World Geo Ch13

The _____ equation summarizes the different factors influencing the degree of human impact on the environment.

IPAT

Where does water quality rank worldwide in terms of the negative impacts on humans with regards to issues with fresh water?

It is the top problem.

Which of the following is not one of the six primary air pollutants emitted in large quantities?

Mercury

_____ contributes to contamination of the water supply through the waste it generates, typically in the form of large heaps of waste rock through which water seeps, leaching metals and transporting them to rivers and aquifers.

Mining

______ are the minerals and other elements that organisms need for growth.

Nutrients

Which of the following is not a natural air pollutant?

Oil seeps

______ are a family of related chemicals used as lubricants in pipelines and in a variety of electrical devices. They are linked to liver disease, birth defects, and cancer.

PCBs

Which of these are examples of African animals threatened by hunting?

-African elephant -Hippopotamus -Black rhinoceros -Gorilla

Select all that statements are true about the dumping of mining waste.

-Chemicals from the heap piles can leach into nearby water. -It can caused dust pollution.

How does the return of heated wastewater to the environment affect the ecosystem?

-Disrupts growth, reproduction, and migration of fish -Lowers oxygen levels of the water

What are the three main types of pollutants carried into streams by agriculture?

-Fertilizers -Animal wastes -Biocides

Which of these are transboundary rivers where water conflict is a distinct possibility?

-Ganges (India-Bangladesh) -Colorado River (United States-Mexico) -Nile (Ethiopia-Egypt)

Which of the following are characteristics exhibited by species that have a greater probability than others of becoming extinct?

-Highly specialized -Low reproductive rates -Live in a small geographic area -Small populations of dispersed individuals

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are known to cause what health effects in humans?

-Liver disease -Cancer -Birth defects

Which of the following two chemical groups, when added to water by the use of fertilizers in agriculture, contribute to the process of eutrophication?

-Nitrates -Phosphates

The four major contributors to water pollution by humans are ______.

-agriculture -mining -industry -municipalities

Air pollution tends to increase with ______.

-degree of industrialization -degree of urbanization -population density

Where water scarcity exists, it is generally due to ______.

-water quality -reliability of water supplies -geographic distribution of water

The current extinction rate is estimated to be how many times higher than the natural background extinction rate?

1,000 to 10,000

What proportion of lakes and reservoirs in North America is estimated to be affected by accelerated eutrophication?

50%

What natural source of air pollution has the ability to quickly and completely disrupt large portions of the atmosphere?

A large volcanic eruption

_____ _____ is the term used for precipitation that has an unusually low pH. It is caused by the reaction of sulfur and nitrogen oxides emitted by industry with water in the atmosphere.

Acid rain

Which human activity accounts for the greatest amount of freshwater use (about 80%)?

Agriculture

_____ are substances used in agriculture to protect crops from damage by things such as pests, weeds, and fungal infestations.

Biocides

Which primary pollutant is formed mainly from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels?

Carbon monoxide

_____ is the modification of rivers through the construction of embankments, straightening, widening, or deepening to control floodwaters or control navigation.

Channelization

The primary objective of the ______ of 1972 was "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters." It has led to impressive water quality improvements for U.S. rivers and lakes.

Clean Water Act

What toxic substance is used in the heap-leaching process of gold and copper mining?

Cyanide

_____ are an essential component of the cycle of life. They convert organic matter into nutrients that can be reused by plants and animals.

Decomposers

_____ is the study of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment.

Ecology

_____ are self-sustaining units of the biosphere that consist of all the organisms and physical features existing together in a particular area.

Ecosystems

What is believed to be the main cause of ozone layer depletion?

Emission of chlorofluorocarbons

_____ is the enrichment of waters by nutrients. It can be accelerated by the contribution of excess nutrients by agriculture.

Eutrophication

Which of these is not a symptom of accelerated eutrophication?

Extremely high oxygen levels

True or false: Once it is polluted, a river or lake can never recover.

False

True or false: Population growth has resulted in a global shortage of water.

False

True or false: Water pollution is a term used to refer to the decrease in water quality caused directly by human activities.

False

How can the impact of the Clean Water Act of 1972 be best described?

Gains in water quality improvement have been impressive.

Which of these is not a problem associated with water scarcity?

Glacial advancement

_____ _____ is created when nitrogen dioxide, in the presence of sunlight, reacts with hydrocarbons to form ozone.

Photochemical smog

Which of these is not an example of urban water pollution?

Smog

Which statement is true about the Clean Air Acts?

The Clean Air Acts were passed between 1963 and 1990.

What important concept of ecology is illustrated here?

The food chain

True or false: More than 90% of sewage in the developing world is discharged into waterways without treatment of any kind.

True

_____ species have decreasing populations and are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

Vulnerable

The damage to this statue was caused by ______.

acid rain

In the United States, ______ is estimated to be responsible for about two-thirds of stream pollution.

agriculture

Humans have affected plant and animal life by poisoning and contamination. One particular problem is our use of _____, chemicals intended to protect crops from disease and pests.

biocides

The name of the sphere used for the thin film of air, water, and earth within which all organisms live is the _____.

biosphere

The modification of the path of this river is an example of ______.

channelization

The process of _____ involves changing seawater to freshwater and could provide a technological solution to water scarcity.

desalination

The ______ is thought to be causing the extinction of hundreds of species of plants and animals every year.

destruction of rain forests

A plant or animal that has been released into an ecosystem in which it did not evolve is referred to as a(n) _____ _____.

exotic species

A _____ _____ is a sequence of organisms through which energy and materials move within an ecosystem.

food chain

In the recent past, the main cause of extinction has been ______.

habitat alteration or loss

The normal custom is to dump waste from mines in ______.

huge heaps near the mine

The decline of marine fisheries is primarily due to ______.

more efficient fishing methods

Within an ecosystem, each organism occupies a specific ______.

niche

Air pollution can be a problem in locations far away from the source of pollutants due to ______.

prevailing wind directions

The most useful strategy for controlling water pollution is ______.

reduction of the release of pollutants into the environment

Tensions over water supplies are exacerbated in _____ river basins, areas where two or more countries share a river system.

transboundary

Smog tends to be a problem in ______.

urban areas

Mexico City is subsiding due to the removal of ______ from beneath its surface.

water

The system by which water is continuously circulated through the biosphere is called the _____ _____.

water cycle

What pollutants are released from incinerators that lack electrostatic precipitators?

-Arsenic -Lead -Mercury

Which of the following statements about smog is true?

-Children are more negatively affected by smog than adults. -Smog seems to increase the incidence of pneumonia.

Which of the following are problems associated with the use of biocides?

-Die-off of aquatic birds, fish, and plants from runoff -Long-term residence in aquifers -Lack of governmental oversight

What are the two major problems with incineration of solid waste?

-Incinerators emit toxic pollutants into the atmosphere. -The ash residue of incinerators is highly toxic.

Which statements accurately describe DDT?

-It is one of the oldest and most dangerous pesticides. -It was designed to clear malaria-bearing mosquitoes.

Why doesn't the U.S. recycle as much of its waste as some other countries?

-Low-cost energy allows for manufacture of goods from raw materials. -The high cost of collecting recyclable waste -Lack of markets for recycled material

Why are plants and animals on islands, such as the islands of Hawaii, more susceptible to extinction, particularly through the introduction of exotic species?

-Native species evolved in isolation with few diseases or predators. -Populations of species are limited in their aerial extent.

In a sign that the environmental justice movement has a long way to go, what two groups are most burdened with pollution in developed and developing countries?

-Poor communities -Minority communities

Which of these are examples of successful efforts to control air pollution?

-Reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions and thus acid rain -Reduction of CFC emissions -Elimination of leaded gasoline in many countries

In the United States, spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants are mostly disposed of in which two ways?

-Sealed in containers and stored outside -Stored in containment pools until they have cooled

Identify nongovernmental organizations (NGOS) working to preserve biodiversity.

-The Nature Conservancy -The World Wildlife Fund

What are the three interrelated parts of the biosphere?

-The troposphere -The hydrosphere -The lithosphere

High-level radioactive waste is divided into two main categories: _____ waste from nuclear power plants and _____ waste from the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

-civilian -military

In the United States, the three main methods of solid waste disposal are ______.

-incineration -landfills -recycling

Low-level radioactive waste is material whose radioactivity will decay to safe levels in _____ years or less.

100

If acid rain has a measured pH of 3.6, it is _____ times more acidic than normal rain, which has an average pH of 5.6.

100 or 100x

What proportion of U.S. trash is disposed of by incineration?

13%

If biomagnification occurs for a chemical, which animal listed from the same food chain would likely have the largest concentration of that chemical?

A fish-eating eagle

Which of these is not one of the major producers of hazardous waste?

Agriculture

What tends to contribute to air pollution in less urbanized regions during winter?

Burning wood for home heating

_____ is the term used for species unintentionally netted by vessels fishing for other species. For example, it is estimated that about 60,000 dolphins, porpoises, and whales drown each year after becoming entangled in nets.

Bycatch

The ______ has led to a rise in elephant populations in Botswana and South Africa.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

_____ _____ species are those that are at high risk of extinction in the wild.

Critically endangered

Which pesticide, commonly used in the 1950s, was discovered to be harmful to birds and other wildlife and almost caused the extinction of bald eagles and brown pelicans before being banned in 1972?

DDT

The _____ _____ Act of 1973 is the most significant piece of biodiversity legislation passed in the United States, regulating hunting, commercial harvesting, and habitat use to protect plants and animals that are threatened.

Endangered Species

_____ is the burning of waste, now often done in facilities that convert the waste to energy.

Incineration

What sector uses about 20% of the freshwater used worldwide in a given year?

Industry

How well does biological control tend to work?

Introducing a foreign species to solve a problem tends to cause more problems than it solves.

______ is the waste generated by communities, including newspapers, beer cans, electronics, and food packaging.

Municipal waste

The Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund, and numerous zoos are examples of ______ that work to preserve and protect species and slow the accelerating rate of species extinction.

NGOs

______ are the largest producers of low-level radioactive waste.

Nuclear power plants

_____ is the recovery of used materials and their reprocessing into new products.

Recycling

_____ _____ is the general term used for resource exploitation methods involving the removal of vegetation, topsoil, and rocks from the Earth's surface in order to get at the resources underneath.

Surface mining

Which component of the IPAT equation (I=PAT) does not necessarily increase the impact on the environment as it increases?

Technology

What habitat area of the United States has been the most negatively affected by the recent warming trend?

The Arctic region in Alaska

What control measure was passed to reduce the release of ozone-depleting substances?

The Montreal Protocol

Which statement about environmental racism is accurate?

The harm can be intentional or unintentional.

What is the main factor blocking extensive use of desalination of seawater to provide more freshwater to areas experiencing water shortfalls?

The high cost of the process

What is the major problem or worry about burying radioactive waste in storage tanks?

The tanks will leak.

_____ pollution of water occurs when water that has been heated during its use as a coolant in industrial processes is returned to the environment.

Thermal

How have coastal communities in developing states historically dealt with their solid waste?

They loaded waste on barges and then dumped the waste into the ocean.

Which of the following is not one of the major provisions of the Clean Air Act?

To increase the number of trees planted per year

_____ waste is a relatively narrow term used specifically for substances that are poisonous and can cause death or serious injury to humans and other organisms.

Toxic

What is the name of the lowermost layer of the atmosphere?

Troposphere

While scientists believe that deep geologic burial is the safest way to permanently dispose of long-lived radioactive waste, the United States has halted construction of its first deep repository at _____ _____ in Nevada.

Yucca Mountain

The concentration of toxins in organisms that consume them but can't excrete them is called _____.

bioaccumulation

The introduction of tilapia, a weed-eating fish, to combat the spread of invasive hydrilla in Florida is an example of ______.

biological control

The main method for disposing of animal waste from intensive livestock farming locations is ______.

conversion to fertilizer

The study of ______ is critically important in understanding environmental problems, which usually arise from a disturbance to natural systems.

ecology

Zebra mussels, which have spread to hundreds of inland lakes in the United States and are competing with local mussels for habitat, are an example of a(n) ______ species.

exotic

In the United States, the second-largest cause of species endangerment is ______.

exotic species

The main source of agricultural chemical pollution from animal wastes is ______.

factory farming

Because most hazardous waste is disposed of by dumping or burial on land, the natural environment at greatest risk of contamination is ______.

groundwater

The term _____ waste refers to all wastes that pose an immediate or long-term human health risk or that endanger the environment.

hazardous

When unregulated, the _____ of wildlife can lead to the extinction or near-extinction of animal species. For example, buffalo and beaver in the United States were brought to the brink of extinction by this practice.

hunting

The movement that seeks the fair treatment of all people with regards to environmental issues is environmental _____.

justice

Modern landfills are required to have a clay or plastic liner to prevent pollution of groundwater by _____, chemically contaminated drainage formed when rainwater interacts with the waste materials.

leachate

This image shows an example of ______, which can cause considerable damage to the environment.

open-pit mining

The _____ _____ is a broad area of low ozone concentrations as big as the continental United States over Antarctica.

ozone hole

The _____ _____ of the atmosphere serves as a protective blanket, shielding us from overexposure to UV radiation from the sun.

ozone layer

Environmental _____ is the introduction into the biosphere of wastes that, because of their volume and/or composition, cannot be readily disposed of by natural recycling processes.

pollution

Water ______ exists when the water composition has been so modified by the presence of one or more substances that the water either cannot be used for a specific purpose or is less suitable than when it was in its natural state.

pollution

Any policy or practice that differentially affects or harms individuals, groups, or communities because of their race or color with regard to environmental issues is known as environmental _____.

racism

Most U.S. solid waste is disposed of in _____ _____, where each day's waste is deposited in a depression, compacted, and covered with a layer of soil.

sanitary landfill

About 2 billion people live in regions facing water _____, lacking sufficient water to meet demand.

scarcity or shortages

A depleted ozone layer increases the risk of ______ due to increased exposure to UV radiation.

skin cancer

Exposure to _____ is believed to increase the incidence of respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and emphysema.

smog

In the United States, the second-largest expenditure of most local governments is ______.

solid waste disposal

The excavation of material from beneath the ground can lead to _____, the settling or sinking of a portion of the land surface.

subsidence

The primary source of acid rain is ______.

sulfur dioxide

Air pollution can be exacerbated by the formation of a(n) _____ _____, which traps cooler air near the surface and prevents the normal rising and mixing of air.

temperature inversion

The whooping crane has been virtually eliminated in the United States by the disruption and loss of ______ habitat.

tidal marsh

The _____ is the lowermost level of the atmosphere and contains all of the air that we breathe.

troposphere

The primary adverse human impact on water is felt in the area of ______.

water quality