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79 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
True or False?



Ghana withdraws the least amount of water per capita.

True

Choose the best answer:



Why are mangrove ecosystems important?



-Mangroves protect the shoreline from erosion.


-Mangroves provide important habitats for invertebrates.


-Mangroves (like wetlands) filter nutrients, preventing them from reaching sensitive coastal environments.


-All of these are true.

All of these are true

How large is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a.k.a. the Pacific Trash Vortex)?
about twice the size of Texas
What are the five causes of land degradation?
deforestation, fuel wood gathering, industrial and waste pollution, overgrazing and agricultural practices

True or False?




The Rhine River is healthier today (in terms of dissolved oxygen concentration) than it was in the 1950's.

True

What are the three major types of water pollutants?

excess nutrients


suspended sediment


toxic chemicals

______________ play a critical role in both the hydro logic cycle and in sediment dispersal and storage.

Dams

The anthropogenic acceleration of europhication in an aquatic system is called ____________________________?

cultural eutrophication

The global average annual municipal waste generation per capita is 240 kg/person. If there are 7 billion people on the planet, how much waste is generated annually by the human population?

1.7 trillion kg of waste / year




240 kg/person x 7 billion people = 1.67 x 1012 kg waste per year

What are zooxanthellae?

the symbiotic algae that give corals their color

True or False?




One can understand marine biogeochemical systems best by exclusively studying the ocean.

False

What is responsible for the changes in coastal environments during the past three centuries?

Both rapid population growth and increases in material fluxes

True or False?




Because their usefulness is not readily apparent, wetlands have often been filled in for agricultural land, urban expansion or garbage dumps.

True

What is the most threatened ocean area of coral reef destruction?

Southeast Asia

What causes hypoxic zones, like the one in the Gulf of Mexico?

fertilizer runoff

At current rates of destruction ___________ of coral reef ecosystems could be lost in the next several decades.

60%

What are the types of soil degradation?
wind and water erosion

chemical pollution


salt concentration from irrigation

Why are human-induced smogs termed photo-chemical?

They are formed by chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight.

True or False?



The gaseous composition of the atmosphere has not changed greatly during the evolution of the planet.

False
Which of the following is an effect of tropospheric ozone accumulation on human health?
respiratory problems
Considering the differences in time and space scales of stratospheric ozone depletion and urban air pollution, what is the difference?

Stratospheric ozone depletion is a global problem that can last for years, while urban air pollution affects mainly city (and downwind areas) for hours or days.

True or False?




There are no known NATURAL sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

False

What are the three gases that currently comprise approximately 99.9%of the gases in the planet's atmosphere.

N2, O2 and Ar

Under natural conditions, ___________ does not normally accumulate in the troposphere because it is destoyed when it reacts with nitric oxide and is broken down into diatomic oxygen and nitrogen dioxide.

Ozone

The definition for ____ is the inverse log of the concentration of H+ ions in a solution.
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a scale of 0-14 with 7 being neutral.
A mixture of ozone, sulfur and nitrogen gases, hydrocarbon gases and fine-grained particulate matter energized by solar radiation creates __________________

photochemical smog

What observations led a large group of scientists in the 1950s and 1960s to become concerned about the problem of acid deposition?
fish kills in Sweden
Acid deposition occurs when acid constituents of __________ and ____________fall from the atmosphere as acid rain, sleet, snow, fog or dew.
sulfur and nitrogen
Researchers can estimate the size of populations using fairly basic equations based on growth rates. They then use those estimations to calculate emission of atmospheric pollution in the future by multiplying by the average per capita emission rates of today. Why might the emissions actually be higher than calculated?
a greater fossil fuel usage per capita due to higher overall standard of living for the world's population
Air pollution knows no political boundaries. In ______________ more than 80% of the sulfur deposited on land and waters is derived from the emissions of other nations. (Hint: check where acid rain was first discovered to be an environmental problem for fish).
Norway, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland
Which of the following rock types underlying aquatic systems are more sensitive to acidification from acid deposition compared to the other rock types?
crytalline (silicate) rocks
Which of the following is true concerning the origins of the reactants necessary for form acid rain?
Sulfur is derived from within the fuel source, as in coal. Upon burning these compounds are oxidized and released to the atmosphere where they mix with water.
One of the oldest laws on the books designed to limit air pollution is _________________
1306 King Edward I banned burning coal in London.
The CLAW hypothesis gets it's name from _________________.
the acronym produced from the first letter of each of the authors of the original article.
What is the Younger Drayas event?
A major cooling of the North Atlantic between 13,000 and 11,700 years before present that interrupted the overall warming trend starting at the LGM.
What role do dimethylsulfide (DMS) and oceanic carbonyl sulfide (OCS) gases play in climate?
By reflecting sunlight or by helping for clouds which do so, these gases aid in cooling the lower atmosphere.
What are two important climatic periods since the hypsithermal of about 6000 years ago?
The Medieval Climatic Optimum and the Little Ice Age
How did the water vapor content and the winds of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) differ from those of modern times?
The atmosphere during the LGM was drier and windier than at present.
According to Ayers and Cainey, 2007, Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) oxidizes to form dimethylsuphide (DSM) in the atmosphere which provides cloud condensation nuclei which affects the amount of solar radiation reaching the planet, thereby influencing global climate. The DMSP is the result of _________________.
biological activity of marine phytoplankton
What are the types of data used to provide information on historical climatic change?
fossilized pollenisotopic

composition of ice


tree rings

According to the article, Ayers and Cainey, 2007, CCN is/are ______________.
Cloud Condensation Nuclei

True or False?




According to Ayers and Cainey, 2007, "the more we learn, the more we know, but the more we know, tho more we realize how much we don't know."

True

A Heinrich event is a period of rapid flow of icebergs from the margins of ice sheets. The icebergs melt at lower latitudes leading to the deposition of ice-rafted debris on the seafloor. What is an additional line of evidence indicating such an event?
a change in the foraminifera content of the sediment.
According to Ayers and Cainey, 2007, complicated cloud microphysics also make use of other nucleation objects besides sulfur, including ________________.

All of these!

viruses

isoprene


sea salt particles

Is there any concern with using sunspot cycle length data to interpret historical climate trends?
Yes. Sunspot cycle lenght data has only been available for approximately 500 years, not throughout all of geologic time.
_____________ are a suspension of very fine-grained particles and liquid in the atmosphere.
Aerosols
Looking at Figure 13.6 on page 385, what conclusions can be made about the relationship between the sunspot cycle and the temperature record of the last 100 years?
The length of the sunspot cycles appear to correlate with temperature
Which of the following is considered an orbital parameter that affected climate on the time scale of Pleistocene glacial-interglacial change?
time of perihelion

axial tilt


eccentricity

The average atmospheric temperature during the Cenozoic Era fluctuated considerably. One notable cooling event occurred between 13,000 and 11,700 years before present when temperatures around the North Atlantic Ocean dropped precipitously. The intense part of the event known as the __________________ lasted 500 years and ended abruptly.
Younger Dryas
Which statement is true regarding the possible change in the conveyor belt circulation pattern of the ocean between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the modern ocean?
Heat was released during the LGM at lower latitudes in the North Atlantic than it is in the modern ocean.

True or False?



According to Ayres and Cainey, 2007, in spite of nearly 1500 scholarly articles on the topic of the CLAW hypothesis, there is absolutely no supporting evidence to substantiate this view.

FALSE



There is some evidence in support a coupling of biological productivity in ocean surface waters to cloud properties over the ocean affecting global climate. However, many details still require clarification.
How did the tundra and conifer biomes change from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present time?
Conifer biome took over tundra area expanding northward.
The ____________ greenhouse effect is the result of gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide absorbing solar radiation then reradiating infrared radiation in the atmosphere.
natural
Three major sinks of anthropogenic carbon dioxide include: the atmosphere, the terrestrial biosphere and the ___________________.
the ocean
The "other CO2 problem", _____________ is caused by approximately 30% of anthrogogenic carbon dioxide emissions being absorbed by the __________________, which lowers the pH.
ocean acidification; ocean
Models of the radiation balance of Earth are more complex due to the presence of ___________ which in some instances can cause cooling, and in others, leads to warming, depending on the type, location and time of day.
clouds
The following is a greenhouse gas emitted to the atmosphere by human activities:
carbondioxide

chlorofluorocarbons


methane


nitrous oxide

True or False?




Two principal natural forcing, volcanism and changes in solar radiation, account for the long-term decline in global stratospheric ozone

False

Stratospheric ozone is important because it _________________.
It provides a shield against solar UV and provides a capping mechanism to keep the climate regulated to the lower atmosphere.
Analytical measurements have shown that most of the chlorinated chemical species reaching the stratosphere are primarily ________________________.
manufactured synthetic compounds.
Additional consequences of an enhanced greenhouse effect include:
terrestrial species distribution alterations

ocean acidification


changes in rates of oceanic upwellings


Provided that nutrients and water are available, increasing concentrations of CO2 can enhance plant growth and perhaps storage of organic carbon in plant material. This concept is called the _______________ effect.
CO2 fertilization
Since methane has a relatively short ___________, a reduction in anthropogenic emissions would lead to a decrease in its atmopheric concentration quite quickly.
residence time
The Atlantic MOC which is part of the conveyor belt circulation pattern of the ocean, could be upset by global warming because the delicate balance between ocean ___________ and _____________ and the atmosphere will be altered.
temperature: salinity

True or False?



One chlorine atom, from the decomposition of chlorofluorocarbons, can destroy hundreds of thousands of ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere.

True

According to Table 14.3 on page 438, the U.S. had per capita CO2 emissions to the atmosphere in 2006 of 19 metric tons of carbon per person. If the world population reaches 10 billion people by 2100, what would be the global fossil fuel CO2 emissions in 2100 if the world per capita emission were that of the United States in 2006?
10 billion people is 10 x 109 = (1010 x 19 metric tons of Carbon / person) = 19x1010 =

1.9 x 1011 metric tons of Carbon total

N2O is an environmental concern because it mixes into the stratosphere where it reacts with ___________ and destroys it.
stratospheric ozone

True or False?




With an enhanced greenhouse effect, only regional temperatures will be affected. The hydrologic cycle will not be affected.

False

True or False?




Ozone depletion is the biggest major cause of present-day climatic change.

False

If one was to choose the MOST IMPORTANT greenhouse gas for its affect on weather and climate, that gas would be _____________
water vapor
The indirect costs on environmental pollution that is not generally borne by the polluters are ______________________.
externalities
Some good news on the environmental front is that citizens have become more ___________ and governments more responsive to urban air pollution.
proactive
According to Figure 15.2 on page 504, What is the strongest linkage between ecosystem services and human well-being?
Provisioning: food, fresh water, wood and fiber and fuel.

True or False?




The Kyoto Protocol had little effect on the global emissions of CO2 and the rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere.

True

Since there have always been flows of materials through the environment of the planet, why is there such a great concern about human emissions of materials?
The concentrations of materials like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and mercury are much higher than the naturally occurring fluxes.



Many human emissions are of synthetic compounds with are foreign to the environment's naturally circulating systems.




These fluxes of human generated materials are largely responsible for the environmental problems facing the world.

Looking at Figure 15.3, Which of the following leads to "Human well-being and poverty reduction"?
Direct drivers of change

indirect drivers of change


Ecosystem services

For some scientists and policymakers, the growth in ____________ is the most important factor involved in environmental change
human population
There is often a schism between environmentalists and business and industry where environmentalists argue for environmental protection at any cost and business and corporate leaders who fear that environmental regulations would limit ______________________.
economic growth
According to Kai N. Lee as mentioned in our text, the conditions of equity, legacy and continuity are necessary to achieve _____________________.
sustainability