Mining and Forestry Quiz Review

Mining and Forestry Quiz Review

• Quiz Scope: Covers the first three topics in the unit outline. Refer to the course outline for details on topics not included.
• Supplementary Resources: AP Daily videos, textbook chapters (23 - Mining and 12 - Forests), and class Pear Decks are recommended for further review.

Ore Depletion and Access

• Ore Depletion: As more accessible ores are mined, operations move to lower-grade ores.
• Waste and Pollution: Accessing lower-grade ores requires increased resource use, leading to increased waste and pollution.

Overburden and Tailings

• Overburden: The excess soil and rock removed during mining.
• Tailings: Waste and impurities removed during ore refinement, typically stored in large ponds or impoundments.

Surface vs. Subsurface Mining

• Reclamation: Restoring a surface-mined area to resemble its original habitat.
• Subsurface Mining Drawbacks: More dangerous than surface mining, and can lead to sinkholes and changes in land topography.

Mining Impacts on Habitats and Biodiversity

• Ecosystem Destruction: Strip mining, mountaintop removal, and open-pit mining destroy habitats, removing vegetation and topsoil.
• Biodiversity Reduction: No habitat means wildlife cannot survive. Mining greatly reduces biodiversity.

Mining and Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases

• Air Quality Impacts: Mining activities (dust) decrease air quality.
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Removing overburden releases previously trapped gases like methane, increasing greenhouse gas emissions

Acid Mine Drainage

• Chemical Reaction: Pyrite reacts with oxygen and water to produce sulfuric acid and iron hydroxide. Oxygen is essential.
• Stream Health Impacts: Acid mine drainage increases stream acidity, strips away heavy metals (like lead & mercury), and decreases stream water clarity (turbidity).

Acid Mine Drainage Remediation

• Solutions: Several solutions exist, including:
  • Allowing oxygen into abandoned mines
  • Adding lime to the soil to neutralize acidity
  • Adding pyrite to the soil

Phytoremediation

• Definition: Using plants to remove toxins and pollutants from soil.

Forest Benefits

• Resource Provision: Forests provide lumber, food, and support ecotourism.
• Environmental Benefits: Forests support biodiversity, regulate water cycles, and remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Clear-Cutting

• Definition: Removing all trees from a given area.
• Benefits: More cost-effective and simple to implement, providing space for crops or housing.

Clear-Cutting Impacts

• Global Warming: Cutting down trees reduces CO2 absorption leading to increased global warming.
• Local Stream/Soil Temperature: Removing trees increases stream and soil temperatures.
• Water Cycle: Disrupts the natural water cycle by removing trees that contribute to water usage during photosynthesis.
• Soil Erosion: Loss of tree roots increases rates of soil erosion.
• Turbidity and Dissolved Oxygen: Increased soil erosion increases turbidity and decreases dissolved oxygen in streams due to decreased photosynthesis.

Selective Cutting

• Definition: Cutting only selected trees in a forest.
• Sustainability: Less disruptive to the forest ecosystem, maintaining more biodiversity and ecosystem functions than clear-cutting.

Fire Suppression

• Consequences: Suppressing natural fires can lead to catastrophic fires later on because the build-up of dry, flammable material.
• Fire Benefits: Naturally occurring fires help remove debris and invasive species.

Prescribed Burns

• Definition: Controlled forest fires.
• Benefits: Help forests and humans by removing potential fire risks & mimicking natural fire cycles for benefits.

Urban Sprawl Drawbacks

• Increased CO2 Emissions: Increased commuting due to spread-out development.
• Biodiversity Loss: Loss of natural habitats for organisms.

Impermeable Surfaces

• Definition: Surfaces that do not allow water to seep into the ground.
• Problems: Water runs off, carrying pollutants and contaminants into waterways.

Urban Runoff Prevention

• Permeable Surfaces: Surfaces that allow water to be absorbed.
• Green Spaces: Landscapes that encourage water absorption and reduce runoff.

Sustainability

• Definition: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Maximum Sustainable Yield

• Definition: The largest sustainable harvest from a population or species.