Final Exam Vocabulary

Environmental Geography 201 with Perkins at Ohio University

About this deck

By: Robin Hawk
Textbook: Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry & Applications
Created: 2010-11-02
Size: 69 flashcards
Views: 14

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hydrologic cycle

when water evaporates from moist surfaces, falls as rain or snow, passes through living organisms, and returns to the ocean in this process

residence time

the length of time water stays in a compartment

zone of aeration

when plants get moisture from a relatively shallow layer of soil containing both water and air

zone of saturation

lower soil layers, where all soil pores are filled with water; the source of water in most wells

water table

the top of the soil layers that is filled with water

aquifers

geologic layers that contain water; may consist of porous layers of sand or gravel or of cracked or porous rock.

recharge zones

areas where surface water filters into an aquifer; usually a slow process

discharge

the amount of water that passes a fixed point in a given amount of time; we usually compare rivers in terms of discharge

renewable water supplies

resources that are replenished regularly- mainly surface water and shallow ground water

withdrawl

the total amount of water taken from a body of water

consumption

the loss of water due to evaporation, absorption, or contamination

watershed

aka catchment, all the land drained by a stream or river

point sources

discharge pollution from specific locations, such as drain pipes, ditches or sewer outfalls; examples are factories, power plants, sewage treatment plants, underground coal mines and oil wells

nonpoint sources

water pollution are diffused having no specific location where they dischge into a particular body of water

coliform bacteria

usually describes water quality because it's a specific pathogen that they can detect; any of the manay types of bacteria that lives in the colon, or intestines, of humans and other animals

dissolved oxygen

oxygen is very important to water and the levels are often measured to compare water quality in different places

biochemical oxygen deman (BOD)

the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms, is another standard measure of water contamination; also a measure of all organic matter in water

oxygen sag

the oxgen that decline downstream

thermal pollution

usually effluent from cooling sustems of power plants or other industries, alters water temperature. Raising or lowering water temperature from nol levels can adversely affect water quality and aquatic life

total maximum daily loads (TMDL)

the amount of a particular pollutant that a water body can receive from both point and non point sources

primary treatment

physically spearates large solids from the waste stream with screens and settling tanks

secondary treatment

the aerobic bacteria break down that dissolves organic compounds; effluent is aerated, often with sprayers or in a n aeration tank in which air is pumped through the microorganism-rich slurry

tertiary treatment

removes dissolved metals and nutrients, especially nitrates and phosphates, from the secondary effluent

constructed wetlands

artifical marshes designed to filter and decompose waste

bioremediation

when living organisms clean contaminated water effectively and inexpensively

work

the application of force through a distance

energy

the capacity to do work

power

the rate of flow of energy, or the rate at which work is done

joule (J)

the amount of work done when a force of 1 newton is exerted over 1 meter , or 1 amp per second flows through 1 ohm

fossil fuels

(petroleum, natural gas, and coal) now provide about 87 percent of all commercial energy in the world

prove-in-place reserves

those explored and mapped but not necessarily economic at today's prices- will last about 200 years; generally a small fraction of a total resource; present rates of consumption

tar sands

composed of sand and shale particles coated with bitumen, a vicous mixture of long chain hydrocarbons

oil shales

fine-grained sedimentary rock rich in solid organic material called kerogen; can be heated, liquedfied, and pumped out like liquid crude oil

fuel assembly

pellets thaat are stacked in hollow metal rods approximately 4 m long; 100 of these rods are bundled together to make a fuel assembly;

nuclear fission

when radioactive uranium atoms are unstable-that is, when struck by high-energy subatomic particle called neutron, the splitting is nuclear fission, releasing energy and more neutrons

chain reaction

set in motion, and when vast majority of energy is released

control rods

neutron absorbing material

monitored, retrievable storage

a method that involves holding wastes in underground mines or secure surface facilities where they can be watched.

energy intensity

the amount of energy needed to provide goods and services has declined.

cogeneration

the simultaneous production of both electricity and steam orhot water in the same plant.

passive heat absorption

using natural materials or absorptive structures with no moving parts to simply gather hold heat

photovoltaic cells

an exciting potential for capturing solar energy in a way that will provide clean, versatile, renewable energy

active solar systems

generally pump a heat absorbing fluid medium (air, water, or an antifreeze solution)through a relatively small collector, rather than passively collecting heat in a stationary medium, such as masonary

amorphous silicon collectors

when nonsrystalline silicon semiconductors can be made into lighweight, paper-thin sheets that require much less material than conventional photovoltaic cells; can be made cheaply and in a variety of shapes and sizes

pumped-hydro storage

involves pumping water to an elevated reservoir at times when excess electricity is available

green pricing

allows ultilities to profit from conservation programs and charge premium prices for energy from renewable sources

reformer

a converter that strips hydrogen from fuels such as natural gas, methanol, ammonia, gasoline, ethanol, or even vegetable oil

biofuels

(ethanol or methanol, which ar emade from plant materials, or bioddiesel fuel, which is made from vegetable oils or animal fat) could meet much of our transportation needs

flexfuel vehicles

vehicles that can burn variable mixtures of ethanol and gasoline, but few of them currently use anything beyond the standard 5 ot 10 percent ethanol blend

wind farms

large concentrations of wind generators producing commericial electricity

geothermal energy

around the edges of continental plates or where the earth's crust overlays magma (molten rock) pools close to the surface; expressed in the form of hot springs, geysers, and fumaroles

waste stream

describes the steady flow of varied wastes that we all produce, from domestic garbage and yard wastes to industrial, commercial, and construction refuse

sanitary landfills

where solid waste disposal is regulated and controlled

energy recovery

technology; waste-to-energy because the heat drived from incinerated refuse is a useful resource

refuse-derived fuel

when municipal incinerators are specially designed burning plants capable of burning thousands of tons of waste per day. In some plants, refuse is sorted as it comes in to remove unburnable or recyclable materials before combustion; this is because the enriched burnable fracition has a higher energy content than the raw trash

mass burn

when you dump everything smaller than sofas and refrigerators into a giant furnace and burn as much as possible; this avoids the expensive and unpleasant job of sorting through the garbage for nonburnable materials, but often cause greater problems with pollution

recycling

the reprocessing of discarded materials into new, useful products or when we reuse something

composting

biological degradation or breakdown of organic matter under aerobic conditions

demanufacturing

the disassembly and recycling of obsolete consumer products, such as television sets, computers, telephones, refrigerators, etc

photodegradable plastics

break down when exposed to ultraviolet radiation

biodegradable plastics

incorporate such materials as cornstarch that microorganisms can decompose

hazardous waste

any discarded material, liquid or solid, that contains substance known to be 1. fatal to human os lab animals in low doses 2. toxic 3.ignitable 4. corrosive 5. explosive or highly reactive

toxic release inventory

requires 20,000 manufacturing facilities to report annually on releases of more than 300 toxic materials

superfund

a revolving pool designed to 1. provide an immediate response to emergency situations that pose hazard 2. clean up or remediate abandoned or inactive sites; without this sites would go decades while the courts decide who pays for the cleanup

brownfields

large areas of contamination; usually abandoned because of suspected or real pollution

bioremediation

biological waste treatment, microscopic bacteria and fungi can absorb, accumulate, and detoxify a remarkable variety of toxic compounds

retrievable storage

dumping wastes in the ocean or burying them in the ground generally mean that we have lost control of them

permanent retrievable storage

placing waste storage container in a secure building, salt mine, or bedroc cavern

secure landfill

popular solutions for hazardous waste disposal has been landfilling; thick bottom cushion of compacted clay that surround the pit like a bathtub

About this deck

By: Robin Hawk
Textbook: Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry & Applications
Created: 2010-11-02
Size: 69 flashcards
Views: 14

About StudyBlue

“I have been getting MUCH better grades on all my tests for school. Flash cards, notes, and quizzes are great on here. Thanks!”
Kathy