66-246 Study Guide - Winter 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Agriculture, Smog, Phosphorus
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
66-246
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
1-Global Connections
Going from resources of higher purity to lower purity are related to changes in the earth
system, especially climate change.
Setting the standard for future generations has many different dimensions, social
political and economic and technological.
Entropy is unusable energy. The second law of thermal dynamics says the level of
disorder in the universe is increasing. It also means that natural systems go from an
ordered behaviour to a more random behaviour as they change (ex: setting a wood
on fire). Entropy is associated with a loss of energy.
The Bermuda soils show traces of materials which have been transported in the
atmosphere from winds from central Africa (Sahara).
The soils of the Hawaiian islands they show traces of materials from the desserts of
central asia (ex: Mongolia). Traces of pesticides that are outlawed in many parts of the
world but not in africa, soil fungi, and air pollution.
Earth System Science
Water vapour evaporates and it is driven sideways over land and it forms rainfall of
snowfall. Water will sink into the pores of mountains and flow from high elevations (high
energy) to low elevations (low energy).
Each element follows a particular pattern of movement in the environment. Developing
countries are going to feel the effects of climate change more than we will.
Ecosphere: interaction between Lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
Why Environmental Decisions are Hard to make
If we are employed in business or government sometimes the decisions we have to
make are at odds with the decisions of individuals. Sources of difficulty include the way
we structure the decision process, emotional and anxiety, organizations have their own
way of doing things. Uncertainty and risk. Conflicting objectives and trade-offs.
I = f (P,A,T) impact of human activity on the environment
P=population A= level of affluence T= technology
World Risk Index (WRI) to Identify Vulnerability
Risk: interaction between natural hazard and vulnerability of a particular community
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
WRI helps plan short-term responses and long-term interventions. It looks at social,
political, economic, and ecological factors to determine capacity of affected
community to respond.
4 main components:
1) Exposure to natural hazard (sudden and slow-onset disasters)
2) Sustainability (likelihood of damage in event of disaster)
3) Capacity to cope (state of governance, disaster preparedness, early warning
systems, medical services, security levels)
4) Adaptation strategies (natural disasters, climate change)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Going from resources of higher purity to lower purity are related to changes in the earth system, especially climate change. Setting the standard for future generations has many different dimensions, social political and economic and technological. The second law of thermal dynamics says the level of disorder in the universe is increasing. It also means that natural systems go from an ordered behaviour to a more random behaviour as they change (ex: setting a wood on fire). Entropy is associated with a loss of energy. The bermuda soils show traces of materials which have been transported in the atmosphere from winds from central africa (sahara). The soils of the hawaiian islands they show traces of materials from the desserts of central asia (ex: mongolia). Traces of pesticides that are outlawed in many parts of the world but not in africa, soil fungi, and air pollution.
