therefore, eventually making the pesticide ineffective for that species.

Describe the Tragedy of the Commons.

When resources are readily available, individuals will neglect the well-being of society in the pursuit of personal gain.

Drip Irrigation

When water is conveyed under pressure through a pipe system to the fields, where it drips slowly onto the soil through emitters or drippers which are located close to the plants.

Flood Irrigation

When water is delivered to the field by ditch, pipe, or some other means and flows over the ground through the crop.