Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

ISCI 360 > Module 3: Finals Version > Flashcards

Module 3: Finals Version Flashcards

1
Q

ecological footprint analysis (3)

A
  • standard measure that can be used to related demand for natural resources to the planet’s ability to replenish resources
  • results presented as the amount of land and sea area needed to support human populations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what are the main components of the carbon cycle, from smallest to largest (4)

A
  • atmosphere
  • land
  • ocean
  • Earth’s crust
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what determines the overall atmospheric CO2 concentration

A
  • the rate of exchanges of atmosphere CO2 with the ocean and terrestrial ecosystems; exchange occurs continuously
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

carbon cycling in the ocean (3)

A
  • atmospheric CO2 exchanges with oceanic CO2 at the surface through diffusion
  • oceanic CO2 reacts to form bicarbonate, allowing oceans to uptake more CO2, but is limited by mineral cation supply from coastal sediment weathering
  • concentration of CO2 increases in ocean interior due to two processes: solubility pump ad biological pump
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

carbon cycling on land (natural) (2)

A
  • CO2 removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis of plants and stored in organic matter (can be for a long time); about half is released back through respiration
  • remainder joins pool of organic matter in soil and eventually returns to atmosphere through soil decomposition (can also take a long time)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

carbon cycling on land (human activities) (2)

A
  • combustion of fossil fuels
  • land cover change
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

carbon cycling on land: fossil fuels (2)

A
  • combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) from million year old organisms as primary energy source
  • releases large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere and alters the natural carbon cycle
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

carbon cycling on land: land cover change

A
  • land cover change, mainly deforestation, from human population increase and expansion of human settlements
  • large areas of native forests cleared and converted into agricultural and urban areas
  • as terrestrial carbon storage occurs in forests, land cover changes resulted in net flux of carbon to the atmosphere
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is causing global warming/climate change/changes in Earth as a system

A
  • humans
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

ecological overshoot (2)

A
  • the phenomenon which occurs when the demands made on a natural ecosystem exceed its regenerative capacity
  • occurring right now because of human; our needs surpass the regenerative capacity and resources of a single earth
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what are the causal factors to ecological overshoot? (2)

A
  1. species/populations have the biological disposition to expand exponentially when possible
  2. humans have an unparalleled capacity for social learning
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

causal factors of ecological overshoot: expansion (2)

A
  • species/populations have the biological disposition to expand to fill all accessible habitats AND to use all available resources for continued growth and reproduction
  • stock will grow unless a stabilizing feedback mechanism keeps it in check
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

wha stabilizing feedbacks normally keep populations in check and what does it result in (2)

A
  • population reaches a threshold where it is too big and resource depletion occurs(no more food, space, etc)
  • results in loss of infinite growth/ a crash before stabilization of the population size
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

how are humans bypassing the stabilizing feedbacks that normally act on species populations (4)

A
  • outcompeting other species by modifying the environment
  • health care
  • social learning
  • we construct our reality (laws, politics, economy, etc)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

is human population growth an example of a amplifying feedback loop?

A
  • yes: the bigger the population, the more mating that occurs and the more offspring that is produced
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

causal factors of ecological overshoot: social learning (3)

A
  • we learn from others (both genetically and non-genetically related to us), thus bypassing costly trial-by-error learning
  • supports cumulative culture and innovation
  • we socially construct our realities and the way we perceive those realities
17
Q

what is the result of the population growth of humans

A
  • we have a huge (and still growing) capacity for consumption, but Earth did not get any larger; PROBLEM
18
Q

what fueled the exponential growth of humans

A
  • extensive use of fossil fuels allowed more agriculture mechanization, leading to removal of stabilizing feedbacks due to food and resource abundance
19
Q

how does technology and efficiency address ecological overshoot

A
  • the though that we can support the growth with efficiency is incorrect; more efficiency will lead to increased consumption due to faster inflow into the stock
20
Q

symptoms of overshoot: atmospheric CO2 (2)

A
  • increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change
  • 45% increase above pre-industrial levels leads to a change in the chemistry of the ecosphere
21
Q

symptoms of overshoot: surface temperature

A
  • the average temperature per year is getting warmer
22
Q

symptoms of overshoot: plunging biodiversity (2)

A
  • human population and economic growth are competitively displacing wild species from their habitats and food sources
  • results in extinction and displacement; replacement of wild species with livestock to support humans and room for humans to live
23
Q

symptoms of overshoot: world energy (2)`

A
  • increase in consumption of all energy types
  • positive: renewable energy use is increasing, but this is not the solution if overall energy consumption continues to grow as this will still increase carbon emissions
24
Q

the boom-bust population cycle (3)

A
  • populations will experience a ‘boom’ when favourable growth conditions occur (humans here right now)
  • when nutrients are depleted (unavoidable as we are confined to a finite number of resources on Earth), stabilizing feedbacks will cause the population to go through a ‘bust’
  • pattern common to non-human species introduced to a resource-rich system
25
Q

why can humans avoid the uncontrolled collapse of population (‘bust’) (4)

A
  • high intelligence
  • the ability to plan ahead
  • the capacity to exercise moral judgement
  • empathy/compassion for other people and species
26
Q

how can humans avoid the uncontrolled collapse of population (‘bust’)

A
  • decrease the overshoot/resource need to be under the carrying capacity of the Earth
27
Q

project drawdown (2)

A
  • global initiative to rank hundreds of solutions to current climate projections
  • aim to show which climate issues are most important to achieve a future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline (inflow < outflow)
28
Q

product footprint

A
  • evaluates life cycle of products and ranks actions
29
Q

do you personal choices reduce your contribution to climate change

A
  • yes: can be small (upgrading light bulbs, recycling) or large (one less baby, car free life)
30
Q

why are cars bad for climate change (2)

A
  • the cost to manufacture, refine fuel, run the vehicle, and for maintenance are high; lots of emissions
  • more car users take up more space, creating need for more space for roads/parking, creating an increased need to own a car to get to further away places; amplifying feedback loop that requires even more emissions
31
Q

why is air travel bad for climate change

A
  • a single flight can take up ALL of the suggested yearly emissions (to avoid ecological overshoot) for an individual
32
Q

why is a plant-based diet good for the environment

A
  • just subbing one plant-based item for a animal-based item can achieve huge emissions reductions and free up cropland

ISCI 360 (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions