21: Ecology at the Global Scale & Global Change

Question 1

What caused the fall of the Rapanui civilization on Easter Island?

Answer 1

over exploitation of the Giant Palm by 1650

Question 2

small city in northern Ukraine. 1986 nuclear power pland failed creating nuclear fallout. radiation 400x lethal limit. people evacuated. devoid of human life for 30 years

Answer 2

Chernobyl

Question 3

What are ecologists finding in the Chernobyl exclusion zones?

Answer 3

burgeoning populations of animals

Question 4

caused when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are emitted to the atmosphere. common in 1960-1970. Clean Air act improved infrastructure. emissions reduced 40% by 1990s

Answer 4

Acid Rain

Question 5

protects earth from intense radiation by sun

Answer 5

ozone layer

Question 6

use of chlorofluorocarbons by developing countries led to this. Antartica, Australia, and New Zealand heavily impacted. complete recover by 21st century

Answer 6

ozone depletion

Question 7

Ocean Plastic Clean-Up

Answer 7

300 million tons per year. 4.8 million tons goes in the ocean. never degrades. would take 79,000 years to manually clean up. 19 year old Dutch deployed plastic cleanup barrier in 2016.