Miscellaneous
What are "the High Seas" and "the Area"
Seas (and seabeds) beyond national jurisdiction (aka outside of economic exclusion zones).
What is waste management?
The process of dealing with waste sustainably and efficiently - collection, transportation, treatment, disposal, monitoring
What do coal, oil, and natural gas have in common?
They are all fossil fuels that have taken millions of years to form from the remains of ancient plants and animals. And they are finite resources that are being used way quicker than they can be replenished.
What is a life cycle assessment?
Method of evaluating environmental impacts of an industry throughout its entire "life". Includes building, extracting, transporting, processing, disposing.
What is the most abundant GHG in the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide. BUT others that are less abundant are more potent!! Methane, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases
How does entanglement cause harm to marine mammals?
Interferes with swimming, feeding, breeding, and can cause death via starvation or drowning
What type of pollution causes dead zones?
Nutrient pollution (eutrophication) leads to excess algal growth. These conditions cause hypoxia (lack of oxygen) which can kill fish and other organisms.
What is flaring?
The process of burning excess natural gas off while extracting oil (because they are often harvested together).
Name TWO benefits of offshore wind compared to land based wind
more efficent - turbines are larger and winds are stronger/more consistent. creates habitat like artifical reefs in ocean. usually out of sight - so less aesthetic or noise complaints from people
What is climate migration?
When people are forced to migrate or relocate to different regions due to the impacts of climate change
What does the term "flags of conveinence" refer to?
Fisherman registering vessels in countries with weaker restrictions and regulations, and cheaper taxes compared to their home country
micro - smaller than 5 mm and are usually broken down from larger plastics. macro - larger than 20 mm, mega - plastics that accumulate in high densities
Name THREE issues associated with sand harvesting for construction.
habitat destruction, changes in water supplies, increased erosion, damage to coastal infrastructure, increased GHG emissions
Name THREE potential benefits of renewable energy compared to non-renewables
long-term sustainability bc they are NOT finite, reduced GHG emissions, improved public health from less pollution, safer job creation, cost savings due to cheap operational costs
What is resillience?
The ability of an ecosystem or organism to bounce back after disturbance and continue to provide ecosystem services
Why was the International Whaling Commission started? What are their responsibilities?
IWC was started in response to commercial whaling industry causing massive declines in whale pops.
Responsibilities to conduct research, regulate commercial whaling, assess whale stocks to inform conservation
What is planned obsolescence? Why does it contribute to so much waste?
Business strategy where companies intentionally design products to become obsolete. Encourages rapid consumerism which leads to more waste. Ex: technology
List the three main fossil fuel industries in order of their carbon footprint (from most to least harmful)
1. Coal (largest carbon footprint) 2. Oil 3. Natural gas
Define photovoltaic solar power AND concentrating solar thermal power
PV - direct coversion of light (photons) into electricity (voltage). CSP - generation of heat using mirrors or lenses to focus sunlight onto a receiver
What are TWO main drivers of sea level rise?
Increased temperatures cause land and sea based ice to melt, and thermal expansion of water, permafrost melt.
What is an invasive speces? Name one and explain why it is an effective invader.
A non-native species that invades a population and can cause harm or shift to ecosystem dynamics. Lionfish in the Caribbean - efficient predators, have no natural predators in their invaded area to control pops
What is bioaccumulation? What is biomagnification?
Bioaccumulation - a chemical/pollutant building up within a single organism and increasing in concentration over time. Biomag - chemical/pollutant increasing in concentration as it moves up the food chain over time
What are TWO concerns with deep sea mineral harvesting of polymetallic nodules, seafloor massive sulfides, and cobalt-rich crusts?
Not sustainable bc these minerals take millions of years to grow, feasibility concerns of harvesting at depth, environmental concerns of damaging habitat. AND recovery is uncertain because these ecosystems are slow to regenerate or recovery potential is unknown.
Define each of these types of hydropower: tidal energy, wave energy, ocean thermal energy conversion.
hydropower - generation of electricity using kinetic energy of naturally moving water. Tidal power - harnesses energy from rise and fall of tides. Wave - uses energy of waves. OTEC - using temperature differences between surface and deep ocean to generate energy
What is a carbon footprint? What are TWO ways that individuals can reduce their own carbon footprints?
A measure of the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere from an individual or industry's action. Individuals can reduce their carbon footprints by eating less meat, reducing reliance on cars or planes, reducing waste, becoming more energy efficient.