Environmental Science Exam 2 Study Guide Exam 2 Review Sheet For this second test there will only be one exam option the format is as follows 33 Multiple Questions 1 Points Each 33 Points Total 4 Short Answer 6 Points Each 24 Points Total 3 Fill in the Blank 1 Points Each 3 Points Total 3 True or False 1 Points Each 3 Points Total 2 Diagrams 6 Points Each 12 Points Total Review Sheet The following terms concepts are likely to appear on the exam Remember means that there is a strong possibility that particular term concept will appear as a short answer or diagram 1 Earthquakes 9 10 Earthquakes appear along the world s subduction zones and fault systems Occur when the rocks of the lithosphere rupture unexpectedly along a fault Release of energy from built up pressure in fits and starts Earthquake Damage is greatest where the soil is loose saturated or built atop landfills Some regions with active geothermal heating have frequent low intensity quakes Harnessing energy from Geysers may cause more quakes Surface mining removing minerals that are close to Earth s surface Strip mining 2 Mining Open pit mining Mountain top removal Placer mining 3 Plate Movement Convection Subsurface mining very deep tunnels dug in mountain or other geologic feature The Earth is very hot at the center This heat causes plumes of hot magma to well rise upward from the mantle Hotspots locations where molten material from the mantle reach the lithosphere Plate tectonics the theory that states that Earth s lithosphere is divided into plates most of which are in constant motion 4 Weathering Weathering rocks are exposed to air water certain chemicals or biological agents that degrade the rock Two basic types physical and chemical Once weathering has produced fine particles biological activity next contributes to soil formation through the deposition decomposition and accumulation of organic matter The removal of material from one place and its transport toward another by Deposition occurs when eroded material arrives at a new location and is the action of wind or water deposited Erosion often is a problem locally for ecosystems and agriculture because it generally occurs much more quickly than soil is formed 5 Erosion 6 Hotspots The Earth is very hot at the center This heat causes plumes of hot magma to well rise upward from the Hotspots locations where molten material from the mantle reach the mantle lithosphere 7 Richter Scale The expression Richter Magnitude Scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake In all cases the magnitude is a base 10 logarithmic scale obtained by calculating the logarithm of the amplitude of waves measured by a seismograph An earthquake that measures 5 0 on the Richter scale has a shaking amplitude 10 times larger and corresponds to an energy release of 1000 31 6 times greater than one that measures 4 0 8 Freshwater 9 Aquifers 2 78 of the world s water is fresh the rest is the oceans ice and glaciers make up 73 the rest is belowground water Little fresh water is found as liquid at the surface Aquifers small underground spaces within permeable layers of rock and sediment where water is found There are two types of aquifers Unconfined aquifer Confined aquifer most resembles a closed system Largest Aquifer Ogallala Aquifer Shallow used for agriculture Recharge rate too slow to support constant use Many say it could dry up within three decades 10 Artesian Well Artesian wells are created when a well is drilled into a confined aquifer Water is under great pressure because of water being trapped between upper and lower layers of less permeable substrate 11 Rivers tributary A smaller river flowing into a larger one brooks creeks streams is called a The area of land drained by a river system a river and all its tributaries is that river s watershed also called drainage basin Landscapes determine where rivers flow but rivers shape the landscapes through which they run In a steeply sloped region they are called braided rivers in a flattened area they are called meandering rivers 12 Tragedy of the Commons Garret Hardin the population problem cannot be solved in a technical way Rather a technical shift in human behavior The example Hardin uses is of a plot of land with a plethora of farmer s cattle The land itself may only yield enough resources for each farmer to have 3 cattle However if there are no boundaries to this field what is to stop the farmers from surpassing the 3 cow limit With none they will likely have 5 cows there in turn over using the land beyond its capacity If everyone does this well you see the problem Freedom in the commons brings ruin to all seas national parks Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit in a world that is limited fouling of the nest each person thinks their own impact is small so why bother but if everyone thinks that each small impact does matter by its contribution to the whole impact TOC should be prevented licenses coercive laws or taxes Overall the tragedy is that so many people are polluting and over using because most things are shared air water land and they want to maximize their own profit or be lazy with our common pool resources 13 Forrest Management Timber Harvest Practices Clear cutting removing all or almost all of the trees in an area Selective cutting removing single trees or relatively small numbers of trees from a forest creating many small openings Ecologically sustainable forestry directed toward maintaining all species plant and animal in as natural a state as possible Prescribed burns a fire is deliberately set under controlled conditions 14 Exurban similar to suburban areas but unconnected to any central city or densely populated area Suburban lower population density areas surrounding metropolitan centers 15 Sustainable Growth Maximum Sustainable Yield MSY The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource Smart growth focuses on strategies to encourage development of sustainable communities EPA lists 10 principles to support smart growth Mixed land uses Pic Range of housing choices Walkable neighborhoods Pic Stakeholder collaboration Compact building design Pic Strong sense of place Pic Open spaces Variety of transportation choices Pic Direct development toward existing communities Make development decisions predictable fair and cost effective 16 Land