Unit 3 Study Guide

What are the effects of climate change on the oceans?

-Acceleration of sea-level rise due to thermal expansion of seawater and the melting of land-based ice sheets. -Increased risk of coastal flooding and salination of fresh groundwater supplies. -Rapid sea-level rise would damage the coastal ecology, threatening important fisheries.

What are the effects of climate change on species diversity and the ecosystem balance?

-Organisms respond to the climate changes by adapting or migrating. Land development has made migration much more difficult. Species can die out because they have only limited ability to adapt to environmental changes.

How does population growth negatively impact water quality?

A. Altering of Wetlands

A Density Dependent Limiting Factor is a limiting factor of a population where a large, dense population is more strongly affected than one that is small and less crowded. What is a density dependent limiting factor that can affect the human population growth of North Carolina?

A. Disease

It is projected that an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will MOST LIKELY lead to:

A. Higher-than-Average Sea Levels

________________ are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. They are caused by intense magnetic activity

A. Sunspots

During an El Nino year, there is increased precipitation in the Southern United States, but the north is warmer and dry. Where does the moisture causing the precipitation in the South come from?

A. The Pacific Ocean

Beginning in the mid 1600's Earth entered into a mini-ice age. 1815 was known as the "year without a summer" and snow fell in many European countries during the summer months. The year without summer was believed to be the result of a major volcanic eruption, Mount Tambora. Although the exact cause of the mini ice age is unknown, scientists speculate that the low temperatures correspond with:

A. Very low sunspot activity

Why does deforestation mainly occur?

Agricultural Purposes

Over the decades local and global ice ages have lowered sea levels. As a result, there is often a decline in marine diversity due to:

B. Changes in the temperature and salinity of water

An increase in Earth's average temperature due to the buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth's atmosphere is called:

B. Global Warming

Sustainable Farming vs. Traditional Farming:

traditional farming (negatives): -uses of fertilizer and chemical pesticides. -conventional and genetically modified seeds. -depends on nonrenewable fossil fuels. -produces significant air and water pollution. -uses antibiotics and growth hormones to produce meat and meat products -export oriented -traditional farming (positives) -makes production of food lowers prices to make affordable to poor people/regions. sustainable farming (positives): - emphasizes prevention of soil erosion -utilizes crop rotation and biological pest control -reduces fossil fuel use -less air and water pollution -does not rely on pesticide and growth hormones -regionally/locally orientated -but sustainable farming also (negatives): -lowers yields -requires more labor

How are each of these affected by food production? -biodiversity -soil -water -air -human health

Biodiversity: There is more biodiversity if the food production increases, but there is a smaller biodiversity if the food production decreases. Soil: There is less fertile soil, if the food production increases. (plants suck up the nutrients from the ground) There is more fertile soil, if the food production decreases. (not as many plants sucking up the nutrients from the soil) Water: This is indefinite because water is a renewable source. Air: There is more oxygen and less CO2 in the air, if food production increases because these plants take in the CO2 and release oxygen and only a little bit of CO2 Human Health: If food production increases, then the human health increases because these foods provides humans with the nutrients that they need to survive.

Prior to the Industrial Era, pre-1780, known causes of climate change included ALL BUT:

C. Combustion of Fossil Fuels

All but one of the factors listed is a major contributor to world population increases. That factor is:

C. Increased Immigration to foreign countries

Excess carbon gases released into the atmosphere cause additional radiation to be retained and Earth's average temperature to increase. This phenomenon is known as:

C. The Greenhouse Effect

Global warming is caused by an increase in the level of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. How has this affected the world's oceans?

C. The oceans area absorbing the excess carbon, causing the oceans to become acidic.

Why is the natural greenhouse effect a cause for concern now?

C. The rise in the amount of greenhouse gasses has resulted in global warming because more heat gets trapped in the atmosphere.

Compare and contrast El Nino and La Nina:

El Nino: -warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean -warm water disrupts food chain of fish, birds, and sea mammals -fewer than normal hurricanes in the Atlantic La Nina: -Cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean -Unusually cold weather in Alaska and unusually warm weather in the rest of the USA -Higher than normal number of hurricanes in the Atlantic

What are the effects of climate change on the ocean? (CONTINUED)

-Over the last 250 years, oceans have absorbed 530 billion tons of CO2, triggering a 30 percent increase in ocean acidity. -Before people started burning coal and oil, ocean pH had been relatively stable for the previous 20 million years. But researchers predict that if carbon emissions continue t their current rate ocean acidity will more than double by 2100. -The polar regions will be the first to experience changes. -The new chemical composition of our oceans is expected to harm a wide range of ocean life- particular creatures with shells. (Increased acidity reduces carbonate- the mineral used to form the shells and skeletons of many shellfish and corals. The effect is similar to osteoporosis, slowing growth and making shells weaker. If pH levels drop enough, the shells will literally dissolve.) -Delicate corals may force an even greater risk than shellfish because they require very high levels of carbonate to build their skeletons. -Coral reefs serve as homes for many creatures- loss of them would have a profound impact throughout the marine environment, fishing, tourism and coastal protection

What are the effects of climate change on acidification?

-Over the last decade, scientists have discovered that excess CO2 is actually changing the chemistry of the sea and probing harmful for many forms of marine life. -A more acidic ocean could wipe out species, disrupt the food web and impact fishing, tourism and any other human endeavor that relies on the sea.

What can be done on an individual level to reduce the negative impact that we have on the Earth?

-Use less energy- in your home and businesses. Reduce amounts of hot water used, electricity, etc. -Recycle- uses less energy to recycle than to make new. -Buy locally grown food- this uses less transportation so you can save fuel and keep the money in your local community. -Buy energy efficient appliances- they use less energy to run so less fossil fuels need to be burned.

What are the effects of climate change on agriculture?

-climate change could make it more difficult to grow crops, raise animals, and catch fish in the same ways and same places as we have done in the past.

What are the effects of climate change on the biosphere?

-experts warn that radical climate change could eventually destabilize the entire biosphere.

What can be done on a global level to reduce the negative impact that we have on Earth?

-reduce fossil fuel use -decrease the amount of deforestation or level it out with reforestation -use more renewable resources, instead of nonrenewable resources -we can perform bioremediation, which introduce new life that will consume and break down environmental pollutants

"North Carolina is a rapidly urbanizing state. This growth increases the number of homes, roads, and the need for goods and services. All of this can be a great boost to the local economy." How could this growth result in a negative impact on the environment?

D. An increase in the amount of waste

During an El Nino year, we would expect ALL of the following weather conditions in the United States EXCEPT ONE. That would be:

D. Blizzard Conditions across the North

What is the global weather phenomenon characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific?

D. El' Nino

What two factors have been the GREATEST contributors to the exponential growth of the human population during the last two centuries?

D. Good Sanitation and Medical Advances

The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories: natural and human causes. The natural variation of the climate has always been part of Earth's history. It is now a great concern that the climatic changes occurring today may be the direct result of man's activities. All BUT ONE is a natural cause of climate change:

D. Increased Greenhouse Gasses

Climate change is causing the average annual temperature to increase. Birds that have adapted to temperatures in their environment must find a way to adapt. If temperatures warm up due to human activities, which adaptation are the birds MOST LIKELY to make?

D. Move to cooler places

Can population grow indefinitely?

No- because of resources

What is a traditional energy source that has been used by human beings for thousands of years?

Peat