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| 157497798 | Ionizing radiation | enough energy to dislodge electrons from atoms, forming ions; capable of causing cancer (gamma, X-rays) | 0 | |
| 157497799 | High Quality Energy | organized & concentrated; can perform useful work (fossil fuel & nuclear | 1 | |
| 157497800 | Low Quality Energy | : disorganized, dispersed (heat in ocean or air wind, solar) | 2 | |
| 157497801 | First Law of Thermodynamics | energy can be transferred and transformed but cannot be created or destroyed | 3 | |
| 157497802 | 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 | |
| 157497803 | Natural radioactive decay | unstable radioisotopes decay releasing gamma rays, alpha particles, and beta particle | 5 | |
| 157497804 | Half-life | the time it takes for ½ the mass of a radioisotope to decay | 6 | |
| 157497805 | Estimate of how long a radioactive isotope must be stored until it decays to a safe level | approximately 10 half-live | 7 | |
| 157497806 | Nuclear Fission | nuclei of isotopes split apart when struck by neutron | 8 | |
| 157497807 | 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 | 9 | |
| 157497808 | Ore | a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to min | 10 | |
| 157497809 | Organic fertilizer | slow-acting & long-lasting because the organic remains need time to be decomposed | 11 | |
| 157497810 | Best solutions to energy shortage | conservation, increase efficiency, explore alternative energy option | 12 | |
| 157497811 | Surface mining | cheaper and can remove more minerals; less hazardous to worker | 13 | |
| 157497812 | Humus | organic, dark material remaining after decomposition by microorganisms | 14 | |
| 157497813 | Leaching: | removal of dissolved materials from soil by water moving downward | 15 | |
| 157497814 | Illuviation | deposit of leached material in lower soil layers (B horizon) | 16 | |
| 157497815 | Loam | perfect agricultural soil with optimal portions of sand, silt, clay (40%, 40%, 20% | 17 | |
| 157497816 | Conservation: | allowing the use of resources in a responsible manne | 18 | |
| 157497817 | Preservation | setting aside areas and protecting them from human activities | 19 | |
| 157497818 | Parts of the hydrologic cycle | evaporation, transpiration, runoff, condensation, precipitation, infiltratio | 20 | |
| 157497819 | Aquifer | any water-bearing layer in the ground | 21 | |
| 157497820 | Cone of depression | lowering of the water table around a pumping wel | 22 | |
| 157497821 | Salt water intrusion | near the coast, over-pumping of groundwater causes saltwater to move into the aquife | 23 | |
| 157497822 | ENSO | El Niño Southern Oscillation, see-sawing of air pressure over the S. Pacific | 24 | |
| 157497823 | During an El Niño year | trade winds weaken & warm water sloshed back to S | 25 | |
| 157497824 | 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 | 26 | |
| 157497825 | Effects of El Niño | upwelling decreases disrupting food chains; N U.S. has mild winters, SW U.S. has increased rainfall, less Atlantic hurricane | 27 | |
| 157497826 | Nitrogen fixin | because atmospheric N2 cannot be used directly by plants it must first be converted into ammonia (NH3) by bacteria (rhizobium | 28 | |
| 157497827 | Ammonification | decomposers convert organic waste into ammoni | 29 | |
| 157497828 | Nitrification | ammonia (NH3) is converted to nitrate ions (NO3) | 30 | |
| 157497829 | Assimilation | inorganic nitrogen is converted into organic molecules such as DNA/amino acids & protein | 31 | |
| 157497830 | Denitrification | bacteria convert nitrate (NO3 and nitrite (NO2 back into N2 gas | 32 | |
| 157497831 | Phosphorus does not circulate as easily as nitrogen because: | it does not exist as a gas, but is released by weathering of phosphate (PO4)3- rock | 33 | |
| 157497832 | Sustainability | the ability to meet the current needs of humanity without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their need | 34 | |
| 157497833 | How excess phosphorus is added to aquatic ecosystems | runoff of animal wastes, fertilizer, discharge of sewag | 35 | |
| 157497834 | Photosynthesis | plants convert atmospheric carbon (CO2) into complex carbohydrates (glucose C6H12O6) | 36 | |
| 157497835 | Aerobic respiration | O2-consuming producers, consumers & decomposers break down complex organic compounds & convert C back into CO | 37 | |
| 157497836 | Largest reservoirs of C | carbonate (CO3) 2- rocks first, oceans second | 38 | |
| 157497837 | Biotic and abiotic | living and nonliving components of an ecosystem | 39 | |
| 157497838 | Producer/Autotroph | photosynthetic or chemosynthetic life | 40 | |
| 157497839 | Fecal coliform/Enterococcus bacteri | indicator of sewage contamination | 41 | |
| 157497840 | 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 | 42 | |
| 157497841 | Chlorine | disinfection of water; bad = forms trihalomethane | 43 | |
| 157497842 | Primary succession | development of communities in a lifeless area not previously inhabited by life or those in which the soil profile is totally destroyed (lava flows); begins with lichen action | 44 | |
| 157497843 | Secondary succession: | life progresses where soil remains (clear-cut forest, fire) | 45 | |
| 157497844 | Cogeneration | using waste heat to make electricit | 46 | |
| 157497845 | Mutualism | symbiotic relationship where both partners benefit | 47 | |
| 157497846 | Commensalism: | symbiotic relationship where one partner benefits & the other is unaffected | 48 | |
| 157497847 | Parasitism | relationship in which one partner obtains nutrients at the expense of the host | 49 | |
| 157497848 | Biome | large distinct terrestrial region having similar climate, soil, plants & animal | 50 | |
| 157497849 | Carrying capacity | the number of individuals that can be sustained in an area | 51 | |
| 157497850 | R strategist | reproduce early in life; many small unprotected offspring | 52 | |
| 157497851 | R strategist | reproduce late in life; few offspring; care for offspring | 53 | |
| 157497852 | Positive feedback | when a change in some condition triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition (warmer Earth - snow melts - less sunlight is reflected & more is absorbed, therefore warmer earth | 54 | |
| 157497853 | 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) | 55 | |
| 157497854 | Malthus | said human population cannot continue to increase exponentially; consequences will be war, famine & diseas | 56 | |
| 157497855 | Doubling time | rule of 70; 70 divided by the percent growth rat | 57 | |
| 157497856 | Replacement level fertility | the number of children a couple must have to replace themselves (2.1 in developed countries | 58 | |
| 157497857 | World Population | ~ 6.7 billion | 59 | |
| 157497858 | Preindustrial stage | birth & death rates high, population grows slowly, infant mortality high | 60 | |
| 157497859 | Transitional stage | death rate lower, better health care, population grows fas | 61 | |
| 157497860 | Industrial stage | decline in birth rate, population growth slow | 62 | |
| 157497861 | Postindustrial stage | low birth & death rate | 63 | |
| 157497862 | Age structure diagrams | broad base = rapid growth; narrow base = negative growth; uniform shape = zero growth | 64 | |
| 157497863 | First, second and third most populated countries: | China, India, U.S | 65 | |
| 157497864 | Most important thing affecting population growth: | low status of women | 66 | |
| 157497865 | Ways to decrease birth rate | : family planning, contraception, economic rewards and penalties | 67 | |
| 157497866 | Percent water on earth by type: | : 97.5% seawater, 2.5% freshwater | 68 | |
| 157497867 | Salinization of soil: | in arid regions, water evaporates leaving salts behind | 69 | |
| 157497868 | Ways to conserve water | agriculture = drip/trickle irrigation; industry = recycling; home = use gray water, repair leaks, low flow fixtures | 70 | |
| 157497869 | Point vs. non point sources | Point, from specific location such as a pipe. Non-point, from over an area such as runoff | 71 | |
| 157497870 | BOD | biological oxygen demand, amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic material | 72 | |
| 157497871 | Eutrophication | : rapid algal growth caused by an excess of nitrates (NO3) - and phosphates (PO4) 3- in wate | 73 | |
| 157497872 | Hypoxia | : when aquatic plants die, the BOD rises as aerobic decomposers break down the plants, the DO drops & the water cannot support life | 74 | |
| 157497873 | Minamata disease: | (1932-1968, Japan) mental impairments caused by methylmercury (CH3Hg) + poisoning | 75 | |
| 157497874 | Primary air pollutants: | produced by humans & nature (CO,CO2,SOx,NOx, hydrocarbons, particulates) | 76 | |
| 157497875 | Natural selection | organisms that possess favorable adaptations pass them onto the next generation | 77 | |
| 157497876 | Radon | 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 | 78 | |
| 157497877 | Photochemical smog: | g: formed by chemical reactions involving sunlight (NO, VOC, O* | 79 | |
| 157497878 | Acid deposition: | caused by sulfuric and nitric acids (H2SO4, HNO3), resulting in lowered pH of surface water | 80 | |
| 157497879 | Greenhouse gases | s: Examples: H2O, CO2, O3, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane (CH4). Effect: they trap outgoing infrared (heat) energy, causing Earth to warm | 81 | |
| 157497880 | Effects of global warming | rising sea level (thermal expansion), extreme weather, drought, famine, extinction | 82 | |
| 157497881 | Causes of ozone depletion | CFCs, methyl chloroform or trichloromethane (CHCl3), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), halon (haloalkanes), methyl bromide (CH3Br)— all of which attack stratospheric ozone | 83 | |
| 157497882 | Effects of ozone depletion | increased UV, skin cancer, cataracts, decreased plant growth | 84 | |
| 157497883 | Love Canal, NY | (1950s +) chemicals buried in old canal; school and homes built over it; caused birth defects and cancer | 85 | |
| 157497884 | Main component of municipal solid waste (MSW) | paper; most is landfilled | 86 | |
| 157497885 | True cost / External costs | harmful environmental side effects that are not reflected in a product's price | 87 | |
| 157497886 | Incineration advantages | volume of waste reduced by 90%, and waste heat can be used | 88 | |
| 157497887 | Incineration disadvantages: | toxic emissions (polyvinyl chloride, dioxins), scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators needed, ash disposal (contains heavy metals | 89 | |
| 157497888 | Best way to solve waste problem: | reduce the amounts of waste at the source | 90 | |
| 157497889 | Keystone species | species whose role in an ecosystem are more important than others, such as a sea otter, sea stars, grizzly bear, prairie dogs | 91 | |
| 157497890 | Indicator species | species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged ex. trout | 92 | |
| 157497891 | Characteristics of endangered species | small range, large territory, or live on an island | 93 | |
| 157497892 | In natural ecosystems, methods which control 50-90% of pests: | predators, diseases, parasites | 94 | |
| 157497893 | Major insecticide groups (and examples) | chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDT); organophosphates (malathion); carbamates (aldicarb | 95 | |
| 157497894 | Pesticide pros | saves lives from insect-transmitted disease, increases food supply, increases profits for farmers | 96 | |
| 157497895 | Pesticide cons: | genetic resistance, ecosystem imbalance, pesticide treadmill, persistence, bioaccumulation, biological magnification | 97 | |
| 157497896 | Natural pest control | better agricultural practices, genetically resistant plants, natural enemies, biopesticides, sex attractants | 98 | |
| 157497897 | Electricity generation method | using steam from water boiled by fossils fuels or nuclear reactions; falling water to turn a turbine to power a generator | 99 |
