Environmental Science Flashcards Final

Front 1

The study of environmental science is concerned with

Back 1

The interactions among human systems and natural systems

Interactions of biotic and abiotic factors with human systems

Front 2

The population with the greatest ability to respond to environmental change most likely is one that

Back 2

Has high genetic diversity

Front 3

What is the approximate current human population on earth?

Back 3

7.3 billion

Front 4

Basic human needs include

Back 4

Fresh water

Front 5

Which of the following is the best example of a null hypothesis?

Back 5

There is no difference in pesticide residues on organic and non-organically produced foods

Front 6

Mono Lake is a terminal lake, which means that

Back 6

Water enters the lake through streams and leaves through evaporation

Front 7

Matter is

Back 7

Anything that has volume and mass

Front 8

Mass number of an element refers to the

Back 8

Number of protons + neutrons

Front 9

The proportion of carbon-14 in an organism is useful in figuring out the age of that organism after it dies because

Back 9

The proportion of carbon-14 slowly decreases after the death of an organism

Front 10

Elements that gain or lose electrons to form compounds create

Back 10

Ionic bonds

Front 11

The polarity of the water molecule is the result of

Back 11

Shared electrons spending more time near the oxygen atom than near the hydrogen atoms

Front 12

Capillary action of water results when

Back 12

Adhesion of water molecules at a surface is stronger than cohesion between molecules

Water is absorbed by a paper towel

Water is conducted through vessels in tree trunks

Front 13

As a solid or a liquid, water reaches its lowest density at

Back 13

0c

Front 14

When an acid dissolves in water, it dissociates into

Back 14

Positive hydrogen ions

Front 15

A substance with a pH of 4 has how many times the hydrogen ion concentration of a substance with a pH of 6.

Back 15

100

Front 16

According to the law of conservation of matter

Back 16

Matter cannot be destroyed

After a chemical reaction, the original atoms remain

Front 17

Which of the following is a true statement about carbohydrates?

Back 17

An example of a carbohydrate is glucose

Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms

Carbohydrates are used by plants and animals for storage of energy

Front 18

The difference between potential and kinetic energy is that

Back 18

PE has not yet been released

Front 19

An example of applying new energy in order to decrease entropy can be seen in

Back 19

Eating lunch to have the energy to clean up your lab station

Front 20

Which of the following are needed for photosynthesis?

Back 20

Water, solar energy, and carbon dioxide

Front 21

A forest has a GPP of 3.8 kg C/m2/year and the rate of cellular respiration is 2.4 kg C/m2/year. What is the NPP?

Back 21

6.2 kg C/m2/year

Front 22

What group of organisms is primarily responsible for the processes that occur in the nitrogen cycle?

Back 22

Bacteria

Front 23

What is a watershed?

Back 23

Area of land that drains to a water body

Front 24

What effect would clear-cutting a forest have on water quality of a river running through the forest?

Back 24

Increase the nutrient concentration in the river

Front 25

Which of the following is not true about the sun’s energy heating the earth?

Back 25

The sun’s rays are more strongly reflected in the lower latitude regions

Front 26

It is unknown exactly how many species currently live on the planet, but what do you think the most reasonable estimate of number of species alive is closest to?

Back 26

10 million species

Front 27

Which of the following would be the best example of an individual’s phenotype?

Back 27

Having brown eyes

Front 28

Which of the following is the best example of artificial selection?

Back 28

Breeding of horses for speed

Front 29

Which of the following would not be considered when determining the fundamental niche of a species?

Back 29

Reproductive rate

Front 30

Based on the diagram, which of the following conclusions would be most valid?

Back 30

There was a decrease in sea level

Front 31

A population of river otters starts with 50 individuals and has a growth rate of (r) of 0.2 per year. If there is no migration, how many otters would you expect after one year? After two years?

Back 31

60; 72

Front 32

Which BEST describes the reason for the very rapid growth of the human population in the last 8000 years?

Back 32

Humans have few offspring, but their young survive at a high rate

Front 33

Populations with a relatively rectangular-shaped age structure diagram have

Back 33

A similar number of individuals in each age group

Front 34

The most critical factor in controlling human population growth is

Back 34

Decreasing the average number of births per woman

Front 35

The earth is about ____ billion years old

Back 35

4.6

Front 36

Alfred Wegener’s evidence for claiming that the continents have not always been positioned where they are today is found in

Back 36

Rock formations in sequences that match on opposite sides of Atlantic

Front 37

Fossils, formed from plant or animal remains, are found in

Back 37

Igneous rock

Front 38

Click on the point that represents 50% sand, 20% silt and 30% clay

Back 38

Right cross point in Sandy Clay Loam

Front 39

The crustal abundance of four elements makes up greater than 88% of the Earth’s crust. These elements are

Back 39

Oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and iron

Front 40

Elinor Ostrom showed that common use of a resources does not always result in the tragedy of the commons because

Back 40

People will develop agreements and boundaries to preserve shared resources

Front 41

The nation with the largest percentage of publicly held land is

Back 41

The United States

Front 42

Before certain projects can begin in the United States, the project owner must file an EIS. The purpose of this is to

Back 42

For landowners to suggest alternative approaches to the project and assess the environmental impacts of those alternatives

Front 43

When looking at both private and public lands in the United States, the most common use is

Back 43

Grazing land

Front 44

Synthetic fertilizers have many advantages over traditional “organic” animal waste fertilizers. These include all of the following EXCEPT

Back 44

Lack of nutrient runoff problems

Front 45

Humans started moving from hunter-gatherer societies to more agricultural societies approximately how many years ago?

Back 45

7,000

Front 46

After many years of applying the selective pesticide provironex, a farmer notices that the applications seem less effective. This is likely due to

Back 46

The target species has begun to evolve resistance

Front 47

Industrial agriculture has many benefits. Which of the following is NOT a benefit associated with industrial agriculture?

Back 47

The ratio of energy input to calorie output is low

Front 48

Which of the following statements about sustainable agriculture is NOT true?

Back 48

Sustainable agriculture does not take into account the economic viability of the farmer.

Front 49

Biodiversity

Back 49

thevariety of life forms in an environment.

Front 50

Law ofthermodynamics

Back 50

1. Energy can neither be created nordestroyed

2. When energy is transformed, thequantity of energy remains the same, but its ability to do work declines.

Front 51

Energy efficiency

Back 51

theratio the amount of work that is done to the total amount of energy that isintroduced into the system.

Front 52

DarwinsTheory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Back 52

1. Individuals vary

2. Some of this variation is inherited.

3. Some inherited variation makes someindividuals better adapted to survive.

4. Better adapted individuals are morelikely to survive and reproduce, passing on their inherited advantage.

5. Over generations, genes ofreproductively successful individuals will become more frequent in members ofthe species

Front 53

Fossil Fuels

Back 53

derived from biological materials.

Front 54

nuclear fuels

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mined radioactive ores

Front 55

Commercial energy source

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bought and sold

Front 56

subsistence energy sources

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gathered by individuals for their own use

Front 57

2nd law of thermodynamics

Back 57

losses will always occur when energy is extracted or used

Front 58

Electrical Energy

Back 58

40% of US energy use is to generate electricity

Front 59

Energy efficiency

Back 59

most coal-burning power plants are 35% efficient

natural gas plants are 60% efficient

Front 60

Petroleum

Back 60

mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur in underground deposits

Front 61

Natural Gas

Back 61

can be a component of petroleum

Front 62

Hubbert Curve

Back 62

new oil reserves will not substantially change the date by which total petroleum reserves will be depleted.

Front 63

Fission

Back 63

A nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts.

Front 64

Nuclear Power Plants

Back 64

using heat from nuclear fission to heat water

Front 65

Fuel Rods

Back 65

cylindrical tubes that house the radioactive nuclear fuel.

Front 66

Control Rods

Back 66

inserted between the fuel rods to slow or stop the fission reaction by absorbing excess neutrons

Front 67

radioactive waste

Back 67

produced when the nuclear fuel decays

Front 68

Renewable energy sources

Back 68

can be rapidly regenerated

Front 69

Potentially renewable source

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must not be consumed more quickly

Front 70

nondepletable source

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cannot be depleted in the span of human time

Front 71

Energy Conservation

Back 71

finding ways to use less energy

Front 72

Peak demand

Back 72

the greatest quantity of energy used at any one time.

Front 73

Passive solar design

Back 73

can lower your electricity bill without the need for pumps or other devices

Front 74

Hydroelectricity

Back 74

electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water

Front 75

Geothermal energy

Back 75

uses the heat generated from deep within the Earth

Front 76

Fuel Cell

Back 76

operates like a common battery where electricity is generated by a reaction between two chemicals

Front 77

Aquifers

Back 77

a body of permeable rock underground that can contain or transmit groundwater

Front 78

unconfined aquifer

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a aquifer that is simply porous rock covered by soil

Front 79

confined aquifer

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a aquifer surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay

Front 80

water table

Back 80

the uppermost water level in an underground area where water fully saturates the rock or soil.

Front 81

recharge

Back 81

the input process of water percolating in to replenish an aquifer.

Front 82

artesian wells

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created when a well is drilled into a confined aquifer

Front 83

Cone of depression

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an area where groundwater is depleted around a well

Front 84

oligotrophic

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low productivity due to low levels of nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen.

Front 85

mesotrophic

Back 85

a moderate level of productivity.

Front 86

Eutrophic

Back 86

high productivity

Front 87

Levees

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an enlarged bank built up on each side of a river or lake to prevent flooding

Front 88

Dikes

Back 88

like levees, but prevent ocean waters from flooding adjacent land

Front 89

dam

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a barrier running across a river or stream to control water flow

Front 90

Reservoir

Back 90

where water is stored behind a dam or within a levee

Front 91

furrow irrigation

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a trench that is flooded with water

Front 92

Flood Irrigation

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the entire field is flooded with water

Front 93

water pollution

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contamination of streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, or groundwater with substances produced by humans that negatively affect organisms

Front 94

Point sources

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distinct location that pump waste into a waterway.

Front 95

Septic system

Back 95

receive wastewater from a house or small community

Front 96

wet-acid deposition

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occurs in the form of rain and snow

Front 97

Dry-acid deposition

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occurs as gases and dry particles desposited on surfaces

Front 98

Clean water act

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protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water.

Front 99

Safe drinking water act

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sets the national standards for safe drinking water.

Front 100

Major air pollutants

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sulfur dioxide

Nitrogen oxides

Carbon oxide

Particulate matter

Front 101

Major Air Pollutants

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volatile organic compounds

ozone

lead

mercury

Front 102

Primary Pollutants

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polluting compounds coming directly out of smoke-stacks, exhaust pipes, or natural emission source

Front 103

Thermal Inversion

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a relatively warm layer of air mid-altitude covers a layer of cold, dense air below.

Front 104

3 categories of human health risks

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physical

biological

chemical

Front 105

Chemical Risks

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are associated with excessive exposure to naturally occurring chemical and chemicals from anthropogenic

Front 106

chronic diseases

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slowly impair the normal functioning of a persons body

Front 107

acute diseases

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rapidly impair the normal functioning of a persons body

Front 108

Oligotrophic

Back 108

low productivity due to low levels of nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen

Front 109

Mesotrophic

Back 109

a moderate level of productivity

Front 110

Total maximum daily load

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scientific determination of the maxi amount of a given pollutant that a surface water can absorb and still meet the water quality

Front 111

major air pollutants

Back 111

sulfur dioxide

nitrogen oxide

carbon dioxide

particulate matter

volatile organic compounds

ozone

lead

mercury

Front 112

Ozone paradox

Back 112

ozone forms a protective layer in the stratosphere but is a pollutant in the lower atmosphere

Front 113

Which statement regarding the decreased levels of stratospheric ozone is correct?

Back 113

The largest decrease in the level of stratospheric ozone over the Arctic region occurs between January and April.

Front 114

The pollutant least likely be emitted from a smokestack would be

Back 114

ozone

Front 115

b

Back 115

h