PDS APES 8th Period 2009-10

Today in class we focused on solutions to preventing & reducing surface water runoff. There are two main solutions: we can clean the water or we can prevent water pollution. The lesson today focused on ways to clean pollutants from water. As a quick reminder, our textbook defines surface runoff as “water flowing off the land into bodies of surface water.”

So, how do we clean up our water? Well, it depends on the source of the water pollutants. There are nonpoint and point sources. Here are some proposed solutions:

Nonpoint:

• Treat stormwater
• Treat runoff from highways, pavement, etc.
• Buffer zone vegetation around creeks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Riparian_buffer_on_Bear_Creek_in_Story_County,_Iowa.JPG

• Reduce soil erosion
  • The #1 pollutant of streams is sediment because it blocks sunlight

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Silt_fence_EPA.jpg

• Less inorganic fertilizer and pesticide use
• Retention ponds
  • Retains unwanted water before it enters a stream
  • 2 on PDS’s campus (next to the MAC and behind the West Lot)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trounce_Pond.jpg

Point:

• 1972 Clean Water Act
  • Regulates the discharge of pollutants (effluent) into US waterways
  • Promotes water quality levels
  • Requires states to complete an assessment of all rivers impacted by nonpoint pollution
  • Targets urban areas
  • Requires permits for effluent emissions
• Treat septic tanks and sewage

Here’s a podcast from NPR’s Morning Edition. It’s about how Philadelphia has dealt with runoff pollution. podcast

Hey guys. My lab group for the Soil pH lab got some weird data, so I had trouble with the lab’s analysis questions. Could some one help me out and give their findings about how pH affects nutrient levels? Thanks.

I have a question about the very first question on the study guide where it asked us to list the 5 categorizations of hazards. I can’t distinguish between a biohazard and a chemical hazard–they seem pretty similar. The book listed chemical hazards as being in our air, food, and water, but can’t biohazards be there too?

Thanks.

Can someone help me understand the differences between Selective and Shelterwood cutting?

My question is about a term from our first study guide. What does it mean for a resource to be potentially renewable? I left this blank on my study guide too.

On the APES exam in the spring, we will deal with 3 basic population problems calculator-less. They generally deal with human population growth:

1. The Rule of 70
   1. Used for finding the time it will take for a given population to double, where the Annual Growth Rate (AGR) is expressed as a percent
   2. 
   3. When using the equation, we assume:
      1. It approximates exponential growth
      2. The population grows at a constant rate (this doesn’t mean linearly!)
      3. AGR is expressed as a percent (%) not a decimal

• Example: The AGR of developing nations was 1.5% in 2007. When will the number of people in developing nations double?

2. Annual Growth Rate (AGR)

1. Derived from the ∆pop=(Births + Immigration) – (Deaths+Emigration) equation, however, world population can ignore immigration and emigration
2. Because a census cannot account for everyone, a crude birth rate (CBR) and crude death rate (CDR) is used
3. 

• Example: In 2009, the USA had a crude death rate of 9 and a crude birth rate of 14. What was the AGR?

3. Actual Annual Increase

• Used to find the increased or decreased size of populations over one year
• Example: In 2009, the USA had a total population of 300,000,000 and an AGR of .5%. What will the total population be in 2010?
• There are 3 ways to go about solving this problem that will all give you the same answer, but remember to convert the AGR into a decimal:

Alright, so if we were asked to give an organism’s niche, how should we define what the niche is? Is it the organism’s trophic level? Whether it’s a producer, primary, secondary etc. consumer? Or should I include both in the niche?

Thanks

My main concern about this week’s test is keeping all of the vocab straight. Does someone maybe have some memory tricks?

The words that get mixed up to me are: ecology, environmentalism, conservationism, sustainability

What are the differences between the terms above and how are they related? I want to make sure I’m using the right vocab. Thanks