Bio Exam 3

Cards (45)

  • Water scarcity
    Caused by collapsed infrastructure, contamination, conflict, or poor management of water resources
  • Sources of drinking water
    • Surface water (largest % of American drinking water)
    • Frozen freshwater (Greenland and Antarctica - 71% of earth's surface)
  • Types of water pollution
    • Point sources (pipes, intentional pollution)
    • Non-point sources (city streets, forestry, cropland, suburbs)
  • Uses of water by humans
    • Agriculture
    • Industry
    • Household
    • Recreation
  • Water reclamation
    Converting sewage into useable water
  • Irrigation water management
    Makes the most efficient use of limited water for farming
  • Eutrophication
    Excess nutrients in waterways that deplete oxygen from the water (phytoplankton die)
  • Ocean pollution has no output besides evaporation, accumulation of garbage is immense
  • Sewage water is a primary source of pollution in some developing nations
  • Lithosphere
    Combination of crust and the rigid outermost part of the mantle
  • Rock cycle
    1. Erosion
    2. Melting
    3. Metamorphosis
  • Sedimentary rock
    Rocks formed by the deposition and solidification of fine particles (sandstone, shale, coal)
  • Igneous rock
    Cooled magma (granite, basalt)
  • Metamorphic rock
    Formed by heat and pressure (slate, marble)
  • Mineral resources
    Naturally occurring mineral that can be extracted and processed for a profit
  • Examples of mineral resources
    • Gold
    • Iron
    • Aluminum
    • Sand
    • Gravel
    • Limestone
    • Granite
    • Lithium
  • Surface mining
    • 90% of mineral/rocks, 60% of coal
    • Pros: Jobs, access to resources, safer for miners
    • Cons: loss of wildlife habitat, water quality
  • Frac sand mining
    • Pros: Lots of jobs and money
    • Cons: Health concerns, environmental concerns
  • Subsurface mining
    • Pros: few environment impacts
    • Cons: more dangerous for miners
  • Acid mine damage: acid produced when rain mixes with iron sulfide
  • Energy
    Ability to do work (kinetic/moving, potential/storage)
  • Sources of energy
    • Fossil fuels (nonrenewable, formed over time from organic matter)
    • Nuclear energy (8-11% of energy in the U.S.)
    • Renewable energy (22% of U.S. - Wind, biofuels, wood, hydroelectric, solar)
  • Solar energy
    Sun's temperature is 6,000 C and uses nuclear fusion. 3 Types: Passive, active, and solar-generated electricity
  • Geothermal energy
    Uses energy of naturally heated underground water (GSHPS - Ground source heat)
  • Biomass conversion
    10% of world energy use, predominant form of energy in less-developed countries (fuel wood, municipal and industrial wastes)
  • Biodiesel
    Diesel fuel made from soybeans and vegetable oil
  • Ethanol
    Fuel made from corn, switchgrass, hybrid poplars, and agricultural residue
  • Resource
    How much exists, larger than reserves
  • Reserve
    How much can we extract for a profit
  • Fossil fuels
    Oil, coal, and natural gas formed when prehistoric plants and animals died, and were buried by layers of rock
  • Methods of extracting fossil fuels
    • Coal - mountain top removal, underground mining
    • Oil and gas - various methods
  • Pros and cons of energy sources
    • Coal (Pros: Cheap, abundant; Cons: Most polluting, finite)
    • Biomass (Pros: Multiple applications, much potential; Cons: Air pollution, politics, overharvest concerns)
    • Wind (Pros: No pollution, very efficient; Cons: Intermittent, unattractive, threat to birds/bats)
    • Hydroelectric (Pros: Clean and renewable; Cons: Destroys habitats, captures sediments, population displacement)
    • Solar (Pros: no fuel, quiet and safe, good in rural settings, no pollution; Cons: Up-front costs, storage, some locations not ideal)
  • Nuclear fission
    Nuclear separation (breaking)
  • Nuclear fusion
    Nuclear combination (building)
  • Nuclear power is controlling the fission reaction (Energy released as heat → heat boils water → steam turns a generator → only (radioactive) materials can split)
  • Chernobyl disaster: safety systems disabled, reactor heated up and exploded — radiation spread over thousands of miles
  • Fukushima Daiichi: earthquake, tsunami destroyed power lines and cooling systems failed
  • How do we best use nuclear energy?
    • Address safety concerns
    • Increase security against terrorism
    • Solve the waste dilemma
    • Who will run it?
  • Renewable energy sources
    Replenished by nature and emit little to no pollutants
  • Ways to decrease energy demand
    • LED bulbs
    • Power strips
    • Biking
    • Sunroofs