Ecology Chapter 23
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations began their most recent steep increase about
1800 AD
During the past century, the average global temperature has risen
5.5°C
The nation containing the largest fraction of the world's tropical rain forest is
Brazil
T/F: Episodes of lower sea surface temperatures and higher barometric pressure in the eastern tropical Pacific are known as La Niña events.
T
This energy is trapped near the earth by molecules in the atmosphere called ________.
greenhouse gases
Before life evolved on Earth, the atmosphere
had much lower concentrations of oxygen.
Periodic increases and decreases in red kangaroo populations in Australia are associated with
the El Niño - Southern Oscillation.
Fur seals and sea lions in the Galápagos Islands experience population declines during El Niño events because
the fish they feed upon move offshore and deeper in search of cooler water
place in order the layers of the Earth's atmosphere, starting with the highest and proceeding toward the surface of the Earth.
thermosphere mesosphere stratosphere troposphere
Major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, CFCs, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, and _______.
water vapor
The El Niño southern oscillation will lead to all of the following effects EXCEPT
westward winds across the Pacific Ocean.
By measuring the CO2 concentration in the Vostok ice core, scientists were able to show that atmospheric CO2 concentrations fluctuated substantially over the last 160,000 years and periods of low atmospheric CO2 concentration correspond with
years of above average precipitation.
Using the Boolean Logical Operator "or" will typically
yield more references.
Why are scientists particularly concerned about the impacts of climate change on coral reefs?
-Because coral have a narrow temperature tolerance and the oceans are warming -Because the disappearance of coral reefs would negatively affect the food supply of hundreds of people
Identify the different ways in which humans are causing global climate change to occur.
-Causing changes in the nitrogen cycle -Through the alteration of landscapes -By increasing the amount of atmospheric CO2 present on Earth
Check all of the following effects of deforestation.
-Increase forest fragmentation -Decrease biodiversity -Disruption of carbon cycle
Which of the following are likely to occur as a result of global climate change?
-Increased frequency of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes developing in the Atlantic Ocean -Longer, more severe droughts in the southwestern United States
Identify the ways in which climate change will impact human populations in the near future.
-Water-borne diseases like cholera are expected to increase in countries like Nigeria and Zaire. -The agricultural yields in Iowa and Illinois are expected to decrease due to an increase in spring flooding and longer summer droughts. -The number of heat-related deaths among the lower socioeconomic class is expected to increase in urban areas.
circumstantial evidence
-a decrease in CO2 output during WWI and WWII -a decrease in CO2 levels during the Great Depression
nonhuman sources of nitrogen
-crop fixation -lightning -marine fixation
experience drought
-eastern asia -eastern Brazil -australia
experience flooding
-eastern united states -Western Europe
human sources of nitrogen
-fossil fuels -industrial fixation -terrestrial fixation
direct evidence
-measurements of O2 in the stratosphere of the antarctic -analysis of radioactive 14 C levels present in wood
Identify the changes to land cover that have occurred as a result of human activity.
ALL checks except Conversion of forests into prairies
Which of the following gases contribute to warming of the Earth's surface through the greenhouse effect?
All of the choices are correct.
Which of the following make important contributions to nitrogen fixation by human activities?
All of the choices are correct.
Based upon the evidence, how much has the Earth's temperature increased over the past century?
Approximately 0.8°C
During El Niño events
Australia experiences drought
T/F: Human release of CO2 into the atmosphere accelerated during World War I and World War II.
F
Identify the way climate change is most likely going to impact humans in the near future.
The geographical zone of distribution for malaria will expand its current range and include states like Florida and Alabama.
Which of the following statements does NOT apply to tropical forest edges?
Trees grow more rapidly and survive better in edge habitat than in the forest interior.
Ozone plays an important role in shaping the environment for life on Earth because it
absorbes ultraviolet radiation
La Niña brings higher than average precipitation to
australia
Greenhouse gases include all of the following EXCEPT
carbon monoxide
The 1987 Montreal Protocol was an agreement to limit human production of
chlorofluorocarbons.
During El Niño events, coastal populations of anchovies and sardines
decline as phytoplankton populations decline.
During El Niño events, primary production by phytoplankton increases sharply in the Great Salt Lake of Utah. This is because
decreasing salinity allows invasion of predators that control brine shrimp populations.
A carbon dioxide concentration record from the Vostok ice core indicates
dramatic increases in atmospheric CO2 associated with interglacials.
The ozone layer is located
in the lower part of the stratosphere.
El Niño events
include the appearance of warm currents on the Pacific coast of South America.
Most of the _______ radiation from the Earth's surface is absorbed by greenhouse gases and reflected back to earth.
infared
Greenhouse gases help keep the surface of the earth warm by absorbing __________ emitted by the __________.
infrared radiation; earth
Negative values on the Southern Oscillation Index indicate
lower barometric pressure in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The heat within earth's atmosphere originates from _____ radiation.
solar
Concentrations of ozone in earth's atmosphere are highest in the
stratosphere
