Professional Documents
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CHAPTER 1
Logistic growth curve: the population follows a s-shape
-birthrate starts high and death rate is high
- Then as it transtions from developing to industrial the birth rate remains
constant and the death rate decreases.
-eventually the birth rate and death rate level out
Carrying capacity:
what is it? the maximum abundance of a population or species that can be maintained
by a habitat or ecosystem without degrading the ability of that habitat or ecosystem
to maintain that abundance in the future
Why is it difficult to apply to humans? Not all humans live under the same conditions.
What is the second-leading greenhouse gas? The first CFC, then CH4, then O3
Chapter 2:
Steps of the scientific method
Observation, Develop a Hypothesis, Testing, Record Data/Observation, Conclusion
Design a controlled experiment: Design an experiment to test the hypothesis that plants grow
faster in a CO2-enriched environment. Make sure to identify your dependent and. independent
variables
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Feedback loops: positive & negative
--Remember that when you describe a loop your last step should either be equivalent to your
first step or it should negate it.
Positive: when an increase in output leads to a further increase in output (ex: forest fire)
Negative: an increase in output leads to a later decrease (ex: sweating)
Chapter 4:
Calculations: Pert and Rule of 70
– A = Pe rt
– TD = 70/r
Crude rates
-per 1000 people
-Crude Birth Rate minus crude death rate
Which grows faster, developing or industrialized nations? What is going on with urbanization?
Developing nations grow faster because of a high death and birth rate.
Urbanization causes everyone/everywhere to become more densely populated
What are the world’s most populous cities? Most populous nations?
Countries China (1.3 B) India (1.2 B) U.S. (308 M) Indonesia (240 M) Brazil (199 M)
Cities:
1. Tokyo, Japan - 28,025,000
2. Mexico City, Mexico - 18,131,000
3. Mumbai, India - 18,042,000
4. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 17, 711,000
5. New York City, USA - 16,626,000
The demographic transition: the pattern of change in birth and death rates as a country is
transformed from undeveloped to developed. THREE STAGES
1. in an undeveloped country, birth and death rates are high and the growth rate low
2. the death rate decrease, but the birth rate remains high and the growth rate is high
3. the birth rate drops toward the death rate and the growth rate therefore also decreases
Demographic momentum same thing as above?
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Predictions for future of population growth:
it becomes so large that the world would not be able to handle it
What caused population increase beginning about 10K years ago? Agricultural Revolution
What factors led to the population boom after the Industrial Revolution? medicine
Chapter 5:
What two traits allow elements to cycle quickly? ??????????
Composition of
--Earth’s crust Oxygen 45% Silicon 29% Aluminum 8% Iron 6% Calcium 6% Magnesium 6%
--Earth’s core Iron and Nickel; Inner is solid; Outer is liquid; Asthenosphere-part between mantle and
crust; lithosphere is the crust
Carbon cycle: know major stocks and flows between atmosphere, biota, ocean.
STOCKS
Soil 1580 tons of carbon
Fossil fuels 4000 tons of carbon
Land 560 tons of carbon
Ocean 38000 tons of carbon
Marine sediments 100,000,000 tons of carbon
FLOWS
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Fossil Fuels 6.3 tons a year
Volcanoes .1 tons a year
Land use 2.2 tons per year
Photosynthesis is 120 tons per year
Ocean is 107 tons per year
Weathering is .6 tons per year
Atmosphere .5 tons per year
Limiting factor: the single requirement for growth available in the least supply in comparison to the
need of an organism.
Plate tectonics:
# of plates in lithosphere 13
3 types of plate boundaries
Divergent: production of new lithosphere;; found along oceanic ridges, when plates pull apart
Convergent: one plates descends below the other, comes together
Transform: when they rub against each other quickly
Here's a link to the water unit
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• What is a Secchi disk? Used for testing turbidity…circle with black and white fourths
• What impact does turbidity have on aquatic food chains? If turbidity is higher, then
the water is more unhealthy, and thus larger organisms cannot survive
• What impact does it have on water temperature? it raises temperature
Temperature
• What is thermal pollution?
when heat is released into water and produces undesirable effects on the environment
• Give two ways that deforestation affects temperature. 1) trees provide shade…w/o them,
water is warmer 2) sediment holds and absorbs it…heats it up
C. Biological
Biological Indicators
• What is a biological indicator? A species that can be used to determine the condition of the
particular water (lake, river, stream, etc.) you are dealing with
• Name two species that would indicate a healthy stream. Mayfly, caddisfly
• Name two species that would indicate an unhealthy stream mosquito, midge larva
Fecal coliform bacteria
• Are fecal coliform bacteria harmful? no
• What are we testing for when we test fecal coliform bacteria? Diseases in the water
• What are some pathogens we might be concerned about if we have high colony counts for
fecal coliform bacteria? Typhoid, hepatitis, giardia, cholera
II. General
• How much of world's water is fresh and available? 3% is fresh, 1% is available to us
• How much of Earth's surface is covered by water? 70%
• What chemical characteristics make water such an important substance?
-Liquid over a wide temperature range (0˚-100˚C)
-high heat capacity (take in a lot w/o increasing temp)
-takes a lot of heat to evaporate liquid water
-can dissolve a variety of compounds
-polar molecule-strong attractive forces to contract
-capillary action: (tendency of liquid to rise in narrow tubes)
-water expands when it freezes
• What is a watershed? Why are they considered important? An area
of land that forms the drainage of a stream or river; they are important to help pollution
(sediment and algae) with utrification
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• What are the three phases of water treatment? What does each phase do?
1) Primary treatment: getting the solids out with grit chamber/filter. Then it goes to the
sedimentation tank, where coagulation occurs (to get things to rest at bottom)
2) Secondary treatment: uses the activated sludge (throw in microbes to seek out organic
materials); aeration tanks add oxygen; disinfection (kill microbes)
3) Advanced Treatment (specific to region); get rid of nutrients, organic chemicals and heavy
metals
• Name something that might be dealt with in advanced (tertiary) treatment
eutrophication
• Name the leading users of water in the nation. In the household. AGRICULTURE,
personal use, irrigation, hydropower, navigation, recreation Toilets, Faucet, Showers
V. Miscellaneous
• What is channelization? What are the environmental consequences?
Straightening/deepening of a stream; causes lots of sedimentation
• What can accumulate in soils after an extended period of irrigation?
salt
• Give an example of point source water pollution. An area source of water pollution?
point source: distinct, confined, controlled (industrial pipes)….run off
• Understand why farmed fish are considered a threat to fishery stocks.
they can easily contaminate the normal fish supply
VI. Groundwater
• What is the difference between an influent stream and an effluent stream? Influent:
indirect response to precipitation effluent: maintained by groundwater seepage
• What is an aquifer? Underground zone where groundwater can be obtained
• How significant is groundwater as a water source in the U.S.? VERY. 22% of all
freshwater withdrawals, 37% of agricultural use as well as of public water supply, 51% of all
drinking water, 99% of drinking water for rural population
• What are some consequences of groundwater use? 25% is
contaminated. Surface runoff (soil is saturated); sink holes
VI. The Law
• What is the Clean Water Act? What does it say? Primary federal law dealing with water
pollution, effluent limits for industry, established water quality standards for surface waters:
Those applying for construction permits must have:
- taken steps to avoid wetland impacts where practicable
- provided compensation for any remaining, unavoidable impacts through
activities to restore or create wetlands.
• Name a piece of legislation that might come into play if someone wants to develop a
wetland area. The Clean Water Act