AP®︎ Environmental Science: Unit 8 Flashcards

Pollution released from a single, discrete, identifiable location, such as a smokestack or discharge pipe

Pollution released diffusely across a broad area or from many scattered locations, such as agricultural or urban runoff

The span of environmental conditions an organism can survive; performance is highest in the optimum range, declines in zones of physiological stress, and reaches death beyond the limits of tolerance

The loss or expulsion of a coral's symbiotic algae under stress, especially elevated temperature, exposing the white skeleton and depriving the coral of a major energy source

Decline or destruction of coral reef health and biodiversity from warming, bleaching, acidification, pollution, sedimentation, overfishing, or physical damage

A petroleum release that can poison organisms with hydrocarbons, coat birds and mammals, contaminate benthic habitats and shorelines, and harm fisheries and tourism

An ocean area where nutrient-driven decomposition lowers dissolved oxygen enough to suffocate or displace most oxygen-dependent aquatic animals

A graph of DO versus distance downstream from an organic-waste or nutrient source: DO falls as decomposition raises BOD, reaches a minimum downstream, and may recover through reaeration, mixing, and photosynthesis

The amount of dissolved oxygen microorganisms require to decompose organic matter; abundant biodegradable waste raises BOD and generally lowers dissolved oxygen

Persistent pollution by metallic elements such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, often released by mining, industry, waste, or fossil-fuel combustion and capable of contaminating groundwater and drinking water

Discarded material in water that can cause ingestion, choking, intestinal blockage, entanglement, habitat damage, and the movement of toxic substances into food chains

Excess particles delivered to water by erosion; suspended sediment raises turbidity and reduces light, while deposited sediment buries, fills, or smothers bottom habitats

Water cloudiness caused by suspended particles that reduces light penetration and can impair photosynthesis and visual feeding

A highly toxic, biologically available organic form of mercury produced by aquatic microorganisms that accumulates in tissues, biomagnifies, and damages nervous-system development

A chemical that alters normal hormone signaling in animals, potentially causing birth defects, developmental or sexual abnormalities, impaired reproduction, and population sex-ratio imbalances

An area where water covers or saturates the soil for part or all of the time, producing waterlogged conditions that favor organisms adapted to low-oxygen soils

Wetlands filter sediment, remove or transform pollutants, store floodwater, reduce waves and erosion, stabilize shorelines, and provide feeding, breeding, nursery, and shelter habitat

Development, dams, overfishing, agricultural runoff, and industrial pollution destroy or alter wetlands and mangroves, reducing habitat, water filtration, flood storage, shoreline protection, and biodiversity

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus entering water, usually from fertilizer, animal waste, or sewage, that promotes algal growth and oxygen depletion

Enrichment of a body of water with nutrients, often causing an algal bloom followed by decomposition, oxygen depletion, and aquatic die-offs

A rapid increase in algae or cyanobacteria, commonly triggered by excess nutrients in water

A condition of low dissolved oxygen that can stress, displace, or kill aquatic organisms, commonly defined near or below 2 mg/L

A nutrient-rich, highly productive waterway that may have dense algae, abundant organic matter, and large dissolved-oxygen fluctuations

A waterway with very low nutrient levels, low and stable algal populations, clear water, and high dissolved oxygen

Human-accelerated eutrophication caused mainly by nutrient-rich agricultural runoff and wastewater releases

Human-released heat that raises a body of water’s temperature enough to harm aquatic organisms, often by lowering oxygen solubility and dissolved oxygen

Molecular oxygen available in water for aerobic respiration; warmer water has a lower capacity to hold it than colder water

Synthetic carbon-based pollutants that resist breakdown, are generally fat-soluble, can be toxic, and can travel long distances through air or water before redeposition

A persistent, fat-soluble chlorinated insecticide that biomagnifies and whose DDE metabolite causes eggshell thinning and reduced hatching success in predatory birds

Persistent, fat-soluble industrial chemicals formerly used in electrical equipment that biomagnify and can cause reproductive, developmental, immune, and neurological harm

Buildup of a substance within one organism over time because uptake exceeds metabolism and excretion

Increase in a substance’s concentration per unit of tissue at successively higher trophic levels

Any discarded material that is neither a liquid nor a gas

Solid waste generated primarily by homes, institutions, and commercial establishments and commonly collected by municipal services

Discarded electronic devices that may contain valuable recoverable materials and hazardous substances such as lead and mercury that can leach into groundwater if improperly discarded

An engineered landfill with a bottom liner, leachate and stormwater collection, a cap, and methane collection

A low-permeability clay or plastic barrier that separates landfill waste from soil and groundwater

Contaminated liquid formed when water passes through waste and dissolves or carries substances from it

Drainage material and perforated pipes above the liner that collect leachate for removal and treatment

Wells and pipes that capture landfill gas so it can be controlled rather than accumulating or escaping

Gas produced by anaerobic waste decomposition, composed mainly of methane and carbon dioxide

High-temperature burning that greatly reduces waste volume but releases air pollutants and leaves ash that may contain concentrated toxic substances

Burning solid waste to produce heat, steam, and electricity while reducing waste volume; it leaves ash and can emit carbon dioxide and other air pollutants

Unauthorized dumping of waste tires that creates fire hazards, releases toxic pollution when burned, collects mosquito-breeding water, and wastes recyclable material

Disposal of solid waste directly into the ocean, contributing to persistent marine debris and harm to wildlife

Regions within large rotating ocean gyres where currents concentrate persistent floating marine debris that can be ingested by wildlife, cause entanglement, and damage habitats

The preferred order of source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting, energy recovery, then treatment and disposal

Preventing waste before it is created, such as by using less packaging or choosing durable, repairable, or reusable products

Processing discarded materials into feedstock for new products, reducing demand for virgin resources and landfill space but requiring energy and money

Controlled, usually aerobic decomposition of organic waste into nutrient-containing compost used as fertilizer or a soil amendment; drawbacks include odors and rodents

Capturing methane-rich gas from anaerobic landfill decomposition and combusting it to generate electricity or useful heat, limit methane release, and reduce landfill volume

Capping, monitoring, revegetating, and converting a closed landfill into habitat, parkland, open space, or another use while continuing gas and leachate controls

Physical removal of large debris with screens or grates, followed by settling of solid waste in a tank

Biological treatment in which bacteria break down organic matter into carbon dioxide and inorganic sludge, with aeration increasing the rate of decomposition

Introducing air or oxygen into wastewater to support aerobic bacteria and accelerate organic-matter decomposition

Ecological or chemical removal of pollutants remaining after primary and secondary treatment, often including nitrogen and phosphorus

Final exposure of treated wastewater to chlorine, ozone, or UV light to kill or inactivate bacteria before discharge

The dose of a chemical that kills 50% of a specified test population under specified exposure conditions, usually reported in mg/kg

A graph showing how a measured biological response changes as the dose of a toxin, pollutant, or drug changes

A threshold relationship shows no measurable harmful response below a certain dose; a no-threshold relationship assumes some risk even at the smallest dose

Establishing that pollution causes illness requires tracing the exposure pathway and using epidemiological evidence while accounting for acute or delayed effects, latency, confounding variables, and the difference between association and causation

A serious intestinal infection characterized by severe diarrhea, often containing blood or mucus, caused by ingesting pathogens from water or food contaminated by untreated sewage

Cancer of the tissue lining internal organs, usually around the lungs, caused principally by asbestos exposure

Ground-level O₃, a reactive secondary air pollutant that irritates respiratory tissue and reduces lung function

A disease-causing biological agent, such as a bacterium, virus, or parasite

A living organism, such as a mosquito or flea, that carries a pathogen from one host to another

Climate change can expand vector and pathogen ranges, lengthen transmission seasons, and increase disease spread by altering temperature, precipitation, habitats, and extreme-weather exposure

Poverty increases infectious-disease risk through inadequate sanitation, unsafe water, crowding, poor nutrition, limited health care, and greater exposure to pathogens and vectors

A bacterial disease commonly transmitted by infected flea bites or by contact with contaminated fluids or tissues

A bacterial infection that usually attacks the lungs and spreads when people inhale bacteria released by an infected person

A parasitic disease transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes and most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa

A viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, with birds serving as the principal reservoir hosts

A viral respiratory illness and form of pneumonia spread by inhaling infectious respiratory particles or contacting infected fluids

A viral respiratory illness transmitted from animals, especially dromedary camels, to humans and sometimes between people

A viral disease spread mainly by infected Aedes mosquitoes but also through sexual contact and from a pregnant person to a fetus

A bacterial disease contracted by consuming water or food contaminated with Vibrio cholerae, commonly through fecal contamination