Term
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Definition
| Humans' addition of a substance to the biosphere at a rate that causes harm to the environment. |
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Term
| Effects of combustion of fossil fuels |
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Definition
Greenhouse gas emissions - climate change
Acid rain - respiratory diseases, harm to plants, aquatic organisms |
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Term
| Effects of domestic waste |
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Definition
Eutrophication
Landfill (deforestation) |
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Term
| Effects of industrial waste |
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Definition
Poisoning (lead, mercury)
Reduces solubility of gases - less dissolved oxygen |
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Term
| Effects of agricultural waste |
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Definition
Eutrophication
Spread of disease
Bioaccumulation in food chains |
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Term
| Direct methods for measuring air and water pollution |
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Definition
Air - measuring the acidity of rainwater
Water/soil - testing for nitrates |
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Term
Define BOD
How does it help indirectly measure the levels of pollution |
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Definition
BOD - biochemical oxygen demand - a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by the aerobic organisms in order to break down organic material.
Measures the amount of dissolved oxygen in a sample after collecting it, and after incubating it in the dark at 20 degrees for 5 days
The greater the quantity of organic pollutants, the more oxygen aerobic organisms need to break it down, therefore the higher the BOD |
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Term
| Three-fold approach to pollution management |
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Definition
---Replace---
(Human activity producing the pollutant)
Development of alternative technologies
Adoption of alternative lifestyles
Reduce, reuse, recycle
---Regulate---
(Release of the pollutant into the environment)
Setting and imposing standards
Introducing technologies for extracting pollutants from waste emissions
---Restore---
(Long term impact of pollutants)
Extracting the pollutant from the environment
Replanting forests
Restoring animal populations |
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Term
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Definition
| Humans' addition of a substance to the biosphere at a rate that causes harm to the environment. |
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Term
| Outline the process of eutrophication |
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Definition
Eutrophication is the increase in the levels of nutrients (namely nitrates and phosphates) in a freshwater ecosystem.
Fertilizers wash into a body of water
High levels of phosphate increase algae growth
Plants beneath them die due to obstruction of sunlight
The bacteria decomposing the algae uses up all the oxygen
This causes other organisms to die |
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Term
| Impacts of eutrophication |
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Definition
Decreases aesthetic value of lakes and rivers (no ecotourism?)
Oxygen deficient water
Death of plants
Death of fish and other aerobic organisms
Overall loss of biodiversity |
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Term
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Definition
Minimizes the use of the earth's resources (e.g. the availability of recycled paper can reduce deforestation)
Reusing items (cans, plastics) that could be irresponsibly thrown away |
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Term
| Disadvantages of recycling |
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Definition
Products aren't as durable, which discourages people from buying them
Not widespread on a large scale (in households, but usually not in factories)
High initial cost |
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Term
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Definition
Low cost
Safer than incineration, which produces toxins |
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Term
| Disadvantages of landfill |
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Definition
Could potentially spread disease in animals
There may not be enough space -> deforestation?
Transportation costs
Decomposing waste releases methane, which can accumulate in nearby houses (flammable gas, causes nausea, smells bad) |
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Term
| Advantages of incineration |
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Definition
Cheap once set up
Generated heat can be used for heating nearby houses
Heat energy |
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Term
| Disadvantages of incineration |
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Definition
High set up cost
Pollutants such as toxic heavy metals may escape the system and be released into the air |
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Term
| The role of ozone in different atmospheric layers |
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Definition
Ozone can be found in:
the troposphere, where it is considered a pollutant and dangerous to human health
the stratosphere, where it blocks ultraviolet radiation
UV radiation is absorbed during the process of formation and destruction of ozone and oxygen |
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Term
| Effect of ultraviolet radiation |
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Definition
Adverse effect on human health: mutations, skin cancer, negative effect on eyes
Damage to photosynthetic organisms (esp phytoplankton) |
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Term
| How is the ozone layer depleted |
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Definition
Biggest contributor is CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons)
Halogenated gases are generally stable but when exposed to UV radiation, release halon atoms. These atoms slow down the reformation of the ozone layer in the stratosphere |
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Term
| How to reduce the impact on ozone |
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Definition
Recycling refrigerants
Replacing CFCs with CO2 or air
Add ozone to the stratosphere (not feasible)
Ozone will replenish itself if we do not add to its destruction |
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Term
| The role of national and international organizations in reducing the impact on the ozone layer |
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Definition
One of the treaties implemented by UNEP was the Montreal protocol - an international agreement to stop the production of CFCs and to reduce their consumption by 2000. All countries but China and India followed the rules. However, they later agreed to reduce their use of CFCs.
CFCs have a long lifespan and it is estimated that its levels will not return to normal until 2050. |
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Term
| Source of ozone in the troposphere |
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Definition
| The burning of fossil fuels releases nitrogen monoxide. It reacts with oxygen to form nitrogen dioxide. It can react with sunlight and release oxygen atoms, which form ozone after reacting with oxygen. |
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Term
| Effects of tropospheric ozone |
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Definition
Highly reactive toxic gas
Damages crops and forests
Irritates eyes
Breathing difficulties |
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Term
| Formation of photochemical smog |
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Definition
It is a mixture of about 100 pollutants under sunlight. The main one of these pollutants is ozone.
The burning of organic materials/fossil fuels releases small particles of carbon and other substances - particulates. They are too small to be filtered out in our respiratory system, therefore they enter respiratory pathways causing disease such as asthma, lung cancer and even premature death.
Precipitation cleans the air; wind disperses the smog. Photochemical smog can be trapped in valleys (Mexico city, Los Angeles) |
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Term
| Pollution management strategies for photochemical smog |
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Definition
Reducing fossil fuel combustion and replacing it with other sources of energy. Reducing the need for private cars and promote buses or electricity driven cars.
Clean up measures such as catalytic converters, should be considered. |
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Term
| Three possible effects of acid deposition on soil, water, and living organisms |
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Definition
Direct effects: leaves show yellowing from loss of chlorophyll; causes microbes in the soil to die, which reduces the availability of nutrients
Toxic effects: acid rain increases the solubility of aluminium ions in soil. They are released from the soil and usually end up in streams or rivers.
Aluminium ions impair the ability of fish to regulate the amounts of water and salt they store in their bodies. At higher concentration a solid is formed on the gills, which leads to suffocation and death.
Nutrient effects: soil isn't able to hold on to nutrients |
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