environmental science 2 Flashcards
(91 cards)
1
Q
which element is an important component in fertilizer?
A
nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus
2
Q
which of the following is not a concern of wind power?
A
Wind turbines increase air pollutants and green house gasses
3
Q
One advantage of hydropower over solar and wind power is.
A
Hydropower output can be raised or lowered to quickly meet demand
4
Q
Which of the following terms refers to the amount of material in a specific deposit/reservoir?
A
stock
5
Q
Fossil fuels make up roughly what percent of the world’s total energy consumption?
A
80%
6
Q
Which of the following is not considered part of a hydrocarbon system?
A
none of the above
7
Q
If the net flow rate of a given resource is negative, then the stock will
A
decrease
8
Q
Which of the following is not considered a fossil fuel?
A
none of the above
9
Q
Major obstacles to the implementation of nuclear power include:
A
all of the above
10
Q
Which material accounts for more than 90% of global metal production?
A
steel
11
Q
The majority of crude oil production is converted into what product?
A
gasoline
12
Q
Hydropower produces electricity without producing significant air pollution. However, hydropower has several negative environmental effects including
A
all of the above
13
Q
Between the years 1970 and 2005 the overall energy efficiency of the United States
A
doubled
14
Q
Nuclear power provides roughly what percentage of global total energy consumption?
A
6%
15
Q
Winds are driven by changes in atmospheric temperature and pressure.
A
true
16
Q
The exploitation of renewable resources is limited primarily by
A
exploitable flow
17
Q
In the United States most of the best geothermal resources are located East of the Mississippi river
A
false
18
Q
According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which of the following energy efficiency upgrades has the greatest annual return on investment
A
duct sealing
19
Q
Which of the following describe the advantages of producing biodiesel from switchgrass instead of corn?
A
all of the above
20
Q
Which of the following energy systems does not utilize the Earth’s solar energy flux?
A
geothermal power
21
Q
Carbon capture and sequestration is the process of injecting carbon dioxide into rock formations
A
true
22
Q
Burning coal accounts for what percent of the world’s electricity production?
A
40%
23
Q
Biofuel researchers are using an enzyme isolated from heat tolerant bacteria to break cellulose chains into their sugar components
A
false
24
Q
Which of the following is an advantage of using biomass instead of corn as a source of ethanol
A
all of the above
25
What is the least expensive and most readily available non-renewable energy resource?
coal
26
Scientists estimate that modern humans evolved roughly
130,000 years ago
27
For a city to be classified as a "megacity" it must.
Have more than 10 million inhabitants
28
The maximum population a habitat can support on a continuing basis is called the
carrying capacity
29
Which of the following illnesses is caused by nutritional deficiencies?
scurvy
30
Which of the following would not be considered an acute illness?
Heart Disease
31
Developing countries tend to have lower dependency ratios than developed nations
false
32
"Population momentum" refers to
Continued population growth after a fall in birth rates
33
The unit cost of providing basic infrastructure and services is lower in cities than in rural areas
true
34
According to the I=PAT equation proposed by Ehrlich and Holdren, how would a society's environmental impact change if the population were to increase?
increase
35
As of 2005 which region had the lowest dependency ratio?
europe
36
Economies tend to be less polluting during the early stages of economic development because they first adapt inexpensive technologies that are comparatively efficient.
false
37
Which of the following causes the greatest number of deaths in the United States each year?
tobacco
38
Excess Nitrogen in water supplies can inhibit algal growth and can cause aquatic food webs to collapse
false
39
Calculate the growth rate experienced by a population of 100 individuals where there were 15 births, 5 deaths, and a net migration of 20.
30%
40
In which decade did the human population growth rate peak
1960s
41
How did industrialization increase the human population growth rate?
Mechanized agriculture increased food production and Improvements in medical care and public health services
42
Fertility rates have been falling in nearly every country since the 1950's. However most of the exceptions to this pattern are found in
central and western africa
43
The year 2007 marked a milestone for the human population because
For the first time more people lived in cities than in rural areas
44
Which of the following fertility patterns is incorrect?
Rural families tend to have fewer children than city dwellers
45
It took until 1804 for the global human population to reach 1 billion. When did the human population reach 5 billion?
1987
46
According to a recent study, how many people live within the 10 meter coastal zone world-wide?
>600 million
47
The data collected in the United States census can be used to
all of the above
48
How frequently does the United States census occur?
every 10 years
49
What is the primary driver of population growth in the United States?
decreasing death rate
50
Vehicle emissions are not a significant source of Nitrogen pollution
false
51
The burning of biomass in primitive stoves
Is an uncommon practice in developing countries and is a low impact and relatively harmless practice
52
Which of the following is not considered a fossil fuel?
none of the above
53
As economies develop and mature, they tend to follow an energy path that moves from
Wood → Coal → Oil and Gas
54
Stripping hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels or obtaining it by splitting water using electricity or heat is technically difficult but the hydrogen produced contains more energy then was consumed in the stripping/splitting process.
false
55
Energy produced by burning biofuels is Carbon-neutral.
true
56
Syngas is produced by processing which of the following sources
coal
57
The exploitation of renewable resources is limited primarily by
exploitable flow
58
Gas can be produced at much greater depths than oil
true
59
The burning of which fossil fuel releases the most carbon per unit energy produced?
coal
60
Which form of solar power is more commonly seen on homes and commercial buildings?
photovoltaic cells
61
According to FAO's estimates, livestock production generates _______ percent of world greenhouse gas emissions (more than the transport sector), accounts for _____ percent of world water use, and is probably the largest sectoral water pollution source
18;8
62
According to one estimate it requires two kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of poultry, four to make one kilogram of pork, and seven to produce a kilogram of beef. However, only thirteen gallons of oil are needed to produce a single cow
false
63
agricultural pests include
Insects, Mammals such as mice and rats, Unwanted plants (weeds), fungi, & Microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses
64
An alternative movement to the Green Revolution of the 1950s, ______ was started in the 1970s and criticized the Green Revolution for relying too heavily on pesticides and fertilizers.
sustainable agriculture
65
Biofuels are valuable substitutes for imported oil in the transport sector because they can be used in most conventional engines with minor adjustments. Which of the following plants were NOT discussed as sources of biofuels?
oak trees
66
Confining animals on large-scale livestock farms to maximize efficiency
Stresses animals and promotes disease transmission
Fragmented natural ecosystems
Diverted or polluted fresh water resources
Altered the nutrient balance of adjacent and downstream ecosystems
67
Effects of large-scale agriculture include
Reduced biodiversity
Fragmented natural ecosystems
Diverted or polluted fresh water resources
Altered the nutrient balance of adjacent and downstream ecosystems
68
Farmers can increase agriculture yields by
Adding energy and materials
Increasing the efficiency of energy conversion and allocation to the harvested product
Reducing losses that occur during the growing process
69
In addition to questioning whether agricultural and nutritional goals might be more effectively met using more traditional approaches, critics have raised many concerns about GE foods, including
Over-planting resistant crops could promote increased resistance among pests
GE crops or animals will hybridize with and alter the genetic makeup of wild species
70
In her 1962 book, Silent Spring, biologist and author Rachel Carson drew wide-scale public attention to the environmental effects of
pesticides
71
Integrated pest management (IPM) involves the use of which of the following to limit pest damage to agricultural crops?
Agricultural practices
Biological control agents
Introduction of large numbers of sterile male insects
Timed application of synthetic chemical pesticides and
Application of pheromones and juvenile hormones
72
Modern agricultural practices can cause serious environmental damages such as
Depletion of normal river flows
Salinization of agricultural lands
Nitrogen seepage into water bodies or ground water
73
Monoculture refers to
Growing a single species of crop over a large area
74
On average, only about _____ percent of Earth's surface is suitable for agriculture without any physical constraints
2.5%
75
Organic agriculture and sustainable agriculture are the same concepts, just different terms for not using synthetic fertilizers, GMO crops, or antibiotics for livestock
false
76
Reorienting agricultural systems is a complex task because the technical challenges are intertwined with social and economic issues such as land tenure and availability of foreign aid for developing countries. The magnitude of future agricultural effects on the environment will be influenced by many factors, including
Actual demand for food
Expansion of agricultural lands
Opportunities for increased yields
Availability of water and chemical fertilizers
Global climate change
77
Since the mid-1990s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved ______ genetically engineered (GE) crops for unrestricted sale, including strains of corn, soybeans, cotton, potatoes, wheat, canola, and papaya
12
78
The Green Revolution helped world food production to increase at a rate faster than population growth from 1950 onward by
Increasing the availability of synthetic fertilizers and irrigation
79
Transpiration is defined as
The evaporation of water from aerial parts of plants
80
Which of the following are basic limits of Agriculture
available technologies
81
Which of the following were identified as nitrogen sources prior to World War I?
Bird guano
Saltpeter mines
Livestock manure
82
While agriculture consumes significant quantities of energy (Farmers use energy directly to heat and cool buildings, operate equipment, pump irrigation water, and transport products to market), it does not consume large quantities of fossil fuels
false
83
With world population projected to rise from 6.5 billion in 2006 to roughly 10 billion by 2050, and growing demand for meat in developing countries, world grain production may have to double in coming decades. One potential solution currently at the experimental stage is
precision agriculture
84
what are the three main fossil fuels
coal, oil, and natural gas
85
fecal bacteria aids in
digestion
86
what is the change in concentration if the pH goes from 8.0 to 10.0
100 times change
87
what happens to DO if temp increases
DO decreases
88
what is the standard EPA fecal coliform level
less than 200 colonies/100 mL
89
what disease stems from an excessive of nitrates?
methemoglobinemia
90
what happens to pH when it decreases and what happens when it increases?
Becomes acidic when pH decreases and basic when it increases
91
at what phosphate level does eutrophication occur
0.1 phosphate level
