APES Unit 7 Review

Sulfur Dioxide Chemical Symbol

SO2

Based on the layers in the diagram, which of the following best explains why a thermal inversion tends to concentrate pollutants in the air layer closest to the Earth's surface?

The air layer closest to the Earth's surface is denser than the layer above it.

Canada has proposed an action plan to address climate change and air pollution. The action plan will reduce the impact of greenhouse gases and pollutants on the environment and human health. Which of the following claims about the Canadian action plan is best supported by the data in the graph?

The plan supports phasing out traditional coal power plants and transitioning to sources like hydroelectricity, wind, and solar power.

Exposure to noise constitutes a health risk. There is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension and heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and decreased school performance. For other effects such as changes in the immune system and birth defects, the evidence is limited. Most public health impacts of noise were already identified in the 1960s, and noise abatement is less of a scientific but primarily a policy problem. A subject for further research is the [clarification] of the mechanisms underlying noise-induced cardiovascular disorders and the relationship of noise with annoyance and nonacoustical factors modifying health outcomes. A high-priority study subject is the effect of noise on children, including cognitive effects and their reversibility. Noise exposure is on the increase, especially in the general living environment, both in industrialized nations and in developing world regions. This implies that in the twenty-first century noise exposure will still be a major public health problem. Which of the following best describes why the authors do not claim that noise exposure induces birth defects in humans?

There is insufficient evidence to support that noise exposure induces birth defects in humans.

Carbon Monoxide Chemical Symbol

CO

Carbon Dioxide Chemical Symbol

CO2

In the figure above, the letters AA, BB, and CC represent the different thermal layers present in an inversion. Which of the following shows the correct sequence of thermal layers as one moves vertically upwards from the surface of Earth?

Cool sea breeze →→ Warm →→ Cool

This makes a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2

GHG's ability to absorb more heat energy

Mercury Chemical Symbol

Hg

Scientists have observed that the health of people living in moderately developed regions, which have developed transportation and industry but lack environmental control measures, is more likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor air pollution.

In moderately developed regions such as China and Latin America, an individual's health is more or as likely to be affected by urban outdoor pollution than by indoor pollution.

Over a three-year period, a city's environmental protection department measured the particulate matter (PM2.5PM2.5) in a ten-square-mile area around one of the city's coal-fired power plants. The annual mean level of PM2.5PM2.5 measured was 20.0μgm320.0μgm3 over the three-year study period. The National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQSNAAQS) for PM2.5PM2.5 is an annual mean level of 12.0μgm312.0μgm3, averaged over three years. The city instructs the manager of the power plant to propose a plan to aid the city in meeting the NAAQSNAAQS for PM2.5PM2.5 in the area around the power plant over the next ten years. Which of the following would be the most effective plan for the manager to propose to the city?

Install electrostatic precipitators at the plant.

Particulate Matter Symbol

PM

Dust and soot are examples of this type of pollutant

Particulate Matter

Lead Chemical Symbol

Pb

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPAEPA) of the United States recommends taking corrective measures to reduce exposure to radon gas. The EPAEPA has set an action level of 4pCiL4pCiL for radon gas. The graph below shows radon samples taken from seventeen buildings in California. The radon samples were taken from the air inside the buildings, and the uranium concentrations were sampled from the soil under the buildings. Data points from four of the seventeen building locations are labeled A-D. Which of the following conclusions can best be drawn from the data in the graph?

Location A has the greatest need for remediation because the radon levels in the building are the highest and exceed the EPA action level.

The greenhouse gas that is a product of anaerobic respiration, livestock gas, and landfills

Methane

Exposure to noise constitutes a health risk. There is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension and heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and decreased school performance. For other effects such as changes in the immune system and birth defects, the evidence is limited. Most public health impacts of noise were already identified in the 1960s, and noise abatement is less of a scientific but primarily a policy problem. A subject for further research is the [clarification] of the mechanisms underlying noise-induced cardiovascular disorders and the relationship of noise with annoyance and nonacoustical factors modifying health outcomes. A high-priority study subject is the effect of noise on children, including cognitive effects and their reversibility. Noise exposure is on the increase, especially in the general living environment, both in industrialized nations and in developing world regions. This implies that in the twenty-first century noise exposure will still be a major public health problem. Which of the following best describes why the authors claim that reducing noise exposure is currently more of a public policy problem than a scientific problem?

Most public health impacts of noise were already identified in the 1960s.

Nitrogen Oxides Chemical Symbol

NOx

Exposure to noise constitutes a health risk. There is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension and heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and decreased school performance. For other effects such as changes in the immune system and birth defects, the evidence is limited. Most public health impacts of noise were already identified in the 1960s, and noise abatement is less of a scientific but primarily a policy problem. A subject for further research is the [clarification] of the mechanisms underlying noise-induced cardiovascular disorders and the relationship of noise with annoyance and nonacoustical factors modifying health outcomes. A high-priority study subject is the effect of noise on children, including cognitive effects and their reversibility. Noise exposure is on the increase, especially in the general living environment, both in industrialized nations and in developing world regions. This implies that in the twenty-first century noise exposure will still be a major public health problem. Which of the following best describes why the authors claim that noise exposure will be a major health problem in the twenty-first century?

Noise exposure is on the increase in both industrialized nations and in developing regions

A student is setting up a model to study the carbon cycle and natural sources of carbon dioxide. They create a microenvironment that contains soil, leaf debris, an earthworm, heterotrophic bacteria, and a sun lamp. What natural source of carbon dioxide and major metabolic process was left out of the model?

There is no representation of photosynthesis in the model environment.

Less ozone means increased exposure to this radiation which causes

UVB radiation which causes skin cancer

Which of the following best explains the cause of the trend shown in the graph for lead emissions in the United States from 1970 to 2011?

Unleaded gasoline was first introduced in 1974, and amendments to the Clean Air Act required cars with the model year 1975 or later to use only unleaded gasoline.

Which of the following activities would most likely account for the levels of indoor air pollution in India and sub-Saharan Africa, as shown in the graph?

Use of biomass fuel sources such as wood and charcoal for cooking

Hydrocarbons Symbol

VOCs

Which of the following sources should be examined in a study to determine the impact of a geologic source on levels of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Volcanoes

Main Concern of Thermal Inversion

amplifies outdoor pollutants

This pollutant reduces the bloods ability to carry oxygen, causing headaches, dizziness, and even death

carbon monoxide

Much of the ozone thinning has been caused by this chemical and specifically this element

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and the chlorine molecule

Main Concerns of Noise Pollution in Human Health

deafness and physiological stress

The pollutants commonly targeted by electrostatic precipitators and scrubbers respectively

particulate matter, and sulfur oxides

The layer of the atmosphere that contains this helpful ozone

the stratosphere

This occurs when a layer of warm air traps cooler air below it and commonly occurs in this west coast city

thermal inversion of Los Angeles

Main Concerns of Noise Pollution on Ecological Systems

unable to hear mating calls, can't communicate, disturbed migration patterns, stress, and hearing damage

If the air layers in the diagram were relabeled to illustrate normal atmospheric conditions, the correct labeling from the air layer closest to the Earth's surface to the one farthest from the Earth's surface would be...

warm air, cool air, cooler air

The most abundant and variable nonanthropogenic greenhouse gas

water vapor