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AcaDec 2024_25 Climate > Science Section 1 > Flashcards

Science Section 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is environmental science?

A

the study of the impacts of human activities on environmental systems

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2
Q

True or False: The earth is going through a mass extinction

A

True

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3
Q

What is the environment?

A

the sum total of all the conditions and living and nonliving factors that surround an organism

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4
Q

What do we use as an indicator of environmental quality

A

Species diversity

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5
Q

What is the global population

A

8 billion from November 2022

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6
Q

How many new inhabitant are there each day (number of births minus the number of deaths)

A

230,000

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7
Q

What are the conditions that inhabit an environment?

A

Others of a species, food sources, predators, weather, and landscape

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8
Q

Until what year was the world going through Exponential growth

A

1960s

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9
Q

True or False: Human population is going through exponential growth

A

False

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10
Q

What is a local environment?

A

the area immediately surrounding an organism

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11
Q

What is a global environment?

A

the sum of all aspects of the earth

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12
Q

For the more people on Earth there will be a greater demand for what

A

Finite resources (energy, food, water, land, pollution, wate)

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13
Q

True or False: Environmental science is interdisciplinary

A

True

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14
Q

What aspects go into environmental science?

A

Biology, earth/atmospheric sciences, fundamental principles of chemistry and physics, human population dynamics, and biological/natural resources.

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15
Q

What does the word “intensity” mean in terms of agriculture

A

how much food is grown per hectare or acre of land

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16
Q

Food Grains such as wheat, corn, and rice provide more than what eaten by humans

A

Calories

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17
Q

What is a system?

A

a set of living and/or nonliving components connected in such a way that changes in one part of a system affect the other parts

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18
Q

True or False: A system can’t be isolated or studied apart from other systems.

A

False

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19
Q

What does monoculture mean in agriculture?

A

one crope

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20
Q

what does polyculture mean?

A

multiple crops

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21
Q

What can High-Intensity agricultural practices lead too?

A

Soil erosion, runoff fertilizers, animal wastes into waterways, and buildup pesticde

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22
Q

More people regardless of their life or where they live means ____

A

a greater environmental impact.

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23
Q

What can cause resource use to vary?

A

Region, Economy, And Country

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24
Q

According to United Nations Development Program 20% of people in what kind of country consume 45% of all meat and fish?

A

Developed Countries

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25
Q

What percent of total energy do Developed Countries Consume?

A

58%

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26
Q

Developed Countries Consume What percent of paper?

A

84%

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27
Q

What causes Sustainable use?

A

When present-day consumption allow adequate supply to remain for future generations

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28
Q

What impacts our Grain Production?

A

The quality of Soils, Climate Conditions, Land Under Cultivation, Human Labor, Energy, and water expended

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29
Q

How much of Worlds automobiles and trucks are own by developed countries?

A

87%

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30
Q

What do layers of snow and ice contain?

A

Each layer contains bubbles of trapped gases in concentrations that reflect their atmospheric concentrations at the same time the layer was sealed off from the atmosphere.

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31
Q

What happens to ice cores after they are extracted?

A

It is kept frozen then is taken to a lab and a researcher assigns a date to each annual layer corresponding to the year when it was deposited on the surface as snowfall.

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32
Q

What is the chemical symbol for the metal lead?

A

Pb

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33
Q

What does metal lead do to humans, plants and animals?

A

Metal lead impairs human central nervous system function and is toxic to most plants and animals.

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34
Q

True or False. Metal lead is hard.

A

False

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35
Q

What is the amount of lead in the atmosphere, water, soils, and plants and animals an indicator of?

A

The amount of pollution that has been introduced into the natural environment.

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36
Q

What do things contain small amounts of lead in them?

A

Coal and oil

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37
Q

What is the scientific method?

A

An objective way to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or alterations.

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38
Q

How many parts are there to the process of scientific inquiry?

A

6

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39
Q

If we don’t change our industrial society what will create more what?

A

pollution and waste

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40
Q

What three food grains provide more than half the calories eaten by humans?

A

Wheat, corn, and rice

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41
Q

Worldwide grain production is a result of the quality of what?

A

soils

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42
Q

What does the term intensity refer to in the context agriculture

A

The amount of food that is grown per hectare or acre of land.

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43
Q

High intensity agricultural practices often lead to what?

A

soil erosion

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44
Q

True or False: it is simple to determine the sustainability of a given society.

A

False

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45
Q

When the population increases what other thing also increases?

A

Consumption of resources

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46
Q

How is an observational experiment conducted?

A

By observing phenomena in the natural world without any interference by the researcher.

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47
Q

What’s the difference between an observational experiment and a manipulation experiment?

A

The person conducting an observational experiment doesn’t change anything.

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48
Q

What are the four steps of the scientific method

A

Observe, Generate a hypothesis, Based on existing info, Test the hypothesis

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49
Q

T/F The scientific is NOT an ongoing discussion among researchers.

A

False

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50
Q

What dose it mean to observe when doing the scientific method

A

Observe the natural world, without interference, and ask questions about the observations

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51
Q

Scientists have observed that species diversity, is affected by ___

A

The alteration of habitat.

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52
Q

What does it mean to generate a hypothesis when doing the scientific method

A

Make a general statement about the organism or prosses under observation, that could answer a question

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53
Q

What is 1 hectare converted to acres?

A

2.47 acres

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54
Q

What will most likely happen to the diversity of species of small mammals and shrubs if the size of a natural area is reduced from ten hectares to 1 hectare?

A

Reducing the size of a natural area will result in a significant loss in small mammal and shrub species.

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55
Q

How can we judge whether a report is based on good science?

A

In order to conduct a scientifically sound study, the investigators must use a large enough sample size and have a distinct difference between the experimental group and the control group.

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56
Q

What is the biggest limitation of Environmental Science?

A

The greatest challenge is the fact that there is no undisturbed baseline with which to compare the contemporary Earth.

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57
Q

Why is it difficult to know the “original” levels of lead?

A

This is because humans have altered virtually every part of the Earth, which makes it difficult to know the levels of certain resources and species before human alteration.

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58
Q

What are joules?

A

The SI unit of work or energy, scientists primarily use this measurement along with calories.

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59
Q

Who does benzene pose a risk to?

A

People

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60
Q

Who does chlorine pose a risk to?

A

Organisms in a stream

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61
Q

From 1975 to 2021, fuel efficiency in the U.S has increased in most cars from an avg of 13 miles per gallon to more than 30 miles per gallon. Why didn’t the overall avg miles per gallon of vehicles in the U.S steadily increase?

A

Due to consumer preferences, people bought cars that often got less than 20 miles to the gallon, which brought the overall average fuel efficiency down in the 1990s.

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62
Q

What does the phrase, “A butterfly stirring the air in Beijing can affect weather patterns in New York a month later” mean?

A

It is a poetic way of describing how the systems of Earth are interconnected.

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63
Q

All environmental systems involve the exchange of ___ or ___

A

Matter or energy

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64
Q

Name one of the most important materials involved in environmental systems?

A

Water/Oil/Coal/Oxygen

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65
Q

What is an open system?

A

An open system is one where the exchange of matter or energy between it and other systems occur.

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66
Q

What is a closed system?

A

In a closed system, exchange does not occur.

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67
Q

Is the Earth a closed or open system?

A

The Earth system is open with respect to energy, but the Earth system is closed with respect to matter.

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68
Q

When solar radiation enters the Earth system, what happens?

A

Energy leaves it in the form of heat and reflected light.

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69
Q

Are there any major inputs or outputs of matter in the Earth system?

A

No

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70
Q

Which areas of human endeavor are the most important?

A

Economics, Social structures and institutions, Law, Policy, and Environmental advocacy and action.

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71
Q

What affect would new scientific data on global warming have on polices and laws?

A

It would affect new policies and laws related to greenhouse gas production, as well as ways to adapt to a changing climate.

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72
Q

What is a system analysis compared to?

A

An analysis that you would perform on your checking account to figure out your financial status.

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73
Q

What do systems analysts call a balance.

A

They call that balance a pool.

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74
Q

What is a flux in the context of the packet?

A

The inputs (what goes in) and outputs (what goes out) of any given system.

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75
Q

What is a flux rate?

A

A flow per unit of time.

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76
Q

What happens when the inputs are greater than the outputs?

A

You get a positive flux.

77
Q

How can all types of balance analyses be represented?

A

Net Flux = Inputs - Outputs

78
Q

Why is a system analysis referred to as a mass balance analysis?

A

Because it was designed to be done for materials that have mass.

79
Q

What is another name for a joule

A

a calorie

80
Q

What is the most important aspect of conducting a mass, energy, or monetary analysis?

A

The most important aspect of conducting a mass, energy, or monetary balance analysis is learning if your system
is in steady state.

81
Q

What is steady state?

A

Steady state—that is, if input equals output and the size of the pool does not change over time.

82
Q

Water in the atmosphere is in a steady state. What Greenhouse gas is NOT in a steady state?

A

Carbon Dioxide

83
Q

Most “pools” are in a steady state. T/F

A

True

84
Q

“4 Interconnected environmental systems are critical to the Mono Lake Story.” What are those 4 systems?

A

Natural Water System, Salt Balance, Ecological, & Water Use

85
Q

Mono Lake is called a “terminal lake” because of what Unique Geography about it?

A

It is the lowest point in the area, water flows in, but it cant flow out.

86
Q

The salt concentration in Lake Mono slowly… Increases or Decreases?

A

Increases

87
Q

How much saltier does Lake Mono get every year. (Hint, mg per day)

A

5000 mg per day

88
Q

What big City is Lake Mono located by?

A

Los Angeles

89
Q

The Oceans warming is an example of a +/- feedback loop

A

Positive feedback loop

90
Q

What animal is the base of the food chain near lake Mono.

A

Algae

91
Q

What year was the draining of Lake Mono finally regulated

A

1983

92
Q

What is the formula for the Mean Residence Time in a steady state?

A

MRT = (Pool) Divided by (Flux In Or Out)

93
Q

Tsavo National Park gets how much rain per year?

A

500 mm

94
Q

Out of 20 habitats how many meet the require 1,000 miles for a habitat for an elephant?

A

7 habitats

95
Q

What is a set point?

A

the stable value for the parameter under examination

96
Q

What is it called when the set point is exceeded?

A

the overshoot (happens when there are delays transmittance of information)

97
Q

What is the carrying capacity?

A

the number of organisms that can be sustained indefinitely without the habitat becoming degraded

98
Q

According to Figure 15, after an overshoot occurs and the parameter starts to decrease again what happens to the carrying capacity?

A

it becomes degraded (the carrying capacity is lessened because the resources have been too exploited and overconsumed)

99
Q

What are the two inputs and two outputs regarding the size of the population?

A

number of births and amount of immigration (input) and the number of deaths and the amount of emigration (output)

100
Q

What type of feedback is seen in a typical wolf-deer system in which the amount of predation increases as the number of prey increases?

A

Positive feedback

101
Q

What are the two main reasons for the decline of elephants in central and southern Africa?

A

loss of habitat as humans have cultivated the land for agriculture and poaching them for their ivory

102
Q

Who passed a ban on ivory because of the African elephants’ population decline in 1989?

A

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)

103
Q

True or False? The ban on ivory the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species was effective.

A

False, illegal trade in ivory still continues along with using the elephants’ land for farming

104
Q

In what area of Africa is poaching a more sever problem for elephants?

A

Kenya, east Africa

105
Q

Approximately how many millions of elephants were killed for their tusks during the 1970s’ ?

A

1.5 million elephants

106
Q

What type of feedback loop is the Human-Elephant population system? Describe it as well

A

It is a positive feedback loop. As demand for ivory and poaching increases the elephant population decreases which causes their ivory to become scarce and further increases the demand and leads to more poaching; invertedly having the same effects

107
Q

What is population density?

A

the number of animals per kilometers squared

108
Q

What three types of density-dependent feedback loops (meaning they change with the population density and are negative feedback loops like the human-elephant population)?

A

1). increase in death rates or decrease in birth rates due to a shortage of food 2). increase in death rates due to increases in predation, parasitism2). increase in death rates due to increases in predation, parasitism, or disease 3). increase in death rates or a decrease in birth rates due to increased intensity of social interactions within a population

109
Q

What is parasitism?

A

a biological relationship involving one species obtaining nourishment from a host, usually without causing its death

110
Q

What has happened to elephants’ food resources in Kenya?

A

it is being reduced through the conversion of natural savannas to farmland or to deserts

111
Q

What is the name of the national park in south eastern Kenya that houses most of the elephant population and it gets less then 500 mm of rain a year so it doesn’t have as much vegetation?

A

Tsavo National Park

112
Q

What are Red Spruce Trees primarily used for?

A

making pulp and paper

113
Q

What is acid rain?

A

acid deposition that results when rain combines with the air pollutants sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to produce rain with a pH value of 4.0, instead of the pH of 5.0 to 5.5 of normal rain

114
Q

What did the surveys taken in 1964 and 1982 at Whiteface Mountain in New York revealed the Red Spruce Trees?

A

that the their population had decreased by almost 70% in eighteen years (the cause was not because of natural factors i.e. droughts and diseases) meaning it was caused by human caused pollution

115
Q

True or False? At a higher elevation, Red Spruce Trees were more likely to survive.

A

False, at a higher elevation the temperature is colder, higher winds, thinner soil, and fewer nutrients in the soil. But there is also more pollution as elevation increases.

116
Q

What was happening in the fossil fuel industry at the same time the Red Spruce Trees population were declining (1960-90)?

A

Large amounts of sulfuric dioxide were released into the atmosphere with the combustion of oil and coal, this would lead to the formation of sulfuric acid which is a component of acid rain

117
Q

True or False? Red Spruce Trees do not need calcium

A

False, calcium deficiencies adversely affect trees’ ability to withstand cold temperatures

118
Q

What did the system analysis of the Red Spruce Trees conclude about their decline?

A

it was a combination of cold temperatures (natural factors) and a pollutant (sulfate)

119
Q

How do scientist know that global temperatures, and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane have fluctuated frequently?

A

Looking at ice cores

120
Q

Each layer of ice sheets and glaciers contain what? (apart from snow and ice)

A

bubbles of trapped gases

121
Q

In the last 800,000 years what year did both Co2 and Ch4 start to rapidly increase?

A

Mid 1900

122
Q

Before recent years had Co2 and Ch4 amounts been declining or increasing?

A

Declining

123
Q

How do scientist test ice for elements and gases?

A

drilling into the layers of buries ice and carefully remove an ice core

124
Q

What is chemical Pb?

A

lead

125
Q

What does lead impair in humans?

A

central nervous system

126
Q

Lead is a major ingredient in what material?

A

paint

127
Q

What is the major source of lead contamination in America?

A

drinking water

128
Q

True or False: Elephants are very social within their groups even in overcrowded situations they don’t fight.

A

False: In overcrowded situation the elephants do tend to fight with each other with can lead to increase death rates, emigration rates, and reduced birth rates.

129
Q

True or False: In Kenya, elephant food is decreasing due to the conversion of natural savannas to farmland or to deserts.

A

True

130
Q

Where do Red Spruce trees grow?

A

They grow in some forests in the eastern United States along the Appalachian Mountain chain from New England to Georgia.

131
Q

True or false: Red Spruce is a needle-bearing tree that can live for 300 years or more.

A

True

132
Q

Why did the red spruce system in the northeastern US become important in the 1980s?

A

The trees started to have an unexplainable decline in number and health

133
Q

When did red spruce in North America start to have unexplainable deaths?

A

There has been reports dating back to 1870

134
Q

In 1980 what phenomenon of pollution led environmental scientists to suspect there was a link to red spruce damages.

A

Acid rain

135
Q

True or False: There is no single indicator that effectively assesses the whole planet

A

True

136
Q

True or False: One environmental indicator can only indicate one thing

A

True

137
Q

Are rates of change important when considering environmental indicators?

A

Yes

138
Q

How might the importance of a measurement be best understood?

A

in context of a pattern of measurements

139
Q

How is human population measured?

A

by individuals

140
Q

How is ecological footprint measured?

A

hectares of land

141
Q

How is per capita food production measured?

A

kg of grain/person

142
Q

How is total food production measured?

A

kg of grain/hectare of land

143
Q

How is carbon dioxide measured?

A

concentration in air (ppm)

144
Q

How is global temperature measured?

A

degrees Centigrade

145
Q

How is sea level change measured?

A

mm

146
Q

What Unit of Measurement is used to measure annual precipitation?

A

mm

147
Q

How is species diversity measured?

A

number of species per functional group

148
Q

How are fish consumption advisories measured?

A

present or absent; or number of fish allowed per week

149
Q

How is ambient water quality (toxics) measured?

A

concentration

150
Q

How is ambient water quality (conventional) measured?

A

concentration; presence or absence of bacteria

151
Q

How are atmospheric disposition rates measured?

A

quantity per unit area per time

152
Q

How is fish catch/harvest measured?

A

weight of fish per annum or weight of fish per effort expended

153
Q

How is extinction rate measured?

A

number of mammal species per 10,000 species per 100 years

154
Q

How is habitat loss rate measured?

A

land cleared or “lost” per year

155
Q

How is the infant mortality rate measured?

A

number of deaths of infants under age 1 per 1,000 live births

156
Q

How is life expectancy measured?

A

average number of years a newborn infant can be expected to live under current conditions

157
Q

What are the six environmental indicators?

A

biological diversity, human population growth, food production, resource consumption, global temperature and atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, and pollution levels

158
Q

What does biological diversity entail?

A

the diversity of genes, species, habitats, and ecosystems on earth

159
Q

What is a species?

A

a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in morphology, physiology, or biochemical properties

160
Q

What is morphology?

A

body type

161
Q

How many ‘known’ species are there on Earth?

A

approximately 1.8 million

162
Q

What defines “known”?

A

identified and catalogued species

163
Q

How many more species might there be?

A

somewhere around 10x that known number, due to most species, especially microbial ones, aren’t identified or catalogued

164
Q

What percent of species that have lived on Earth are extinct?

A

roughly 99.9%

165
Q

What are quiet periods?

A

time periods with no massive environmental or biological upheaval

166
Q

What is the estimate for background extinction rates?

A

two mammal extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years

167
Q

True or False: Human beings have greatly accelerated species extinction rates.

A

TRUE ; by up to 100x than background extinction rates

168
Q

How many species per year are currently going extinct?

A

40,000

169
Q

What are the matter inputs for humans

A

Food and Drinks

170
Q

What are the matter outputs for humans

A

Waste

171
Q

are individual countries open or closed systems

A

Open system

172
Q

What Mountain’s snowmelt flows into the Mono lake river?

A

Water flows into the lake from tributaries bringing water from snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada Mountains,

173
Q

Why is it important to determine the net flux of a pollutant?

A

If a pollutant is accumulating in a drinking water reservoir, it may be valuable to know the time when pollutant concentrations will become toxic to organisms in the reservoir or to humans drinking the water in the reservoir.

174
Q

What year did LA start withdrawing water from the Mono lake?

A

1942

175
Q

How many gallons of water a day were remove from the Mono Lake each day?

A

80.4 million gallons/day.

176
Q

How many feet did the lake level dropped in 40 years?

A

40 feet

177
Q

What is MRT in the context of air pollutants?

A

MRT is the period that an average molecule will remain chemically active in the atmosphere.

178
Q

How old is the Mono lake?

A

Between 1 and 3 million years old, making it one of the oldest lakes in North America.

179
Q

What is the residence time for Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

A

100 years

180
Q

What is the residence time for Hydrofluorocarbons in the atmosphere?

A

222 years

181
Q

T/F Residence time is valid only if the system is in steady state.

A

True

182
Q

How can we calculate accumulation or depletion rates?

A

We can calculate accumulation or depletion rates by using the formula for net flux.

183
Q

What is the formula for net flux?

A

Net Flux = Inputs – Outputs

184
Q

What is negative feedback?

A

A negative feedback loop is the behavior in which the system variable is brought back to a starting point.

185
Q

What is positive feedback?

A

A positive feedback loop is where a system variable is continuously moved away from the stable point that is often called a vicious cycle.

186
Q

How does water vapor contribute to global warming?

A

Warmer temperatures at the Earth’s surface lead to greater evaporation from oceans and lakes. The additional moisture in the atmosphere from evaporation enhances the layer of heat-trapping gases, including water vapor, that cover the Earth, which makes the Earth warmer, which leads to greater evaporation, and more warming, creating a positive feedback loop.

187
Q

Are oceans in steady state?

A

Yes, the oceans are also at steady state; the water that enters from rivers and streams is roughly equal to the water that evaporates.

188
Q

How did the increase in salinity in Mono lake affect algae and the population that depended on it?

A

Higher salinity slows the uptake of nitrogen from the decayed animals and their excretions. Since nitrogen is a critical element for growth, slower nitrogen uptake led to slower growth of the algae population and less food for the flies and shrimp and thus eventually for the birds. By the early 1980s, Mono Lake and the populations that depended upon it were dying.

189
Q

What are the two notable effect from lowering water levels in ecosystem of the Mono lake?

A

First, lower water level expose Tufa tower which is the habitat of shrimp and flies. Because they were expose their predator (gulls) could prey on them easily. This led to over predation and a decline in shrimp and flies which eventually led to a decline in gulls because they had little food. Secondly, as the lake level went down, alkaline dust was exposed, leading to vast dust storms affecting bird and other nearby wildlife populations.

AcaDec 2024_25 Climate (24 decks)

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