1. Living with the Environment
ENS 1040
Living with the Environment

2. Human Needs and the environment

3. Think about it! What do we use from the environment in one day?
Why do we need to use all of these things?

4. Impact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eTCZ9L834s
List 5 ways that Humans impact the environment and come up with a suggestion for improvement

5. Transport of Materials through Air, Soil and Water

6. Questions
When pollution is found far from where it was produced it brings up many questions
1) Where was the source?
2) Who is to blame for it spreading?
3) Who should pay for the spread of pollutants?

7. Transport in the Air
There are 3 parts to the transport of substances in the air
1) Release of the chemical at the source
2) Dispersion of the chemical in the atmosphere
3) Deposition of the chemical in soil or water

8. Factors that Affect Dispersion
Wind
Precipitation
The pollutants properties
This can make it impossible to find where the pollutant came from
Makes this issue an international one
What does that mean?

9. Case Study
Complete the On a Clear Day you can see Forever case study

10. Transport in Groundwater
Groundwater is a zone in the soil where all the spaces in the soil are filled with water
The water table is the top level of the groundwater zone

11. Speed of Groundwater Movement
Groundwater can move as quickly as 1 m per day or as slow as 1 m per year
If the water is moving slowly then there can be a concentration of contaminants in that area

12. Types of Soils Soils can be made of many different things
Packed clay- impermeable to water
Sandy soil- easy for water to move through
Soil with organic material- can slow the movement of water through it
Pores are the tiny spaces between the soil
Permeable soil has lots of spaces in it. Example: soil mainly made with sand
Impermeable soil has little to no spaces in it. Example: soil mainly made with clay

13. Groundwater Zones – Label your Picture!

14. Transport in Surface Water
Surface water can be contaminated from the air, groundwater, runoff from fields, and outflow from the storm sewers and sewage treatment plants.
Contaminants in the surface water can be dangerous when it is a drinking water source
Needs to be monitored

15. Transport in Soil
When water comes down in precipitation it can do four things
1) Some evaporates
2) Some soaks into the soil and is taken in by plants
3) Some runs onto the street or into a stream
4) Some soaks through the soil and moves downwards

16. Leachate
Leachate is water that has dissolved minerals in it and it carries the minerals with it- usually downwards

17. Substances that Contaminate Water

18. Think about it!
Lead from a car battery has been detected in a lake far where the battery was discarded. How did the lead get there?
One water well is located in sandy soil, and another well is in soil that is mainly clay. Which well should be monitored more often? Why is this?

19. Transport of Hydrocarbons in Soil
There are many sites in Canada where contamination of the soil by hydrocarbons is an issue.
Where could this be a problem?
Some contamination is difficult to clean up because it isn’t water soluble

20. Monitoring water quality
Monitoring water quality

21. Water Quality
Water quality is determined by what it will be used for by provincial and federal governments into 5 categories of water use
1) Human Drinking
2) Recreation such as swimming
3) Livestock drinking water
4) Irrigation
5) Protection of aquatic life

22. Biological Indicators
What do you think these are?
Can include fish, plants, worms, insects, plankton, bacteria and viruses

23. Microbiological Indicators
Small samples of water are taken to check for microscopic bacteria that can be unhealthy to humans
Are small living things that represent water quality, good or bad.
Example: e. coli

24. Aquatic Invertebrates
What is an invertebrate?
The presence or lack of aquatic invertebrates can show how much pollution there is in areas or how healthy the water is
Example:
The presence of leeches shows a low oxygen content (less healthy)
The presence of mayfly nymph shows a high oxygen content in water (healthier)

25. Types of Aquatic Invertebrates
Leech
Caddisfly

26. Types of Aquatic Invertebrates
Water Strider
Freshwater Shrimp

27. Types of Aquatic Invertebrates
Midge Larvae
Beetles

28. Types of Aquatic Invertebrates
Mayfly Larvae
Stonefly

29. Types of Aquatic Invertebrates
Damslefly

30. Invertebrates Dissolved Oxygen (ppm or mg/L) Invertebrates 8
Large numbers of diverse invertebrates 6
Mayflies, stoneflies, and beetles begin to disappear 4
Freshwater shrimp, midge larvae, and worms can survive 2
Midge larvae and some worms can survive

31. Bioindicator Simulation
StreamDiversity.html
See Assignment

32. Chemical Factors Water is usually tested in these ways
1) For dissolved oxygen
2) Acidity
3) Heavy metals
4) Plant nutrients ex. Nitrogen and phosphorus
5) Pesticides
6) Salts ex. Ionic compounds like sodium chloride

33. Measuring Chemicals in the Environment
The concentration of chemicals in the environment or in water is usually measured in parts per million (ppm)
1 ppm= 1 drop in drops of water
Same as 1 mg/L
Also use parts per billion (ppb) and parts per trillion (ppt) for measuring very small amounts

34. Dissolved Oxygen
What are the factors that dissolved oxygen in water depend on?
Why is dissolved oxygen in water important?

35. Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Water
How does nitrogen and phosphorus enter our water system?
What are the problems from high amounts of these substances?

36. The pH Scale pH stands for the Power of Hydrogen
The pH scale measures how much hydrogen there is to react or how much a substance wants a hydrogen
Acids are on the low end of the pH scale (0-6.9) and bases are on the high end (7.1-14) A substance with a pH of 7 is neutral
Substances at both ends of the scale are dangerous. (Strong Acids and Strong Bases)

37. pH Numbers
The difference between one number and the next on the pH scale is a 10x difference
For example: a substance with a pH of 3 is 10x more acidic than a substance with a pH of 4
How much more acidic is a substance with a pH of 5 to one with a pH of 8?

38. Measuring pH
We use 3 types of tests to check for the pH of a substance
1) Indicator- a liquid that changes colour dependent on the pH of a solution
2) Indicator paper- paper changes colour dependent on the pH
3) Litmus paper- changes colour (red or blue) dependent on if it is an acid or a base

39. Acid Rain
When pollution is put into the environment the rain water can collect those substances and become very acidic
This occurs more in Eastern Canada than Western Canada because there is more manufacturing in Eastern Canada

40. Consequences of Acid Rain
It makes our rivers and lakes very acidic which can kill organisms
It can cause destruction of limestone buildings and structures

41. Liming
Liming is adding a base (lime) to a lake to try and return the lake to a health pH

42. Neutralization
Neutralization occurs when an acid and a base react to form a salt and water
Think of your Vinegar and Baking Soda Experiment!

43. Think about it!
You are at a pond which is near a factory. The pond’s pH is 5.3. Due to the pH, the fish in the pond are not repopulating. How can you change the pH so that the fish can reproduce?
Note: pH = Range tolerated by trout

44. Acidity What is the issue with our water systems becoming more acidic?
Spring acid shock is where the pH of a body of water drops over a period of time due to meltwater. What is the issue of this?

45. Pesticides
Some pesticides do not break down and they can be harmful many years after they have been applied to a crop
A toxic substance is a poisonous substance
Toxicity measures how poisonous a substance is

46. Which sample has better water quality?
Characteristic
Sample A
Sample B
Dissolved O2
3.5
6.0 pH
5.5
6.5
phosphorus
high
low

47. Explore More! What comes to mind when you think of water pollution?
What are the sources of these pollutants?
This video give examples of pollutants found in Iowa. What pollutants are likely problems in our area? Do you think they are the same or similar? Why or why not?
Which type of pollution do you think would be the most difficult to handle? Why?

48. Monitoring Air Quality
Monitoring Air Quality

49. 2 Ways of Monitoring Air Quality
1) By measuring the levels of pollutants in the air
2) By estimating the amount of emissions from pollution sources
Which way of monitoring air quality would be more accurate?

50. Make Up of our Atmosphere
Nitrogen- 78%
Oxygen- 21%
Argon- less than 1%
Carbon Dioxide- 0.03%
Traces of hydrogen and neon

51. Sulfur Dioxide These chemicals are sources of air pollution
They are formed by burning fuels such as fossil fuels
Industrial and electrical generating plants use “scrubbers” to remove as much as 99% of the sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide can be used to make a useful product- calcium sulfate

52. Nitrogen Oxides
Nitrogen oxides are created mainly from combustion in cars and from some manufacturing plants
Nitrogen oxides are a large part of smog

53. Carbon Monoxide
CO is created when there is not enough oxygen for combustion
What is that called again?
CO can be produced by car emissions, forest fires, and industrial processes
A catalytic converter attached to vehicles converts CO into CO2

54. Ozone Ozone is a molecule made up of 3 oxygen atoms
It provides a protective layer and blocks the earth from UV rays
It can be damaging to the respiratory tract of people who have asthma, etc.
Can be beneficial or harmful

55. Think About It! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tztGWe08NbA
Does the air quality in China affect us in North America? Explain how by creating a suggestion for improving air quality

56. Lab
Complete the “How clean is your air?” Lab

57. Monitoring the atmosphere
Monitoring the atmosphere

58. The Greenhouse Effect
How does a greenhouse work?

59. What does the Greenhouse Effect look like?

60. Greenhouse Gases
Atmospheric gases that trap heat around the earth are called greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxides
Are greenhouse gases necessary?

61. The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming
People are concerned that the enhanced greenhouse effect can cause the temperature around the globe to rise
If this happens- people worry that global warming can cause erratic weather patterns, polar ice caps melting, etc.

62. Global Warming/ Carbon Emissions/ Carbon Footprint/ Carbon Tax
Some countries are reacting extremely to the concern of global warming- they are trying to cut down carbon emissions
What have you heard about carbon footprint?
Do you think it is fair to charge a carbon tax?

63. Ozone Layer and CFC’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU0eNa4GrgU
CFC’s (chloroflurocarbons) which are released from old air conditioners and fridges can cause a break down of ozone in the troposphere

64. Think about It!
Look at the infographic in your notes. Should we be doing more to about CO2 Levels globally? Create a list of suggestions with your neighbor in class.

66. Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs 
Come up with an idea that could conserve natural resources but would be useful to people!

67. Sustainable Development
Simply describe what sustainable development is
Describe how People can contribute to sustainable development

68. LEED Development
LEED Development is designed to certify exemplary development projects that perform well in terms of growth, urbanism, and green building

69. Categories of LEED

70. LEED Design

71. Movement of Materials Materials move in several ways: Ocean currents
Wind currents
Animal transport
Human transport
Bolded = Focus for this module

72. Ocean currents https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xtgtJTC2go
How does the ocean move? What is it called?
What is the dependent factor to allow for the circulation?

73. Plastic Island This is a current issue in environmental studies
Where is this island located?
How would you try to deal with the waste?

74. Wind Currents Winds depend on convection currents as well.
The convection currents circulate warm air and cool air to balance at an equilibrium point
These convection currents create cells
The trade winds and the easterlies/westerlies contribute to the jet stream effect, which carries materials above
The ITCZ is the location where the system restarts

75. Wind Currents

76. Jet Stream Position

77. Glaciers in Banff
Significant amounts of DDT (a pesticide to control mosquitoes) have been found in Canada’s glaciers, especially in Banff National Park in the last 10 years.
There has been a North America ban for 40 years in North America due to the effects on egg shells on birds, such as the Bald Eagle, causing loss of young.
Where is the DDT coming from?