Final

Question 1

What is Malthus’s importance to global population?

Answer 1

humans were not above and apart from the rest of nature but bound by ecological constraints, just like all other creatures. He argued that the linear growth of food supply could not possibly support the exponential growth of human population, thereby human population either controlled voluntarily or would crash by wars, starvation, or diseases

Question 2

Who is Paul Ehrlich?

Answer 2

Paul Ehrlich published his book: “The Population Bomb,” which stirred the first big debate in modern times about the consequences of human population growth

Question 3

What three things helped our populations move forward?

Answer 3

Tool making, agriculture revolution, industrial revolution

Question 4

In the chinese example what happened to human pop?

Answer 4

It became over populated and then a new ruler would take over. The introduction of new crops also led to a renewed population.

Question 5

What led to decrease in pop in Ireland?

Answer 5

The potato blight, famine, disease and emigration.

Question 6

How much has human enhanced C? S? Cl? P? Hg?

Answer 6

C - 36.3
S - 1.6 
Cl - 0.65
P - 12.5 
Hg - 3.3

Question 7

What is the total human derived N compared to pre-industrial figures?

Answer 7

221 after the industrial rev. and 85 before. About doubled overall.

Question 8

Why is the Everglades unique?

Answer 8

Habitat heterogeneity, large spatial extent, distinctive hydrologic regime with its wet dry cycle, a high degree of P-limitation for the less disturbed areas.

Question 9

What is the significance of a slough in the everglades?

Answer 9

The main routes of moving water.

Question 10

What sig. do pinelands have to the everglade?

Answer 10

The are dominated by splash pines and add a huge amount of diversity to the everglades.

Question 11

What happened to the everglades after the hydrologic alterations?

Answer 11

Accelerated ag. development, establishment of urban areas, increased accessibility for humans, less water fluctuation (wet/dry cycle lessened), accelerated decomposition of SOM/Peat materials, sharp decline of nesting birds so less nutrients from these bird droppings

Question 12

What is P fixation (the removal of P in available pools) driven by?

Answer 12

It is pH dependent. Too high and too low pH values can result in P fixation.

Question 13

How is the native grass being affected by the influx of P?

Answer 13

Cattails (Typha) thrive under a high P while SawGrass doesn’t so the Cattails will grow dense and squeeze out the SawGRass.

Question 14

What are some affects of P enrichment in the everglades?

Answer 14

• Typhas (or Cattails) will shade out periphyton mats which further increases the P because periphyton mats are good at removing P from the water.
• Increase in Secondary production (fish)
• # of nesting birds reduced 90%

Question 15

What is the most powerful greenhouse gas?

Answer 15

Water Vapor

Question 16

What is the solar constant?

Answer 16

1.364 kW/m

Question 17

How much of the Sun’s radiation is reflected back to space due to the albedo of the Earth?

Answer 17

~30%. 90% is from snow surfaces and 10% is from water surfaces.

Question 18

What are some examples of a positive feedback in global climate change?

Answer 18

As the earth warms up it will melt permafrost and expose more methane to be released to the atmosphere.
Warming and drying of wetlands could also release methane.

Question 19

What causes acid rain?

Answer 19

NOx and SOx. They both become acids when they react with rain water. Sulfur is the most prominent type causing acid rain because almost all sulfur emissions are oxidized into acid rain forming compounds