Show:
Vocabulary
Nuclear Power
Acid Rain
Pollution Takes a Trip
Miscellaneous
100
What does "transboundary"mean?
"trans" means "across"... across boundaries or borders
100
While most countries burn coal - and more recently natural gas - to fuel their electrical power plants, what country in Europe gets about 75% of its power from nuclear reactors?
France. The French made the choice decades ago to go with nuclear power rather than fossil fuels because it didn't want to rely on other countries for fossil fuels. When they built many of their reactors, nuclear was considered to be a safe "green" alternative to fossil fuels.
100
Name two gaseous compounds that are produced when burning fossil fuels and which later combine with moisture in the atmosphere to form acids.
Sulfur dioxides creates sulfuric acid and nitrogen oxides create nitric acid, both of which are harmful components of acid rain.
100
What poison is used in processing gold that spilled into the Tisza River in Romania in 2000?
cyanide
100
Name two forms of pollution related to transportation, and one solution to each form of pollution.
Some examples: 1) Cars fueled by gas release CO2. A solution would be to use cars that powered by electric batteries. 2) There are too many cars on the road. A solution would be to use public transportation.
200
What is the difference between accidental pollution and general pollution?
Accidental pollution is just what it sounds like... an accident, a polluting event that wasn't supposed to happen. General pollution is the type of pollution that occurs every day with our knowledge beforhand as we go about our daily lives... we don't like it but we allow it to happen as a cost we are wiling to pay for our lifestyles.
200
Name the nuclear reactor that exploded in eastern Europe in 1986, and what country was it in?
Chernobyl, in the Ukraine (part of the Soviet Union at that time).
200
Where and what is the "Black Triangle", and why is it called "black"?
There are many coal-fired power plants where Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic meet. Many of them burn lignite, the dirtiest form of coal, thus creating concentrated acid rain that harms much of the vegetation and aquatic species in the region.
200
Name three countries through which the Danube River system flows and which were affected by the Tisza cyanide spill.
Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria
200
Name two forms of pollution caused by domestic power usage and a solution to each form of pollution.
Examples: 1) Homes that are heated by natural gas or heating oil release CO2. Homes could switch to wind or solar power. 2) Homes lose lots of heat and waste energy through leaky windows and doors as well as through the attic. Leaky homes would benefit from weather stripping, caulk and more attic insulation.
300
What does the pH scale measure?
pH measures how acidic or alkaline (basic) a substance is. A pH level of 7 is neutral (not acidic or alkaline), an example is distilled water. A pH rating of more than 7 is alkaline (basic), below 7 is acidic. Human blood is slightly alkaline (7.4). Substances become dangerous to living things when they become too acidic or too basic.
300
What was the cause of the nuclear accident in eastern Europe in 1986?
Human error. The operators of the reactor failed to follow their own safety procedures during a test of the reactor. As a result, they thought the reactor had enough coolant when it really didn't and they failed to shut the reactor down. The reactor heated up until it exploded.
300
What is the name of a soft brown type of coal that has a particularly high sulfur content? This type of coal is especially "dirty" in terms of its impact on our atmosphere when it is burned.
lignite
300
Name two types of damage caused by the Tisza-Danube cyanide spill.
Fish were killed off, people whose jobs relied on the river system lost their income, people had to stop pulling water from the river system for everyday uses, people could not eat the fish
300
Think about the linear model of consumption we studied earlier this year. Name a form of pollution that is created at the distribution stage and a way that it could be reduced or eliminated.
One example: Energy is used and pollution is created when moving goods by trucks. One solution would be to shop for locally produced goods that are transported over shorter distances. This solution is especially relevant in terms of the food we consume... eat locally grown food. Another solution would be to use solar or wind power at stores and storage warehouses. Another would be to use fewer plastics in packaging goods wherever possible.
400
In a municipal water system, untreated human waste is called _____________.
sewage
400
Name three countries, regions or continents where the effects of the nuclear accident in 1986 were felt.
Radiation was spread by atmospheric winds as far away as Central Europe, Asia, and North America. Countries that were particularly affected closer to the disaster were Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania and northern Scandinavia (the Lapland region)
400
What is acid snow and in what way is it more harmful to lakes and rivers than acid rain.
When acidic precipitation falls as snow, it accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw, at which time it all runs into local streams and rivers, thus creating a more concentrated "dose" of acids than if the precipitation had run into the river system more gradually over time.
400
Why do North America and Europe have the highest levels of acid rain?
North America and Europe are the home to the world's most developed countries. Those countries need/produce the most electricity from coal, have the most cars on the road. However, India and China are rapidly "catching up" in terms of the amount of acid rain they produce.
400
Name a natural process (one not man made) that causes acid rain..
Volcanoes produce gases that create acid rain; forest fires also produce gases that form acids
500
What do we call a river and all of the streams and smaller tributaries that flow into it?
river system
500
What caused the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in Japan in 2011?
One of the reactors at the Fukushima plant was damaged by a huge earthquake and the tsunami that was caused by the earthquake. The damage caused a leak of the reactor's cooling fluids, which in turn led to a meltdown and radioactivity escaped into the environment.
500
What part(s) of our environment are affected by acid rain other than streams, lakes, rivers, forests and other forms of vegetation?
the oceans of the world are becoming acidified by acid rain runoff and by CO2 in our atmosphere; acid rain also erodes buildings made of limestone and marble ("calcium" rocks made of calcite, gypsum or dolomite)
500
What is "point source" pollution.
Point source pollution is pollution that arrises from a single location as its source. For example, the Tisza-Danube cyanide spill began at a specific point, the retaining pond at a gold mine in Romania. Another example of point source: Chernobyl.
500
Name a device that is used to detect and measure radiation.
Geiger counter