Pollution (25-30%)

A. Pollution Types

1. Air pollution (20)

a. Sources (primary and secondary)

b. Major air pollutants

c. Measurement units

d. Smog

e. Acid deposition (causes and effects)

f. Heat islands and temperature inversions

g. Indoor air pollution

h. Remediation and reduction strategies

i. Clean Air Act and other relevant laws

2. Noise pollution (25)

Sources; effects; control measures

3. Water pollution (22)

a. Types

b. Sources, causes, and effects

c. Cultural eutrophication

d. Groundwater pollution

e. Maintaining water quality

f. Water purification

g. Sewage treatment/septic systems

h. Clean Water Act and other relevant laws

4. Solid waste (24)

a. Types

b. Disposal

c. Reduction

Hazardous chemicals in the environment (24)

a. Types of hazardous waste

b. Treatment/disposal of hazardous waste

c. Cleanup of contaminated sites

d. Relevant laws

Global Change (10-15%)

A. Stratospheric Ozone (21)

1. Formation

2. Ultraviolet radiation

3. Causes and effects of ozone depletion

4. Strategies for reducing ozone depletion

5. Relevant laws and treaties

B. Global Warming (21)

1. Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect

2. Impacts and consequences of global warming

3. Reducing climate change

4. Relevant laws and treaties

Questions to know

Air Pollution

1.  Sketch the layers of the atmosphere.

2.  Which nutrient cycles have an atmospheric portion?

3.  Differentiate between primary & secondary air pollutants.

4.  Differentiate between photochemical smog and industrial smog.

5.  What is acid deposition?

6.  What contributes to and causes acid deposition?

7.  What gases are of primary concern for acid deposition?

8.  Write the basic equations of this?

9.  Is rain naturally acidic or basic? Why?

10. Why the concern over indoor air pollution

11. Describe the concerns over radon, lead and asbestos in indoor air pollution.

12. Describe air pollution control methods

13. What are the following pollutants (their names), from where do they come, how can they be controlled & what is the health concern over them - NOx, SOx, CO, PM, CFC, VOCs, CH4, O3, CO2.

14. Write the basic combustion equation.

15. Write the basic photosynthesis equation

16. Define the following terms and describe their role in air quality - NAAQS, PSD, & CAA.

17. What is the concern over stratospheric ozone?

18. What is causing this degradation?

19. What part of the CFCs are most destructive to the ozone?

20. What does the ozone layer do for us?

21. What the difference between tropospheric and stratospheric ozone?

22. What is the concern over global warming?

23. The greatest threat to coastal areas is due to what phenomena?

24. List greenhouse gases & define what greenhouse gases are.

25. What type of radiation causes the greenhouse effect?

26. What could be some consequences of global warming?

Solid & Hazardous Waste

1.  Describe each of the following and give the pros & cons of each of the following - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Incineration, Burying & Detoxifying wastes.

2.  What is a hazardous waste?

3.  Describe the concept of the Superfund.

  1. Define solid waste
  2. effective ways to reduce the amount of waste produced
  3. Solid waste disposal act of 1965
  4. Define non municipal solid waste
  5. Examples of non municipal solid waste
  6. Municipal Solid waste
  7. Examples of municipal solid waste and most common waste product
  8. Define Hazardous waste and give examples
  9. Waste disposal methods
  10. Most popular disposal method
  11. Define sanitary landfill
  12. How a sanitary landfill works
  13. Advantages and disadvantages of sanitary landfills
  14. Incineration
  15. Disadvantages of Incineration

19.

Water Pollution

1.  Describe water quality indicators & their effect on the organisms including pH, nitrates, phosphates, chloride, chlorine, hardness, alkalinity, macroinvertebrates, clarity, turbidity, DO, BOD, coliform, etc.

2.  What are the limiting nutrients for lakes & oceans?

3.  What will happen if too much of a limiting nutrient reaches a lake?

4.  Describe the layers in lakes.

5.  Differentiate between a point & non-point source pollution.

6.  What is overfishing & commercial extinction.

7.  Describe aquaculture, fish farming, fish ranching and fisheries management.

8.  How do nitrates & phosphates affect water supplies?

9.  Describe the concerns over oil spills.

10. What are problems with coastal water contamination?

11. Describe the basic steps in wastewater treatment?

12. Why do we treat wastewater?

13. Describe the basic steps in potable water treatment?

14. Why do we treat potable water?

15. How could wetlands be used to clean water?

Global Change:

1.  What is climate?

2.  How can levels of carbon dioxide be measured throughout history?

3.  How much sunlight is reflected back into space?

4.  Deforestation, burning of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases contributes to what?

5.  What are some sources of methane gas?

6.  What are some manmade chemicals that contribute to greenhouse gases?

7.  What is photodissociation?

8.  Why is the breakdown of ozone so dangerous?

9.  What causes sea levels to rise due to global warming?

10.  How does El Nino contribute to global warming?

11.  Which type of organisms would thrive in global warming conditions?

12.  What are some examples of carbon dioxide sinks?

13.  What percent of the world’s carbon dioxide comes from the U.S.?

14.  Which fossil fuel releases the least amount of carbon into the atmosphere?

15.  What is polar amplification?

Pollution Types:

1.  When is smog levels usually the highest?

2.  What is the Clean Air Interstate Rule?

3.  What percentage of streams in the United States is affected by agriculture?

4.  Where does municipal water pollution come from?

5.  What are red tide blooms?

6.  What is the ideal situation for a stream in terms of amount of oxygen to support animals?

7.  What is the main method of water disinfection in major cities?

8.  What are some examples of nonpoint source contamination of water?

9.  Which nutrient becomes a pollutant and is found in detergents and fertilizers?

10.  How does acid affect trees?

11.  What is the Air Quality Accord?

12.  Which sources produce radioactive waste?

13.  Why are chlorofluorocarbons considered pollutants?

14.  What does the Plastic Pollution Act of 1988 do?

15.  What is methyl mercury and what problems does it cause?

16.  What are dioxins?

17.  Which types of pollutants are caused by gasoline-powered vehicles?

18.  What is the Toxic Substances Control Act?

19.  What are teratogens?

20.  What is anthropogenic pollution?

21.  Where specifically indoors is formaldehyde found?

22.  Which is the most dangerous indoor air pollutant?

23.  What health problems does ozone cause?

24.  What are lichens and what role do they play in pollution ?

25.  What are some pollutants that occur naturally?