Terms : Hide Images
| 605686960 | Hypoxia | when aquatic plants die, the BOD rises as aerobic decomposers break down the plants, the DO drops & the water cannot support life | |
| 605686961 | Anoxic | no DO (dissolved O2) in the water | |
| 605686962 | Surface mining | cheaper and can remove more minerals; less hazardous to workers | |
| 605686963 | Ore | a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine | |
| 605686964 | Humus | organic, dark material remaining after decomposition by microorganisms | |
| 605686965 | Leaching | removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downwards | |
| 605686966 | Illuviation | deposit of leached material in lower soil layers (B horizon) | |
| 605686967 | Loam | perfect agricultural soil with optimal portions of sand, silt, clay (40%, 40%, 20%) | |
| 605686968 | Soil Profile, horizons in order | O - A - E - B - C -R | |
| 605686969 | Organic fertilizer | slow-acting & long-lasting because the organic remains need time to be decomposed | |
| 605686970 | Salinization of soil | in arid regions, water evaporates leaving salts behind | |
| 605686971 | Volcano and Earthquake occurrence | at plate boundaries (divergent= spreading, mid-ocean ridges) (convergent= trenches) (transform= sliding, San Andreas) | |
| 605686972 | Monoculture | cultivation of a single crop, usually in a large area | |
| 605686973 | Food | wheat, rice and corn provide more than 1⁄2 of the calories in the food consumed by the world's people | |
| 605686974 | LD50 (LD-50, LD50) | the amount of a chemical that kills 50% of the animals in a test population within 14 days of the initial dose | |
| 605686975 | Threshold dose | the maximum dose that has no measurable effect on a given population | |
| 605686976 | Percent water on earth by type | 97.5% seawater, 2.5% freshwater | |
| 605686977 | Aquifer | any water-bearing layer in the ground; confined or artesian, unconfined or water table | |
| 605686978 | Subsidence | land sinks as result of over pumping an aquifer | |
| 605686979 | Cone of depression | lowering of the water table around a pumping well | |
| 605686980 | Salt water intrusion | near the coast, over-pumping of groundwater causes saltwater to move into the aquifer | |
| 605686981 | Ways to conserve water | agriculture = drip/trickle irrigation; industry = recycling; home = use gray water, repair leaks, low flow fixtures. reclaimed water for agriculture and golf courses | |
| 605686982 | Hazardous Waste (as defined by RCRA) - Mutagen, Teratogen, Carcinogen | in order) causes hereditary changes through mutations; causes fetus deformities; causes cancer | |
| 605686983 | Minamata Bay disease | (1932-1968, Japan) physical and mental impairments caused by methylmercury (CH3Hg)+ poisoning | |
| 605686984 | Love Canal, NY | (1950s +) chemicals buried in old canal; school and homes built over it; caused birth defects and cancer | |
| 605686985 | Main component of municipal solid waste (MSW) | paper; most is landfilled | |
| 605686986 | 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 | |
| 605686987 | Incineration advantages | volume of waste reduced by 90%, and waste heat can be used | |
| 605686988 | Incineration disadvantages | toxic emissions (polyvinyl chloride, dioxins), scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators needed, ash disposal (contains heavy metals) | |
| 605686989 | Best way to solve waste problem | reduce the amounts of waste at the source (source reduction) | |
| 605686990 | ENSO | El Niño Southern Oscillation, see-sawing of air pressure over the S. Pacific | |
| 605686991 | During an El Niño year | trade winds weaken & warm water sloshed back to SA | |
| 605686992 | During a non El Niño 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 | |
| 605686993 | Effects of El Niño | upwelling decreases disrupting food chains; N U.S. has mild winters, SW U.S. has increased rainfall, less Atlantic hurricanes | |
| 605686994 | 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 | |
| 605686995 | Forest Fires | Types - Surface, Crown, Ground (in order) usually burn only under growth and leaf litter on forest floor; hot fires, may start on ground but eventually leap from treetop to treetop; go underground, may smolder for days or weeks, difficult to detect and extinguish, i.e. peat bogs. | |
| 605686996 | Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act | (1977) requires coal strip mines to reclaim the land Madrid Protocol: (1991) Suspension of mineral exploration (mining) for 50 years in Antarctica | |
| 605686997 | Madrid Protocol | (1991) Moratorium on mineral exploration for 50 years in Antarctica | |
| 605686998 | Safe Drinking Water Act | (SDWA, 1974) set maximum contaminant levels for pollutants in drinking water that may have adverse effects on human health | |
| 605686999 | Clean Water Act | (CWA, 1972) set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable | |
| 605687000 | Ocean Dumping Ban Act | (1988) bans ocean dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste in the ocean | |
| 605687001 | Clean Air Act | (CAA, 1970) set emission standards for cars and limits for release of air pollutants | |
| 605687002 | Kyoto Protocol | (2005) controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries | |
| 605687003 | Montreal Protocol | (1987) phase-out of ozone depleting substances | |
| 605687004 | Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) | (1976) controls hazardous waste with a cradle-to-grave system | |
| 605687005 | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA) | (1980) "Superfund," designed to identify and clean up abandoned hazardous waste dump sites | |
| 605687006 | Nuclear Waste Policy Act | (1982) U.S. government must develop a high level nuclear waste site (Yucca Mtn) | |
| 605687007 | Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA, 1996) | set pesticide limits in food, & all active and inactive ingredients must be screened for estrogenic/endocrine effects | |
| 605687008 | Endangered Species Act | (1973) identifies threatened and endangered species in the U.S., and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations | |
| 605687009 | Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) | (1973) lists species that cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products | |
| 605687010 | Magnuson-Stevens Act | (1976) Management of marine fisheries | |
| 605687011 | Healthy Forest Initiative | (HFI, Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003) thin overstocked stands, clear away vegetation and trees to create shaded fuel breaks, provide funding and guidance to reduce or eliminate hazardous fuels in national forests, improve forest fire fighting, and research new methods to halt destructive insects | |
| 605687012 | National Environmental Policy Act | (1969) Environmental Impact Statements must be done before any project affecting federal lands can be started | |
| 605687013 | Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants | (2004) Seeks to protect human health from the 12 most toxic chemicals (includes 8 chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides / DDT can be used for malaria control) |
