unit 5 APES FRQs

iii. An oil refinery can refine about 20 gallons of gasoline from one barrel of crude oil. If an automobile has a fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon, calculate the maximum number of miles an automobile could theoretically travel using the quantity of gasoline that could have been refined from the crude oil that escaped from the well in May of 2010.

correct set up and calculation (check image)

(c) On April 20, 2010, a blowout on the deep water, offshore drilling ring, Deepwater Horizon, resulted in the largest accidental marine oil spill in history. The flow of escaping oil from the well was finally stopped on September 19, 2010. i. Crude oil released from the well washed up on approximately 1,313 miles of coastline around the Gulf of Mexico. The total length of the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico is approximately 3,540 miles. Calculate the percentage of the coastline along the Gulf of Mexico that was directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

correct set up and percentage (check image)

(b) Nitrogen dioxide is a nitrogen oxide that can lead to the formation of ozone (O3) and photochemical smog in the troposphere. The three figures below show three scenarios involving O3 formation and destruction in the troposphere. i. Describe how the sun affects the processes illustrated in Figure 1.

in the presence of sunlight, ozone forms

ii. Describe the control in the experiment.

the control for the experiment as the group of plants that were watered with the neutral water solution.

ii. Describe how the sun affects the process illustrated in Figure 2.

when the amount of sunlight decreases/there is no sunlight, ozone breaks down

iii. Explain how the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Figure 3 prevents the process seen in Figure 2.

When (VOCs) are present, they combine with NO, preventing the destruction of O3 during periods of decreased or no sunlight.

ii. Crude oil escaped from the well at an average rate of 60,000 barrels per day. Calculate how many barrels of crude oil flowed from the well from May 1 to May 31, 2010.

correct set up and calculation (check image)

c) A student performed an experiment to determine the effect of acid rain on plant growth. The student divided 80 seeds of a fast-growing plant species into four groups of 20 seeds each. The four groups of seeds were then planted in soil. After all of the seeds germinated in the same growing conditions, they were watered once a day with simulated rainwater that had different levels of acidity. The acidity of the four different watering solutions was as follows: neutral water, 0.1%, 1.0%, and 10%. The average height of the plants in each group was measured over a two-week period. i. Identify the independent variable in the experiment.

the independent variable in the experiment as the acidity of the watering solution for each group.

(iii) Describe one potential disadvantage of planting and managing timber forests, especially in less-developed countries, as a solution to address global climate change.

- Large timber forests require available land for plantations; often valuable land is already being used. - Area used for timber forests could be used for agriculture; using the land for forest could decrease food security/decrease revenue from agriculture.

Write your answers in the spaces provided. Refer to the figure or diagram to answer the question. Where explanation or discussion is required, support your answers with relevant information and/or specific examples. (a) Carbon dioxide produced by anthropogenic sources contributes to global climate change. (i) Identify TWO environmental problems, other than the loss of biodiversity, that are occurring as a result of global climate change.

- Rising global temperatures - Rising sea level

(ii) Describe the most likely reason for the difference in the carbon sequestered between the black locust forest and the common oak forest from 2010 to about 2030 on the graph.

Black Locust trees are larger than Common Oak trees so they have more leaves and more photosynthesis/take in more CO2

ii. Propose a solution to lessen the effect of the problem you described in (a)(i).

Burn the oil on the surface of the ocean before it can affect organisms

(a) Air pollutants are a concern because they can lead to a variety of negative environmental and human health consequences. One group of such pollutants is nitrogen oxides. i. Identify one way nitrogen oxides (NOx) are commonly introduced into the atmosphere.

Combustion of fossil fuels

iii. Describe one method for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions into the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources.

Decrease the temperature during the combustion of fossil fuels

(ii) Describe one human activity, other than the burning of fossil fuels, that releases CO2 into the atmosphere.

Deforestation for farmland/grazing land/timber releases C02 as a product of combustion or a product of decomposition.

(ii) Justify the solution proposed in (c)(i) by explaining an additional benefit, other than reducing global climate change or decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Diversifying energy supply and reducing dependence on imported fuels. Creating economic development and jobs in manufacturing, installation, and more.

(c) Planting and managing forests for timber is not the only way human activities can sequester carbon and lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere. (i) Propose a solution, other than planting and managing forests for timber, to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. BoldItalicUnderline

Generate electricity with alternative fuels to fossil fuels

b) Over 70% of the oil consumed in the United States is used by the transportation industry. One way to reduce the likelihood of oil spills is to reduce the use of oil to produce fuel for transportation. i. Propose one solution to reduce the use of oil in the production of transportation fuel.

Improve efficiency of automobiles, etc.

ii. Explain how nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere can lead to the formation of a secondary pollutant that can lead to acid deposition.

Nitrogen oxides can react with oxygen and water in the atmosphere to form nitric acid.

a) Oil spills in the ocean can negatively affect marine ecosystems. i. Describe one environmental problem in a marine ecosystem that could result from an oil spill.

Oil kills organisms when ingested.

iii. Based on the described experiment, state a valid hypothesis for the experiment.

Plant growth will decrease with increasing/decreasing acidity of the watering solutions.

ii. Besides reducing the likelihood of an oil spill, justify your solution by describing an additional potential advantage.

Save money/less air pollution (e.g. ground-level ozone, greenhouse gases, etc.)

(iii) There are three major declines in the carbon sequestered in the black locust forest on the graph. Explain the most likely reason for these declines.

Since these trees are grown in a managed forest, it is likely that some of the Black Locust trees were thinned out or harvested by the timber companies that managed the land, leading to decreased carbon sequestering at those time periods.

(b) Timber companies around the world plant and manage forests to provide timber for human use. An environmental benefit of these managed forests is that they sequester carbon in the biomass of the trees, which decreases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, at least over a relatively short time span. The graph below shows the results of a computer simulation that predicts the amount of carbon sequestration in two different managed forests (both with the same number of trees and covering the same surface area) composed of two different tree species over a 140-year period. (i) Describe the pattern in carbon sequestration for the black locust forest from 2010 to 2050 on the graph.

The Black Locust forest steadily increases the amount of carbon that will be sequestered.

(iv) Based on the data in the graph, describe the maximum amount of carbon that can be sequestered using mature common oak in a managed forest of this size.

The Common Oak forest levels off near 80,000 tons of carbon sequestered per year from 2070 to 2130.This sequestration occurred with the trees were mature, before they were harvested (which is seen in thedrop in carbon sequestered in 2130).

iv. The experiment was repeated and each soil had the addition of crushed limestone. Describe how the modification of the study would affect the results.

The addition of limestone would increase the ability of the soil to neutralize the effect of acid rain. This would likely lead to increased growth for plants in the groups exposed to the acid rain.