ENVS 1126 FiNAL

Urban

city building and the movement of people to cities

Hazardous Materials

classified by ignitability, corrosively, reactivity, and toxicity

Oligotrophic

condition of a healthy lake or other body of water characterized by low nutrients, low productivity, and high oxygen in the water column

Decomposers

consume oxygen leading to suffocation of organisms and creation of dead zones

Accretion

creation of thousands of acres of new marshes using the diversion system

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act)

enforces the workers right to know by requiring that hazardous chemicals be labeled in the workplace; uses material safety data sheets

(a). (1) 74.4 ft^2, (2) 1.56 ft/sec, (3) 116 CFS

et's say a creek is on average 4' 7" (4 ft. 7 in.) wide and 16' 3" deep. You drop a leaf in it, and it travels 25 feet in 16 seconds. The cross-sectional area of the stream is (1) ___. The velocity of the leaf (and by association, the velocity of the water) is (2) ___. The stream flow rate of the creek is (3) ___.

transpiration

evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Fluvial rills

formed by water flow, they're shallow, narrow soil erosion grooves formed in slopes by water flow

Inland wetlands

found along streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds and include marshes, swamps, and river overflow lands (freshwater)

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation(SAV)

grows under water by absorbing nutrients from roots in the sediment; they need clear water for light penetration and include benthic plants

Zooplankton

microscopic animals that eat phytoplankton

Aerosols

microscopic liquid or solid particles (dust, pollen, sea salts, etc.) from land and water

biological filter

natural filtering system consisting of helpful bacteria colonies that convert pollutants in water to harmless nitrate

Bacillus thuringiensis

naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces a protein that kills many pests such as caterpillars and larvae of some flies and beetles

population growth

number of births is greater than deaths

Air pollutants

substance in the atmosphere (gases and aerosols)that have harmful effects

Organic Hg(mercury)

symptoms appear slowly after 1-2 months and include numbness, slurred speech, and difficulty swallowing

Superfun

tax on chemical raw materials that is used as a trust fund for cleanup; brought about by the Love Canal incident

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations

the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is currently about 400 ppm

Swamp

wetland usually near rovers and lakes where water moves very slowly; characterized by tall, wood trees Atchafalaya is largest in world

Urban Blight

what remains when migration to the city far exceeds the city's ability to accommodate them

anti-estrogenic

when PCB blocks the activities of estrogen

Estrogenic

when PCB enhances female characteristics example: breasts in men

Sediment

when soil particles, sand, and other mineral matter eroded from land and carried in waters and is eventually deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of water

Salinization

-process by which water-soluble salts accumulate in the soil - Excess salts hinder crop growth - Can occur naturally or due to poor management practices

restoration

-repairing damaged lands and waters of ecosystems -popular thing right now

Dioxin

-unwanted by-product from heating mixtures of chlorine and organic compounds in industrial processes -slowly breaks down when exposed to UV rays but is otherwise a stable compound -Indirectly breaks down the body's normal estrogen

Mercury

-used in the production of chlorine for use of thermometers, batteries, and fluorescent light bulbs -comes in organic, elemental vapor, and inorganic compounds

Acute results of exposure to air pollutants

-watery eyes -closing of the throat -sneezing

Bottlenose Dolphins

diet consists of finish, squid, jellyfish, and shrimp ~20 pounds/day can swim distances of up to 15 miles per day MBT,DBT, and TBT found in liver, kidney, and muscle of dolphins

pathogens

disease carrying bacteria, viruses, and parasites found in human and animal excrement

anaerobic

does not require oxygen

Silent Spring

What book by Rachel Carson, published in 1962, first alerted the general public to the problems posed by pesticides?

He can't catch any fish because of hypoxia.

What causes the sad fisherman we discussed in class?

Soil degradation is when soil attributes required for plant growth deteriorate, and soil erosion is when soil particles are carried away by water and wind.

What is the difference between soil degradation and soil erosion?

Nutrients pollute a body of water --> photosynthetic organisms increase --> photosynthetic organisms overgrow and die --> bacteria degrade dead and dying plants --> bacteria consume oxygen via cellular respiration --> hypoxic conditions result --> there is no dissolved oxygen for fish to consume.

Which one of the following best describes the process of eutrophication?

Atlanta, GA

Which one of the following cities has the highest (widest, or most extreme) amount of sprawl?

Decreased use of traditional thermometers

Which one of the following is NOT a reason why human exposure to lead has declined in recent years?

Use can minimize the production of ozone, which leads to less leaf loss in plants.

Which one of the following is NOT a way that pesticide use may positively impact human health?

Lung Cancer (This is caused by chronic exposure not just a one time thing)

Which one of the following is NOT an acute result of exposure to air pollutants?

It reduces crop yields and leads to decreased plant quality

Which one of the following is NOT an issue associated with chemical pesticides?

Increased deforestation --> decreased trees --> decreased roots --> decreased soil stability --> soil erosion

Which one of the following is the best way to describe the relationship between deforestation and soil erosion?

The BOD for raw sewage is 2 parts per million (ppm).

Which one of the following statements is NOT true?

Less fossil fuel use resulting from less drag and more efficient transit of ships through water

With respect to the health of the environment, which one of the following would be an advantage of using antifouling agents?

The biofilter is embedded with bacteria that get rid of ammonia and nitrite, which are harmful wastes.

You have established a new aquarium in your apartment. Why is it important to have a biofilter in the tank?

You because keeping roots in the ground will prevent soil erosion, even if the roots belong to unsightly weeds.

You're arguing with your sister about a plot of land willed to you by your great-great-grandparents. The land has been taken over by tall weeds. Your sister wants to dig up all of the weeds to make the plot less unsightly, leaving only soil behind, and you think the plot should be left alone. Who's the most right, and why?

PCBs (aka Polychlorinated biphenyls)

Your 50-year-old Uncle Fred was going to retire from Entergy where he worked as a lineman (the guys who go out in trucks to restore power after a storm), but in recent years he has developed breasts and symptoms that indicate hypothyroidism. He is so ashamed. Based on what you learned in this class, Uncle Fred likely exposed to what toxin?

Asbestos

Your friend Abraham is a home builder. Lately he has begun to have difficulty breathing and his shirts have become too small, although his pants continue to fit normally. He is not a beer drinker. He has developed a productive (snotty/phlegmy/mucus-producing) cough. Your friend has most likely been exposed to what toxin?

sickle cell anemia

a severe hereditary form of anemia in which a mutated form of hemoglobin distorts the red blood cells into a crescent shape at low oxygen levels. It is most common among those of African descent.

Mycorrhizae

a symbiotic relationship between the roots of some plants and certain fungi -fungi draw nourishment from the roots but give back nutrients

Highway Trust Fund

a transportation fund which receives money from a federal fuel tax of 18.3 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel fuel and related excise taxes

Ozone shield

absorbs 99% of UV radiation -the 1% causes skin cancer and damages crops/other life forms

Clean Air Act

act that identified the most widespread pollutants, set ambient standards(healthy baseline levels), and established control methods and timetables to meet the standards

RCRA (Resource Conservative and Recovery Act)

act that requires all disposal facilities to be sanctioned by permit; toxic waste destined for landfills must be pre-treated

Clean Water Act

act that requires any firm-discharging more than a certain volume into natural waterways to have a discharge permit; allows tracking and permit renewal is contingent on satisfactory performance -private homes, small firms, and farms are exempt

response

acute or chronic effects

Bacteria

adds nitrogen to the soil

population growth rate

amount the population has changed divided by the time it had to change

Malaria

an intermittent and remittent fever caused by a protozoan parasite that invades the red blood cells. The parasite is transmitted by mosquitoes in many tropical and subtropical regions

DEFINE: PCBs (aka Polychlorinated biphenyls)

are a group of man-made compounds that were widely used in the past, mainly in electrical equipment, but which were banned at the end of the 1970s in many countries because of environmental concerns.

septic tank(cesspool)

are used in 25% of household in the US

stream flow rate

area * velocity (cubic feet per second)

watershed

area of land only where all the water that is on it or drains off of it goes to

Orphan Sites

area where toxic waste was stored and abandoned when the company went out of business

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

area where water and sediments in the gulf no longer contain oxygen; these areas are growing

Cars & WWII

before it ended, few people owned cars and would walk everywhere

Exurb

beyond the suburbs, areas where patches of commercial and residential development are interspersed in a matrix of rural land

silent spring

book by rachel carson that documented the effects of the uncontrolled use of insecticides in the US

Bioaccumulation

-many synthetic organic chemicals are soluble in lipids(fats) -small amounts accumulate over time to toxic levels in an organism

aerobic

requires oxygen

Divide

ridge of land separating distant watersheds

Cuyahoga river

river that, in the 1960s, carried so much flammable waste that it caught fire

Define: BOD

"Biochemical Oxygen Demand" -a measure of the amount of organic material in water, stated in terms of how much O2 will be required to break it down biologically, chemically, or both - The higher the BOD the higher the likelihood of dissolved oxygen(DO) will be depeleted.

Issues associated with chemical pesticides

-Pests become resistant to pesticides, rendering them ineffective -The chemicals can lead to acute and chronic health effects -It kills off predators that rely on pests as a food source

Environmental impacts of urban sprawl

- higher vehicle ownership/driving mileage - greater risk of fatal accidents - lower rates of mass walking and mass transit - no change in congestion delays - higher costs for municipal services - higher incidence of obesity and high blood pressure

deforestation

-is the clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land. - causes less sequestering of CO2

biomagnification

-Multiplying effect of bioaccumulation through the food chain -Organisms higher in the food chain have more concentrated amounts since

Biofouling

-Mussels, barnacles, oysters, seaweed, bacteris... -the fouling of pipes and underwater surfaces by organisms such as barnacles and algae. -slow ship speed -costly to clean -but provides fishing at oil rigs, etc.

Eutrophication(detailed)

--high levels of nutrients are discharged into a waterway and encourages plant and algae growth -when plants and algae die, bacteria break them down -bacteria use oxygen for this and oxygen levels go down -animals and other organisms that live in these waters die from lack of oxygen

Positives of Pesticide use.

-Use can minimize infectious diseases by killing the vectors that carry them, such as mosquitoes. -Use can prevent overgrowth of invasive species and restore balance to an ecosystem that supports crops. -Use can produce larger, more nutritious crops.

Tributyltin (TBT)

-Was used as a biocide in anti-fouling paint, commonly known as bottom paint, which was applied to the hulls many ships - Bad because it weathered over time and broke down

Gasoline

-Where lead has been used as an antiknock compound -we now have unleaded gas

Chlorofurocarbons

-destroy the ozone layer - each atom in the stratosphere can last up to 100 years and each has the potential to break down 100,000 molecules of ozone during that time

Wetland's value

-hold water like a sponge and prevent flooding -Food source for aquatic life -help absorb storm impacts

Earth's water

97.5% salt water 1.7% Polar Ice 2.5% Fresh Water 0.77% accessible fresh water

(1)marsh, (2)swamp

A (1) ___ is a wetland that can be fresh or saltwater and is dominated by grasses with no trees, and a (2) ___ is a wetland that can be inland or coastal and is characterized by tall woody trees.

Resistance

Describes the decreased susceptibility of a pest population to a pesticide that was previously effective at controlling the pest

Compaction

Air is displaced from the pores of dirt causing it to become denser and more compact

Define: Pesticide

Any substance used to kill, repel, or control certain forms of plant or animal life Ex: weeds and mosquitos

Atlantic Spotted Dolphins

Based on TABLE 1 of the dolphin paper, which one of the following had the lowest concentration of MBT in its muscles?

The U.S. banned TBT in 1988.

Between 1989 and 1994, there was a decrease in butyltin concentrations in bottlenose dolpins. What was the most likely reason for this?

Acid Precipitation

CO2 dissolves in moisture in atmosphere to form carbonic acid -causes the pH of rain to decrease

Inorganic Hg(mercury)

Can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin; symptoms include kidney and liver damage, loss of coordination, tumors, and hallucinations

Vector=Mary Mallon, host=the people she sickened, parasite=Salmonella typhi

Earlier, we learned about Typhoid Mary and her eventful life. In this scenario, who was the vector, who was the host, and who was the parasite?

Eutrophication

Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.

Asbestos

Exposure to this is primarily achieved through inhalation of tiny fibers that are suspended in the air, often getting trapped within the lungs

Cutting down trees-->Decreased removal of CO2 from atmosphere-->increased CO2 in atmosphere-->increased CO2 in ocean-->decreased ocean pH-->unhappy zooxanthellae (colorful symbiotic algae)-->Algae and color go away

How might coral bleaching in the ocean be caused by urban sprawl?

-diversions are the major focus of restoration efforts -river diversions are used to direct fresh water and associated sediment into wetlands

Impact of a diversion on wetlands?

Tributyltin (TBT) Related to Dolphins

Lowered immune response in dolphins and other aquatic animals

Sand>Silt>Clay

Order these from largest to smallest, Silt, Sand, and clay

Hypoxia

Oxygen deficiency in a biotic environment.

Dissolved Oxygen(DO)

Refers to microscopic bubbles of gaseous oxygen that are mixed in water and available to aquatic organisms for respiration—a critical process for almost all organisms.

Problems with Pesticide

Resistance, resurgence, acute and chronic exposure and its effects and adverse environmental effects

31

Rivers (or tributaries) from ___ of the 48 contiguous United States contribute water to the Mississippi River?

Tributaries in 31 of the 48 contiguous states

The Mississippi River, as it flows past downtown Baton Rouge, is fed by ___.

Microbial Infections

The beached dolphins and whales mapped in Figure 1 of the dolphin paper most likely died of ___

Lower prices could encourage drivers to take more frequent and/or longer road trips.

The price of gas today is very low. Which one of the following is a potential unfavorable environmental outcome that could result from today's low gas prices.

Lower gas prices --> fewer tax dollars --> less money for building of highways --> less distant development (e.g., in the suburbs) --> shorter commutes --> less gasoline used --> fewer greenhouse gases and less pollution.

The price of gas today is very low. With respect to the Highway Trust Fund that was established in 1956, which one of the following potential favorable environmental outcome could result from today's low gas prices (if sustained)?

Clay

The smallest classification of soil particles is __.

acute effects

immediate and not long lasting

baby boom

increased housing demand leading to urban sprawl (post-WWII)

extinction

irretrievable loss of something valuable, rate is currently 100-1,000 times greater than previous rates *except Jurassic Park*

Marsh

land area along freshwater or saltwater in which the soils are typically saturated with water all or part of the year

threshold (Hazardous Chemicals)

level below which there are no ill effects, but above which there are ill effects

dose

level of exposure multiplied by length of exposure

Resurgence

occurs after a pest has almost been eliminated and the population recovers and explodes because the predators of the pest were killed

soil degradation

occurs when key soil attributes required for plant growth deteriorate in quality

Crazy Cats

organic mercury poisoning caused them to start acting weird and hurl themselves into the ocean to die

Parasite

organism that attaches itself to a host organism and feeding on it over a period of time without immediately killing it/or not killing at all

vector

organism that carries a pathogen or parasite, example: an insect

Host

organism that is fed upon by a parasite and is the infected organism

Lead

over time, chemical will be stored in arms and legs; it can remain there for years and is released following high fever, osteoporosis or pregnancy

compaction

packing of the soil which reduced infiltration and runoff

suburbs

part of the metropolitan area located outside of the central city, mostly residential

Types of water pollution

pathogens, organic wastes, chemical pollutants, nutrients

Phytoplankton

photosynthetic microorganisms whose growth is promoted by abundant nitrogen; they live suspended in water or floating on the surface

Point Source

pollution is easy to identify, monitor and regulate

non-point source

pollution that is poorly define and scattered. Difficult to deal with

Methane

problem of landfills that is produced from anaerobic decompostition where oxygen cannot reach inside the landfill; causes gas wells tap the landfills and use it as fuel

Soil erosion

process of soil and humus particles being picked up and carried away by water, wind, etc.

N2 Fixation

process that makes atmospheric nitrogen usable

Hemoglobin

protein in red blood cells that is inhibited by lead poisoning

Define: Urban Sprawl

the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas.

drainage basin

the watershed and the rivers and streams that drain from it

Atmosphere

thin layer of gases separating Earth from outer space - 78% N2 - 21% O2 - 0.0035% CO2

Ecotone

transitional region between ecosystems that share species and characteristics of both

DDT

type of pesticide that is banned in the US and Canada that can travel up the food chain and become more concentrated in high consumers -former pesticide

coastal wetlands

typically associated with estuaries and include mangrove swamps, salt marshes, bays, and lagoons (saltwater)

raw sewage(raw wastewater)

wastewater composed of debris and grit, particulate organic matter, colloidal and dissolved organic and inorganic material

Nitrogen/fertilizers

way to reduce nitrogen in the gulf's dead zone is to use less fertilizer and restore/promote nitrogen and denitrification processes

Bog

wetland that accumulates acidic spongy peat, often moss