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Chapter 6-11 dicussing environemtal impacts, Lecture notes of Environmental Science

Adams State College Environmental Science

Water, Fossil Fuels, Soil Types

Typology: Lecture notes

2022/2023

Uploaded on 10/30/2023

elizabeth-valentine 🇺🇸

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Chapter 6

California perpetual drought- naturally happens

Humans need freshwater for a variety of reasons, including

agricultural, sanitation, industry, and drinking

- Humans use usually requires water storage (dams) and

diversion (canals)

- There is a growing mismatch between human needs and existing

water supplies

- 40% of human population lacks freshwater fir sanitation

- Using freshwater can harm aquatic ecosystems which

themselves provide valuable ecosystem services

- Tulare lake is no longer existing replaced with crops

Hydrologic cycle- study of water, the water cycle

Distribution of Earth’s water- 3% of all water is freshwater but

like 1% is usable in the sense of surface water

- Easily accessible freshwater supplies, lakes, and rivers are

just 0.3% of the total water

Ground is an important Resource

Groundwater, such as that used in California to help alleviate

drought, exists in geological structures called aquifers

- Amount of water is an aquifer is the balance between

infiltration and losses of groundwater to the surface

- Water table is the uppermost level of groundwater

- The groundwater is help in pores allied the saturated zone

- Above the water table is the unsaturated zone where there is

no water

Tradewinds- push storms across different lands from the ocean

Water Issues

- Daily water needs- 50 L per day or 13 gallons each day

Human use of freshwater; half goes to the ocean, third goes to

accessible runoff, and a sixth is remote runoff

Arid Regions: one third of Earth’s surface with one-fifth of the

population

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Download Chapter 6-11 dicussing environemtal impacts and more Lecture notes Environmental Science in PDF only on Docsity!

Chapter 6 California perpetual drought- naturally happens Humans need freshwater for a variety of reasons, including agricultural, sanitation, industry, and drinking

Humans use usually requires water storage (dams) and diversion (canals)
There is a growing mismatch between human needs and existing water supplies
40% of human population lacks freshwater fir sanitation
Using freshwater can harm aquatic ecosystems which themselves provide valuable ecosystem services
Tulare lake is no longer existing replaced with crops Hydrologic cycle- study of water, the water cycle Distribution of Earth’s water- 3% of all water is freshwater but like 1% is usable in the sense of surface water
Easily accessible freshwater supplies, lakes, and rivers are just 0.3% of the total water Ground is an important Resource Groundwater, such as that used in California to help alleviate drought, exists in geological structures called aquifers
Amount of water is an aquifer is the balance between infiltration and losses of groundwater to the surface
Water table is the uppermost level of groundwater
The groundwater is help in pores allied the saturated zone
Above the water table is the unsaturated zone where there is no water Tradewinds- push storms across different lands from the ocean Water Issues
Daily water needs- 50 L per day or 13 gallons each day Human use of freshwater; half goes to the ocean, third goes to accessible runoff, and a sixth is remote runoff Arid Regions: one third of Earth’s surface with one-fifth of the population

Droughts Have Regional effects

Droughts: extended dry period with no precipitation and water supplies sometimes need to be rationed Floods can also cause problems with water management if they damage infrastructure The Colorado Basin: 265 dams
1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of irrigated farmland
25 million people depend upon the river The Colorado is Over Appropriated There is more demand for water than there is water in the Colorado Basin
Water use is governed by laws and treaties
The river no longer reaches the sea Conflict over limited water will only increase as the population grows and climate changes One-quarter of Earth’s population relies on groundwater, but it is usually used faster than it is replenished
Depth to groundwater is increasing
Oases are drying
The land subsides Ogallala Aquifer - groundwater depletion in the Great Plain threatens agriculture Managing water supplies Dams have wide-ranging ecological effects
Threatens biodiversity
Trap sediment that supplies nutrients downstream
Altered temperature patterns below the dam as cold water released
Prevent fish migration Flooding and Biodiversity Although floods can harm crops and damage buildings, flooding is an important process that maintains floodplain biodiversity. Floods: get notes he went to fast lol

16,000 desalination plants globally produce about 1% if human needs
Mostly limited to wealthy countries where water is very scarce Distillation : oldest and most expensive Reverse Osmosis This method is less expensive, but it can also produces concentrated brine that can harm the environment when it is disposed
The Tampa Bay desalination plant uses the method
Produces 10% of the city’s freshwater supply
Brine is diluted… he went too fast again Wetland restoration Wetland reduce sedimentation, purify water, and provide habitat Kissimmee River Restoration The Kissimmee River was straightened in the 1940s to reduce flooding
Straightening cut off the river from the floodplain, and bird population plummeted
Organic matter deposited in the channel reduced oxygen concentrations and harmed fish populations
Re-establish floodplain connectivity has increased habitat for fish and birds Questions Which category is the largest for human daily usage? D. sanitation Which country is the biggest per capita use of water? D. usa Which of the following describe the ground layers above the groundwater? unsaturated zone Which of the following describe the uppermost level of the groundwater Water Table

Which of the following describes an area of land that collects precipitation that flows into aquifers and rivers? Watershed Which is the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth Glaciers and ice caps What does tertiary water treatment remove? All of the above Chapter 7 Sustaining Terrestrial Resources Global Primary Productivity Note that primary production rates closely match Earth’s Biomes

Tropical forests are most productive
Deserts and tundra are the least productive Terrestrial Harvest System Harvest systems are subject to the same environmental factors as are biomes
Farming occurs in temperate grasslands, temperate forests, and mediterranean biomes
Ranching occurs in many places, but is is only activity that can take place in arid lands or tundra
Forestry occurs where trees can grow, but farming is difficult after forest removal in tropical and coniferous biomes Soils are complex
Soil structure supports biodiversity within soils, and these organisms can affect soil development through their activities
Nitrogen in the backbone of making everything Climate effects on Soil Climate is another major contributor to soil structure that affects:
Organic matter content, Depth, Color, Fertility

- Mineral soil, organic matter, and inorganic nutrients Monocultures requires tillage which exposes soil to wind and water erosions Overgrazing

Semi-arid rangelands are susceptible to erosion because of low productivity
Removal of plant matter bt livestock express soil to erosion Desertification
Semiarid rangeland becomes permanently less productive when overgrazed Deforestation: affects all forested zones worldwide
Countries is S asia have lost between one-fifth and one-half of their forest cover in recent decades
Russia lost an area the size of MOntana over 5 yrs. Earlier this century
Forest often clear cut (= not a tree left standing) Soil Loss from Logging Vegetation removal from logging ( finish notes he skipped) Fire Suppression
Wildfires are natural and historically burned with higher frequency but lower intensity Fire suppression
Increases tree densities and thus fallen wood/ branches in forests Catastrophic fires
Soil losses extreme after such events Irrigation Irrigation accounts for 70% of water withdrawals globally and threatens freshwater biodiversity
Flood irrigation gravity fed and inexpensive but wastes a lot of water
Sprinklers: less water but equipment is costly

Drip irrigation: uses least amount of water but equipment very costly Soil Salinization
Low amounts of natural salts in irrigation water remain on the field after evaporation, causing salt contect to build up
Eventually soil fertility is lost and crops will not grow Pollution from Intensive Agriculture Cost of Pesticides: protect us from 40 billion in crop value Pest Outbreaks and Resistance Predators of pests are generally more susceptible to pesticides
When their populations are reduced, a pest outbreak can occur that requires additional pesticide Pesticides use rapidly drive natural selection
When resistant individuals survive pesticides application, their offspring will also be resistant Genetically Modified Crops
Gm crops; engineered for a particular purpose like improved nutrition or disease resistance
Engineering usually adds gene to the crops dna
Transgenic crops have genes from the other organisms added
Bt corn had bacterium gene inserted so it produces a compound that kill insects that eat the corn Health Benefit of GM crops Golden rich is engineered to produce vitamin A
Vitamin a deficiency can cause premature blindness
Vitamin a deficiency is more widespread in the developing world
Golden rich as 23x times the vitamin rice and wild rice Crop Diversity Can Improve Yield
Mixed plantings of rice reduced fungal infection Managing Agricultural Tillage

Questions Which of the following agricultural technique alter crop species a. Crop rotation Soil erosion in the US removes the most of which of the following components of soil b. Mineral soil Intensive agricultural generates which of the following types of pollution D. all of the above Use of pesticides that involves tolerance is only some members of a pest species is called: ( who is left) B. pesticides resistance Which of the plowing plowing techniques leaves crop residues on the field after harvest B. no till farming Which region of the world is most dependent on irrigation for successful crops B. northern africa Over Irrigation of agricultural fields lead to D. saline soils What does successful IPM required D. all of the above Which of the following involves planting susceptible crops to reduce pesticide resistance C. refuge technique The low productivity of tundra and desert biomes favor ____ as a way of life A. nomadic animal herding Chapter 8 Sustaining Aquatic Resources

Cod fishery Collapse The bottom dwelling atlantic cod is top predator that was prizes as a protein sources

Cold fishery lasted nearly 500 yrs
Peak harvest was in the 1960s
In 1992 the fishery had dropped to 1% od irs historic level
Today the fisher is still closed and shows just little sign of recovery
68 fish stocks are currently in an overfished status, and these declines threatened marine food webs Fishing Methods
Subsistence fishing: personal nutrition needs
Commercial fishing: small scale minimal gear or industrial major gear
Bycatch a major issue
industrial : travelers, long line, gillnetting, pot-traps
Recreational, aquaculture: fish farming
90 million metric tons from commercial fishing
60 million metric tons come from agriculture Trawler Fishing — ver bad Oceanic circulation The oceanic food web depends on patterns of primary production, which are affected by nutrient distribution in the ocean Wind creates current The Euphotic Zone: upper 200 m of water supporting photosynthesis
Organic matter produced here that dies sinks below the euphotic zone and decomposes
Decomposition releases nutrients into the water column
Warmer because it receives light, so the ocean does not mix vertically Major Marine Environments The most productive fishing areas are in upwelling zones
Wind blow warm nutrient-poor surface waters away in an ocean current
This brings nutrient-rich cold water to the surface

In the columbia river system, 45% of spawning habitat is not accessible
Mitigating dams with fish ladders still forces salmon to navigate lakes instead of streams
Once they return to their habitat, it is degraded bt land development
Most columbia river stocks are threatened or endangered, and Klamath stocks are listed as a threat Klamath River Salmon Dam construction on the Klamath began in 1918 and restricted access to habitat
Ultimately, 600 miles of spawning streams were isolated
Water withdrew for irrigation caused reduction flows
Algae blooms steal nutrient runoff Aquacultural: controlled, intensive farming of aquatic resources
As fish stocks decline, the seafood industry turned to aquaculture to sustain production
Aquaculture can be performed in marine, brackish or freshwater environments Problems with Aquaculture
Escaped fish or crustaceans can become invasive, asian carpal or hybridize with local species atlantic salmon raised in the pacific
Concentrating fish and supplementing food increases the risk of nutrient pollution and algae blooms
Clearing mangrove forests for shrimp farming degrades local biodiversity and increases flood risk during storms
Growing fish at a high density can increase parasites and pathogens which can spread to native fish
Supplemental feed for aquaculture must be harvested from the wild, depleting fish from other food webs Solutions The moratorium on whaling shows that whale stocks can recover

Right whales have been increasing 708% annually
Gray whales are at their estimated historic population size
Humpback whales have recovered to pre whaling numbers
Iceland and JApan have a long history of whaling and they hunt some whales every year Fishing restrictions and regulations can help ensure sustainable fishing
Size regulations protect the reproducing adults and ensure that enough young survive
Fines or loss of commercial license if regulations are belated
Gear restrictions reduce bycatch, which is not commercially viable but still affects food webs
Changing what gear is legal off the coast of southern California allowed other predatory fish to recover Cooperative Management
Managing the resources in partnership brings community together for a common interest to sustain the fishery
The bristol bay salmon fisher is managed by fishers, community members, and scientists Catch Shares ITQs grant a transferable right to a portion of the catch to a person, cooperative, or a community
Individual transferable quotas (ITQs) allocate the right to a share of the catch to the fisher Ecosystem Services – not a solution but what we gain from the solutions Salt marshes, kelp forests, mangrove forests, and riparian wetlands High diversity means that the system is buffered from climatic, ocean, and landscape disturbances - Sometimes one subpopulation is more abundant, sometimes another one is
collectively the system

Crude Oil Refining

Refining oil separates the oil into its components = heating it
Crude oil is heated until it evaporates **Petroleum Reserves
Like coal petroleum is not equally distributed geographically**
90% worlds reserves are controlled by 15 countries
Most found in the middle east Natural Gas
Methane, ethane, propane, and buthane Formation and Use of Natural Gas Natural gas migrates through porous rock until trapped by a cap rock
Once considered a waste product
Now widely used
About 25% if U.s energy use
Natural gas reserves, russian, iran and qatar have over half of all known reserves Thus fossil fuels may be distinguished by solid, liquid, and gaseous forms Electricity Generation Is useful form of energy because it can be transmitted long distances from site production
Electricity is the flow of electrons
Produced with generator composed of a magnet and conductor
Spinning conductor in the magnetic field produces a flow of electrons
It takes fuel to spin the conductor Nuclear reactions Nuclear Reserves
15 countries have 97% if reserves
Us is the largest nuclear energy producer Largest energy consumers- US, European Union, and hightest china

Per Capita energy Use

World’s demand for energy is expected to increase 35% due to economic growth in developing countries Coal mining
When overburden (rock above coal) is took thick sub surfacing mining can be used to remove coal
When overburden, not too thick, it can be removed
Strip mining Mountaintop removal one of the most destructive coal mining practices Coal sludge and fly ash
Sludge ponds can be overfilled contaminating water Mining Oil Sands/Tar Sands Tar sands contain a hydrocarbon called bitumen
They either strip mined from open pits or heated so they flow to the surface
They are expensive to mind so they are economical only when oil prices are high Fracking
fracking fluid,sand, chemicals are injected under high pressure to fracture rocks
Sand keeps the fracture open and the oil or gas moves to the place to be pumped
Can contaminate drinking water supplies
Can cause earthquakes and deep well injection of wastewater from the oil industry Three mile island nuclear accident
Stuck valve caused the loss of coolant
The confinement structure contained the partial meltdown
The accident took 14 years to clean up at a cost of 1 billion
A meltdown occurs when the reactor core becomes too hot Chernobyl nuclear accident

a. Coal sludge Which is the Fly ash Which of the following us Fracking Not considered a nuclear reactor disaster Deepwater horizon Chapter 10 Renewable Energy Growth in renewable energy

Adoption of renewable energy may stress the environment on different ways than widespread fossil fuel use
Installation of wind solar electrical capacity is increasing exponentially
Half of newly installed electric capacity is now renewable Concentrating Solar Power When solar heat is concentrated, it can boil water to make steam to drive a turbine
Central receiving system collect the heat at a central location
Parabolic troughs concentrate heat in liquid flowing through the piper
These systems are not economical with low fuel prices, but new systems are more efficient Wind Energy Historic uses of wind were use for grinding grain, milling lumber Solar heating creates winds Water Power, Hydroelectric power Hydrokinetic Power
Tides happen because of the gravity of the moon and sun

Gravitational pulling either raise or lowers the height of the water
At high tide water is retained in a basin to be released through a turbine at lower tide Geothermal Energy Heat comes from the decay of radioactive elements within Earth
Uses steam to turn a turbine Biofuels - Today, dung is commonly used for cooking as is wood - Other biofuels include plant oils and animal oils like blubber or tallow - Global use of biofuels is increasing exponentially because they are easy to use in transportation Ethanol Can be produced from the simple sugars of food crops
Corn and sugar
Same process as making beer or wine
Fermentation converts sugars into ethanol which can be used as fuel Biodiesel
Plant oils can be used to make diesel, soybeans, canola, and palm oil today
Algae are an experimental source of biodiesel
Very efficient at converting solar energy very high growth rate Solar Energy Has Environmental impact Still requires land clearing and habitat destruction Concentrating solar plants requires water for steam turbines and cooling Wildlife Loss from Wind Power
Altamont Pass wind Turbines killed 9,000 birds per year birds of prey Bat Mortality Bats appear to have most mortality at low wind velocity