APES Unit 4

People in what part of the world would be most likely to be affected by this link between El Niño and disease?

(1) the weather/climate changes are most extreme, and (2) health care and sanitation are marginal Pacific coastal regions of South America (e.g., Peru, Chile)

(a) Based on the information in the diagrams, describe the seasonal changes in global wind patterns between January and July at location 1.

Winds come from the north in January and from the south/southwest in July.

(b) Based on the information in the diagrams, explain why the days in location 5 have more hours of daylight in December than the days in location 2 have in December.

one of the following: · Incoming solar radiation during the days of December/summer in the Southern Hemisphere received at location 5 is longer in duration than in location 2 as a result of the tilt of the Earth and/or the angle of the sunlight.

(iii) Calculate the weight (in tons) of the current global iron ore reserves that would be used to make steel if the current trends continue.

0.95 x 800 billion tons of iron = 760 billion tons iron ore used to make steel

Assume that the maximum arable land area on Earth is 4.00 billion hectares. Using the smooth curve that you created above, determine the year in which the human population is likely to run out of arable land for agriculture.

1 point for a date that is consistent with the student's graph — e.g., for the graph above, the correct answer is about 2048)

Describe the connection between the climate change associated with an El Niño and the transmission of diseases. Explain whether the article is correct in its reporting of the various disease epidemics that occur in response to an El Niño.

1. Climate change: wetter conditions promote transmission of disease by: *increasing the regions where mosquitoes breed — some mosquitoes are carriers of diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, or yellow fever. *causing flooding, causing a problem because of sanitation (e.g., contamination of water sources with bacteria that may promote the spread of cholera if student gives a clear explanation of the differences between vector-borne transmission of disease and other modes of disease transmission 3. 1 point for noting that only one source is cited in the article and/or that there is not enough information in the article to determine whether or not it is correct

One problem that can result from agriculture is soil salinization. 1. Describe how salinization occurs. 2. Describe one method to prevent or remediate soil salinization.

1. Salinization can occur when irrigation water evaporates (or is used by plants), leaving the salts behind in the soils. 2. Plant vegetation/crops that remove salt from the soil (e.g., saltbush, barley, oats).

Soil quality is a critical factor in agriculture. Identify TWO physical and/or chemical properties of soils and describe the role of each property in determining soil quality.

1. pH/acidity/ alkalinity - different plants have different pH tolerances; many plants grow best in neutral soils 2. porosity/pore size - affects soils ability to absorb/retain water (plants need water and it cannot be attained by roots if it cannot infiltrate the soil) 3. compaction - reduces soil's ability to retain/absorb water

Clearly describe two other important environmental problems associated with ENSOs.

1. warming water: -no upwelling of nutrient-rich waters = *starvation or die-off of spieces /*loss of food for high trophic levels 2. movement of warm ocean waters/increasing depth of warm surface water: - disruption of migration = *starvation/die-off of species 3. Increased rainfall: -nutrient leaching =*plants unable to grow/loss of food production

Calculate the weight (in tons) of rock waste produced globally each year when iron ore is converted to pig iron.

1.6 billion tons of iron ore − 1.2 billion tons of pig iron = 0.4 billion tons of waste

(b) Calculate the weight (in tons) of coal that is conserved each year in North America by recycling steel.

56 million tons

(ii) Calculate the weight (in tons) of pig iron that could be produced if all of the estimated global iron ore reserves were used for pig iron production.

600 billion

Describe what an El Niño is and clearly indicate where it occurs.

Acceptable Characteristics: - Development of warm ocean waters - Depression of the thermocline, which cuts off the cold water upwelling (or, suppression of upwelling due to diminishing winds) - Moving of rainfall patterns - The Northeast and Southeast Trade winds diminish, and sometimes even reverse - Affects the entire globe/global weather and climate - An explanation of the difference between El Niño and ENSO - Tropical Pacific Ocean

(h) Other than positioning the turbines to be exposed to the same wind direction and speed, identify one variable that would have been held constant in the investigation.

Blade Design, such as material, number of blades, width of blades, blade angle

(g) Identify one characteristic of the expected climate on the slope of a mountain farthest from the ocean, when the prevailing winds carry air from the ocean over land, up the slope of a mountain, and over the other side.

Dry

Describe TWO viable strategies for reducing the amount of land needed for agriculture.

Increasing crop yield: - The development of crops that can be grown closer together, are more resistant to pests, more resistant to weather extremes, etc., via artificial selection or GM technologies could increase crop yields. Note: Students may earn both points for two crop improvements. - Instituting crop rotation to improve soil fertility could increase crop yield. Decreasing the demand for agricultural land: - Urban/home/rooftop gardens utilize urban/residential space for growing food.

(d) Describe one method that can be used to mitigate one of the problems you identified in part (c).

Plant trees or other plants to restore cover/reduce erosion

(j) Describe how the proposed change from coal to wind could decrease the ecological footprint of the community.

Reduction of fossil fuel combustion/greenhouse gas emissions.

(c) Describe TWO environmental problems that are associated with abandoned coal mine sites.

Stream/water quality degradation Increased soil erosion

(g) The mining company claims that they cannot extract enough ore from the mine and wants permission to convert the mine into a strip mine. Describe why converting the mine into a strip mine may not be the best choice for the ecosystem of the area.

Strip mining requires the removal of all vegetation from the mining site, which will destroy the ecological community in the area (increased temperature, increased erosion, habitat loss).

(i) Identify one variable that was not mentioned in the description above that could affect the results of the investigation.

The amount of water the grasses receive

(j) After determining the species of grass that removes the most metal, it is planted in the area that was logged. In addition to removing metals from the soil, describe one advantage to stream 2 of planting grass in this area.

The grass/grass roots will reduce the rate of erosion and/or flooding near Stream 2.

(h) Identify the independent variable for the investigation.

The response identifies the independent variable for the investigation as the species of grasses.

(iv) Based on the data in the table above, make a claim about the stated hypothesis.

The stated hypothesis is rejected as more sediment resulted from straw bale plots (plot A) than grass planted plots (plot B).

(i) Identify a reasonable hypothesis for the investigation.

The wind turbine with the longest blades will produce the most electricity.

(d) For winds in the Southern Hemisphere that blow out of the south and are directed northward toward the equator, as shown in the diagrams, identify the direction toward which they are deflected and explain why this deflection occurs.

The winds are directed to the west/left because of the Coriolis effect/the rotation of Earth.

(e) Every few years in the Southern Hemisphere, the winds over the Pacific Ocean, as shown in the diagrams, weaken or reverse direction. Describe the typical change to the weather pattern that happens along the northwestern coast of South America during those years.

There is an increase in the temperature and the amount of rain.

(ii) Identify the agricultural practice that could be used on a 15% slope without leading to a higher than tolerable loss of soil.

crop rotation.

(c) Based on the information in the diagrams, explain how the seasonal wind direction could affect local weather at location 1.

one of the following: · Cooler, dry winds come from the north in January (winter). The weather is warm but dry in January based on the location near the equator and the northern winds. Winds are coming in off the ocean in July (summer), bringing warm, humid air. The weather is hot and wet in the summer months from the winds coming from the ocean.

(i) Describe the type of survivorship curve expected for these fish species.

one of the following: · Low survival rate in early life, followed by increased chances of survival as the organism matures. · Most offspring die at a very young age and few reach maturity.

(d) Based on the diagram, describe how the location of stream 4 could affect the phosphorus cycle in this area.

one of the following: · Runoff from the mine that flows into Stream 4 would increase the amount of dissolved phosphorus.

(e) Explain why soil forming over a volcanic rock might differ from soil forming over a different type of bedrock, such as sandstone or limestone.

one of the following: · Soils form over volcanic rock would be more acidic than soils forming over sandstone or limestone because magma/lava/volcanic ash has a low pH

(b) Based on the diagram, explain why the risk of flooding is greater near stream 2 than near stream 1.

one of the following: · Stream 2 is near a forest that was clear-cut, which leads to an increase in flooding because there are fewer trees/tree roots near Stream 2 to hold down soil/absorb water/slow down runoff during a rain event.

(e) Discuss one reason why surface coal mining is generally less expensive than subsurface mining.

wages - fewer workers needed above ground, workers paid less above ground

(a) Based on the diagram, describe how human activities could have increased the amount of sediment in stream 2.

when the area was clear-cut, the trees no longer hold the soil/sediment and it can be carried into stream 2.

(ii) Describe one way to add a control to improve the design of the study.

· Add a plot that is bare/does not have straw bales or grass (no ground cover).

(iii) Describe the effect of adding a cover crop compared to using the no-till method.

· Adding a cover crop reduces the annual rate of soil erosion compared to using the no-till method.

(f) Describe one economic problem that is a result of the weather change described in part (e).

· Damage to crops from extreme weather.

(iv) Identify one natural mechanism of soil erosion.

· Rainfall

(ii) Explain why the input of sediment to a stream can negatively affect reproduction of fish that lay their eggs in the gravel of the streambed.

· Sediment can cover/bury eggs, which reduces the amount of oxygen, causing them to die.

(i) Identify the dependent variable stated in the hypothesis.

· The amount of sediment run-off

(f) Some of the miners assert that the area in which the ore is being mined must have been located at a divergent plate boundary. Make a claimusing evidence that supports or opposes the miners' assertion.

· The miners' assertion could be opposed because volcanic activity may occur at convergent plate boundaries, so the boundary does not have to be a divergent plate boundary.

(c) Based on the diagram, make a claim using evidence that a provisioning ecosystem service has been devalued as a result of human activities.

· Trees were clear cut, which devalues their service to a provisioning ecosystem service, such as: o timber or lumber o storing water o providing natural products for medicinal use · Increased sediments and metal contamination of the lake from logging and mining devalues its service of providing drinking water.

(iii) Identify one variable that was not discussed that could affect the results of the study.

· Type of soil at the plots

(i) Identify the scientific question that resulted in the data presented in the graph.

· What is the relationship between slope and annual erosion rate for four different land use types?