Urban Development

Question 1

Urbanization

Answer 1

• shift away from rural based agricultural jobs to non agricultural jobs, a human settlement that has a high population density
• countries that made the shift from rural to urban have gone through demographic transition

Question 2

Environmental Advantages of Urbanization

Answer 2

• mass transit - train or subway - is always running annd always available from an environmental standpoint, it lowers the use of fossil fuel per capita
• good use of space - efficient use of land - usually building up, not out
• everything you need is close together, limits need for far travel, more biking and walking

Question 3

Impact of Urbanization on the Local Water Sources

• How does urbanization affect the upstream area during divergent water projects like dams?
• How does urbanization affect the downstream area?

Answer 3

• Increase need of water, leads to water divergent projects
  EX: dam - impact organisms that live in that environment
  Upstream - flooding issues, sediment collection behind the dam, decomposition problems
  Downstream - do not receive normal amounts of sediment & nutrients organisms are use to in order to thrive & survive

Question 4

Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers

Answer 4

• separation of saltwater & freshwater based on the differences in density & pressure which keeps the salt water out of the aquifer
• overuse of freshwater will then allow the salt water to enter the aquifer
• takes a lot of funds & energy to desalinate water , the best solution is to avoid salt water intrusion in the first place (like reducing pumping rates and consturcting physical barriers)

Question 5

How does the use of impervious surfaces affect the water cycle through groundwater, run off, and lack of vegetation?

Answer 5

• groundwater sources are not being recharged
• runoff - follows natural slope of land - water is universal solvent so as it moves it will pick up soil, pollution, & solid waste
• Lack of vegetation, no water sink, no transpiration, does not moderate your climate (through releasing water vapor in transpiration)

Question 6

How does urbanization impact the carbon cycle?

Answer 6

• Anthropogenic carbon produced by burning of fossil fuels (industry, cars, anything that uses fossil fuels in that city) will release carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change & any impurities in that fossil fuel will also end up in the atmosphere
• Lot of people -> lot of waste, decomposition will produce either carbon dioxide or methane both are greenhouse gases & can contribute to climate change
• Waste heat produced from the burning of fossil fuels has a tendency to stay locked within the city

Question 7

What affect does air pollution through urbanization have on the health of people?

Answer 7

Air pollution can impact surrounding areas that did not create the air pollution:

• respiratory system issues
• increased asthma attacks
• inflammation

Question 8

What is urban sprawl? What are its negative impacts? What are some possible benefits?

Answer 8

Urban sprawl - urban areas become dense so people have to move to outskirts of urban area & this ring around urban area keeps increasing = suburbs

• loss of vegetation, more roads, no mass transit, more car use, more fossil fuels use per person, more impermeable surfaces, & resulting runoff
• Possible Advantage: less population density, decreased spread of infectious disease

Question 9

How does the implementation of impermeable surfaces induce the heat island effect?

Answer 9

impermeable surfaces causes heat island effect - impermeable surfaces have low albedo so they absorb more of the sun’s radiation - lots of roads, asphalt & buildings temperatures are higher day & night

Question 10

What are some remediation methods for urbanization to reduce the negative environmental impacts, like increased CO2 release, fossil fuel usage, and loss of vegetation?

Answer 10

• more vegetation - reduces impermeable surfaces by making soil more permeable, helps with runoff (increasing albedo - decreases heat island effect, takes in carbon dioxide)
  plan mass transit into suburban areas (decrease fossil fuel usage)
• permeable pavement usage
• as cities need repair & expansion utilize urban planning (build up instead of out and use multi-purpose buildings)
• remediate brownfields (abandoned building location: clean hazardous waste, remove concrete, repurpose land i.e. build a playground and add more vegetation)

Question 11

What is an aquifer? What is the difference between a confined and unconfined aquifer?

Answer 11

• Aquifer: A permeable layer of rock & sediment that contains groundwater.
• Unconfined aquifer: An aquifer made of porous rock covered by soil out of which water can easily flow.
• Confined aquifer: An aquifer surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay that impedes water flow

Question 12

Watertable

Answer 12

The uppermost level at which the water in a given area fully saturates rock rock or soil

Question 13

Groundwater Recharge

Answer 13

A process by which water percolates through the soil & works its way into an aquifer

Question 14

Spring

Answer 14

A natural source of water formed when water from an aquifer percolates up to the ground surface

Question 15

Artesian well

Answer 15

A well created by drilling a hole into a confined aquifer

Question 16

What is the Ogallala Aquifer? How has its amount of water changed since the early 1900s?

Answer 16

The Ogallala aquifer, also called the High Plains aquifer, is the largest in the United States. The aquifer has declined by about 5 m (16 feet) from 1950 to 2015, mostly due to withdrawals for irrigation that have exceeded the aquifer’s rate of recharge.

Question 17

Cone of Depression

Answer 17

An area lacking groundwater due to rapid withdrawal by a well

Question 18

Floodplain

Answer 18

The land adjacent to a river

Question 19

Impermeable surface

Answer 19

Pavement or buildings that do not allow water penetration