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ENVL 101 Unit 3: The Human Population and Essential Resources - Coggle…
ENVL 101 Unit 3: The Human Population and
Essential Resources
Chapter 10
:
Water
: Hydrologic Cycle & Human Use
Water represents
ecosystem capital
that provides goods and services.
Drinking, cleaning, agriculture, industry, hydropower, etc.
Water is the
universal solvent
Has polar charge.
H bonding & dissolution
Properties of H2O
Cohesion
: Sticks to other water particles
High heat capacity
Adhesion
: Sticks to things
Water self-ionization
High heat of vaporization
Surface tension
: allows leaves to float on top
High boiling, melting, & freezing points
Percentage of water in hydrologic cycle is:
Polar ice caps/ glaciers: 1.7%
Accessible freshwater: 0.77%
Saltwater: 97.5%
Hydrology
: Branch of environmental science that deals with water properties, movement, and distribution on Earth. The cycle is driven by the sun.
Hydrologic Cycle
Condensation
: Adiabatic cooling results in cloud formation
Precipitation
: Vapor condenses and falls back as water
Transpiration
: Vapor from plants enter stmosphre
Infiltration
: Ground absorbs water when it first enters the soil
Evaporation
: Water goes into atmosphere as vapor
Percolation
: Ground water travels through soil, becoming purified/ filtered. "pure, clean water" for aquifers
Adiabatic cooling
: As vapors rise into the atmosphere, they cool and saturation capacity reduces, resulting in condensation (cloud formation).
Human impact on the cycle
Damming lakes & rivers: reservoirs & hydropower
Burning fossil fuels= rising global temp. = speeds up cycle
Irrigation alters the flow
Poor land management= erosion (loss of vegitation)
Overconsumption of aquifers
Construction: Impervious surfaces
Blue Revolution
: Movement to conserve water
Mulch (holds water longer)
Flow-restricting shower heads
Reusable bottles
Americans use about 100 gallons a day per person, while people in developing countries average around 1 gallon a day per person.
Water tends to go one of two separate ways after
precipitation
:
Soaked into ground by
infiltration
, leading to
percolation
and recharging aquifers.
High ratio of infiltration to runoff
= more water is purified and recharges aquifers.
Surface
runoff
into water bodies- ponds, lakes, rivers, etc.
Low ratio of infiltration to runoff
= Water moves towards ocean/ less usable.
Aquifers
: Large, porous regions deep below the Earth's surface that store our freshwater supply.
Unconfined
: Has a confining bed of strata only below the porous rock holding groundwater. Fluctuates more and is more susceptible to contamination.
Artesian well
: Bubbling up groundwater due to pressure underground.
Confined
: Two confining layers of strata both above and below the porous rock holding onto groundwater.
Permeable pavers
: Pavement that leaves spaces for water to infiltrate the ground.
Problems that groundwater faces
Loss of water due to surface water/ runoff
Land subsidence (over-farming)
Pollution
Saltwater intrusion
US biggest use of water=
agriculture
(because subsidies)
Top 3 worldwide uses of water
2) Industry 20%
1) Irrigation 70%
3) Direct use 10%
Chapter 11
:
Soil
- The Foundation for Land Ecosystems
Soil
: Unconsolidated cover of Earth, made up of mineral and organic components, water, and air. Capable of supporting plant growth.
Major soil functions
Organism habitat
Recycles nutrients & water
Engineering medium
Purifies water
Medium for plant growth
Modifier of atmosphere
Soil forming factors
(CLORPT)
Relief/ topography
Move downhill- gravity
Summit & slope soils differ
Affects water movement & soil erosion
Parent material
1) Organic: Derived from plants
2) Geologic: Derived from rocks/ minerals
Transports & breaks down to form soil
Organics/ biota
Facilitates weathering of rocks/ minerals
Enhances inflitration
Cycles nutrients
Bioturbation
: Mixing of soil by animals
Forms SOM (Soil Organic Matter)
Flora & fauna
Time
Can take 100s of 1,000s of years to form
Young & old soils differ in appearance and "richness"
Soils form over long periods: average 250-500 years/ inch
Climate
Chemical & physical weathering
Precipitation, temperature, wind
Most influential forming factor
Compsition
45% Geologic
5% Organic Matter
10% Roots
80% Humus
Humus
: Decayed organic matter.
Supplies & holds nutrients
Energy source (carbon) for flora
Good porosity for aeration & water holding
pH buffering
Good structure (lipids & proteins)
Sequesters contaminants
Soil warming
10% Organisms
25% Water
25% Oxygen
Soil Profile
: Cross-sectional area of soil. Created by factors over time.
Soil particles
Silt: 0.002-0.05mm diameter
Clay: <0.002mm diameter
Sand: 0.1mm - 2mm diameter
Loam
= Soil composed of roughly equal parts sand, silt, and clay. Great for agriculture.
Soil structure
: When particles aggregate together to form peds. Good structure helps with plant growth, aeration, and percolation. Tillage breaks up these structures.
Soil color
: Hue, value, chroma. Determined by Munsell color charts.
Dark= High SOM
Grey= Water table depth (very saturated/ washed out)
Red= Oxidized iron
Common soil types
Histosols
: Dark brown, high SOM content (up to 20%). High water table year-round. Very wet, always found in wetlands.
Inceptosols
: "Catch all" category. Grey soil. Not always wet, but usually is. Water table came up and washed out the minerals.
Oxisols
: Bright red from oxidized iron. Very weathered, lacks nutrients. Common in the tropics.
Spodosols
: Common soil of NJ Pinelands. Leached due to sandy texture & acidity (pine tree needles creating tannins).
NJ soil types
Spodosols
: Pinelands
Inceptisols
: Young
Ultisols
: Weathered
Entisols
: Very young
Histosols
: Wetland- high SOM
Soil fertility
: Pores are pockets in soil that allow the flow of water and air. Plants require nutrients, macro and micro.
Loss of nutrients: Leaching, plant uptake, harvesting crops.
Acidity affects a soil's availability to nutrients: Max availability between 6.5-7 pH.
Nutrient holding ability: Clays & OM have a negative charge, so they hold positively charged nutrients.
Mineralization
: Converting organic nutrients to inorganic nutrients.
Soil issues
Agriculture: Loss of structure= erosion
Construction: Compaction & erosion
Industry/ mining: compaction & pollution
Erosion: Extremely destructive. Destroys civilizations. Caused by wind and water. Net loss: more soil is eroded than is being made to replace it (losing 1"/year, takes 250-500 years to replace).
Soil Morphology
: Appearance of soils and uses of these characteristics.
Soil Horizons
E
: Lightest layer- very leached, deposits into B horizon.
B
: Brightest layer- loaded with clay, nutrients, & minerals (zone of accumulation).
A
: 1st mineral layer, darkened from organic matter.
C
: Least weathered horizon.
O
: Organic matter, top layer.
R
: Bedrock.
Chapter 12
: The Production & Distribution of
Food
Agriculture
Traditional
(Subsistence)
Relies on family working & good climate
Cannot survive crop failure
Asia, Latin America, sub-Sahara Africa
Feeds about 2 billion people
Modern
(Conventional)
Irrigation
Chemicals
Infastructure
Expansive land use
Modern machinery
CAFOs
GMOs
Corn
: US crop with highest yield. Used for livestock feed and biofuel (fermented= ethanol).
GMO
: Organisms receiving genes from other organisms by genetic transmission.
Transgenic
: Gene taken from completely different organism and inserted into another.
Marker-assisted breeding
: Traditional breeding, sped up using molecular biological techniques.
GMO Disadvantages
Too much focus on aesthetics
Big companies patent crops/ seeds
Pesticide-resistant plants sprayed more
Unknown consequences- new field
Super weed (Roundup ready crops)
Antibiotic resistance & new toxins
Ecological impacts (killing unintended pests)
GMO Advantages
Produce with more/ different nutrients/ vitamins
Faster development= feeds more people
Blight, disease, and pest resistance
Tolerance to environment
Less use of pesticides
Less erosion due to reduced tillage
80% of processed foods in the US contain GMOs
38 countries banned GMO cultivation, and 9 banned imports. Labeling is used in 64 countries, excluding the US.
Food crisis
: Prolonged shortage of food supply that leads to unrest and death. There was a bad food crisis 2007-8 and we are currently in one that began in 2022.
Food security
: Access for every person to enough nutritious food for an active and healthy life.
Hunger
: Lack of basic food required to provide energy & meet nutritional needs.
Undernourishment
: Lack of adequate food for energy.
Malnutrition
: Lack of essential nutrients.
Over-nourished
: Eating too much. More prominent in developed countries.
Trade
: Importing & exporting goods between nations.
Developing world exports more special crops: coffee, cacao, sugar, etc.
Chapter 14
:
Fuel
& Energy
US Primary Energy Consumption by Source
, 2020.
Coal
10%
Uses & source
Primarily sub-bituminous & bituminous
Derived from mining
Surface/ strip
Destroys soil and vegetation, resulting in extreme erosion and flash flooding. Buries streams in valleys, water full of heavy metals= ruins water supply
Underground
Electricity uses 91% of coal used
Environmental costs
Air pollution: trace metals & coal refuse
Acid mine drainage
Oxidizes pyrite (iron sulfide)= very acidic drainage water loaded with trace metals= very low pH
Global climate change
Coal combustion byproducts
Boiler slag
. Flue gas desulfurization material
Bottom ash
Fly ash
Natural Gas
34%
Gaining popularity in the US: Ease of hydrologic fracturing
Increased use for the following
Heat generation (industrial & residential use)
Cars: synthetic oil
Mostly methane
Issues with fracking
Methane released into groundwater
Land subsidence (surface sinks because bedrock is being ruptured)
Burning= GCC
Localized earthquakes
Chemicals used in drilling fluid
Methane is stronger at heating than CO2
Cleanest burning fossil fuel
Nuclear Electric Power
9% (more in chapter 15)
Renewable Energy 12%
Wind 26%
Biomass Waste 4%
Hydroelectric 22%
Biofuels 17%
Solar 11%
Wood 18%
Geothermal 2%
Petroleum
35%
Oil reserves
Mostly held in Persian Gulf (65%)
2% of world’s reserves in US
Oil recovery methods
Primary
: Drill below surface
Secondary
: Use fluid to enhance oil recovery
Enhanced
: Add CO2 to secondary methods to enhance recovery even further.
Crude oil
: liquid, viscous mixture of combustible hydrocarbons.
E.g.) gasoline, kerosene, diesel, etc.
Oil shale:
Kerogen
Mostly undeveloped until oil prices rise greatly
1 ton of oil shale= 1 barrel of oil
Tar/ oil ands:
Bitumen
Commercial development has begun
Extensive environmental damage in boreal forests
Fossil fuels
: created over millions of years
2) Accumulation of detritus of millions of years
3) Organic matter buried under sediments
1) Solar energy - photosynthesis exceeds decomposition - detritus
4) Time, heat, pressure= crude oil, natural gas, & coal
How a steam turbine works
2) Turbine: The hot vapor spins the turbine, generating mechanical energy
3) Generator: Converts mechanical energy into electrical energy
1) Boiler: Water is heated by burning fossil fuels, creating steam/ vapor
4) Condenser: Cools and condenses vapor back to water, then returning it to the boiler