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Earth Science 2203 > Additional for Final Exam > Flashcards

Additional for Final Exam Flashcards

(55 cards)

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1
Q

Things like biological populations that grow at the constant rate, R, have _____ given by ln(2)/R = 0.693/R ≈ 70/R%.

A

doubling times

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2
Q

Things like radioactive isotopes that decay at the constant rate, R, have __________ given by ln(2)/R = 0.693/R ≈ 70/R%.

A

half lives

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3
Q

The rate at which we consume hydro-carbons (coal, oil, gas) has the doubling time of about 44 years. It has taken us about 6 doubling times to consume 50% of the earth’s hydrocarbons since the Industrial Revolution. At this rate, the remaining 50% will be gone in about _______ years.

A

44

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4
Q

Over 2013, the population will grow by an additional ________ people.

A

80 million

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5
Q

Approximate age of the Earth.

A

4.5 billion

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6
Q

The ______ provides the best estimate of the actual age of the earth.

A

radiometric dating

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7
Q

The Inca Snow Boy died about 60 years ago. Assuming the half-life of 14C is 6,000 years means that the Snow Boy died about (N = ____) half-lives ago.

A

0.01

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8
Q

The Inca Snow Boy’s age is known because his remains contain _____ times the atmosphere’s concentration of 14C.

A

99%

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9
Q

Because the 14C ⇒ 14N decay scheme forms a closed system, the amount of 14N in his remains is

A

0.01 / 1%

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10
Q

A tree excavated in a floodplain contains about 12.5% (= 1/8) of the atom-spheric 14C concentration. Thus, it has been dead for about _______ years.

A

18,000

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11
Q

Moai of the modern era.

A

us/ humans

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12
Q

What is the approximate maximum lifetime tmax in years for the US coal reserve of 918 qBTu if it is consumed at the current consumption level of 21 qBTu?
(1) 43 (2) 22 (3) 52 (4) 72

A

(1) 43

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13
Q

What is the approximate lifetime te in years for the US coal reserve of 918 qBTu if the annual consumption of 21 qBTu increases at 1.6% per year?
(1) 43 (2) 22 (3) 52 (4) 72

A

(2) 22

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14
Q

What is the approximate maximum lifetime tmax in years for the US petroleum reserve of 203 qBTu if it is consumed at the current consumption level of 38 qBTu?
(1) 5 (2) 10 (3) 20 (4) 40

A

(1) 5

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15
Q

What is the approximate lifetime te in years for the US petroleum reserve of 203 qBTu if the annual consumption of 38 qBTu increases at 1.6% per year?
(1) 5 (2) 10 (3) 20 (4) 40

A

(1) 5

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16
Q

What Ohio-birthed company colluded with GM (MI) and Mack Trucks (PA) to kill or replace US’ electric rail systems (ie., street cars) with motorized systems (ie., buses)?
(1) Firestone Tire (2) Phillips Petroleum (3) Standard Oil (4) all of above

A

(4) all of above

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17
Q

Suburbia was initially designed to help reward soldiers from the ____ War.
(1) First World (2) Second World (3) Korean (4) Vietnam

A

(2) Second World

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18
Q

Suburbia, motorized transport systems, market economies and other unsustainable human institutions as synonymous with the _______ of the Rapa Nui.
(1) porpoises (2) forests (3) Moai (4) volcanic tuff

A

(3) Moai

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19
Q

Ranchers grazing livestock on public lands sell their livestock at profit, but pay grazing fees that account for only about a third of the US Forest Service’s costs to maintain the land. From your (ie., the taxpayer’s) viewpoint, this is another example of the old _____ game.
(1) Double C-Double P (2) ASAP (3) free market (4) full-cost accounting

A

(1) Double C-Double P

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20
Q

Ranchers grazing livestock on public lands sell their livestock at profit, but pay grazing fees that account for only about a third of the US Forest Service’s costs to maintain the land. Who is sucking on the public teat here?
(1) taxpayers (2) ranchers (3) livestock (4) market

A

(2) ranchers

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21
Q

Ranchers grazing livestock on public lands sell their livestock at profit, but pay grazing fees that account for only about a third of the US Forest Service’s costs to maintain the land. Whose teat is being suckled here?
(1) taxpayers (2) ranchers (3) livestock (4) market

A

(1) taxpayers

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22
Q

The biggest fundamental challenge to attaining sustainability in the future is _____.
(1) overpopulation (2) fossil fuel emissions (3) new ideas for environmental protection (4) increases in the incidence of natural hazards

A

(1) overpopulation

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23
Q

Atmospheric carbon dioxide cycles through the atmosphere-biosphere system roughly every ____ years.
(1) 100 (2) 200 (3) 300 (4) 400

24
Q

Fossil fuel burning is currently adding about ________ tons of carbon to the atmosphere.

Study These Flashcards
A

8 billion tons

25
The correlation between ocean and land accumulations of carbon and El Niño is mostly ______. (1) positive (2) negative (3) null (4) arbitrary
(1) positive
26
A band of anomalously warm water developing periodically in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that affects global weather and climate.
El Niño (XXI-3)
27
Sea surface heights off northwestern South America are roughly ____ cm during El Niño. (1) 14 (2) 10 (3) 6 (4) 2
(1) 14
28
Sea surface heights off northwestern South America are roughly ____ cm during La Niña. (1) -6 (2) -10 (3) -14 (4) -18
(4) -18
29
Country that signed and ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol treaty. (1) China (2) Iraq (3) Russia (4) all of above
(4) all of above
30
Country that has not signed and ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol treaty. (1) Afghanistan (2) Vatican City (3) USA (4) all of above
(4) all of above
31
The biggest carbon reservoir is the ______. | (1) hydrosphere (2) atmosphere (3) biosphere (4) industry
(2) atmosphere
32
The CO2 component from solubility pumping is taken up in limestone by _______. (1) sedimentation (2) evaporation (3) osmosis (4) depressurization
(2) evaporation
33
The CO2 component from biological pumping is taken up in limestone by _______. (1) sedimentation (2) evaporation (3) osmosis (4) depressurization
(1) sedimentation
34
The largest in-tack boreal forest on earth. | (1) Canadian (2) Siberian (3) Amazonian (4) Tibetan
(1) Canadian
35
The biggest CO2-emmitter who has signed the Kyoto Protocol treaty. (1) USA (2) Europe (3) Russia (4) China
(2) Europe
36
The biggest CO2-emmitter who has not signed the Kyoto Protocol treaty. (1) USA (2) Europe (3) Russia (4) China
(1) USA
37
Country that can most substantially vary CO2 emissions. | (1) USA (2) Europe (3) Russia (4) China
(1) USA
38
Country that can most substantially influence future CO2 emissions. (1) USA (2) Europe (3) Russia (4) China
(4) China
39
Country with the greatest per capita influence on CO2 emissions. (1) USA (2) Europe (3) Russia (4) China
(1) USA
40
The atmosphere annually integrates roughly ____ of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels. (1) 8 Gt (2) 4 Gt (3) 800 Gt (4) 2 Gt
(1) 8 Gt
41
Since the Industrial Revolution, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has essentially ______.
doubled (XXI-13)
42
Historical carbon emissions from 1950 to 2010 rose from 1.6 to 8 Gtc/yr. Thus, the amount of carbon emitted in the 60-yr period is roughly _____ Gtc.
288
43
Historical CO2 emissions are positively correlated with ______. (1) income disparity (2) poverty (3) population growth (4) all of above
(4) all of above
44
The area under the curve of carbon dioxide emissions between 1950 and 2010 is the curve’s ____. (1) derivative (2) integral (3) slope (4) gradient
(2) integral
45
The wedge with an area of 25 Gtc is one-half of the rectangle with area ______ GtC. (1) 25 (2) 50 (3) 100 (4) 625
(2) 50
46
A collection of strategies designed to reduce future carbon emissions to or below present emissions.
- wedges - Kyoto Protocol (not sure which)
47
The EROEI of the average coal-fired power plant is roughly ____. (1) 32 (2) 3.2 (3) 0.32 (4) none of above
(3) 0.32 * *THIS IS WRONG. the quiz said 0.32 but the real answer is 32 (0. 32 would mean that the "power plant" uses way more energy than it produces)
48
A wedge that equals the amount of natural gas used of all purposes today would essentially ______ our natural gas usage. (1) halve (2) double (3) triple (4) not affect
(2) double
49
The relative cost of the carbon capture & storage wedge is _____. (1) low (2) intermediate (3) high (4) inconsequential
(2) intermediate
50
Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site is a potentially viable repository for nuclear waste disposal because _____. (1) it features a strong rock in a dry climate (2) the salt deposits there will flow slowly into mine openings, sealing off the waste (3) the area is been geologically stable for more than 100 million years (4) it is an uncontroversial site
(1) it features a strong rock in a dry climate
51
Wind power is used for _____. | (1) generating electricity (2) grain milling and water pumping (3) shipping (4) all of above
(4) all of above
52
The future use of photovoltaics is likely to _____. (1) increase, because they can be adapted to meet a variety of needs (2) increase, because the energy is less expensive than that generated by fossil fuels (3) decrease, because they have proven to be inefficient (4) decrease, because they require large, centralized generating facilities
(1) increase, because they can be adapted to meet a variety of needs
53
The good ship earth currently supports more than 7 billion human passengers with an extreme hydrocarbon dependency. Without hydrocarbons, the well-being of roughly ____% of the population is in serious jeopardy. (1) 30 (2) 50 (3) 70 (4) 90
(3) 70
54
Carrying 2,224 passengers and crew, the good ship RMS Titanic struck an iceberg off Newfoundland’s coast in the early morning of 15 April 1912, just 4 days into its maiden voyage from Southhampton (UK) to New York City (NY). The ship was considered unsinkable and did not have enough lifeboats so that more than 1,500 people perished in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. The simple lack of preparation resulted in the loss of roughly ____% of the passengers and crew. (1) 30 (2) 50 (3) 70 (4) 90
(3) 70
55
The primary environmental threat to humanity.
overpopulation

Earth Science 2203 (4 decks)

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