ENVS 210 Final Study Guide
What are the main human impacts on the hydrologic cycle?
Depletion of aquifers through agricultural irrigation Depletion of aquifers through municipal use
Be familiar with the different soil textures. What determines the texture of soil and how does the texture affect the water holding capacity of soil?
Desert Soil Too dry for clear horizon development Very low organic material Alkaline (as opposed to acidic) Wilcox Playa - Too salty for plants to grow!
Describe three factors that can cause the amount of an oil reserve to increase.
Economic conditions, technological advancement, and new deposits discovered changes the amount of oil reserves
What is the difference between evaporation and transpiration?
Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and waterbodies. Transpiration accounts for the movement of water within a plant and the subsequent loss of water as vapor through stomata in its leaves.
Describe the "natural" desalinization of ocean water that is provided to us as an ecosystem service.
Evaporation of Ocean water -> Comes back down as precipitation
What is the difference between fertilizers and pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides)?
Fertilizer: manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile. Pesticides: Chemicals that kill pests Herbicides: Chemicals that kill unwanted plants
What does the FAO stand for and what is their purpose?
Food and Agriculture Administration of the UN combats global hunger and promotes rural development
The global population has doubled since 1960, what has happened with food production?
Food production has kept pace. Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Roots and Tubers have all gained in production
Based on current trends, what is likely to happen to the availability and price of energy in the next ten years?
Get more expensive as oil and coal become more scarce (?)
What were the first windmills used for?
Grinding Grain
What is groundwater? What is the water table? What is an aquifer?
Groundwater is water that runs beneath the ground. The Water Table is the line that divides the unsaturated zone and saturated zone, and the aquifer is flowing water underground.
What is the importance of shale oil and shale gas to the US fossil fuel industry?
Helped oil production / gas production become a net exporter instead of importer
What is shale?
Horizontal drilling Fracturing pumps high-pressure salt water into rocks to crack them
Why is horizontal drilling necessary to recover shale gas and shale oil?
Horizontal drilling reduces surface disruptions as fewer wells are required to access the same volume of rock.
What are the specific sources of air pollution in the Grand Canyon?
coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners region, nearby mining, and urban and industrial pollutants from Mexico and California
What are negative environmental impacts of developing hydroelectric power?
flooding of vast areas of land, much previously forested or used for agriculture alter watersheds alter the migration patterns of fish archaeological sites submerged
What is hydraulic fracturing (fracking)? Describe the process. Why has there been a recent boom in the energy industry in the US?
fracking involves pumping millions of gallons of chemically treated water into deep shale formations at pressures of 9000 pounds per square inch or more. This fluid cracks the shale or widens existing cracks, freeing hydrocarbons to flow toward the well.
Why did the Southern Nevada Water Authority lead a project in Lake Mead to install a third intake? Describe that project.
in order to address unprecedented drought conditons and provide long-term protection of Southern Nevada's primary water storage reservoir—Lake Mead— the Southern Nevada Water Authority constructed a third drinking water intake capable of drawing upon Colorado River water at lake elevations below 1,000 feet (above sea level) the construction of Intake No. 3 began in 2008 and was an enormous project involving a tunnel boring machine chewing through solid rock underneath Lake Mead and an intake structure two and a half miles off shore. More than 1,000 concrete truck loads were transported to the intake site on 143 barge trips
How are gas and oil trapped underground?
its usually a barrier rock that is highly impermeable, like a shale that helps trap crude oil and natural gas in its current strata. Its also notable that faults and anticlines alter the strata and can help free or further trap the crude oil/gasses.
What is monoculture farming?
large expanses of a single crop
Photosynthesis only involves C, H and O, why are N and P necessary?
necessary for the Krebs Cycle and to form proteins and generate energy.
Describe how a nuclear power plant generates electricity.
plant generates electricity A nuclear power plant generates electricity when the nuclei of radioactive atoms disintegrate and release energy which is used to heat water and produce steam. The steam turns a turbine that generates electricity
Describe two different ways sunlight is used to make electricity.
solar panels solar power tower - uses mirrors to focus sunlight at a central point
What is meant by proven recoverable reserves?
the amount of oil (or any other fossil fuel) that is technically and economically feasible to remove under current conditions
What is high-input farming?
using low cost methods to receive high output yields
How old are the coal deposits we are currently digging up to fuel coal fired power plants?
~350 to 66 Million Years old
List three environmental impacts of the use of coal.
• Landscape disturbance- Surface mining disrupts the landscape, as the topsoil and overburden are moved to access the coal. • Acid mine drainage- Since coal is a fossil fuel formed from plant remains, it contains sulfur, which was present in the proteins of the original plants. • Air pollution Dust- is generated by mining and transportation of coal. The large amounts of coal dust released into the atmosphere at the loading and unloading sites can cause local air pollution problems
What happened at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima? Why did it happen?
• The accident at Chernobyl was the result of a nuclear reactor meltdown in association with a test and several safety violations and mistakes. The immediate consequences were 31 deaths, 500 persons hospitalized, and 116,000 people evacuated. Delayed effects include an increase in thyroid cancer in exposed children and fetuses. • Three Mile Island- On March 28, 1979, the main pump that supplied cooling water to the reactor broke down. the accident was caused by a combination of equipment failures, lack of appropriate information to the operator, and decisions by the operator. • Fukushima- On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake 130 km off the northeast coast of Japan triggered the automatic shutdown of several nuclear reactors in the vicinity of the earthquake. The loss of the ability to cool the reactors and their adjacent spent fuel storage sites resulted in explosions and fires that were caused by the release of hydrogen from the overheated reactors and one of the spent fuel storage sites
What is the source of most of Las Vegas's potable water?
Lake Mead, Underground Water
How do plants protect themselves from excess water loss?
Leaves constantly lose water by evaporation through tiny pores called stomata , that also let carbon dioxide into and oxygen out of the leaf. This water loss is called transpiration, creates a force that helps draw up more water from the roots which is called transpiration pull. During a drought, plants protect themselves from excessive water loss by closely monitoring the stomata opening and closing.
List industries that typically make use of the waste they produce to provide themselves with energy.
Lumber mills, paper mills, and plants that process sugar from sugarcane
What is natural gas?
Methane and other hydrocarbons found underground used as fuel
What are some of the consequences or dilemmas for agriculture as a result of the Green Revolution?
Monoculture = large expanses of a single crop Human diet is narrowed: 90% of our food comes from 15 crop and 8 livestock species
What is liquefied natural gas?
Natural gas can be liquified - just need to lower the temperature and apply a high pressure.
What is the difference between methane and natural gas?
Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. Methane is just methane.
What environmental advantage does natural gas have over oil and coal?
Natural gas releases less carbon dioxide than oil as well as less air pollutants
Why is it considered a better alternative than coal? Give several reasons.
Natural gas releases less carbon dioxide which makes it cleaner Also, cheaper
What are the most important limiting nutrients for primary production in coastal ocean waters?
Nitrogen and phosphorus
What does it mean for a nutrient to be limiting?
Nitrogen and phosphorus are frequently called "limiting nutrients." This means that at any given time, one or the other of these nutrients may be the hardest nutrient for a plant to acquire and therefore be the only nutrient that is limiting the plant's growth. You run out of this nutrient first, all other processes are affected.
What does N, P, K stand for and what is its importance?
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The most important nutrients for a plant while its growing.
What fuel sources are used to produce electricity commercially? Name several.
Nuclear, Coal, Natural Gas
Describe a soil profile
O Horizon - Hummus A Horizon - Topsoil E Horizon - Eluviated Horizon B Horizon - Subsoil C Horizon - Parent Material R Horizon - Bedrock
In what ways can organic matter benefit soil?
Organic matter serves as a reservoir of nutrients and water in the soil, aids in reducing compaction and surface crusting, and increases water infiltration into the soil.
Compare the size of clay and PM 2.5
PM 2.5 is 2.5 microns Clay is .002 millimeters
In addition to fertility, what other characteristics determine the usefulness of soil
Particle Size, Water Absorption, Texture of the Soil
Name and describe each of the 6 leaps forward that allowed for construction of the Three Gorges Dam. What was the obstacle in each case and how was it solved?
Power Generation - Transported higher pressure water to turn turbine and used copper wire to transport electricity River Diversion - Created temporary dams and diversion channels to not back up the river, coffer dams Concrete - Concrete is filled with cool water from steel pipes and engineered in vertical columns with cement in between to help them keep cool Flood - Ramp Shipping - The Boat Lift Sediment - Used flood water to flush out the silt
How do electrical power plants work? (from the fuel to the generator)
Power plants work by gathering the heat that is given off by the fuel source. The heat turns water into steam and is pushed through piping. The steam turns the turbines which in turn power the generators from which electrical power is produced
Energy comes from two primary sources. What are they?
Primary sources can be used directly, as they appear in the natural environment: coal, oil, natural gas and wood, nuclear fuels (uranium), the sun, the wind, tides, mountain lakes, the rivers (from which hydroelectric energy can be obtained) and the Earth heat that supplies geothermal energy. Secondary sources derive from the transformation of primary energy sources: for example petrol, that derives from the treatment of crude oil and electric energy, obtained from the conversion of mechanical energy (hydroelectric plants, Aeolian plants), chemical plants (thermoelectric), or nuclear (nuclear plants). Electric energy is produced by electric plants, i.e. suitable installations that can transform primary energy (non-transformed) into electric energy.
List one pro and one con of drilling oil in the Arctic
Pro - Potential Economic Gain Con - High Risk of Spillage, Hard to clean up
What are pros and cons to constructing dams in general? What are they used for and what is their impact on the environment?
Pros - Cleanest Energy Source, Flood Control, Powers many people Cons - Can block nutrients from crops, Block fish pathways, Sediment buildup
How does radiation cause damage to organisms?
Radiation damages the DNA and other molecules of cells
What is the difference between natural and artificial recharge?
Recharge occurs both naturally (through the water cycle) and through anthropogenic processes (i.e., "artificial groundwater recharge"), where rainwater and or reclaimed water is routed to the subsurface.
What materials are required in a solar cell?
Silicon
What is the difference between stand alone and grid connected systems?
Stand alone systems goes through energy storage, inverter, and then to the consumer. A grid connected system goes through a UPS, then to energy consumers, then through smart metering and distribution.
What are three causes of wind?
Sun heating the atmosphere, Rotation of the Earth, Variations in the earths surface
How are groundwater and surface water connected?
Surface water and groundwater systems are connected in most landscapes. Streams interact with groundwater in three basic ways: streams gain water from inflow of groundwater through the streambed, streams lose water by outflow through the streambed, or they do both depending upon the location along the stream.
What is the Colorado River Compact?
The Colorado River Compact is a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states in the basin of the Colorado River in the American Southwest governing the allocation of the water rights to the river's water among the parties of the interstate compact.
Why is OPEC important in the world's economy?
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) controls over 75% of the world's oil reserves. They have the power to fix production and prices according to their economic and political needs. As the demand for foreign oil has decreased, OPEC nations have been unable to repay loans to western banks, thereby causing financial loss to the lending institutions which in turn "trickles down" through the economy.
How has the flow changed on the Rillito River in Tucson over the last 100 years?
The Rillito River used to flowing, but has now dried up and completely disconnected from the water table due to the massive groundwater extraction for residential usage.
Give examples of how political and economic events affect energy prices and usage.
The taxes paid on gasoline are low in the United States compared to other countries. Therefore, gasoline usage is higher in the United States. OPEC countries control much of the world's oil and therefore, have the ability to determine oil prices. Political pressures have been brought to bear on OPEC to increase production when oil prices rise. Economic downturns result in less energy use and price
What are the general characteristics of renewable energy sources?
The term "renewable" is generally applied to those energy resources and technologies whose common characteristic is that they are non-depletable or naturally replenishable.
Distinguish between reserves and resources.
The term resource refers to the total amount of a material or primary energy flow that exists. This includes fuel that is both discovered and undiscovered, economically recoverable or not economically recoverable. Conversely, reserves are deposits of fossil fuels that are known to exist with a reasonable level of certainty based on geological and engineering studies.
Describe how overpumping of groundwater affects the water table and subsidence potential.
The water table drops and substance (potential to grow things) potential drops because there is not enough water in the soil which leads to erosion, and loss of nutrients.
What is coal, how is it formed? What are the conditions that lead to coal and other fossil fuel formation in the subsurface?
The world's most abundant fossil fuel-Created 300-400 million years ago Coal = organic matter (woody plant material) Pressure Underground + Heat
Why does the oil industry want to build the Dakota Access pipeline? What changes in our energy portfolio have led to this proposed development?
They want to be able to transport oil quickly. They just like that oil $$.
List the three primary methods of protecting people from damaging radiation.
Time, distance, and shielding are the basic principles of radiation protection
Describe "Toilet to Tap" and explain two viewpoints people have about the concept.
Toilet to Tap is a system in which wastewater is treated and turned into usable, drinkable water. -Some view this as gross, as they do not want to use wastewater to drink or cook with. -Some view this as cost efficient and necessary as droughts and climate change continue to wreak havoc on global and local water supply.
How do these dead zones form? What is out of balance?
Too much phytoplankton form due to increase in nitrogen which are fall to the bottom and are decomposed by bottom feeders. They microbial decomposers flourish and use up oxygen, killing fish and shrimp at bottom.
In a properly running coal fired power plant, what should be coming out the exhaust stack?
Water Vapor
How has the amount of groundwater used in the Tucson water supply changed over time since 1940?
We use much less groundwater since the installation of the CAP
How much did wheat yields (kg/hectare) increase in Mexico from 1950 to 2000?
Went from just under 1000 kg/hectare to 5000 kg/hectare
What parts of the US have the primary coal deposits?
Wyoming, West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania
If you compare the maps of "structural formations with hydrocarbons source rocks" and the map of coal deposits in the United States, is there overlap between the locations for shale oil, shale gas and coal? Would you expect this?
Yes, there is an overlap. The conditions are right to make all 3 in certain places. (Heat, pressure, moisture)
What is the Green Revolution?
a large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties.
List three negative environmental impacts of using biomass to provide energy.
-women and children must walk long distances collecting firewood and transporting it to their homes -smoke contaminates homes and affects health of people fuel is harvested unsustainably, can cause soil erosion from deforestation -when dung or waste is used for fuel it cannot be used as an additive to improve the fertility or organic content of the soil which using these materials negatively affects agricultural productivity
Name the steps in the nuclear fuel cycle.
1) Mining and milling 2) Enrichment 3) Fuel fabrication 4) Use of the fuel 5) Reprocessing or storage 6) Transportation
What are the Avra Valley basins in Tucson used for?
1. Recharge 2. Store 3. Recover A blend of Colorado river water and native ground water.
How much rainfall do we get each year in Tucson?
11.92 inches
What percent of world energy comes from renewable energy sources?
13%
Who was Norman Borlaug and what was his contribution to agriculture?
2 growing seasons Selectively bred wheat to incorporate resistance traits from different lines Selectively bred wheat to decrease the stem height - the semi-dwarf varieties So successful that India became a net exporter of grain in the 1980s. credited with saving over a billion people from starvation, involved the development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, modernization of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers.
How much of the water on the planet is fresh water? Of that, how much is in groundwater and in glaciers?
2.5% is global freshwater, of that, 20% is in groundwater and 79% is in icebergs and glaciers.
What percentage of our electricity is produced from coal?
33
About how much solar energy is intercepted by earth in one day?
84 Terrawatts
In addition to food, what energy requirements does a civilization have?
A civilization requires energy for heating, cooking, transportation, and industry.
What is a basin or watershed? What area does the Colorado River watershed cover? What is meant by the upper basin and the lower basin?
A drainage basin is an area of land where all precipitation that falls will drain or flow downhill into a specific stream. The water that falls on the ground and flows across the surface until it hits a stream is called runoff. The drainage basin or watershed of the Colorado River encompasses 246,000 square miles (640,000 km2) of southwestern North America the Upper Division (comprising Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the Lower Division (Nevada, Arizona and California). The compact requires the Upper Basin states not to deplete the flow of the river below 7,500,000 acre feet (9.3 km3) during any period of ten consecutive years.
What causes eutrophication and the formation of dead zones in aquatic systems?
Aquatic and marine dead zones can be caused by an increase in chemical nutrients (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus) in the water, known as eutrophication. Eutrophication is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances, mainly phosphates, through detergents, fertilizers, or sewage, to an aquatic system.
Which has a higher carbon content - lignite or anthracite?
Athracite
What is the difference between biogenic and thermogenic production of natural gas?
Biogenic most likely produced by organic soils and Thermogenic is most likely from drilling in a deep rock.
What renewable energy source provides the majority of renewable energy?
Biomass
Describe the Central Arizona Project and what is done with the water that comes from that project that arrives in Tucson.
Canal that runs through central Arizona and brings water from northern Arizona to southern Arizona (arrives to Tucson and is used for water and used to replenish the aquifer here).
What are the 16 elements that are essential for plant growth?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Boron, Chlorine Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc
Name five physical and chemical processes that break parent material into smaller pieces.
Changes in temperature that tend to result in fractures in rock, the freezing of water into ice that expand and tends to split larger pieces of rock into smaller ones, the actions of pants and animals, and heating a large rock can cause it to fracture, so that pieces of the rock flake off. And then Some rocks may combine with water molecules in a process known as hydrolysis, Wind can move sand and dust and can cause the wearing away of rocky surfaces by sandblasting their surfaces and Glaciers can move large rocks and cause their surfaces to be rounded by being rubbed by being rubbed against each other and the surface of the Earth.
Describe two factors that have led to the dominance of automobiles as a form of transportation in the United States
Cheap Gas Prices, generally, low tax on gasoline. Development of the highway system (?)
How does each of the five soil forming factors (CLORPT) influence the soil?
Climate - Temperature speeds up or slows down chemical processes that break down/weather rocks and minerals. Organisms (biota) - Organisms can chemically alter the soil and can physically mix it as well. Relief (topography) - Affects the sunlight hours of the soil (angle of the soil) Parent Material - Chemical composition of weathered rock influences mineral content of the soil Time - Weathering depends on age, older soils more weathered than younger ones.
What is the most common fuel used in power plants?
Coal
Describe the geologic processes that resulted in the formation of coal.
Coal is formed when large quantities of plant material from swamps is trapped in sediment and subjected to heat and pressure
Tucson drinking water comes from what sources?
Colorado River (Through Central Arizona Project) Underground Water
How does the wind/solar hybrid combat the challenges of the two individual energy production methods?
Combats the intermittency of both systems
Which leap is Hoover Dam associated with and how did the engineers find a way to overcome the challenges presented there?
Concrete. The concrete was layered in vertical columns and cement was poured in between the cracks. Also, water from steel pipes was pumped through the dam to help keep it cool.
What is the difference between oil, natural gas and coal?
Crude oil (petroleum) = a mixture of hundreds of different types of hydrocarbon molecules Natural gas = Methane and other gasses Coal = Plant sediment that has been subjected to heat and pressure over a large amt of time