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| 13396242500 | Ionizing Radiation | enough energy to dislodge electrons from atoms, forming ions; capable of causing cancer (gamma, X-rays, UV) | 0 | |
| 13396249561 | High Quality Energy | organized & concentrated; can perform useful work (fossil fuel & nuclear energy) | 1 | |
| 13396254086 | Low Quality Energy | disorganized, dispersed (heat in ocean or air wind, solar) | 2 | |
| 13396309509 | first law of thermodynamics | energy is neither created nor destroyed, but may be converted from one form to another (Law of Conservation of Energy) | 3 | |
| 13396358749 | second law of thermodynamics | when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy (usually heat) | 4 | |
| 13396393024 | Natural Radioactive decay | unstable radioactive decay releasing gamma rays, alpha particles, and beta particles. (ex. Radon) | 5 | |
| 13396401998 | half-life | the time it takes for 1/2 the mass of a radioisotope to decay | 6 | |
| 13396418705 | Estimate of how long a radioactive isotope must be stored until it decays to a safe level: | A radioactive isotope must be stored for approximately 10 half-lives until it decays to a safe level. | 7 | |
| 13396439033 | Nuclear fission | nuclei of isotopes split apart when struck by neutrons | 8 | |
| 13396445990 | Nuclear Fusion | two isotopes of light elements (H) forced together at high temperatures till they fuse to form a heavier nucleus (He). Process is expensive; break-even point not reached yet. Happens in the sun. | 9 | |
| 13396459152 | Ore | a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine | 10 | |
| 13396466562 | mineral reserve | identified deposits currently profitable to extract | 11 | |
| 13396543186 | Best Solution to energy shortage | conservation, increase efficiency, explore alternative energy options | 12 | |
| 13396563299 | Organic fertilizer | slow-acting & long-lasting because the organic remains need time to be decomposed | 13 | |
| 13396570461 | surface mining | cheaper and can remove more minerals; less hazardous to workers | 14 | |
| 13396594983 | Humus | organic, dark material remaining after decomposition by microorganisms | 15 | |
| 13396597722 | Leaching | removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downwards | 16 | |
| 13396606806 | Illuviation | deposit of leached material in lower soil layers (B horizon) | 17 | |
| 13396615256 | loam | perfect agricultural soil with optimal portions of sand, silt, clay (40%, 40%, 20%) | 18 | |
| 13396624363 | soil conservation methods | conservation tillage, crop rotation, contour plowing, organic fertilizers | 19 | |
| 13396688692 | soil salinization | in arid regions, water evaporates leaving salts behind. (ex. Fertile crescent, southwestern US) | 20 | |
| 13396698175 | conservation | allowing the use of resources in a responsible manner. | 21 | |
| 13396709286 | preservation | setting aside areas and protecting them from human activities | 22 | |
| 13396720826 | water logging | water completely saturates soil starves plant roots of oxygen, rots roots | 23 | |
| 13396730027 | Hydrologic Cycle Components | evaporation, transpiration, runoff, condensation, perception and infiltration. | 24 | |
| 13396737298 | Watershed | all of the land that drains into a body of water | 25 | |
| 13396747933 | Aquifer | underground layers of porous rock allow water to move slowly | 26 | |
| 13396770029 | cone of depression | lowering of the water table around a pumping well | 27 | |
| 13396772905 | Salt water intrusion | near the coast, overpumping of groundwater causes saltwater to move into the aquifer. | 28 | |
| 13396783458 | El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) | see-sawing of air pressure over the South Pacific | 29 | |
| 13396796892 | During an El Nino year | trade winds weaken and warm water sloshed back towards South America. Diminished fisheries off South America, drought in western Pacific, increased precipitation in southwestern North America, fewer Atlantic hurricanes. | 30 | |
| 13396810103 | Effect of El Nino | upwelling decreases disrupting food chains, N U.S. has mild winters, SW U.S. has increased rainfall, less Atlantic huricanes | 31 | |
| 13396814760 | La Nina | "Normal" year, easterly trade winds and ocean currents pool warm water in the western Pacific, allowing upwelling of nutrient rich water off the West coast of South America. | 32 | |
| 13396817899 | nitrogen fixation | atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used directly by plants, it must first be converted into ammonia by bacteria. | 33 | |
| 13396849390 | Ammonificum | decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia | 34 | |
| 13396853739 | Nitrification | ammonia is converted to nitrate ion (NO-1) | 35 | |
| 13396863422 | Assimilation | inorganic N is converted into organic molecules such as DNA/amino acids & proteins. | 36 | |
| 13396881872 | Deniitrification | bacteria convert nitrate (NO3)-1 and nitrite (NO2)-1 back into N2 gas. | 37 | |
| 13396889980 | Phosphorus does not circulate as easily as nitrogen because | it does not exist as a gas, but is released by weathering the phosphate (PO4)-3 rocks. | 38 | |
| 13396916664 | phosphorus cycle is | as slow cycle and not atmospheric | 39 | |
| 13396933454 | phosphorus is a major limiting nutrient | in the growth of plants | 40 | |
| 13396947728 | how phosphorus is added to aquatic ecosystems | runoff of animal wastes, fertilizer, discharge of sewage | 41 | |
| 13396951920 | Sustainability | the ability to meet the current needs of humanity without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs | 42 | |
| 13396962084 | Photosynthesis | plants convert atmospheric carbon (CO2) into complex carbohydrates (glucose C6H12O6) | 43 | |
| 13396972406 | aerobic respiration | oxygen consuming producers, consumers & decomposers break down complex organic compounds & convert C back into CO2. | 44 | |
| 13396982528 | Largest reservoirs of carbon | carbonate rocks first, oceans second | 45 | |
| 13396985712 | Biotic | living components of an ecosystem | 46 | |
| 13396996765 | Abiotic | Non-living components of an ecosystem | 47 | |
| 13397012801 | Producer/Autotroph | organisms that make their own food—photosynthetic life. | 48 | |
| 13397018641 | trophic level | producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and teritary consumer | 49 | |
| 13397044664 | Energy flow in food webs | only 10% of the usable energy is transferred because usable energy lost as heat (second law); not all biomass is digested and absorbed; predators expend energy to catch prey | 50 | |
| 13397054668 | Succession | the gradual colonization of a habitat after an environmental disturbance (ex fire, flood) usually by series of species. | 51 | |
| 13397094781 | primary succession | developmental of communities in a lifeless area not recently inhabited by life (ex, retreating glacier) | 52 | |
| 13397116389 | secondary succession | life progresses where soil remains (clear-cut forest, fire) | 53 | |
| 13397132373 | climax community | the stable, final community that develops from ecological succession | 54 | |
| 13397151956 | Symbosis | occurs when members of two different species live in close physical contact with eachother. | 55 | |
| 13397177683 | Mutuslism | a symbiotic relationship in which two species in a community benefit from the relationship | 56 | |
| 13397183648 | Commensalism | symbolic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected | 57 | |
| 13397217591 | Paratism | where one organism (the parasite) obtains nutrients at the expense of the host. | 58 | |
| 13397245871 | Biomes | large distinct terrestrial region having similar climate, soil, plants & animals | 59 | |
| 13397248989 | carrying capacity | Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support | 60 | |
| 13397263221 | r-strategist | reproductive strategy in which organisms reproduce early, bear many small, unprotected offspring (ex. insects, mice). | 61 | |
| 13397270062 | K strategist | reproduce late in life; few offspring; care for offspring | 62 | |
| 13397279110 | positive feedback | when a change in some conditions triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition (warmer weather, snow melts, less sunlight) | 63 | |
| 13397301477 | negative feedback | when a changing in some condition triggers a response that counteracts the changed condition (warmer earth - more ocean evaporation - more stratus clouds - less sunlight reaches the ground - therefore cooler Earth) | 64 | |
| 13397322595 | natural selection | an organism that possess favorable adaptions (traits) and pass them onto the next generation | 65 | |
| 13397346224 | Exotic Species/Invasive Species | non-Native species to an area; often thrive and disrupt the ecosystem balance; examples African Honeybee; Fire Ant, Zebra Mussel, Purple Loosestrife. | 66 | |
| 13397350600 | Doubling time (rule of 70) | doubling time equals 70 divided by the percent growth rate. For example, if a population is growing at 5% annually, it doubles in 14 years; 70/5 -14 years. | 67 | |
| 13397362282 | Replacement level fertility | the number of children a couple must have to replace themselves (2.1 developed, 2.7 developing) | 68 | |
| 13397366338 | World Population | ~ 6.7 billion U.S. Population: ~ 305 million | 69 | |
| 13397378022 | Preindustrial stage | birth and death rates high, population grows slowly, infant mortality high | 70 | |
| 13397384476 | Transitional stage | death rate (infant mortality) lower, birth rates remain high, better health care, population grows fast. | 71 | |
| 13397389540 | Industrial stage | decline in birth rate, population growth slows | 72 | |
| 13397393439 | Postindustrial stage | low birth and death rates | 73 | |
| 13397425166 | Age-structure diagram (population pyramid) | broad base- rapid growth; narrow base- negative growth; uniform shape- zero growth | 74 | |
| 13397818921 | Top Four Most Populated Nations | 1)China 2)India 3)US 4)Indonesia | 75 | |
| 13397826615 | Most important thing affecting population growth | low status of women | 76 | |
| 13397835886 | Methods or Ways to Decrease Birth Rate | family planning, contraception, economic rewards and penalties | 77 | |
| 13397840303 | Composition of water on earth | 97.5% seawater, 2.5% freshwater | 78 | |
| 13397845725 | Ways to conserve water on earth | Agriculture: drip/trickle irrigation; Industry: recycling; Home: use gray water, repair leaks, low flow fixtures, different types of yard (zeroscape not planting Kentucky blue grass), time of day watering | 79 | |
| 13397883468 | Gray water | Any wastewater from a house EXCEPT TOILET WATER; (dish water, shower water...) this waster can be used for irrigation water... | 80 | |
| 13397911245 | Aquaculture | farming aquatic species, commonly salmon, shrimp, tilapia, oysters. | 81 | |
| 13397925863 | Point source | source from specific location such as pipe or smokestack | 82 | |
| 13397933722 | Non-point source (Area/Dispersed source) | source spread over an area such as agricultural/feedlot runoff, urban runoff, and traffic runoff | 83 | |
| 13397956274 | Primary sewage treatment | first step of sewage treatment; eliminates most particulate material from raw sewage using grates screens and gravity (Settling) | 84 | |
| 13397982987 | secondary sewage treatment | second step of sewage treatment; bacteria breakdown organic waste; aeration accelerates the process | 85 | |
| 13398002217 | BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand) | amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposes to break down organic materials | 86 | |
| 13398016569 | Eutrophication | rapid algal growth(algal bloom) caused by an excess of nitrogen and phosphorous, blocks sunlight, causing the death/decomposition of aquatic plants. decreasing dissolved oxygen (DO), suffocating fish. the rap growth is caused by an excess of nitrates(NO3), and phosphates(PO4) in water | 87 | |
| 13398068394 | Hypoxia | water with very low dissolved oxygen levers, the end result is eutrophication. The BOD rises as aerobic decomposes breakdown the plants, the dissolved oxygen (DO) drops and the water cannot support life. | 88 | |
| 13398111012 | Fecal Coliform (Enterrococus bacteria) | Coccus (round shaped bacteria); indicator of sewage contamination (happens over the summer at Chatfield or Cherry Creek reservoir once in a while.) | 89 | |
| 13398136116 | Chlorine | Good: disinfection of water; bad: form trihalomethanes (this group of compounds are byproducts of chlorination and are known carcinogens) | 90 | |
| 13398168994 | Minamata Disease | (1932-1968, Japan) mental impairments caused by methylmercury (CH3Hg) poisoning | 91 | |
| 13398194326 | CAFE standards | Corporate Average Fuel Economy: standards enacted into law in the 1975, established fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The fuel economy rating for a manufactures entire line of passenger cars must currently average at least 27.6MPG for the manufacturer to comply with the standard | 92 | |
| 13398235514 | Primary Air pollutants | Produced by human and nature (CO, CO2, SO, NO, hydrocarbons, particulates) | 93 | |
| 13398257975 | Secondary Pollutants | Formed by reaction of primary pollutants | 94 | |
| 13398266488 | Particulate matter | Source: burning fossil fuels and diesel exhaust; Effects: reduces visibility and respiratory irritation; Reduction: filtering, electrostatic precipitators, alternative energy | 95 | |
| 13398313745 | Nitrogen Oxides (NO) | Source: auto exhaust; Effects: acidification of lakes, respiratory irritation, leads to smog and ozone; Equation for acid formation: NO+O=NO2+H2O=HNO3; Reduction: Catalytic converter | 96 | |
| 13398359808 | Sulfur Dioxides (SO) | Source: Auto Exhaust; Effects: acid deposition, respiratory irritation, damages plants; equation for acid formation: SO2+O2=SO3=H2O=H2SO4; Reduction: scrubbers, burn low sulfur fuels | 97 | |
| 13398406135 | Carbon Dioxide (CO2) | Source: Combustion of foil fuels; Effects: greenhouse gas - contributes to global warming; Reduction: Accomplished by increased fuel efficiency (gas mileage), mass transit (reduction) | 98 | |
| 13398439359 | Carbon Monoxide (CO) | Sources: include incomplete combustion of fossil fuels; Effects: binds to hemoglobin reducing bloods ability to carry O2; Reduction: accomplished by catalytic converters, oxygenated fuel, mass transit (reduction) | 99 | |
| 13398481881 | Ozone (O3) | Formation: secondary pollutant; Equation: NO2+UV=NO+O; O+O2=O3, with VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds); Effects: respiratory irritant, plant damage; Reduction: reduce NO and VOC emissions | 100 | |
| 13400317863 | Radon (Rn) | naturally occurring colorless, odorless, radioactive gas, found in some types of soil and rock, can seep into homes and buildings, formed from the decay of uranium (U), causes lung cancer | 101 | |
| 13413576990 | Photochemical smog | formed by chemical reactions involving sunlight (NO, VOC, O/O2); associated with automobile traffic | 102 | |
| 13413652373 | Acid Deposition | caused by sulfuric and nitric acids resulting in lowered pH of surface waters | 103 | |
| 13413659095 | Greenhouse Gases | Most significant: H2O, CO2, O3, methane (CH4), CFCs. Trap outgoing infrared energy (heat) causing earth to warm. | 104 | |
| 13413824509 | Effects of global warming | rising sea level (due to thermal expansion not melting ice), extreme weather, droughts (famine), and extinctions. | 105 | |
| 13413837158 | greenhouse effect | a vital process, required for life to exist on Earth. If accelerated, bad, leads to global warming. | 106 | |
| 13413848717 | ozone depletion | caused by CFCs, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, halon, methyl bromide all of which attack stratospheric ozone. Negative effects of ozone depletion include increased UV, skin cancer, cataracts, and decreased plant growth. | 107 | |
| 13413859671 | Effects of ozone depletion | increased UV light that results in skin cancer, cataracts, decreased plant growth (inhibits photosynthesis, decline in Antarctic and Arctic phytoplankton population), impaired immune systems | 108 | |
| 13413873832 | Love Canal, NY | (1950s +) chemicals buried in old canal; school and homes built over it; caused birth defects and cancer | 109 | |
| 13413892809 | Main component of municipal solid waste (MSW) | is mostly paper and mostly put in the landfills | 110 | |
| 13413917589 | Sanitary landfill problems and solutions | problem = leachate; solution = liner with collection system problem = methane gas; solution = collect gas and burn problem = volume of garbage; solution = compact and reduce | 111 | |
| 13413925254 | Incineration advantages | volume of waste reduced by 90%, and waste heat can be used | 112 | |
| 13413930586 | Incineration disadvantages | toxic emissions (polyvinyl chloride, dioxins), scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators needed, ash disposal (contains heavy metals) | 113 | |
| 13413939720 | Best way to solve waste problem | reduce the amounts of waste at the source | 114 | |
| 13413949176 | True cost / External costs | harmful environmental side effects that are not reflected in a product's price | 115 | |
| 13413958245 | Brownfields | is an abandoned industrial site | 116 | |
| 13413969280 | keystone species | a species who roll in an ecosystem is more important than others. Examples are sea otters, sea stars, grizzly bears, and prairie dogs. | 117 | |
| 13414004989 | indicator species | Species that serve as early warnings that a community or ecosystem is being degraded. | 118 | |
| 13414020389 | In natural ecosystems, methods which control 50-90% of pests | predators, disease, and parasites | 119 | |
| 13414034281 | Major Insecticide Groups | chlorinated hydrocarbons—ex. DDT; organophosphates—ex. malathion; carbamates—ex. aldicarb | 120 | |
| 13414042462 | Presticides: Pro | saves lives from insect transmitted disease, increased food supply, increases profits for farmers | 121 | |
| 13414048938 | Pesticides cons | genetic resistance, ecosystem imbalance, pesticide treadmill, persistence, bioaccumulation, biological magnification | 122 | |
| 13414054454 | Natural pest control | better agricultural practices, genetically resistant plants, natural enemies, biopesticides, sex attractants | 123 | |
| 13414062279 | Genetically motified organism (GMO) | new organisms created by altering genetic material (DNA) of existing organisms; usually attempt to remove undesirable or create desirable characteristics in the new organism. | 124 | |
| 13414102934 | Electric Generation Methods | steam, from water boiled by fossil fuels or nuclear energy, or falling water is used to turn a turbine and that turns a generator to generate electricity. | 125 | |
| 13414121057 | Natural pest control | better agricultural practices, genetically resistant plants, natural enemies, biopesticides, sex attractants | 126 | |
| 13414129246 | Petroleum (Crude Oil) Formation | microscopic aquatic organisms in sediments converted by heat and pressure into a mixture of hydrocarbons | 127 | |
| 13414138857 | Pros of petroleum | relatively cheap, easily transported, high-quality energy | 128 | |
| 13414141956 | Cons of petroleum | reserves will be depleted soon; pollution during drilling, transport and refining; burning makes CO2 | 129 | |
| 13414146216 | Coal Formation | prehistoric plants buried un-decomposed in oxygen-depleted water of swamps/bogs converted by heat and pressure. | 130 | |
| 13414150470 | Ranks of Coal | Peat, Lignite, Bituminous coal, anthracite coal. (Best to worst) | 131 | |
| 13414166943 | Major Nuclear Reactor Components | consists of a core, control rods, moderator, steam generator, turbine, containment building. | 132 | |
| 13414170302 | Two most serious nuclear accidents | Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986) and Three Mile Island, PA (1979) | 133 | |
| 13414176451 | alternative energy sources | wind, solar, waves, biomass, geothermal, fuel cells | 134 | |
| 13414180530 | Remediation | return a contaminated area to its original state | 135 | |
| 13414187318 | LD 50/ Lethal Dose | the amount of a chemical that kills 50% of the animals in a test population | 136 | |
| 13414191301 | Mutagen | causes changes to the DNA that may result in hereditary changes; Teratogen: causes fetus deformities (birth defects) Carcinogen: substance that causes cancer. | 137 | |
| 13414246918 | threshold dose | the maximum dose that has no measurable effect | 138 | |
| 13414253136 | Major source of sulfur | burning coal; (new article cruise ships) | 139 | |
| 13414258854 | Sources of mercury | burning coal, compact fluorescent bulbs | 140 | |
| 13414269405 | Volcano and Earthquake occurrence | at plate boundaries (divergent= spreading, mid-ocean ridges) (convergent= trenches) (transform= sliding, San Andreas) | 141 | |
| 13414278972 | the tragedy of the commons | (1968 paper by ecologist Garret Hardin) global commons such as atmosphere and oceans are used by all and owned by none | 142 | |
| 13414291951 | forest fire : types : surface | usually born undergrowth and leave litter on the forest floor; Crown hot fires, may start on the ground, but eventually leap treetop to treetop; Ground go underground, may smolder for days or weeks, difficult t detects and extinguish i.e peat dogs | 143 | |
| 13414362925 | food | Wheat, rice, and corn provide more than 1/2 of the calories in the food consumed by the worlds people. | 144 | |
| 13414393708 | Monoculture | the cultivation of a single crop in a given large area. | 145 | |
| 13414404336 | temperature inversion | layer of dense, cool air trapped under a layer of warm dense air, pollution in trapped layer may build to harmful levels. Frequent in Los Angeles, California and Mexico City, Mexico. | 146 | |
| 13414408147 | Transpiration | process where the water is absorbed by plant roots (caused by difference by difference in pressure) (soil higher pressure, and atmosphere lower pressure) water moves up through the plants, passes through the pores called stomata in leaves or other parts. | 147 | |
| 13414478562 | Trposphere | first layer of atmosphere, 0-10 miles above earths surface. contains weather, greenhouse gases (bad ozone) | 148 | |
| 13414496761 | Stratosphere | 2nd layer of atmosphere; extends from 10 to 30 miles above earth's surface. contains protective ozone layer (good ozone) | 149 | |
| 13414527648 | Dioxin | one of the most toxic human-made chemicals. Stable, long-lived, by-product of herbicide production enters environment as fallout from the incineration of municipal and medical waste and persists for many years. | 150 | |
| 13414532733 | PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) | Stable, long-lived, carcinogenic chlorinated hydrocarbons. Produced by the electronics industry. | 151 | |
| 13414545717 | Multiple Use Public Lands | National Forest & National Resource lands | 152 | |
| 13414555411 | Moderately Restricted Use Public Lands | National Wildlife Refuges | 153 | |
| 13414560953 | Restricted Use Public Lands | National Parks, National Wilderness Preservation System | 154 | |
| 13414733049 | Endangered Species | a group of organisms in danger of becoming extinct if the situation is not improved; population numbers have dropped below the critical number of organisms. Characteristics of an endangered species- most have small ranges, require a large amount of territory, have long generations, have a very specialized niche, or live within an island. | 155 | |
| 13414816732 | Atlantic Salmon (Endangered) | interbreeding with competition from escaped farm-raised salmon from the aquaculture industry threaten the wild salmon population | 156 | |
| 13414841011 | California Condor (Endangered) | shooting, poisonings, lead poisoning, collisions with power lines, egg collection, pesticides, habitat loss, and the decline of the large and medium sized native mammals due to encroachments of agriculture and urbanization | 157 | |
| 13414880846 | Delhi sands Flower-loving Fly (Endangered) | a one inch long insect currently restricted to only 12 known populations in San Bernadino and riverside counties. An estimated 98% of its habitat has been converted to residential ,agricultural, and commercial use | 158 | |
| 13414913991 | Florida Panther (Endangered) | hunting and development that resulted in habitat loss and fragmentation | 159 | |
| 13414922494 | Grizzly Bear (Endangered) | conflict with humans and development that resulted in habitat loss and fragmentation | 160 | |
| 13414936103 | Gray Wolf (Endangered) | subject of predator eradication programs sponsored by the Federal Government. Prior to Endangered Species Act of 1973, exterminated from lower 48 states except for a few hundred inhabiting extreme northeastern Minnesota and a small number on Isle Royal, Michigan | 161 | |
| 13414970137 | Whopping Crane (Endangered) | drainage of wetlands, conversion of grasslands to agriculture,. and for hunting for feathers | 162 | |
| 13414981928 | Manatee (Endangered) | initial population decreases resulted from over harvesting for meat, oil, and leather. Today, heavy mortality rate occurs from accidental collisions with boats and barges, and from canal lock operations | 163 | |
| 13415031484 | American Alligator (Non-Endangered) | over-hunting and destruction of habitat caused original listing, removed from the list of the endangered species by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987 | 164 | |
| 13415060913 | Bald Eagle (Non-Endangered) | ingested DDT by eating contaminated fish, the pesticide caused the shells of the birds to thin an resulted in nesting failures. Loss of nesting habitats and hunting for feathers also contributed to the population decline. Reclassified from endangered to threatened in 1995 | 165 | |
| 13415095951 | Peregrine Falcons (Non-Endangered) | ingested DDT by eating smaller birds, which had eaten contaminated prey. The pesticide caused the shells of the birds to thin and resulted in nesting failures. Removed from the list of endangered specie by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1999 | 166 | |
| 13415129992 | Gray Whale (Non-Endangered) | the eastern Northern Pacific stock in gray whale has the distinction of being the first population of a marine mammal species to be removed from the list on Endangered and threaten species | 167 | |
| 13415151397 | Biome | Large and distinct terrestrial region having similar climate, soil, plants, and animals | 168 | |
| 13415165967 | Tropical Rain Forest | Characterized by the greatest diversity of species, believed to include many undiscovered species. Occur near the equator, soil tends to be low in nutrients. distinct seasonality: winter is absent and only two seasons are present (rainy and Dry) | 169 | |
| 13415221775 | Temperate Forests | occur in eastern North America, Japan, northeastern Asia, and western ad central Europe. Dominated by tall deciduous trees. Well-defined seasons include a distinct winter. Logged extensively, only scattered remnants of original temperate forest remain | 170 | |
| 13415267698 | Boreal Forest of Taiga | represents the largest terrestrial biome. Dominated by needle leaf, coniferous trees. Found in the cold climates of Eurasia and North America: two-thirds in Siberia with the rest in Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada. Seasons are divided into shore moist and moderately warm summers, and long, cold, and dry winters. Extensive logging may soon cause their disappearance | 171 | |
| 13415339735 | Temperate Shrub Lands or Chaparral | occurs along the coast of Southern California and the Mediterranean region, characterized by areas of Chaparral- miniature woodlands dominated by dense stands of shrubs | 172 | |
| 13415357591 | Savannas | grassland with scattered individual trees. cover almost half of the surface of Africa and large areas of Australia, South America, and India. Warm or hot climates where the annual rainfall is 20-50 inches per year. The rainfall is concentrated in six to eight month period of the year, followed by a long period of drought when fires can occur | 173 | |
| 13415415862 | Temperate Grasslands | dominated by grasses, trees, and large shrubs are absent. Temperature vary more from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less than savannas. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Occur in south Africa, Hungary, Argentina, the steppes of the former Soviet Union, and the prairies of Central North America | 174 | |
| 13415454194 | Deserts | covers abut on e fifth of the Earths Surface an occur where rainfall is less than 50cm a year (Less than 20 inches a year). Most deserts occur at low latitudes, have a considerable amount of specialized vegetation, as well as specialized animals. soils have abundant nutrients, need only water to become productive, and have little or no organic matter. Common disturbances include occasional fires or cold weather, and sudden, infrequent, but intense rains that cause flooding | 175 | |
| 13415504700 | Tundra | Treeless plains that are the coldest of all the biomes. Occur in the arctic and Antarctica. Dominated by lichens, mosses, sedges, and dwarfed shrubs. Characterized by extremely cold climate ,permanently frozen ground (permafrost) low biotic diversity, simple vegetation structure limitation of drainage, short seasons of growth and reproduction | 176 | |
| 13415560945 | Wetlands | areas o standing water, wet almost all of the year, support aquatic plants including marshes, swamps, and bogs. species diversity high. | 177 | |
| 13415590468 | Fresh Water | defined as having a low salt concentration(Less than 1%). Plants and animals have adjusted to the low salt content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration (oceans). There are different types of freshwater region: ponds and lakes, streams, rivers and estuaries | 178 | |
| 13415631176 | Oceans | The largest of all the ecosystems. The ocean regions are separated zones: intertidal, pelagic, abyssal, and benthic | 179 | |
| 13415657792 | Chernobyl, Ukraine | April 26, 1986, unauthorized safety test (irony), leads to fire and explosion at nuclear power plant—millions exposed to unsafe levels of radiation. | 180 | |
| 13415665617 | Three-Mile Island, Pennsylvania | March 29, 1979, nuclear power plant loses cooling water, 50% of core melts, radioactive materials escape into atmosphere, near meltdown (disaster). | 181 | |
| 13415676353 | Yucca Mountain, Nevada | controversial as proposed site for permanent storage of high-level nuclear waste, 70-miles northwest of Las Vegas, near volcano and earthquake faults. | 182 | |
| 13415686130 | Aral Sea, Uzbekistan/Kazakhstan (former Soviet Union) | Large inland sea is drying up as a result of water diversion | 183 | |
| 13415693105 | Love Canal, NY | chemicals buried in old canal, school and homes built over it led to birth defects and cancers. | 184 | |
| 13415700348 | Aswan High Dam, Egypt | the silt that made the Nile region fertile fills the reservoir. Lack of irrigation controls causes water logging and salinization. The parasitic disease schistosomiasis thrives in the stagnant water of the reservoir. | 185 | |
| 13415966524 | Three Gorges Dam, China | world's largest dam on Yangtze River will drown ecosystems, cities, archaeological sites, fragment habitats, and displace 2 million people. | 186 | |
| 13418612901 | Ogallala Aquifer | World's largest aquifer; under parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas (the Midwest). Holds enough water to cover the U.S. with 1.5 feet of water. Being depleted for agricultural and urban use. | 187 | |
| 13418616434 | Minamata, Japan | mental impairments, birth defects, and deaths were caused by mercury dumped in Minamata Bay by factory. Mercury entered humans through their diet (fish). | 188 | |
| 13418626512 | Bhopal, India | December 2,1984: methyl isocyanate released accidentally by Union Carbide pesticide plant kills over 5,000. | 189 | |
| 13418636299 | Valdez, Alaska | March 24, 1989: tanker Exxon Valdez hits submerged rocks in Prince William Sound—worst oil spill in US waters. | 190 | |
| 13418646534 | BP Oil Spill | Occurred in the Gulf of Mexico from April to July, 2010. The costs of the spill could eventually reach $40 billion. 50,000 barrels of oil spilled each day for 3 months. Tons of animal and habitat loss | 191 | |
| 13418657359 | John Muir | founded Sierra Club in 1892; fought unsuccessfully to prevent the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. | 192 | |
| 13418667622 | Aldo Leopold | wrote A Sand County Almanac published a year after his death in 1948; promoted a "Land Ethic" in which humans are ethically responsible for serving as the protectors of nature. | 193 | |
| 13418672846 | Garrett Hardin | published "The Tragedy of the Commons" in the journal Science in 1968; argued that rational people will exploit shared resources (commons). | 194 | |
| 13418680504 | Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina | in 1974, determine that CFCs destroy stratospheric (good) ozone. | 195 | |
| 13418695882 | Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977) | requires coal strip mines to reclaim the land | 196 | |
| 13418736458 | Madrid Protocol (1991) | Suspension of mineral exploration (mining) for 50 years in Antarctica | 197 | |
| 13418971812 | Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) | set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants that may have adverse effects on human health. | 198 | |
| 13418995366 | Clean Water Act (1972) | set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fish-able | 199 | |
| 13419011732 | Ocean Dumping Ban Act (1988) | bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge & industrial waste in the ocean | 200 | |
| 13419023420 | National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act | protects rivers due to aesthetic, recreational, wildlife, historical, or cultural reasons | 201 | |
| 13419208107 | Clean Air Act (1970 & 1990) | Set emission standards for cars, and limits for release of air pollutants 1990 addressed acid rain, ground level ozone, stratospheric ozone depletion, and air toxins | 202 | |
| 13419238068 | Kyoto Protocol (1997) | controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries | 203 | |
| 13419246881 | Montreal Protocol (1987) | An agreement on protection of the ozone layer in which states pledged to reduce and then eliminate use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It is the most successful environmental treaty to date. | 204 | |
| 13419260355 | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 1976 | Regulates handling of wastes from "cradle to grave" Rules for landfills, underground storage tanks, hazardous waste disposal, permits to process, treat or dispose of hazardous wastes; record keeping. | 205 | |
| 13419266244 | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) 1980 | "Superfund", designed to identify and clean up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites. | 206 | |
| 13419305816 | Nuclear Waste Policy Act (1982) | U.S. Government must develop a high level of nuclear waste site by 2015 (Yucca Mountain) | 207 | |
| 13419326016 | Low-Level Radioactive Policy Act | all states must have facilities to handle low-level radioactive wastes. | 208 | |
| 13419333104 | Endangered Species Act (1973) | Identifies threatened and endangered species in the U.S. and puts their protection ahead of economic consideration | 209 | |
| 13419351883 | Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) 1973 | Lists species that cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products. | 210 | |
| 13419373342 | Magnuson-Stevens Act (1976) | Management of Marine Species | 211 | |
| 13419380769 | Food Quality Protection Act (1996) | sets pesticide limits in food and all active and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic and endocrine effects | 212 | |
| 13419399388 | Lacey Act (1900 + subsequent amendments) | prohibits transport of illegally harvested game animals (mainly birds + mammals) across U.S. state borders; today prohibits interstate shipping of ALL illegally harvested plants and animals. Without federal permit. | 213 | |
| 13419415472 | U.S Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) | prohibits taking marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S citizens, and the importing marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S. | 214 | |
| 13419499852 | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (1947) | regulates effectiveness of pesticides | 215 | |
| 13419582733 | Wilderness Act (1964) | Established the national wilderness preservation system | 216 | |
| 13419596088 | Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) | EPA monitors chemicals made in or imported into the U.S. EPA can ban substances that pose excessive risk to health to the environment | 217 | |
| 13419617922 | Coastal Zone Management Act (1972) | Federal law that provides guidance and federal assistance to voluntary state and local coastal management programs. Goals are for the protection of natural resources and management of land development along coasts. | 218 | |
| 13419654938 | Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976) | A federal law that outlines procedures concerning the use and the preservation of public US lands. | 219 | |
| 13419797721 | Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1906, 1938) | A federal law passed in 1906 that regulates the sanitary conditions and safety of food, drug, and cosmetics. It includes food additives. | 220 | |
| 13419820267 | National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 1969 | Environmental Impact Statements must be done before any project affecting federal lands can be started | 221 | |
| 13419850981 | Stockholm Convention (2004) | on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants. Seek to protect human health from the 12 most toxic chemicals (Includes 8 chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides (DDT which was used to control malaria) | 222 | |
| 13419909922 | North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) | Agreement signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 1992 to form the largest free trade zone in the world. | 223 | |
| 13419923775 | The World Health Organization (WHO) | A group within the United Nations responsible for human health, including combating the spread of infectious diseases and health issues related to natural disasters. | 224 | |
| 13419928748 | World Trade Organization (WTO) | designed to make international trade more fair and encourage development. It has been used to subvert national environmental laws. Has the effect of hurting small, local farmers and businesses. | 225 | |
| 13419988571 | Earth Summit (1970) | Held in the 1970s, discusses clean water and air. Held in South Africa. The last summit tried to pass a world law by the year 2010, that 15% of our power was to be created by air and solar power. The summit was shut down. | 226 | |
| 13420005931 | World Water Day | March 22 | 227 |
