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All fields Software Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology Engineering Astronomy Environmental Other Environmental Environmental groups

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Search the community's STEM library — free to study, yours to make your own.

Environmental

Geology, climate and the environment on openstem — flashcards, notes, quizzes, plots and sketches shared by the community. Study free, or clone anything into your library.

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Flashcards8 cards

State Glen's flow law for the deformation (creep) of glacial ice.1 / 8

The strain rate ε̇ of ice deforming under shear stress τ follows a power law, with flow-law exponent n ≈ 3 (empirically, for typical glacier stress ranges) and rate factor A, which is strongly temperature-dependent (warmer ice flows much faster for the same stress). This nonlinear rheology — not simple Newtonian viscosity — is why ice deformation accelerates sharply near the pressure-melting point.

Environmental

Environmental · L5 · Glaciology & Ice Sheet Dynamics

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Environmental · L5 · Glaciology & Ice Sheet Dynamics

Flashcards8 cards

What are the three main stages of wastewater treatment, and what does each broadly remove?1 / 8

Primary treatment: physical processes (screening, grit removal, sedimentation) remove large debris and settleable/floatable solids. Secondary treatment: biological processes (activated sludge, trickling filters) use microorganisms to break down dissolved and colloidal organic matter. Tertiary treatment: advanced physical/chemical processes remove remaining nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), fine solids, and pathogens before discharge.

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Wastewater Treatment Engineering

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Environmental · L4 · Wastewater Treatment Engineering

Flowchart17 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L5 · Ecological Risk Assessment Pipeline

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Environmental · L5 · Ecological Risk Assessment Pipeline

Note~315 words · 2 min

Land That's Neither Fully Land Nor Fully Water A wetland is any area saturated with water — all year or just seasonally — long enough for hydrophytic (water-adapted) plants and soils to develop. That simple definition covers a surprisingly

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Wetland Ecosystems

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Environmental · L2 · Wetland Ecosystems

Note~239 words · 1 min

Why Cities Run Hot Cities can be noticeably warmer than the rural land around them, sometimes by several degrees, especially at night — a pattern called the urban heat island effect. It comes down to how built surfaces handle sunlight and h

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Urban Heat Island Effect

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Environmental · L2 · Urban Heat Island Effect

Flowchart8 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L3 · Wetlands as Carbon Sinks & Nutrient Filters · flowchart

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Environmental · L3 · Wetlands as Carbon Sinks & Nutrient Filters · flowchart

Flowchart19 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Tectonic plate boundary types and their geological products

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Environmental · L4 · Tectonic plate boundary types and their geological products

Collection4 items

01Environmental · L1 · Earthquakes: Earth's Shaking Ground

02Environmental · L1 · Earthquakes: Earth's Shaking Ground

03Environmental · L1 · How an Earthquake Happens

+1 more

Environmental

Environmental · L1 · Earthquakes: Earth's Shaking Ground

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Environmental · L1 · Earthquakes: Earth's Shaking Ground

Flowchart9 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L3 · Ocean Acidification: CO₂ to Falling Carbonate Availability

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Environmental · L3 · Ocean Acidification: CO₂ to Falling Carbonate Availability

Flowchart7 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L1 · Clean Transportation · flowchart

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Environmental · L1 · Clean Transportation · flowchart

Flowchart12 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Photochemical Smog Formation

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Environmental · L4 · Photochemical Smog Formation

Flowchart17 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem

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Environmental · L2 · Energy Flow Through an Ecosystem

Quiz5 questions

What is the key difference between a passive and an active remote sensing instrument?

AA passive sensor detects existing reflected/emitted energy; an active sensor emits its own energy and measures the returnBA passive sensor only works at nightCAn active sensor cannot detect vegetationDThere is no meaningful difference

Environmental

Environmental · L3 · Environmental Monitoring & Remote Sensing

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Environmental · L3 · Environmental Monitoring & Remote Sensing

Flowchart8 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L3 · Ice-Albedo Positive Feedback Loop

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Environmental · L3 · Ice-Albedo Positive Feedback Loop

Collection7 items

01Environmental · L1 · Weather and the Water Cycle

02Environmental · L1 · Volcanoes and Eruptions

03Environmental · L1 · Fresh Water: Our Most Precious Resource

+4 more

Environmental

Environmental · L1 · Weather & Water

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Environmental · L1 · Weather & Water

Note~294 words · 1 min

What's Actually Driving Forest Loss Deforestation today is driven mainly by agricultural expansion — cattle ranching and crops like soy and oil palm together account for the largest share of forest cleared worldwide — followed by logging fo

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Deforestation: Causes & Effects

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Environmental · L2 · Deforestation: Causes & Effects

Quiz5 questions

What two conditions does the Coase theorem require for private bargaining to reach an efficient outcome?

AHigh transaction costs and undefined property rightsBWell-defined property rights and low transaction costsCGovernment price controls and subsidiesDA single monopoly firm and no competition

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Environmental Economics — 5 Q

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Environmental · L4 · Environmental Economics — 5 Q

Quiz5 questions

What is a coral polyp?

AA type of algaeBA tiny animal that builds a calcium carbonate skeletonCA rock formation with no living componentDA species of reef fish

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Coral Reef Ecology

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Environmental · L2 · Coral Reef Ecology

Flowchart6 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Air Pollution Control Engineering: Cleaning the Flue Gas Train · flowchart

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Environmental · L4 · Air Pollution Control Engineering: Cleaning the Flue Gas Train · flowchart

Collection4 items

01Environmental · L4 · Environmental Microbiology

02Environmental · L4 · Environmental Microbiology: The Biogeochemical Engines

03Environmental · L4 · The Redox Ladder in Anoxic Sediment

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Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Environmental Microbiology

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Environmental · L4 · Environmental Microbiology

Flowchart11 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · From Introduction to Ecosystem Impact

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Environmental · L2 · From Introduction to Ecosystem Impact

Flowchart11 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Ozone Depletion and Recovery Timeline

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Environmental · L2 · Ozone Depletion and Recovery Timeline

Quiz6 questions

Which of the four risk assessment steps determines how much of a chemical people actually contact and via what pathway?

AHazard identificationBDose-response assessmentCExposure assessmentDRisk characterization

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Human Health Risk Assessment — 6 Q

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Environmental · L4 · Human Health Risk Assessment — 6 Q

Collection4 items

01Environmental · L1 · Worms & Decomposers

02Environmental · L1 · Worms & Decomposers

03Environmental · L1 · How Worms Recycle Dead Leaves

+1 more

Environmental

Environmental · L1 · Worms & Decomposers

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Environmental · L1 · Worms & Decomposers

Flowchart15 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · The Ozone Layer & UV Protection · flowchart

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Environmental · L2 · The Ozone Layer & UV Protection · flowchart

Note~348 words · 2 min

Human Health Risk Assessment When a contaminant is found in soil, water, or air, regulators need a systematic way to translate 'this chemical is present at this concentration' into 'is this a health concern, and how much of one?' The USEPA'

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Human Health Risk Assessment

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Environmental · L4 · Human Health Risk Assessment

Flashcards8 cards

Define the delta (δ) notation used for stable-isotope ratios, in general form.1 / 8

R is the ratio of the rare to common isotope (e.g. ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, ¹³C/¹²C, ²H/¹H). δ is reported in per mil (‰) relative to an international standard — VSMOW for oxygen/hydrogen in water, VPDB for carbon in carbonates.

Environmental

Environmental · L5 · Paleoclimate Proxies & Isotope Geochemistry

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Environmental · L5 · Paleoclimate Proxies & Isotope Geochemistry

Note~235 words · 1 min

Two Thresholds, Not One A region only qualifies as an official 'biodiversity hotspot' (Conservation International's criteria) if it clears two thresholds at once: at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species, and at least 70% of its origin

Environmental

Environmental · L3 · Biodiversity Hotspots & Extinction Rates

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Environmental · L3 · Biodiversity Hotspots & Extinction Rates

Flashcards8 cards

What is Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and what decision does it feed into?1 / 8

EIA is a structured process for predicting, evaluating, and disclosing the likely environmental effects of a proposed project (a highway, mine, dam, factory) BEFORE a permitting decision is made. It doesn't itself approve or reject a project — it produces the evidence base (an Environmental Impact Statement or Report) that regulators, and often the public, use to decide whether the project proceeds, proceeds with conditions, or is denied.

Environmental

Environmental · L4 · Environmental Impact Assessment

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Environmental · L4 · Environmental Impact Assessment

Flowchart15 objects

Environmental

Environmental · L2 · Matching Erosion-Control Techniques to the Problem

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Environmental · L2 · Matching Erosion-Control Techniques to the Problem

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