GEOL 2310 - Water and Pollution

• Know how pesticides contaminate the environment and their effect on living organisms.
• Know the different physical properties of waters and their role in groundwater movement.
• Know the different types of population growth and the different stages in population growth.
• Know the effect of excess nitrogen and phosphorous in aquatic systems.
• Know the effects of contamination of lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic in living organisms.
• Know the effects of petroleum spills on living organisms.
• Know the impact of burning of fossil fuels in the nitrogen, sulfur, and mercury cycles, as well as in the distribution of heavy metals in the environment.
• Know the main sources of pollution for surface and groundwaters.
• Understand how ecosystems work, the food web and the Eltonian Pyramid.
• Understand how the chemical cycles of nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur, and mercury work and the impact of man in those cycles.
• Understand how the hydrologic cycle works and its different parts.
• Understand the factors that determine the concentration of oxygen in water and the role of bacteria and organic matter in this parameter.
• Understand the origin of groundwater and how contaminants move in groundwater.
• Understand the origin of petroleum and the fate of petroleum contaminants in waters.
• Understand the process of eutrophication and its impact on fish and other aquatic organisms.
• Understand the purpose of the different wastewater treatment methods and how they work.
• Understand the role of bacteria as decomposers and their role in biochemical oxygen demand.
• Understand the role of thermal pollution in aquatic systems and its effects on living organisms.