AP Environmental Science Unit 5B - Mrs. DiCrisi
What is the difference between timber and lumber?
1.Timber is dominantly considered as the wood that is still attached to the ground whereas lumber is no longer standing on the ground. 2.Timber is widely accepted as the wood with its bark still on whereas lumber no longer has the wooden bark. 3.Timber is the word used to refer to wooden boards in the U.K. and Australia while lumber is the wooden board for the American and Canadian denomination. 4.Lumber is the finished wood product that is often made commercially available especially in construction whereas timber still has to be cut and processed for it to be sold for construction purposes. 5.Timber is an older term compared to lumber, which was coined more recently.
What percentage of global land is used for cropping?
11
What percentage of global land is urban?
2
What percentage of global land is desert?
20
What percentage of global land is used for rangeland and pasture?
26
What percentage of global land is forestry?
32
at what percentage of k does a population grow the fastest and most efficiently?
5
Over __% of all fish, algae, shrimp, and scallops & clams are not fresh?
50
What percentage of global land is tundra or wetlands?
9
What is clear cutting?
A type of tree harvesting that involves the removal of all the trees in an area
Which of the following solutions would help decrease flood frequencies and flood sizes that are caused by urbanization? A) Using new, more permeable materials for roads and sidewalks B) Filling nearby wetlands to reduce the amount of water in an area C) Encouraging construction of housing developments outwards into nearby suburban and rural areas D) Installing new, more energy-efficient appliances in existing apartment buildings
A) Using new, more permeable materials for roads and sidewalks
The excessive pumping of groundwater from wells can influence the water levels below ground. Which of the following is more likely to occur in aquifers in coastal areas than in aquifers in other regions? A) Upward movement of the water table B) Saltwater intrusion into the aquifers C) The formation of a cone of depression D) An increased rate of recharge from precipitation
B) Saltwater intrusion into the aquifers
Rapid runoff following a heavy rainfall may cause flooding downstream from urban areas. Which urban design strategy will more likely slow water runoff though area and decrease the risk of downstream flooding? A) Widen concrete streets and sidewalks B) Use large flat roofs in new construction C) Preserve open areas with intact vegetation D) Add large drainage pipes near parking lots
C) Preserve open areas with intact vegetation
What is RCRA?
Called the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; is the public law that creates the framework for the proper management of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste; describes the waste management program mandated by Congress that gave EPA authority to develop this program in 1976
What is the difference between clear-cutting and deforestation?
Clear-cutting is related directly to the lumber/timber industry and these trees are replanted. Deforestation relates to cutting down trees without replanting in order to make homes, farms, or anything else.
Explain the process of cyanide heap leaching?***
Consists of gold; gold is purified from the ore of gold, which makes more tailings and more wast; more cyanide = more waste to the environment; makes tailing ponds; cyanide leaks and becomes contaminants (in aquifers if there is rain or less maintenance)
Which of the following describes an aspect of urbanization that would most increase the amount or Carbon Dioxide released into the atmosphere compared to rural and suburban areas? A) A greater amount of impermeable surfaces in urban areas that prevents organic material from entering soils B) Reliance on mass transportation systems in urban areas, such as buses or trains rather than individual cars and trucks, which increases the carbon dioxide release C) Decreased square footage of living space, per person, in most housing units in urban areas leads to an increased carbon footprint D) Increased amounts of waste per unit are in urban areas that leads to higher rates of decay and decomposition
D) Increased amounts of waste per unit are in urban areas that leads to higher rates of decay and decomposition
Which of the following best describes an environmental advantage of urbanization? A) Individuals living in cities have more varied employment opportunities than individuals living in rural areas. B) Individuals living in cities have greater access to health care than individuals living in rural areas. C) Individuals living in cities have greater access to fresh, local agriculture than individuals living in rural areas. D) Individuals living in cities usually have a lower transportation carbon footprint than individuals living in rural areas.
D) Individuals living in cities usually have a lower transportation carbon footprint than individuals living in rural areas.
What are commercial forests?
Forests the have trees that are planted in a line at the same time, have the same diameter trunk and same height, and the same types of trees (less biodiversity)
What are possible solutions to aquaculture?
Keeping aquaculture on land to prevent escape and interbreeding, and contamination due to waste water
What is sub-surface mining?
Mining below the surface, takes a lot of money, not as hazardous to the environment because the surface is being left untouched
What are two effects of urban sprawl.
More cars creates more greenhouse gases (CO2), diseases are less transmissible
In terms of mining, what are tailings?
Tailings are the waste material left after the target material is extracted from the ore
What is slash and burn agriculture?
The trees are slashed and then burned
What is TED in commercial fishing?
Turtle Exclusion Device: something unwanted in a net will be shot out of the top (shrimp and others will be captured in the cage-like net
What are old-growth forests?
Uncut forests that have not been disturbed by human activities for 200 years or more
Link together watershed, soil erosion, and turbidity.
When soil, due to soil erosion, falls into a lake or water source, the turbidity will increase.
In terms of mining, what is ore-process refining?
an industrial process where you mine, find rock with materials (regardless of what it is), and you must use chemical refinement to get rid of any other materials (using an ore to create tailings and cyanide for gold)
Where does bottom trawling take place?
at the bottom of the ocean (benthic)
Which of the following changes to the local hydrologic cycle will result if large areas of land experience clear-cutting? NUMBER 11 a) Transpiration of water from vegetation will increase b) Evaporation of water from the soil will increase c) Runoff from watersheds will decrease d) Siltation of local streams will decrease
b) Evaporation of water from the soil will increase
What are environmental indicators that can guide humans to sustainability?
biological diversity (healthier ecosystems are resistant to disturbances), food production (poor practices lead to soil degradation and water pollution), global temperature and CO2 (excessive CO2 increases the global temperature), human population (exponential population growth stresses our planet), and resource depletion (will the resource be available in the future?)
What are the types of commercial fishing?
bottom trawling, drift nets, long-lines, and purse seine
Which of the following techniques is a realistic solution for farmers to decrease the amount fertilizer and sediment runoff into aquatic ecosystems? a) using integrated pest management b) switching from drip irrigation to furrow irrigation in fields c) practicing crop rotation d) applying manure immediately before precipitation occurs
c) practicing crop rotation
What is strip-cutting?
clear cutting in strips
What are the negatives of aquaculture?
contamination due to waste water, escape and possible interbreeding, disease, and antibiotics
What are types of sustainable agriculture?
contour planting, wind-breaks, intercropping, no-till agriculture, perennial, crop rotation, and terracing
What is selective cutting?
cutting down selected trees in a forest so that growth of other trees is not affected.
Which of the following statements best describes the most unsustainable method of clear-cutting forests to harvest timber? a) All but the healthiest trees are removed from a forest b) The highest value trees are selectively removed from a forest c) All of the shade-intolerant trees in a small section of a forest are cut down d) All of the trees in a forest are cut down and removed in one operation
d) All of the trees in a forest are cut down and removed in one operation
Which of the following is the best example of a tragedy of the commons? NUMBER 8 a) depletion of crude oil on private lands b) requiring permits for grazing cattle on US Parklands c) Eutrophication of a pond on a farmer's land d) accumulation of plastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
d) accumulation of plastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Which of the following would be the best way to mitigate deforestation? a) grow more diverse timber products to increase economic value in an area b) stimulate intensive agricultural production of native vegetation close to villages c) employ clear cutting harvest techniques that are most sustainable d) replant and protect trees in areas that have been previously cleared
d) or b) ?????
Which of the following best acheives the goal of providing wood products for humans while preserving biodiversity? a) clear-cutting of large areas of old-growth forest b) selective cutting of large areas of old-growth forest c) using prescribed burns in large areas of old-growth forest d) planting large tree plantations in abandoned farm fields
d) planting large tree plantations in abandoned farm fields
Which of the following problems is best addressed with contour plowing? a) eutrophication b) denitrification c) the pesticide treadmill d) soil erosion e) soil salinization
d) soil erosion
List living from high albedo to low albedo?
downtown, commercial, suburbs, rural
Which of the following best illustrates the concept of the tragedy of the commons? a) destruction of landscape by surfacing mining on private land b) selective harvesting of trees by timber company in a national forest c) legislation of catch limits to avoid depletion of fish stocks in a shared lake d) inadvertent destruction of beneficial species while attempting to control pests e) depletion of an aquifer by regional farmers
e) depletion of an aquifer by regional farmers
Which of the following is likely to minimize soil erosion? a) high-yield crops b) deforestation c) herbicide use d) annual plowing e) no-till agriculture
e) no-till agriculture
What is bottom trawling?
entails dragging immense nets through the water or on the ocean floor
What main farmers use slash and burn agriculture?
family farmers just trying to support their family
What does aquaculture consist of?
fish, algae, shrimp, and scallops & clams
What are secondary growth forests?
forests that get slightly cut (trunks are smaller or trees are cut)
What are the positives that forests provide?
habitats for wildlife, increased biodiversity, make carbon sinks and effects the climate, purifies the air and water, reduces soil erosion, provides energy, and improves the nutrient cycle
Where does slash and burn agriculture usually take place?
in third world country's (especially Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Central America, and South America) in rain forests
What is aquaculture?
is the farming of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms; it involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish.
What is bad about bottom trawling?
it creates habitat destruction and has a lot of bycatch
What is bad about using drift nets for commercial fishing?
it has massive bycatch
What are the negative effects of mining?
loss of habitat, high erosion and turbidity, more fossil fuels, exposure of toxins into streams, cyanide heap leaching, and acid mine drainage
What is The Mining Act?
made in 1872; gives the ability to mine on federal land but charges $100 yearly then $2.50-5 per acre
What are remedies to the negatives of urbanization?
making permeable pavements, adding green belts, urban planting, extending mass transit into the suburbs, making green roofs, remediating brown fields
What are types of sustainability for commercial fishing?
maximum sustainable yield can be examined, laws, treaties and accords can be made and kept, and modified techniques can be made to ensure no bycatch
What is the major negative of cyanide?
measured in ppm but can have a major impact on the ATP of any living thing
What is wrong with purse seining?
minimal but still present bycatch and a high mortality rate of unwanted animals
What are the negatives of urbanization?
more waste and need for water (disrupts the H2O and Carbon cycle), more asphalt and concrete than greenery, more need for energy, more air pollution from people driving into the city, storm water run-off, food --> landfill --> methane or CO2, need for water --> damn --> disturbed ecosystem, the possibility of salt intrusion if near an ocean, impermeable surfaces (more run-off)
What are the positives of selective cutting?
produces consistent money and minimizes erosion, turbidity, and soil run-off
What are the positives of clear cutting?
produces high timber yield, produces more money, regrows the trees
What are the negatives of clear cutting?
reduces biodiversity, changes the environment (fragmentation), pollutes water, creates mud slide and soil erosion, causes eutrophication, causes turbidity, and creates a lack of shade which causes a higher temperature
In terms of mining, what is spoils?
remove piled up vegetation in abandoned mining places (causes acid mine leakage)
In terms of mining, what is overburden?
removing the burdened soil vegetation on top of the dirt
What are types of sustainable livestock?
rotational grazing, sustainable forestry, selective cutting, strip cutting, reusing or recycling trees, and prescribing burns
What are the benefits of urbanization?
services everywhere (stores, hospitals, restaurants, etc), mass transit (busses and subways - creates less CO2), grows up and not out (more living and service hours)
What is urbanization?
shifting from an agricultural society to a congregated society with a high density population through demographic transition
What is surface mining?
strip mining, open pit mining, mountain top removal
What is sustainability?
the ability to use and maintain a resource indefinitely or for future generations
What is a sustainable yield?
the amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply
What is K in relation to sustainability and MSY?
the carrying capacity (K)
Name two causes of urban sprawl.
the desire to move away from crime, have cheaper leaving, have less noise, and have less taxes
What is the biggest problem with urbanization?
the excessive sprawl
What is purse seining?
the fishing boat attaches a large net to a buoy, then sails around the buoy and pulls the net closed, trapping the fish (pelagic fish)
What is the Maximum sustainable yield (MSY)?
the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply
How does slash and burn agriculture affect the environment?
the nutrients in the soil improves from the fibers of the tree but then it depletes significantly because the soil now needs that much fiber but its runs out
What is albedo?
the reflectivity of a surface
What is urban sprawl?
the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas.
What is bycatch?
the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species
What is bad about long-lines in commercial fishing?
there is some bycatch and birds often get caught
What are drift nets?
transparent, mile-long nylon nets that span large expanses of water to capture passing fish, especially tuna (made illegal in 1992 by the UN)
What is long-line commercial fishing?
using a line tied to a boat that can be up to 20 miles long to catch fish; specific bait is tied to the line to catch a certain fish