Lecture 5

Question 1

What is the Fish Square Market known for?

Answer 1

It’s important for drilling. When drillers go through a layer of fish scales, they know they’ve gone from upper to lower cretaceous crostata.

Question 2

What is residence time?

Answer 2

The time an element is in a given reservoir. It can be during a mass or flux and the same element can be in different reservoirs at the same time

Question 3

Briefly explain the calcium cycle.

Answer 3

Ca is transported from land to sea by rocks, solid particles/materials in solution and then is dissolved in runoff. Sea animals extract the Ca and use it for their shells, while vertebrates use it for their skeletal structure. When these organisms die, they become part of the seafloor.

Question 4

Briefly explain the carbon cycle.

Answer 4

Short-term movements of c= photosynthesis and respiration.
Long-term movements of C= CaCo3-SiO2 occupy land and ocean systems, an increase in Co2 causes cloud cover and greenhouse effect, a decrease in Co2 causes ice houses.

Question 5

Briefly explain the oxygen cycle

Answer 5

Photosynthesis, respiration and organic matter are transported from land to water. All yield in a decrease in Co2 in the atmosphere. Rocks are weathered (limestone) O2 is removed from rocks and Co2 is brought back into the atmosphere.

Question 6

How can you arrive at possible alternative solutions?

Answer 6

1) Do-nothing alternative: leave things as they are, don’t take any action. Measure success by applying other alternatives to do-nothing model.
2) Blocks to creativity: helpful to look at problems and find unconventional solutions.
3) Brainstorming: come up with lists of alternatives, break into groups and discuss problems
4) Idea spurring questions: 73 generic questions to approach a problem from different directions
5) Analogies: find problems that are similar to the one we want to fix
6) Culling the list: large number of alternatives needs to be reduced

Question 7

Briefly explain the carbon cycle.

Answer 7

Short-term movements of c= photosynthesis and respiration.
Long-term movements of C= CaCo3-SiO2 occupy land and ocean systems, an increase in Co2 causes cloud cover and greenhouse effect, a decrease in Co2 causes ice houses.

Question 8

Briefly explain the oxygen cycle

Answer 8

Photosynthesis, respiration and organic matter are transported from land to water. All yield in a decrease in Co2 in the atmosphere. Rocks are weathered (limestone) O2 is removed from rocks and Co2 is brought back into the atmosphere.

Question 9

How can you arrive at possible alternative solutions?

Answer 9

1) Do-nothing alternative: leave things as they are, don’t take any action. Measure success by applying other alternatives to do-nothing model.
2) Blocks to creativity: helpful to look at problems and find unconventional solutions.
3) Brainstorming: come up with lists of alternatives, break into groups and discuss problems
4) Idea spurring questions: 73 generic questions to approach a problem from different directions
5) Analogies: find problems that are similar to the one we want to fix
6) Culling the list: large number of alternatives needs to be reduced