Term
| What are the main features of the carbon cycle? |
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Definition
| Carbon dioxide is the main reservoir of carbon in the atmosphere. It enters the atmosphere from respiration of biodegradable carbon by organisms and from combustion of carbon-containing substances. Carbon Dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by photo synthesis. Carbonate minerals and organic carbon are both present in the geosphere. |
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Term
| Describe the role of organisms in the nitrogen cycle? |
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Definition
| Organisms act in most of the important transition of nitrogen, including conversion of atmospheric nitrogen, mineralization of biological nitrogen to inorganic forms, biologically mediated oxidation of ammonia to nitrate and vice versa, and denitrification processes by which chemically bound nitrogen is converted to gaseous nitrogen and re-enters the atmosphere. |
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Term
| Describe how the oxygen cycle is closely related to the carbon cycle. |
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Definition
| Atmospheric oxygen serves as a source of this element in the chemical and biological oxidation of carbon. Photosynthetic fixation of carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide returns elemental oxygen to the atmosphere. |
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Term
| In what important respect does the phosphorus cycle differ from the other similar elements, such as nitrogen and sulfur? |
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Definition
| The phosphorus cycle is an entirely endogenic cycle, meaning it does not have a gas-phase component. |
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Term
| With a knowledge of the chemical behavior of iron and copper, explain why copper was used as a metal long before iron, even though iron has some superior qualities for a number of applications |
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Definition
| Chemically, copper has much more of a tendancy to be in the elemental form nad could be found in some locations as the native elemental metal. In order to utilize iron, it was necessary to discover how elemental iron can be reduced from iron oxide minerals. |
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Term
| In what sense are automobiles not part of the infrastructure whereas trains are? |
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Definition
| Automobiles are generally used by individuals, whereas trains are available to the public as a whole. |
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Term
| What was the greatest threat to farmland in the U.S. during the 1930s, and what was done to alleviate that threat? What is currently the greatest threat, and what can be done to alleviate it? |
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Definition
| Erosion and deterioration of soil used to be the greatest threats but have been largely alleviated by good soil conservation practices. at the current time, the greatest threat is probably removal of good farmland for production by urbanization and industrialization. Land zoning requirements and incentives that encourage redevelopment of previously developed areas and development of terrain not suitable for farming can be employed to alleviate this threat. |
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Term
| What is the distinction between automation and robotics? |
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Definition
| Automation uses machines to do repetitive tasks, whereas robotics uses machines to duplicate the actions of humans. There is potential overlap between the two areas. |
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Term
| What is the CAD/CAM combinations? |
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Definition
| It refers to the use of computers in both the design (CAD) and manufacture (CAM) of manufactured products. |
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Term
| What are three major stages in the evolution of industry in respect to how it relates to the environment? |
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Definition
| (1) Essentially no consideration of or control of emissions and waste. (2) Control and treatment of emissions and waste after they are generated. (3) Application of an approach based upon industrial ecology so that few, if any, emissions or waste are generated. |
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Term
| Describe , with an example, what is meant by"end-of-pipe" measures for pollution control. Why are such measures sometimes necessary? Why are they relatively less desirable? What are the alternatives? |
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Definition
| As the name implies, "end-of-pipe" pollution control measures are applied to stack emissions or wastewater discharges to prevent pollutants already produced from getting into the environment. Such emissions are often hard to control, and present few possibilities for recycling. It is much better to prevent formation of pollutants in the first place by modifying processes and taking measures to minimize waste production before it gets to the "end-of-pipe" |
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Term
| Discuss how at least one kind of air pollutant might become a water pollutant. |
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Definition
| The prime example is the atmospheric pollutant sulfur dioxide, which is oxidized in the atmosphere to sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid, falling as "acid rain", can be a significant water pollutant. |
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Term
| What typically happens w/ regards to food production and demand in a country that acquires a high population density and then becomes industrialized? |
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Definition
| The demand for food and particularly livestock products increase while the capability of producing the food decreases. The result is that the countries formerly self-sufficient in food tend to become food importers. |
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Term
| Chemical reactions can be evaluated in terms of percent yield or atom economy. Explain why a reaction with high yield may have very low atom economy and therefore be poor synthetic method for industry and the environment. |
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Definition
| Percent yield is a stoichiometeric amount, while atom economy is material or mass count. Since a reaction may involve the use of many reactants that produce a variety of products, of which only one may be desired, the remaining compounds would be considered waste and thereby produce a poor atom economy and cause problems for the environment. |
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Term
| Discuss why reduction of hazardous chemicals is inherently more desirable and foolproof than even the best methods of reduce exposure. |
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Definition
| Whenever a hazard is present there will be some opportunity for exposure, no matter what safety, or regulator steps are taken to limit personal exposure. Some chemical toxins have no viable replacement compounds that are safe, such as cyanide for extraction of precious metals. In such a case limited exposure is the only viable safety measure, which is until such a time that science advances to replace that toxin. |
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Term
| List the five spheres described by environmental science. |
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Definition
| atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, anthrosphere |
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Term
| Write a general chemical reaction representing photosynthetic carbohydrate production. |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the chemical formula for Quartz? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the chemical formula for Calcite? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the chemical formula for Gypsum? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the chemical formula for Pyrite? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the chemical formula for Halite? |
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Definition
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Term
| Define soil and describe how it is formed from parts of the geosphere. |
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Definition
| A highly variable mixture including minerals organic matter, water, and air, generally found in vertical layers (horizons) each layer having similar characteristics including porosity-permeability-organic content. Formed by parent rock weathering through physical and chemical disintegration. |
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Term
| What is the major elemental constituent of the atmosphere? |
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Definition
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Term
| Based on a % concentration, what is the most highly varied component of the atmosphere? |
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Definition
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