MOCKS ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT Flashcards
4.12 what harm does sulfur dioxide pollution do
combines with water vapour to form acid rain
damaging plants, aquatic life & soil
causes respiratory problems in humans
4.12 what does acid rain do
damaging plants, aquatic life & soil
causes respiratory problems in humans
4.12 what harm does carbon monoxide pollution do
it irreversibly binds to haemoglobin
reducing oxygen transport in blood
can lead to suffocation & death in high concentrations
4.13 what is a greenhouse gas
it is a gas that absorbs infrared radiation from the sun
so it remains trapped in the earth’s atmosphere
4.13 what are the most important greenhouse gases
water vapour
carbon dioxide
nitrous oxide
methane
CFCs
4.13 if the levels of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase that leads to
the greenhouse effect which causes the earth’s average temperature to rise
4.14 what greenhouse gases do human activities increase levels of
carbon dioxide and methane
4.14 how do human activities contribute to greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide is produced during the combustion of fossil fuel
methane is produced by cattle as they digest grass
methane is released by rice paddy fields
4.15 what process does the greenhouse effect describe
the sun emits rays that enter the earths atmosphere
heat bounces back from the earths surface
some heat is reflected back out into space
some heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases and is trapped within earths atmosphere
4.15 when does the enhanced greenhouse effect happen
when increasing levels of greenhouse gases from human activities cause the earths average temperature to rise above normal, leading to global warming
4.15 consequences of global warming
ocean temperatures increasing causing melting of icecaps
increasing temperatures causing extreme weather
changes or loss of habitats due to the weather
decreases in biodiversity as food chains are disrupted extinction rates increase
increases in migration of species to new places - increased spread of pests and disease
