Intro to Sustainable Environment - 1.1

Question 1

How much is the average surface temperature going to rise by the end of the 21st century, relative to 1980 - 1990?

Answer 1

1.8 to 4 degrees c

Question 2

Will land area warm more or less than oceans overtime?

Answer 2

More

Question 3

High latitudes will warm more or less than low latitudes?

Answer 3

More

Question 4

Waste/nutrients, essentially runoff from urban, residential, and agricultural areas, flow into the ocean and algae feeds on it. Algae grows and blocks sunlight. Plants die without the sunlight. Eventually the algae dies too. Bacteria eats dead plants using up O2 and giving off CO2. Fish + other wildlife become unhealthy or die w/o O2.

Answer 4

Eutrophication

Question 5

What is coral bleaching caused by?

Answer 5

Acidification

Question 6

Dissolved CO2 bonds with seawater to form weak carbonic acid. This acid breaks appart to make bicarbonate and hydrogen ions. Too many H ions lowers the oceans pH. Lower ocean pH (ocean acidification) hurts life in ocean reducing wellbeing of phytoplankton, corals, and other organisms. Harder for them to grow, and will get eaten, cycle keeps going.

Answer 6

Atmospheric acidification

Question 7

Between blank % and blank % of all species will become extinct each year.

Answer 7

0.01, 0.1

Question 8

How many animal species extinctions occur every year?

Answer 8

200 and 2,000