Environmental science exam 4
What was the percent change from 1970 to 2006 for vehicle miles traveled?
+175%
What was the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at 8:00 A.M.?
0.35 ppm
If the following are energy returned on investment (EROI) ratios for particular energy sources, which of the following is the most efficient?
48/4
The following answers for the Causes and Consequences features are examples and are not intended to represent a comprehensive list. In addition, the sequence of items is not meant to connote relative importance. Sort the examples below into the appropriate bin.
Causes: plastic debris, discarded nets, and other trashnutrient pollution from agricultural runoffoil spills from non-point and point sources Consequences: animals become entangled and diebirds and fish become coated with oil and dieformation of dead zones Solutions: prevention of dumping and littering; pickup of trash from beachesreduction of fertilizer use in agriculturetightening of safety regulations for oil drilling and transport
The following answers for the Causes and Consequences features are examples and are not intended to represent a comprehensive list. In addition, the sequence of items is not meant to connote relative importance.
Causes: radon seepage into homesinefficient indoor cookstovesVOCs from paints, carpeting, and furniture Consequences: lung cancer; 20,000 deaths per year in the United Statesrespiratory disease in developing countriespeople ill from sick-building syndrome Solutions: measurement of radon with a test kit; increase in ventilationpurchase of low- or no-VOC paints, carpeting, and furnitureconversion to more efficient clean-burning cook stoves
Today, ________ has the worst acid deposition problem, primarily because of ________.
China; coal-fired electrical and industrial plants
Which of the following pollutants has the longest residence time?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
What process depends on the cyclical, vertical movement of air currents: sinking cold, dense and rising warm, less dense air masses?
Convective circulation
When was it most likely to have been foggy?
Day 2, between 5 A.M and 9 A.M.
Suppose you are able to manipulate a plant's access to components in the photosynthesis equation. Drag each label to the appropriate bin to predict how that action will affect plant growth. For each increase or decrease, assume that every other component of the photosynthesis equation is unlimited.
Decrease plant growth decrease sunlightdecrease CO2decrease H2O No effect on plant growth decrease C6H12O6increase C6H12O6 Increase plant growth increase H2Oincrease CO2increase sunlight
If the captain of a fishing fleet wanted to catch fish over a vast expanse of ocean, which of the following would be an effective method to do so?
Driftnets
How has the Clean Air Act's emissions trading program addressed the issue of acid deposition in the United States?
Economic incentives have encouraged polluters to invest in technologies such as scrubbers.
The exceptionally strong warming of the eastern Pacific is referred to as ________.
El Niño
Which of the following is a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation patterns in the tropical Pacific Ocean that alters weather patterns on a worldwide scale?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Which of the following statements accurately describes nuclear fusion reactors?
Fusion reactions require very high temperatures.
How did the global surface temperature change between 1900 and 2000?
It increased by about 0.7 °C.
According to the Business as Usual scenario, how will the global surface temperature change in the century between 2000 and 2100?
It will increase by about 3.5 °C.
For more information about each of these scenarios, see Hint 1. The following data reflect predictions from Pierrot, Lewis, and Wallace's model. ow could this data be best represented graphically? View Available Hint(s)
Line graph
Which of the following damaging pollutants is not closely tracked by the U.S. EPA?
Mercury
What compound that results from hydraulic fracturing can contaminate groundwater?
Methane
What are the periodic variations in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that alter the way solar radiation is distributed over Earth's surface?
Milankovitch cycles
Use the figure above to answer the following question. Which of the following statements is true?
Most of Earth's fresh water is frozen.
Which of the following statements about Earth's fresh water is true?
Most of Earth's fresh water is in polar ice caps, glaciers, and underground aquifers and thus is not easily accessed for human use.
What is the difference between EROI (energy returned on investment) and net energy?
Net energy is simply the difference between energy returned and energy invested. EROI is a ratio with energy return in the numerator and energy invested in the denominator.
Which of these would NOT contribute to a global increase in temperature?
Planting trees
What is the spatial relationship between the distributions of water and people?
Populations and water resources too often have an inverse relationship (lots of people where there is little water).
The country with the largest amount of domestic oil available for sale on the international market is ________.
Saudi Arabia
Which of the following convert or remove airborne pollutants from smokestacks?
Scrubbers
Which layer of the atmosphere tends to concentrate pollutants and extends 11-50 km above sea level?
Stratosphere
Which of the following is one of the two methods for mining oil shale?
Strip mining
What is the current status of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the United States?
Technologies are not sufficiently reliable, and it is currently too energetically expensive for coal power plants to capture and store their carbon emissions.
What is most likely to have caused the levels of ozone and photochemical smog to decline after 4:00 P.M.?
The production of smog declined as the amount of sunlight decreased.
What is the best description of the relative humidity between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. on Day 1?
The relative humidity dropped from 100% to 55%.
What is one of the main reasons for sea level rise?
Thermal expansion
Which term describes a regular periodic change to the ocean's height due to the gravitational influence of the moon and the sun?
Tides
The EPA tracks six "criteria" air pollutants. Which of these is true of the criteria air pollutants?
Total emissions of the six have declined below their health standards set by the EPA.
Classify each pollutant based on the category that best describes its impact on waterways.
Toxic chemicals: acid drainage from an abandoned coal mineherbicide from a soccer field pathogens and waterborne diseases : medical waste from a hospital dumped in an illegal location Thermal pollution : frigid water from the bottom of a reservoir nutrient pollution phosphorous-rich fertilizer from agricultural landnitrogen-rich grass clippings from a mowed lawn sediment clay soil from land cleared for home constructioneroded topsoil from agricultural land
Which of the following layers of the atmosphere is responsible for the weather that we experience on the surface of Earth?
Troposphere
____________ is the rising of deep, cold, dense water toward the surface.
Up-welling
What is the name of an area of land that is drained by a river and all of its tributaries?
Watershed
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather occurs over hours and days, and climate occurs over seasons and years.
Which of the following is an adaptation response to climate change?
a Pacific island nation building higher seawalls
Oceans have absorbed approximately one-third of the excess carbon dioxide that humans have added to Earth's atmosphere so far. This has slowed the progression of global climate change, but it has led to ________.
a decrease in the pH (ocean acidification)
All of the following are examples of point sources of pollution except ________.
a large farm
What is the direct cause of death for aquatic animals during eutrophication?
a loss of dissolved oxygen in the water
Which of the following best describes a floodplain?
a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows
A septic system is ________.
a rural method of processing wastewater
Which of the following factors would be most likely to lead to an overall increase in the level of photochemical smog?
a temperature inversion
What is the cost of conserved energy for compact fluorescent lighting?
about $.08 per kilowatt-hour
After 55 years, how does the capacity of a restored wetland to absorb nutrients compare to that of a natural wetland?
about 40% of natural wetland capacity
After 20 years, how much plant biomass does a restored wetland contain?
about 80% of the biomass of a natural wetland
How much energy would the family save by investing in all of the features that are cost-effective at the current price of energy?
about 9,000 kilowatt-hours per year
The rapid melting of Greenland's ice cap could disrupt the NADW formation by ________.
adding huge amounts of less-dense fresh water to the surface of the system
Which of these energy investments is the least expensive to install?
adding insulation to ceilings
Freshwater wetlands provide important ecosystem services, including ________.
all of the above
What is the most cost-effective solution for groundwater depletion and land-level subsidence?
allowing no more water to be withdrawn from an aquifer than is naturally recharged
In the year 2000, the worst air pollution levels in the region were in downtown Johannesburg and Soweto. The probable explanation is that in downtown Johannesburg ________, while in Soweto ________.
automobile traffic was the cause; the burning of fuels in each home for heating, light, and cooking was a major contributor to indoor and outdoor air pollution
Carbon monoxide ________.
blocks oxygen transport in human blood
Recent research that analyzed the content of commercial bottled water indicates that ________.
bottled water is no safer or purer than most samples of tap water
Upwelling ________.
brings benthic nutrients to the ocean surface promoting high primary productivity
Human sources of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere include all of the following EXCEPT:
burning fuel wood.
Is the following statement supported or not supported by the data shown in the graph? The restoration of a wetland takes about 100 years.
cannot be determined from the graph
Which of the following are market mechanisms for addressing climate change?
cap-and-trade and carbon offsets
All of the following are standard steps at a coal-fired power plant in the United States EXCEPT:
carbon capture.
Of the following, ________ is not yet regulated by the EPA.
carbon dioxide
Which of the following chemicals is NOT a VOC (volatile organic compound)?
carbon monoxide
Bacteria and fungal spores can be included as ________.
causes of building-related illness
Scientist often use ______________ which are programs that combine what is known about atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation, atmosphere-ocean interactions, and feedback cycles to simulate climate dynamics
climate models
Which of the fossil fuels is most abundant on Earth?
coal
All of the following, are forms of renewable energy EXCEPT:
coal.
The practice of reducing wasteful or unnecessary energy use is called ________.
energy conservation
What term describes the ability to obtain a given result while using less energy?
energy efficiency
When assessing energy resources, it is helpful to use a measure called EROI, which is ________.
energy returned divided by energy invested
Water bodies where rivers flow into the oceans, mixing fresh water with saltwater, are called ________.
estuaries
What type of coastal feature experiences fluctuations in salinity with daily and seasonal variations?
estuaries
What is most likely to have caused the increase in atmospheric nitrogen oxide (NO) between 4 A.M. and 7 A.M.?
exhaust from vehicles during morning rush hour
U.S. oil production ________.
falls far short of U.S. oil consumption
Scientists evaluate concentrations of gases and other atmospheric constituents from the distant past by examining which of the following?
gas bubbles trapped in ice
Which of the following is a method to gain additional power from coal?
gasification
In 1970, ________ was/were the source of most of the airborne lead emissions in the United States.
gasoline
We build dams to ________.
generate electricity, prevent flooding, and provide irrigation and drinking water
The Coriolis effect contributes to ________.
global wind patterns
The Kyoto Protocol is to carbon dioxide as the Montreal Protocol is to ________.
halocarbons
Which of the following technologies is currently allowing us to decrease carbon emissions from automobiles?
hydrogen fuel cells
You have been hired by a rapidly growing small city to improve the air quality, which has deteriorated in the past 10 years. Which of the following is most likely to be your first suggestion?
improve transportation options, including carpool lanes, buses, and light rail
Most of Earth's liquid fresh water is found ________.
in ice caps and glaciers
Organizations like OPEC have formed ________.
in order to take maximum advantage of developed nations dependence on imported oil
Effects attributed to Chernobyl ________.
include increased incidence of thyroid cancers
The best fit between observed and model data is shown by the model that ________.
incorporates both natural and anthropogenic factors
One reasonable way to prevent sinkholes might be to ________.
increase groundwater recharge by constructing artificial wetlands that use treated municipal wastewater
The heavy levels of soot from the electrical plant upwind of Soweto, along with dust from gigantic gold and coal mines, created particulate pollution more than three times the recommended level. This would be expected to result in ________.
increased incidence of lung disease
In the United States, per capita energy use ________, and energy intensity ________.
increased sharply from 1950 to the 1970s but has since declined; has been declining since 1970
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the number of human-induced sinkholes has doubled since 1930. Insurance claims increased 1200% from 1987 to 1991, costing nearly $100 million. A major reason for this is ________.
increased water consumption through development and urbanization
In the stratosphere, ________.
increases of temperature and ozone levels are strongly correlated
Ocean water is 96.5% water by mass. Most of the remainder consists of __________.
ions from dissolved salts
Humans use more fresh water for ________ than for any other purpose.
irrigating crops
Scientists currently assessing the environmental impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico report that ________.
it may take years or decades before the full impacts are known
In which part of Days 1 and 2 was the humidity lowest?
late afternoon/evening
Of the following greenhouse gases, ________ concentrations have increased by the greatest percentage since 1750.
methane
Which of the following greenhouse gases has/have experienced at least a 50% increase in atmospheric concentration since 1750?
methane only
If all of the stratospheric ozone suddenly disappeared, ________.
most life on Earth would cease to exist because of the amount of UV radiation penetrating the atmosphere
In a nuclear power plant, the amount of electricity generated is regulated by ________.
moving control rods into or out of spaces between the fuel rods
One of the problems with finding new fossil fuel deposits in developing countries is that ________.
multinational corporations often move in to harvest the new deposit, and very little money or resource remains in the country
The Earth's atmosphere is composed mostly of ________.
nitrogen and oxygen
The Acid Rain Program established under the Clean Air Act of 1990 has been successful in reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide and ________.
nitrogen oxides
Which greenhouse gas has a global warming potential that is approximately three times that of methane?
nitrous oxide
Rising sea levels result in all of the following EXCEPT:
ocean acidification.
What caused the Aral Sea, the fourth largest lake on Earth, to lose four-fifths of its volume in 40 years?
overconsumption by cotton farmers
Currently, the greatest ecological crisis facing marine food webs is ________.
overharvesting
Which of the following types of pollution is most responsible for large numbers of deaths worldwide because of unsafe drinking water?
pathogen pollution
Alaskans benefit from the trans-Alaska pipeline because Alaska's state constitution requires approximately 25% of state revenues associated with the oil industry to be placed into a monetary fund called the Permanent Fund, which ________.
pays yearly dividends to all Alaska residents
Pathogens and waterborne diseases enter drinking water supplies from ________.
poorly treated wastewater and animal wastes from feed lots
The goal of the Montreal Protocol was to ________.
prevent stratospheric ozone depletion
Natural wetlands provide many ecosystem services. When a wetland is restored, which of the following ecosystem services returns most rapidly?
providing food for fish and wildlife
What is most likely to have caused the rapid increase in photochemical smog between 8 A.M. and 11 A.M.?
reactions of nitrous oxides (NOx) and VOCs with oxygen in sunlight
Crude oil is ________.
refined to separate the chemicals used for gasoline, lubricants, plastics, and other products
Switching from fossil fuels to _____ energy would significantly decrease the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
solar, nuclear, and geothermal
For the strategies below, decide whether they are best described as demand-side solutions or supply-side solutions to meeting human needs for fresh water. Remember that a demand-side solution reduces demand for fresh water, whereas a supply-side solution increases the supply of fresh water.
supply-side solutions desalinating seawatera nation invading a neighboring country to access their riversdamming a river to create a reservoir demand-side solutions requiring low-flow showerheads in all new homesraising water prices for consumers and businessesreplacing inefficient irrigation with more-efficient drip irrigation to grow cropsproviding tax breaks for companies that use less water
Part complete Is the following statement supported or not supported by the data shown in the graph? Most of the productivity of a wetland can be restored within 50 years, but it takes much longer to restore soil fertility.
supported
Which piece of legislation set strict standards for air quality and pollution control in the United States?
the Clean Air Act
A watershed is ________.
the area of land that drains into a river or lake
Which line is not a computer-generated forecast?
the black line representing 20th century data
Coal continues to be the main fuel used to generate electricity in the United States. This is partially because ________.
the country has such large reserves of coal
In 1958 trash collection programs were established, and backyard incinerators were banned in the hope of reducing smog. However, it was estimated that massive amounts of gasoline were evaporating from storage tanks, fuel pump nozzles, and delivery trucks. This was also considered a serious contributor to smog, and over the next 20 years, several new rules and several new devices were put in place to alleviate it. There was still a great deal of smog, now identified as photochemical smog, despite the changes. The major remaining problem was ________.
the large distances driven daily by solitary commuters
Part of the reason that people's eyes would sting was ________.
the smoke and particulates from the burning trash
Which of the following energy investments would be cost-effective to install?
triple paned windows
Weather occurs in the ________.
troposphere
"Biosolids" produced at a wastewater treatment plant are often ________.
used as crop fertilizer
Secondary extraction of petroleum ________.
uses solvents, water, or steam
Efficiency of coal-fired power plants can be nearly doubled by ________.
using cogeneration
Which of the following wetland environments only occurs for a short period of time each year?
vernal pools
Soot particles ("black carbon aerosols") generally cause ________ of Earth's atmosphere by ________ solar energy.
warming; absorbing
Which of the following will contribute to water conservation?
watering lawns at night and landscaping with native plants
The huge dust storms that took place in the United States in the 1930s ________.
were the result of poor farming techniques
Many present-day fisheries managers ________.
wish to set aside areas of ocean where systems can function without human interference
The "ozone hole" is a vast area of thinned ozone found over the ____________ region of the Earth.
Antarctic
From which of the nations below did the United States import the most crude oil in 2012?
Canada
Which of the following countries exports the most oil to the United States?
Canada
The following answers for the Causes and Consequences features are examples and are not intended to represent a comprehensive list. In addition, the sequence of items is not meant to connote relative importance.
Causes: population growthgroundwater pumping for agriculturedomestic water use for homes and landscaping Consequences: water shortagessalinizationaltered plant communities Solutions: deployment of more efficient irrigation approachesimprovement of wastewater treatment technologydevelopment of water conservation policies
The figure indicates a net accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere of approximately 15 billion metric tons per year. Based on the figure, what is causing this?
Human activities are sending more CO2 into the atmosphere than is moving from the atmosphere to the surface.
he following graph shows the average pH of the ocean over the last 20 million years of Earth's history. A line graph showing changes in the pH of the ocean due to an uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the last 25 million years. Time is plotted on the x-axis in millions of past years from -25 to 5.The pH is plotted on the y-axis from 7.9 pH to 8.4 pH. The curve starts in the point of 8.05 pH and 25 million year ago and increases until 22 million years ago. Then it remains flat on the level of 8.2 pH until 18 million years ago where it decreases for a short time and then shoots up to more than 8.3 pH. After it the curve fluctuates between 8.1 pH and 8.2 pH to the present time. Nowadays the ocean pH is shown at 8.1 pH. Source: Acidification Model Source CO2SYS (Pierrot, Lewis and Wallace. 2006. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, ORNL, US DOE, Oak Ridge, TN, USA) What can be concluded from the graph? Select all that apply.
In the last 20 million years of Earth's history, the average pH has never gone below 8.0. Average ocean pH has fluctuated over the millennia from just over 8.0 to about 8.3.
If the cost of energy rose to $.18 per kilowatt-hour, which of the following would be true?
Investing in a solar hot water heating and a ground source heat pump would become cost-effective.
What was the first document that called for voluntary reductions of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000?
The 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change
In the wake of the U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol ________.
U.S. cities and states are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Which of the following may result in a positive feedback mechanism that would intensify climate change?
Warmer temperatures result in the melting of permafrost.
Which lifestyle choice would cause the greatest reduction in greenhouse emissions?
riding a bike
Which is the correct term to describe fish and other ocean organisms that are caught accidentally along with the targeted fish?
Bycatch
Which country leads the world in coal production and consumption by extracting and consuming approximately half of the world's annual coal yield?
China
Which of the following are the top two primary indoor air pollutants in the United States?
Cigarette smoke and radon gas
What describes the pattern of atmospheric conditions across larger geographic regions over years, decades, or centuries?
Climate
What are the three fossil fuels that are used today to meet society's needs?
Coal, natural gas, and crude oil
Which of the following is a nonrenewable energy source?
Natural gas
Drag the labels to their appropriate locations on the graphs.
Optimistic Middle ground Atmospheric CO2 (ppm) Pessimistic Oceanic pH Year
What happens as ocean waters warm?
The oceans absorb less CO2.
What would do the most to reduce indoor air pollution in the developing world?
Using solar energy to heat homes
As snow and ice melt, darker, less reflective surfaces (such as bare ground and pools of meltwater) are exposed causing ____________ in warming.
an increase
What is a marine protected area?
any portion of the ocean that is protected from some human activities but may be open to others, such as the laying of cables and some fishing
In the 1970s, sources of CFC pollution in the United States included all of the following EXCEPT:
coal-burning power plants.
Which of the following is an alternative fuel that could decrease carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector?
compressed natural gas
What technology is used to extract freshwater from ocean water?
desalinization
Carbon-based fuels in the lithosphere ________.
have been slowly sequestered over many millions of years
Small island nations such as the Maldives are in the international spotlight because they ________.
may be among the first nations to be completely flooded by rising sea levels
Radon
may cause lung cancer when inhaled
Precipitation that falls on Earth's surface ________.
may take a variety of pathways through surface water or groundwater flow
Natural gas is primarily composed of ________.
methane
A(n) ________ is a device designed to remove airborne pollutants from smokestack emissions.
scrubber
What was the primary cause of the decline in oil prices in 2016 to only one quarter of the prices in 2008?
the oil supply glut caused by fracking
According to tide gauge data, what was the approximate increase in global average sea level between 1950 and 2000?
10 cm
What is bitumen?
A thick type of petroleum formed in clay and sand
Which day had the greatest range in temperature?
Day 2
Which of the following is a nonconsumptive use of water as a resource?
Hydroelectric power
Which of the following statements regarding climate change is true?
Most climate scientists conclude that human activities over the past 100 years have had an effect on the planet's climate.
Which of the following results from acid deposition?
Objects made of stone, like marble headstones, are worn away.
Which prediction has the greatest degree of certainty?
Today's World
How much energy would be saved by adding insulation to ceilings?
about 2,000 kilowatt-hours/year
All of the following are anthropogenic factors contributing to climate change EXCEPT:
breathing.
The world's most abundant fossil fuel is ________.
coal
The area that underlies the shallow water bordering continents is called the ________.
continental shelf
Recent research indicates that the variation in solar output ________.
is less than any of the anthropogenic factors affecting climate change
The region of a lake where plants are able to attach to the bottom and still reach above the surface is known as the __________.
littoral zone
Sinkholes can result from ________.
overconsumption of water from aquifers
Fill in the blanks: ozone is made of __________ and is broken down by __________.
oxygen; chlorine
Zooxanthellae are ________.
symbiotic algae that provide energy to many species of corals
The bars on the graph are not of equal width. What does the width of each bar represent?
the amount of energy saved by an investment, in kilowatt-hours per year
When we burn fossil fuels, ________.
the greatest environmental impact is increased greenhouse gases
When did the use of coal for cooking, heating, and other purposes begin?
thousands of years ago, by Native Americans (and other ancient cultures)
In which way does acid deposition originate?
through fossil fuel combustion by cars, electric utilities, and industrial facilities
For each characteristic in the table below, decide which EPA criteria air pollutant it best describes.
1. Before the 1980s, gasoline combustion was a major source of this pollutant. lead 2. This pollutant's chemical structure is three bonded oxygen atoms. Its concentration is strongly influenced by sunlight levels and air temperature. tropospheric ozone 3. Pollutants in this category are classified according to diameter. particulate matter 4. This pollutant deprives organisms of oxygen by binding to the hemoglobin in red blood cells. carbon monoxide 5. This pollutant contributes to the formation of photochemical smog and acid deposition. nitrogen dioxide 6. A very high percentage of the emissions of this pollutant comes from coal combustion. sulfur dioxide
Drag the air pollution impact on the left to the description on the right. Terms may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
1. Concentrations are elevated by hot, sunny days: photochemical smog 2. Increases exposure of organisms to ultraviolet light: stratospheric ozone depletion 3. Caused by halocarbons, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): stratospheric ozone depletion 4. Forms from emissions of sulfur dioxide: acid deposition 5. Montreal Protocol aimed to reduce emissions that cause this: stratospheric ozone depletion 6. A reaction between pollutants and atmospheric compounds that creates over 100 different chemicals: photochemical smog 7. Leaches plant nutrients from soils: acid deposition 8. Most pronounced in cities prone to inversion events: photochemical smog
Drag the terms on the left to the appropriate blanks on the right to complete the sentences.
1. In 2016, atmospheric CO2 was at 400 ppm, and oceanic pH was at 8.1. 2. Under the Optimistic scenario, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere will increase but will remain under 600 ppm through 2090. 3. Under the Middle Ground scenario, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere will get close to, but are not projected to exceed 700 ppm by 2090. 4. Under the Pessimistic scenario, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are projected to exceed 800 ppm by 2090. 5. Across all three scenarios, ocean pH falls below 8.0 by 2090. 6. From the information in the graphs, you can conclude that oceanic pH and atmospheric CO2 concentration are negatively (or inversely) correlated. 7. Although not reflected in this graph, you can infer that as atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, oceanic carbon dioxide concentrations also increase, suggesting that the two variables are positively (or directly) correlated.
At the end of the 21st century, the IPCC predicts global temperatures will be ____________ higher than today's, depending on how well we control our emissions.
1.0-3.7° C
In which period was the concentration of photochemical smog highest?
11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
What was the temperature at 9:00 A.M. on Day 1?
12 °Celsius
If the U.S. population in 1970 was approximately 200 million people, what was the approximate population by 2006?
300 million people
Transportation accounts for more than ______% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
35
Energy consumption and aggregate emissions have also changed over time. Whereas the ratio of energy consumption to emissions was 1:1 in 1970, by 2006 the ratio was _________.
3:1
The figure shows all current fluxes of CO2, with arrows sized according to mass. Green arrows are natural fluxes, and red arrows are anthropogenic fluxes. For every metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of changes in land use (e.g. deforestation), approximately how much is emitted from industry?
4 metric tons
Roughly ________% of U.S. citizens live in coastal counties and are thus vulnerable to rises in sea level.
50
What proportion of incoming solar radiation reaches Earth's surface?
54%
Over ________% of the fuel you pump into your automobile does something other than move your vehicle down the road.
85
In an effort to further reduce emissions, a government panel is considering several policy options. For the trends on the graph, which of the following policies could have the biggest long-term impact on lowering emissions?
A mandated switch to electric cars with a solar and wind-powered electrical grid to "fuel" the cars
What is a secondary pollutant?
A pollutant that develops after a chemical reaction with chemicals normally present in the atmosphere
Which of the following has the potential to cause atmospheric cooling?
Aerosols (particularly sulfur compounds) and dusts
Which of the following statements is supported by the graph?
All of the computer-generated forecasts predict some global warming, but reducing the level of CO2 emissions will significantly slow the rate of increase.
What is the best description of the relationship between the two variables on the graph?
As the temperature rises, it causes the humidity to fall.