Properties of Water Cohesion Adhesion Polarity Universal Solvent High Heat Capacity Density
Jan 20, 2016
Properties of Water
CohesionAdhesionPolarityUniversal SolventHigh Heat CapacityDensity
The Importance of Water
• Aquifers
Water Supply• Supply Fresh Water1. 3% fresh2. 2% Glacial3. 1% Ground & Surface
Water Management – Dams & Reservoirs
Pros –• Ensure year-round
water supply• Hydropower• Recreation• Fisheries• Industry• Controls flooding
Water ManagementCons –• Alter ecosystems Increase water loss• Sediment Deposition Controls flooding• Block spawning fish Submerges whitewater• Flood Land
Water Issues• Too Much• Too Little• Distribution• National and State Boarders• Salinization• Desalinization• Disease• Point Vs Nonpoint• E-coli• Dead Zones• Eutriphication• Water Diversion• Combined Sewer Overflows• Waste Water Treatment
Soil Issues
• Erosion• Desertification• Mineral Depletion• Top Soil Loss
What is Soil?• Composed of:• mineral
matter - 45%• organic
matter - 5%• Water - 25%• Air - 25%
• Modified by:• weather• water• organisms
Humus?
Humus
Partially decomposed material
•Acts as a sponge•Holds Nutrients•Leaching
Horizons
The deposition of colloids, soluble salts, and suspended mineral particles in a lower soil horizon through the process of eluviation (downward movement) from an upper soil horizon.
1. O Horizon – layer of decomposing organic matter - leaf litter called humus – this is not considered soil yet
2. A Horizon – Topsoil – rich in organic matter - leaching
3. E Horizon – This “illuviation” (The deposition of soluble salts and suspended mineral particles in a lower soil horizon through the process of eluviation {downward movement] from an upper soil horizon.) layer is light in color & it is made up mostly of sand and silt, having lost most of its minerals and clay as water drips through the soil. Found in older soils
4. B Horizon - Contains clay and mineral deposits from layers above it when mineralized water drips down it collects here.
5. C Horizon - Consists of slightly broken-up bedrock - no plants roots6. R Horizon - The unweathered rock (bedrock)
Horizons
Soil Properties• Availability of nutrient minerals in clay
Positives and Negatives of clay?
Major Soil Types• Major Soil Groups - SAMAO - 17K -
identified soil types
Acidic - Leached Leaf Litter - Deep Humus
Major Soil Types
Deep Soils - rich in humusLimited Humus - few layers
Major Soil Types
• Major Soil Groups
Tragedy of Commons
•Sustainability and the Tragedy of the Commons
Garrett Hardin
In England and Wales, a common (or common land) is a piece of land over which other people—often neighboring landowners—could exercise one of a number of traditional rights, such as allowing their cattle to graze upon it.
Hectares of Land Required
• Ecological footprint
One U.S. Child has a 1:12 Ratio of consumption
New Model IPAT
I = P x A x T1
I = P x A T2
How to move T to the denominator• Emulate Nature•Linear becomes cyclical•Resource extraction Vs renewable
Ray C. Anderson
General Revisions Act
The General Revision Act of 1891 authorizes the President, under the Forest Reserve Act, to create forest preserves "wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth, whether of commercial value or not....”
and prevent them from being acquired through the various public land laws.
Antiquities Act 1906The Antiquities Act of 1906 resulted from concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Indian ruins and artifacts-collectively termed "antiquities ” Authorized presidents to proclaim historic landmarks as national monuments
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/NPSHistory/antiq.htm
Use of the Antiquities Act
Gifford Pinchot
•Appointed by Theodore Roosevelt•1st Chief of the Forest Service, 1905-1910• Forest service motto "greatest good for the greatest number.” •Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture.
Manifest Destiny
1600 1700 1800 1900
Dominated by the frontier attitude
What is a frontier attitude?
What is manifest destiny?
Endangered Species Act (1973)
• * Authorizes listing of species as endangered and threatened
• * Prohibits unauthorized taking, possession, sale, and transport of endangered species
• * Provides authority to acquire land for the conservation of the listed species
• * Establishes a recovery plan
Economics and the Environment
Source
Raw Materials
Economy
Production Consumption
Products
Money
Sinks
Waste
How does our economic system compare to natural systems ?Why compare them?
Full Cost Accounting
What are internal and external costs?
Making the aluminum can:http://www.cancentral.com/canc/text/history.htm
Economics and the Environment
• Cost-Benefit Analysis
A. First graph - harm caused by pollution exceeds cost of reducing it - so it makes sense to control the pollution
B. Second Graph - Cost of reducing pollution exceeds the harm of the pollution - so it makes sense to pollute
Green line = cost $$$ Brown line = harm done
SubsidyA payment, generally by the government, to the producer or consumer of a good or service, intended to encourage its production and/or to reduce its cost to consumers.
Earth’s Major Biomes
Earth’s Major Biomes
• Type of biome controlled by temperature and precipitation
Arizona Biomes
Aquatic Ecosystems• Freshwater Ecosystems• Lakes and Ponds
Not always present; anaerobic, dominated by decomposers - below light penetration
Thermocline - lakes• Freshwater Ecosystems• Thermal stratification in temperate lakes
Point of change between warm surface & cold depths
Turnover - Lakes• Turnover in• temperate lakes
Spring Turnover - Melting Ice (40C) & warming surface waters + wind
Fall Turnover - cooling surface water = > density(40C) + wind
Littoral-Limnetic-Profundal Zones
Spheres of Organization
• Landscape Ecology –• encompasses larger area and several
ecosystems• Biosphere –• the whole earth
Types of Energy1. Chemical - energy stored in bonds2. Radiant - wave energy: electromagnetic3. Thermal - energy flow from high heat to low4. Mechanical - the energy of motion5. Nuclear - atomic nuclei6. Electrical - flow of charged particles
The Energy of Life• 1st Law of Thermodynamics –• energy can change forms, but is not created or
destroyed
• 2nd Law of Thermodynamics –• “Entropy Rules!” amount of usable energy
decreases as energy changes forms
• 1st Law deals with quantity of energy • 2nd Law with quality of energy
The Energy of Life
• Photosynthesis6 CO2 + 12 H2O + radiant energy
C6H12O6 + 6 H2O + 6 O2
The Energy of Life
• Cellular RespirationC6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O
6 CO2 + 12 H2O + energy
ChemosynthesisAn extremophile is any microbe that thrives in extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, salinity, or concentrations of hostile chemicals.
Extremophiles commonly belong to the kingdom Archaebacteria.
Hydrogen sulfide chemosynthesis 6{CO2}+6{H2O}+3{H2S} → C6H12O6+3{H2SO4}
The Path of Energy Flow
• Food Chains –
The Path of Energy Flow
• Ecological Pyramids
Pyramid of Numbers Pyramid of Biomass
The Path of Energy Flow
• Ecological Pyramids
Pyramid of Energy
The Path of Energy Flow
• Ecosystem ProductivityNet Primary Productivity
Gross Primary Productivity Plant cellular respiration
=
Interactions Among Organisms
• Symbiosis –• Three types
1) Mutualism
Without mycorrhizae With mycorrhizae
Hippo Spa - You Tubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SJq2bnb1VA
Interactions Among Organisms
• Symbiosis –• Three types
2) Commensalism
Epiphytes
The Alien & the Blind Man - you tubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_UeDVW4pI
Interactions Among Organisms
• Symbiosis –• Three types
3) Parasitism
Tracheal mites
Video of wasp & caterpillarhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMG-LWyNcAs
The Ecological Niche
• Resource partitioning
•Intraspecific competition•Interspecific competition•Fundamental vs. Realized Niche
The Ecological Niche• Limiting Resources
Bald Cypress on campus - knees no knees
Ecosystem Services
Keystone
Biological Communities• Secondary Succession
The Gaia Theory
Dynamic Equilibrium
Negative Feedback
Positive Feedback
The Gaia Theory: The organic and inorganic components of Planet Earth have evolved together as a single living, self-regulating system.
In a phrase, “life maintains conditions suitable for its own survival.”
Carbon Cycle
Billions of Tons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vwa6qtEih8&feature=related
Carbon Silicate
A weathering Cycle:1. Atmospheric CO2 forms H2CO3 precipitation which moves through soil2. H2CO3 dissociates & forms H+ & HCO -
3 3. Silicate rich minerals interact with the free H+ to release Ca2+
4. Shellfish5. Subduction – silicate formation at temperatures above 300 °C
Carbon Silicate
Believed to provide important negative feedback mechanisms that control the temperature of the atmosphere.
Carbon Silicate• Carbonate Rocks• 1. Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by dissolving in water and forming carbonic
acid CO2 + H2O -> H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
• 2. Carbonic acid is used to weather rocks, yielding bicarbonate ions, other ions, and clays:
• H2CO3 + H2O + silicate minerals -> HCO3- + cations (Ca++, Fe++, Na+, etc.) + clays
• 3. Calcium carbonate is precipitated from calcium and bicarbonate ions in seawater by marine organisms like coral and shellfish
• Ca++ + 2HCO3- -> CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O to become limestone
• Metamorphism of Carbonates1. Some of this carbon is returned to the atmosphere via metamorphism of limestone• at depth in subduction zones CaCO3 + SiO2 -> CO2 + CaSiO3
Nitrogen cycle• Nitrogen cycle: Atmospheric
nitrogen (N2)
Nitrogen fixation by humans
Biological nitrogen 1. fixation
2. Nitrification
NH3 & NH4
-
NO3-
3. Assimilation
5.Denitrification
Plant & animal proteins
Decomposition - urea
4. Ammonification
Internal cycling
(Ammonia)
LightningVolcanoesBacteria
(Nitrates &Nitrites)
(Oxidation)
NO3 - → NO
2 - → NO → N2 O → N
2 gas
Nitrogen Cycle & Steps1. Nitrogen Fixation is the conversion of elemental nitrogen(N2) to
organic ammonia(NH3) by lightning, industry, volcanoes & bacteria.
2. Nitrification - conversion of ammonia or ammonium (NH4) into nitrites(NO-
2) and then into nitrates (NO-3)
3. Ammonification - nitrogen is converted into ammonia from animal waste or dead organisms by aerobic bacteria
4. Assimilation- plants absorb nitrates or ammonia5. Denitrification - anaerobic bacteria convert nitrates & nitrites
to nitrogen gasses off to atmosphere
1. Nitrogen is not a reactive molecule2. 78% atmosphere N2 & 21% oxygen & .038% CO2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4YToXw724w&feature=related
Phosphorus Cycle
Does not include the atmosphere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKkC2JpjaGc&feature=related
Phosphorus Cycle
Accelerated Eutrophication
Internal Planetary Processes
• Plate boundaries
Internal Planetary Processes
• Plate boundaries
El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)• Chicken and Egg scenario – ocean
temperatures or trade winds?
This decreases during El Niño
Increases during La Niña
http://esminfo.prenhall.com/science/geoanimations/animations/26_NinoNina.html
El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)Must spend more time on this!!
1. Heavier rainfall over coastal equatorial South America2. Drought in Western Pacific (Indonesia & Australia)3. Increased transmission of disease – mosquitoes and stagnant water4. Migration of fish species5. Death of seals and sea birds due to fisheries changing6. Heavier rains in the southwestern deserts of United States7. Fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic8. Changes in disease due to shifts in temperature and moisture
2010-2011 Australia has record flooding?A. La Nina B. El NinoA. Weak B. Strong
The Atmosphere• Layers of the• Atmosphere
Coriolis Effect
The Atmosphere as a Resource
• Atmospheric composition:• Nitrogen = 78%• Oxygen = 21%• Carbon dioxide = 0.038%
Types of Air Pollutants
Synergism?
(HNO2) Nitrous Acid(HNO3) Nitric Acid(H202) Hydrogen PeroxideSOx - Sulfate Compounds(SO3) Sulfur Trioxide(H2SO4) Sulfuric Acid(PANs) Peroxyacetyl nitrateNox - Nitrate Compounds(O3) Ozone(H2CO3) Carbonic Acid
•Particulate matter•Nitrogen oxides•Sulfur oxides
•Carbon oxides•Hydrocarbons•Ozone
Major Classes of Air Pollutants
Photochemical Smog
Nox + Voc’s = smog
Carbon Sequestering
Scrubbers (dry or wet)
Indoor Air Pollution
Keeling Curve
Winter High & Summer Low
Scientists are pushing for CO2 caps that will stabilized us at 450 ppm in the next few decades. Many believe this goal isn't politically feasible, and prefer 550 ppm
http://co2now.org/Current-CO2/CO2-Now/annual-co2.html
Greenhouse Gasses
Water Vapor - absorbs and releases energy
Greenhouse Gases
Water Vapor - absorbs and releases energy
Effects of Temperature Changes• Change wind and weather patterns• Redistribute global moisture• Shift Agricultural Areas• Alter World’s Biomes
• Alter Some Ocean Currents• Increase Sea Levels• Flood Coastal Wetlands and Cities• Increase Waterborne and Insect-transmitted diseases
Albedo
• The fraction of radiation striking a surface that is reflected by that surface
• High Albedo - reflecting most of the energy
• Low Albedo - absorbing most of the energy
Positive FeedbackCO2 emissions, copious as they are, may just wind up pulling the trigger on the clathrate gun.
Ozone Depletion in StratosphereCFCs / HCFC’s / Bromine / Halons
Acid Deposition
Problems Associated with Sanitary Landfills
• Methane gas production
• Surface water / ground water contamination
• Not a long-term remedy
• Even when closed, considerable cost
http://www.ecomaine.org/electricgen/index.shtmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.html?pagewanted=all
E-Waste1999 average lifespan of a computer 4-6 years.
2005 it dropped to less than 2 years.
Personal computers contain toxic heavy metals such as barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, zinc, nickel and lead.
All of these materials are regulated by the EPA.
http://www.electronicstakeback.com/2011/11/30/new-studies-show-e-waste-exports-still-harming-children-in-china-ghana/
Hazardous Waste
• Examples:
Superfund = abandoned hazardous sites1. A response to “The Love Canal”2. Where does the money come from?• 70% parties responsible pay cleanup
• Those who own the site now and before• Those who transported to the site
• 30% payed for by a tax on polluting companies and or state and federal funds
Love Canal Part Onehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKIM9sE0t6I&feature=related
Part Twohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXSE9kcBQCI&feature=related
Georgiahttp://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/npl/index.htm#GA