Unit 4
What Tectonic Plate Boundary occurs when a Dense Oceanic Plate collides with a Less Dense Continental Plate? CED pg. 87
Oceanic Continental Convergent Boundary
There are a multitude of irrigation methods and Bob is looking for an inexpensive way to water his plants by having water distributed across a field, by small, shallow, evenly spaced channels running between rows of crops. What is this type of irrigation method called? CED pg. 106
This type of irrigation method is called Furrow Irrigation.
Identify a Non-Renewable Energy Source and Explain what it is most used for. CED pg. 127, 131, & 132
Things that can be identified and explained:
Fossil Fuels: Crude Oil (Petroleum), used for gasoline, diesel, and plastics; Natural Gas, used for heating, cooking, and electricity; and Coal, solid hydrocarbon used largely for electricity generation.
Nuclear Fuels: Uranium-235, a metal mined from rocks, essential for nuclear energy/nuclear fission.
Identify a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is produced by the decay of uranium found in some rocks and soils and Explain how it enter homes and its impacts. CED pg. 152 & 153
This radioactive gas is called Radon-222 and it this gas can infiltrate homes by seeping up through the ground and enters through cracks and basements in the walls or foundation. The impacts of Radon-222 is it is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, causing damage to lung tissue through the inhalation of radioactive decay products, with risks significantly higher for smokers. It is also more susceptible to children with high exposure due to faster respiration.
What is the difference between Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification and what impact do they cause to organisms? CED pg. 172
Bioaccumulation is the buildup of substances, such as toxins or pesticides, within a single organism over time, occurring faster than organism can remove them. Meanwhile, Biomagnification is the increase in concentration of these toxins as they pass up the food chain, resulting in the highest levels in top predators. Its impact on organisms include reproductive failure, neurological damage, developmental deformities, immune suppression, and organ failure.
Due to the Coriolis Effect, there is a curvature of objects such as Winds, Water, or Flying things. Explain what the Coriolis Effect is, the cause, and what it is responsible for. CED pg. 91
Earth's rotation at a 23.5 degree angle causes the Coriolis Effect, which causes a curvature of objects. It is responsible for Cyclone and Hurricane Rotations (Counterclockwise North and Clockwise South), deflects wind creating prevailing winds like Trade Winds and Westerlies, and creates Ocean Gyres (Massive Circular current systems that distributes heat globally). (Answers for responsibilities may vary.)
The Green Revolution was a huge thing, a period of rapid agricultural transformation from the 1940s to the late 1960s. Led by Norman Borlaug, what did the Green Revolution aim to combat and what strategies were used during the Green Revolution? CED pg. 104
The Green Revolution aimed to combat famine and food shortages in developing countries. The Green Revolution used strategies such as Mechanization, transforming from labor to machines; Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), produces higher yielding hybrid seeds; Fertilization, Irrigation, and the Use of Pesticides?
There has been a multitude of major Nuclear accidents. This Nuclear accident happened in 2011 where an earthquake triggered a tsunami, flooded the plant, disabling backup cooling systems which led to multiple meltdowns and hydrogen explosions. What is this case called and what environmental impact did it cause? CED pg. 132 & 133
The Fukushima Nuclear Accident happened in Japan in 2011. It is a major nuclear accident, the plant suffered severe damage, releasing radioactive material and forcing evacuations. Environmentally, radioactive materials leaked into the Pacific Ocean affecting marine organisms. Over 11,000 square miles were contaminated and radioactive particles bound tightly to clay minerals in soil and also caused harm to animals. It also released gases into the atmosphere, causing atmospheric contamination.
What is a Catalytic Converter and Explain its purpose. CED pg. 154
A Catalytic Converter is an exhaust emission control device installed in the exhaust system of most vehicles and is a legal requirement for most cars produced since 1974. Its purpose is to convert toxic gas such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides, into less harmful substances like water vapor, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide and reduces pollution by about 90%.
Pathogens take on any opportunity to take advantage and infect and spread through the human population. How does climate change help pathogens spread diseases? CED pg. 181
There are two phenomenas associated with changing ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Recently, the Pacific Ocean's temperature has been cooler than average and trade winds had began to strengthen. Jet streams moves North and the temperature there is colder, meanwhile the South becomes warmer and drier. What phenomena is being described here? CED pg. 95
The phenomena being described here is the El Niña phenomena.
Pests are any living organisms that simply acts as a nuisance and many people get rid of them using pesticides. However, using pesticides can be harmful to wildlife, humans, and water sources. Because of this, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are used. Explain what IPM is and its signifiance. CED pg. 117
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a combination of methods used to effectively control pests without disrupting the environment. IPM are significant because it combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools to manage pests, minimizing risk towards wildlife, humans, and the environment.
Identify a Renewable Energy Source and Explain how it is captured/generated and what it is most used for. CED pg. 127, 134, 135, 136, 137, & 139
Things that can be identified and explained:
Solar Energy, captured using photovoltaic (PV) cells in Solar Panels for electricity or solar thermal systems for heating; Wind Energy, captured through the use of wind turbines converting kinetic energy from air movement into electricity; Hydroelectric Power, generated by utilizing the energy of flowing water, typically through dams or turbines in rivers; Geothermal Energy, heat stored in underground rocks and fluids, the steam is used to spin a turbine to produce electricity or for direct heating/cooling via heat pumps.
Biomass also counts and it is organic materials like wood, charcoal, animal manure, or agricultural waste, that can be burned for energy. However, it is only renewable if used sustainably.
Acid Rain can be extremely detrimental. Explain what causes Acid Rain and its impacts to the environment. CED pg. 155
Acid Rain is caused by emissions, primarily due to anthropogenic activity, of Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides reacting with water, oxygen, and chemicals in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids. Its impacts on the Environment include acidifies streams, lakes, and marshes which harms fishes, frogs, and other marine life; strips away essential nutrients from the soil, such as magnesium and calcium, making it hard for trees to grow and releasing harmful aluminum into the soil; and damages buildings, statues, and historical monuments through corrosion.
The Sewage Treatment happens in order to remove contaminants, pathogens, and nutrients from wastewater before returning it to nature. Name all three treatments during the Sewage Treatment process and what happens during that treatment. CED pg. 177
Primary Treatment, the removal of large objects, often through the use of screens and grates, followed by the settling of solid waste in the bottom of the tank; Secondary Treatment, biological process where bacteria breaks down organic matter into carbon dioxide and inorganic sludge which settles at the bottom and the tank is aerated to increase the rate bacteria breaks down the matter; Lastly, Tertiary Treatment, the use of ecological or chemical processes to remove any pollutants left in the water and the water is exposed to disinfectants to kill bacteria, usually using chlorine, ozone, or UV light.
As we know, the atmosphere pertains multiple layers based on temperature gradients. Name all layers of the atmosphere, starting from the one closest to us to the one that is farthest away and describe each layer if possible. CED pg. 90
The first layer is the Troposphere, the lowest layer where all weather occurs and humans live. Then the, Stratosphere, contains the Ozone Layer, which absorbs harmful UV radiation and jet aircrafts often fly here. Then the, Mesosphere, the coldest later, where most meteors burn up. Then the, Thermosphere, contains a very thin air with extremely high temperatures and Auroras (Northern/Southern Lights) and International Space Station occurs here, also the start of the Kármán Line. Lastly, Exosphere, the final layer that gradually fades into space.
What is Saltwater Intrusion and How do they occur? CED pg. 113
Saltwater Intrusions is the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers which degrades groundwater quality and contaminates drinking water and irrigation sources. It occur through the over extraction of groundwater form coastal aquifers, lowering freshwater and allowing denser saltwater to move inland.
Explain what Hydrogen Fuel Cells are, what it is mainly used for, and its benefits. CED pg. 138
Hydrogen Fuel Cells is a device that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen directly into electricity. It is mainly used for transportation and stationary power generation. The benefits include, zero emissions, only byproducts being water and heat, high efficiency, versatile usage and can be used from laptops to cars, trucks, buses, and large stationary power plants, quiet operation, and operates with a constant supply of fuel/hydrogen.
This weather phenomenon occurs when a layer of warm air acts like a lid, trapping cooler air and smog near the ground.
Thermal Inversion, a phenomenon where a layer of warm air sits over a layer of cooler air near the Earth's surface, reversing the normal atmospheric conditions where temperature decreases with height. Common causes include rapid nighttime cooling of the Earth's surface (Radiation Inversion), air sinking in high-pressure systems (Subsidence Inversion), or cold air settling into valleys.
Eutrophication happens when a body of water is enriched with nutrients. This then causes algal blooms, and when they die, bacteria break them down causing a Hypoxic environment. What does the word 'Hypoxic mean and what are consequences of it?
The word Hypoxic mean bodies of water that are low in dissolved oxygen. When bodies of water are low in dissolved oxygen, there are a multitude of consequences that form from it such as, severe aquatic habitat degradation which results in lots of fish dying, 'dead zones,' and the loss of benthic organisms aka crabs or mussels. It also lowers drinking water quality due to higher concentrations of iron and manganese, which can be expensive to treat.
APES Math Question: According to the Soil Texture Triangle, which type of soil is made up of 30% Clay, 10% Silt, and 60% Sand? (Search up a Soil Texture Triangle, I sadly could not upload one!) CED pg. 89
The type of soil is Sandy Clay Loam.
APES Math Question: A city built a 100% impervious parking lot that has an area of 670 m2. There is a 7.6 cm (0.076 m) rain event that occurs.
i. Calculate the volume of runoff of the park.
ii. The parking lot now has been replaced with a 80% permeable pavement. What is the percent change of the amount of runoff between the impervious and permeable pavement if the same rain event occurs?
CED pg. 116
i. The volume of runoff is 50.92 m3
How to solve: Area x Amount of Rain x Imperviousness -> 670 m2 x 0.076 m x 1.00 (100%) = 50.92 m3
(Volume is always cubed!)
ii. The amount of runoff decreased by 80%.
How to solve: Area x Amount of Rain x Imperviousness -> 670 m2 x 0.076 m x 0.20 = 10.184 m3
Now do Percent Change = (New Value - Old Value / Old Value) x 100 -> (10.184 - 50.92 / 50.92) x 100 = -80%
APES Math Question: A sample of Radioactive Iodine-131 has a half-life of 8 days. A laboratory currently stores a 200g sample of this isotope.
i. How much of the Radioactive Iodine-131 will remain after 32 days?
ii. Using the sample from i, what percentage of the original radioactive sample has decayed?
CED pg. 132 & 133
i. 12.5 grams of Radioactive Iodine-131 will remain after 32 days.
How to solve: Using the half-life formula, N(t) = N0(1/2)t/t 1/2, 32/8 = 4 half-lives.
Then, calculate the remaining mass by halving the initial amount 4 times: 200g -> 100g -> 50g -> 25g -> 12.5g.
By the way: N(t) = Quantity remaining after time t; N0 = Initial quantity; t = time elapsed; t1/2 = Half-life
ii. The percentage of the original sample that has decayed is 93.75%.
How to solve: Using the percentage formula of (New - Old / Old) x 100,
200g - 12.5g = 187.5g, then (187.5g / 200g) x 100 = 93.75%.
APES Math Question: A coal power plant utilizes a wet scrubber to remove SO2 from its emissions.
- The raw flue gas contains 800 ppm of SO2
-The scrubber has a removal efficiency of 95%
-The process creates a sludge byproduct. For every 1 kg of SO2 removed, 2.5 kg of wet calcium sulfate (gypsum) sludge is produced
-The plant processes 106 m3 of gas per day, and at this concentration, 1 ppm of SO2 equals 2.6 mg/m3
i. Calculate the concentration of SO2 (in ppm) remaining in the gas after it passes through the scrubber.
ii. Calculate the total mass of sludge (in kg) produced by the plant in one day.
CED pg. 147 & 154
i. The concentration of SO2 remaining in the gas after it passes through the scrubber is 40 ppm.
How to solve: Using the formula, Initial Concentration x (1 - Efficiency),
800 ppm x (1 - 0.95) -> 800 x 0.05 = 40 ppm.
ii. The total mass of sludge produced by the plant in one day is 4,940 kg.
How to solve: Find the total mass of SO2 entering per day,
800 ppm x 2.6 mg/m3 = 2,080 mg/m3 -> 2,080 mg/m3 x 106 m3 = 2,080,000,000 mg or 2,080 kg of SO2
Now, find the mass of SO2 removed,
2,080 kg x 0.95 = 1,976 kg removed -> 1,976 kg SO2 x 2.5 kg sludge/kg SO2 = 4,940 kg of sludge per day.
APES Math Question: A newly developed pesticide has a known LD50 value of 25 mg/kg for a specific species of invasive rodent. An individual rodent in the target population has a total mass of 4 kg.
i. Calculate the mass of the pesticide (in milligrams) that would represent a lethal dose for 50% of rodents matching this specific mass.
ii. If the legislative safety standard for this pesticide requires that the maximum exposure level for non-target wildlife be set at 1% of the LD50 value, calculate the maximum allowable dose (in milligrams) for a 4 kg animal.
i. A dose of 100 mg will be lethal to 50% if the 4 kg rodents.
How to solve: The equation for Total Dose (mg) = Body Mass (kg) x LD50 (mg/kg),
So, 4 kg x 25 mg/kg = 100 mg.
ii. The maximum allowable dose for a 4 kg animal will be 1 mg.
How to solve: Use the value from (i) and multiply by 1%.
So, 100 mg x 0.01 = 1 mg.