Environmental earth science final
You are on the Kent Campus, and you spill a bottle of water into the storm drain. Where does that water end up?
In Lake Erie, after flowing down the Cuyahoga River
How has the mean annual atmospheric CO2 concentration changed from 1958 to the present?
It has steadily increased
How does the ecological footprint for people living in developed nations like the US compare to that of people living in still developing nations?
It is much greater
Clay has a very low permeability, because it has small particles that are electrically charged. This means that...
It makes a good aquitard and a bad soil for growing most crops.
Rank these three reservoirs from largest to smallest, in terms of total gigatonnes of carbon contained in each
Mantle > Oceans > Atmosphere
What best explains why stream valleys become wider over time?
Meandering streams undercut their banks and cause mass wasting
Which of the following causes and consequences are NOT correctly paired?
Melting sea ice and sea level rise
Which of the following is NOT an unintended consequence of artificial levees along rivers?
Natural leeves may form on top of the artificial levees as water flowing out of the river onto the floodplain slows down and deposits sediment.
What are the three primary ingredients necessary to form unhealthy levels of ozone (O3) in the urban environment?
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) + volatile organic compounds (VOCs) + sunlight
Which of the following is not a fossil fuel?
Nuclear
You want to buy a house near the river, but you remember your professor having strong opinions about where it was safest to buy. Which of these is the worst option?
On the outside of a meander bend in the floodplain
Seasonal decreases in CO2 are most likely due to:
Photosynthesis
Which of the following is a plausible flux of carbon leading from the "atmosphere" reservoir to the "vegetation" reservoir?
Photosynthesis
If base level is lowered and a stream's gradient or slope increases, which of the following can you expect to happen?
The stream will erode and transport more sediment and or larger sediment sizes
acid mine drainage is a problem in parts of ohio becuase of legacy
coal miinning
In the us, the states with the highest residental or domestic water use are:
in the west, with the fast growing populations
clay is considered an aquitard because
it has very low permeability
Limiting temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius is recommended because..
it increases the likelihood that we will avoid the most catastrophic consequences
which of the following statements reguarding in the peak of oil theory is true
it predicts that world production of conventional crude has or will soon peak
If the base level of a stream were suddenly lowered, which feature would be created?
knickpoint
which soil is considered an ideal soil for agriculture, based on it's texture, drainage properties and fertility
loam
streams located near the mouth of the river are quite different compared to those near the headwaters. What best characterizes streams near the mouth?
low gradient, high discharge, and wide floodplains
which of the following is not a soil forming factor?
mathmatics
the five components of soil are minerals, air, water, organic matter, and...
microbes
burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. when was the last time those carbon molecules were in the atmosphere
millions of years ago when plants and plankton that became coal and petroleum were living
soil color reflects...
mineral and organic composition
which of the following sets of numbers best describe the current us energy mix?
80% fossil fuels, 10% renewable, 10% nuclear
Chemical breakdown of sulfide minerals when exposed to air and water results in which of the following problems?
Acid mine drainage in areas where coal mining occurred
The largest consumptive water use in the US is what?
Agricultural Irrigation
Which of the following statements about dams are true?
All dams slow down water and trap sediment
Which of the following is an example of how human population growth affects earth systems?
All of the above
Which of the following statements is true?
As population and gross domestic product (GDP) increases, mineral resource use tends to increase along with ecological footprints, resulting in difficulty achieving sustainability.
Which is the correct order of soil horizon formation (from first to form to last to form)
C->A->B->E
Which of the following terms refers to the use of resources in such a way that future generations will have a fair share and inherit a quality environment?
Drainage divide
Evaluate the following statements and identify the one statement that is both factually correct and logically correct.
Fossil fuel combustion increases the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which warm the earth because they absorb some of the outgoing radiation.
the primary difference between physical and chemical weathering can be summarized as
Physical weathering created smaller pieces of material, while chemical weathering creates new materials
Most oil and natural gas are formed from the remains of what?
Single-celled planktonic organisms
What are stabilization wedges?
Technologically feasible strategies to reduce carbon emissions, that grow from 0 to 1 gigaton of carbon per year in the next 50 years
Imagine a scenario where no water soaks into the ground but instead runs quickly off the surface all at once into the stream. Compared to a scenario where some water soaks into the ground, how would the hydrograph be different?
The lag time would be shorter and the hydrogen peak would be higher
Unconventional fossil fuels generally have a lower energy return on investment (EROI) than conventional fossil fuels. Why?
They require additional steps for extraction and processing, and this requires additional energy.
Which of the following is not true of incremental processes?
They take place somewhat randomly as discrete events.
With regards to the Cuyahoga River's environmental history, which of the following statements are true?
Today, environmental challenges on the Cuyahoga River include non-point source pollution.
You are making a decision about where to buy a house in Rivertown, USA. You remember from this class that streams erode their banks in some areas more than others and that sometimes river channels can't contain all of the water they have to carry. Based on what you remember from class, you decide to buy which house:
a house on the inside of a meander bend, set on a terrace above the floodplain
what describes how topsoil, or a-horizons develop
accumulation of organic matter in the upper soil zone
mine tailings represent the waste material from mining operations that must be permanently stored on the land surface. which of the following is the primary environmental problem associated with mine tailings??
air and water pollution
Groundwater depletion occurs when groundwater is pumped out faster than it can be recharged. Which of the follwing are possible consequences of groundwater depletion
all of the above
Your ecological footprint is a function of
all of the above
which of the following statements are true reguarding open-pit mining?
all of the above
silica, oxygen, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, postassium, and magnesium
are the most common elements in the earth's crust
per capita is a measure of a nation's wealth. what best describes the relationship between gdp and mineral resource use per capita
as gdp increases people can afford to increase their mineral resource use
As a river transports sediments, the coarsest sediments on the move are transported as...
bed load-rolling, sliding, or hopping along the streambed
which of the following best describes the primary cause of the environmental problem known as acid mine drainage
chemical breakdown of sulfide minerals
which of the following statements best describe the oil window
depth interval where temperatures allow oil to form in a source rock
if on a global scale population is growing and mineral use per person is increasing what does this suggest about sustainability of our use of mineral resources
efforts to recycle reuse and reduce of limited resources will be necessary to extend limited suppllies of mineral resources
Which of the following activities use the greatest amount of water in the united states?
electrical generation and irrigation
Which of the following statements about agricultural waste is true?
esticides are found in nearly all streams and many aquifers, but only above human health benchmarks in 10% of water sources
nutrients in soil become availableto plants through the process of
exchange of ions weakly bount to soil particles such as clays
which of the following is not a technique used in ore processing
exploration and prespecting
there is renewed interest in tidal energy development thanks to which of the following advances
free standing turbines that take advantage of tidal currents with minimal impacts to marine life
What best describes the direction that groundwater flows in the subsurface?
from areas of high hydraulic head to low hydraulic head
what best describes the direction that groundwater flows in the subsurface?
from areas of high hydraulic head to low hydraulic head
which of the following is an environmental problem associated with society's use of coal
greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution
Which of the following statements are true about the merits of using groundwater versus surface water as a water supply?
groundwater generally requires less infrastructure to extract and treat than river water.
ocean-continent convergent tectonic boundries are primarily associalted with
igneous rock
which is the correct sequence of steps necessary for nuclear energy production
mining, ore processing to yellow cake powder,e nrichment in centrfuges, fabrication into fuel pellets power generation waste storage and disposal
The interest in hydraulic fracturing shale gas deposits was driven by which factors??
new directional drilling technology and higher wellhead prices
What best explains why municipal governments are now focusing on waste reduction and recycling programs?
number of landfills has declined, which has increased the cost of waste disposal
In the us, the largest residental water use is
outdoor water use and landscaping
When surface water and groundwater resources are limited, desalination may be considered an alternative wayto increase water supply. However there are significant barriers to widespread use. which of the following is not a limitation to desalination
people think it is disgusting
what best describes the basic way in which soils form?
physical and chemical weathering of rock
Porosity is the term that describes the amount of void space within a material. what explains why porosity is important with respect to soils?
provides plant roots access to moisture and oxygen
in addition to lowering the ph of nearby streams which of the following is an environmental peoblem associated with acid mine drainage??
release of heavy metals into the environmental
relative to floods that happen in the headwaters of river basic, downstream floods tend to
rise more slowly, but stay flooded longer
Which of the following describes why soils are important in environmental earth science?
soil loss will affect our ability to grow food as the population increases
of the unconventional fossil fuels, which is the only one that is being sizable commercially exploited now??
tar sands
which of the following best explains why carbon dioxide emissions are so much higher using tar sands compared to conventional crude oil
tar sands require additional energy to produce
shale gas and tight oil require hydraulic fracturing in order to extract why?
the permability of shale is too low to allow the oil and gas to migrate into a resivor
You are thinking of buying a house and your realtor says that the house is in the 100 year floodplain. you should interpret this information to mean
there is a one percent chance each year that the house will be flooded
In an unconfined aquifer, the water level in a groundwater well will rise_________
to the water table
Risks associated with hazardous waste disposal in injection wells can be minimized by:
using steel and/or cement casing of the well through any freshwater aquifers
The economic costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions reductions...
will reduce economic growth by a very small amount compared to business as usual scenarios
Which is the best match between the environment and a renewable energy source.
wind power along Lake Erie shorelines
which of the following describes the biggest advantage of wind power over solar
wind turbines can generate power at night and on cloudy days