APES unit 4
a sample of radioactive waste has a half life of 10 years and an activity level of 2 curies. After how many years will the activity level of this sample be .25 curie?
30 years
the half-life of a radioactive substance with the decay rate shown in the graph above is closest to
7 seconds
Which of the following statements correctly pairs an irrigation method with an advantage or disadvantage?
Flood irrigation is often used in agricultural fields, however, it increases surface erosion and salinization of the soil
Which of the following statements about genetic diversity is true?
Genetic resistance to pests and diseases can be increased by crossing a crop plant with ancestral varieties
A farmer observes that increasingly higher concentrations of a particular pesticide have been required each year over the past ten years to achieve the same level of effectiveness on a specific insect pest. Which of the following best helps explain the observation?
Some individual insects are more likely than others to survive and reproduce due to their inherited traits
Which of the following is the best method for preventing soil erosion in an agricultural area?
Terrace farming
the intraplate location where hot spot volcanism is occurring
a hawaii
what type of solar energy system is needed for these kind of applications?
a solar collector system using mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight
which of the following is an environmental problem associated with abandoned coal mines?
acid drainage due to leaching of spoil heaps by rainwater
Which of the following best represents the percent of water that is used for various purposes worldwide?
agriculture- 70 industrial- 20 residential- 10
at which of the following sites would activity result in volcanoes, island arcs, and mountains?
b top left
Compared with people in developing countries, people in industrialized countries are more likely to eat
beef
Which of the following accurately describes a benefit of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOS)?
concentrated animal feeding operations are efficient and relatively low cost facilities that help keep consumer costs low
Which equation should she use to calculate how much total income she would get from using the new two crop plan?
d, .4 .6 total ha
The rapid rate of this process in tropical forests results in low nutrient soils
decomposition
overgrazing of grasslands can lead to reduced range quality. Two of the major effects of overgrazing are
erosion and desertification
which of the following irrigation methods is most likely to result in salinization of the soil, especially if the agricultural fields are located in a warm climate with consistent sunlight?
furrow irrigation
Which of the following PV systems is least effective at producing energy?
no tracking, tilted east
If peak electricity use occurs around 2 pm in the LA area and avoiding brownouts is more important to the installers of the PV panels than annual energy output, which of the following PV panel systems would be best to use in the are?
no tracking, tilted west
the primary cause for the decline in the use of wood as a fuel in the 18 hundreds was the
reduced wood availability resulting from widespread deforestation
the element in pyrite contributes to acid mine drainage
sulfur
which of the following best describes how the use of hydrogen fuel negatively impacts the environment?
the energy needed to produce the hydrogen fuel may come from fossil fuels, whose use contributes to ocean acidification and global climate change
how much money did the family save in the month in which they lowered the thermostat setting halfway through the billing period?
$5
Economic benefits of building large dams include which of the following?
1 2 3, storage of water for agriculture and domestic use, controlling floods upstream, production of renewable energy
a home uses ten 100 watt lightbulbs for five hours per day. approximately how many kilowatt hours of electrical energy are consumed in one year by using the lightbulbs
1825
biological control methods for managing insect pests are effective for reasons that include which of the following?
2 and 3, they generally focus on one target insect to ensure that the target insect population remains low and they can lead to a self-perpetuating population of a control species
what was the approx percent increase in consumption from 86 to 97
20 %
the number of years that the power plant will be capable of supplying all of the demand for energy in the 3 cities is nearest to
5 years
At the 1997 rate of consumption, about how long will the estimated 2000 billion barrels of oil last?
75 years
Which of the following identifies and describes the equipment needed to best determine the amount of water that infiltrated the soil?
A ruler should be used to measure the level of water above the pavers in both pallets immediately after pouring the water over pavers and immediately after the one hour wait time
which of the following would be the best control sample for the study
A sample of water collected just downstream of the northern forest
A farm is experiencing extensive crop loss due to high rains causing overly saturated soils. Which of the following approaches would best help the farmer alleviate the problem?
Amending the soil with sand to increase the permeability of the soil
Purity is a major factor in determining the type of coal used for energy. Which of the following types of coal are correctly paired with a description of its purity and common use?
Anthracite is considered the highest grade coal because it is almost pure carbon, and it is often used for domestic heating
Which of the following is the most successful solution to the problem of fish mortality caused by dams?
Building fish ladders around the dam
Which of the following is true of the Ogallala Aquifer?
It underlies the US high plains and is being depleted by overuse
negative environmental impacts associated with large scale hydroelectric projects have been demonstrated in which of the following areas?
James Bay Quebec
Many environmentalists consider Egypt's Aswan High Dam on the Nile river to be an ecological disaster. Which of the following is the best evidence to support this viewpoint?
Most of the nutrient rich silt that the Nile annually deposited downstream is now deposited behind the dam
nuclear power is a component of the line labeled "other" in the graph. Why is it impossible for nuclear energy to completely replace oil and gas in the future?
Nuclear power can supply electricity, but it cannot replace other uses of oil and gas
Which of the following problems is best addressed with contour plowing?
Soil erosion
Biological controls are frequently used to replace persistent chemical pesticides. Which of the following represents the greatest potential risk of using biological controls?
The control agent attacks not only its intended target but also beneficial species
which of the following describes an environment where large amounts of oil could form millions of years in the future?
a river delta in a forested region
at which of the following sites does seafloor spreading result in rifts and possible volcanoes?
a top right
which of the following best explains the process of electricity generation in a hydrogen fuel cell?
at the anode, hydrogen is oxidized and electrons flow in a circuit to the cathode. At the cathode, oxygen reacts with the hydrogen to produce water. Water and heat are by products of the reaction
all of the following substances are derived from petroleum except
cellulose
A farmer grows several crops on a farm that has mostly shallow, sandy soil. Which of the following irrigation methods would be best suited for this farm?
drip irrigation
Which of the following methods of agricultural irrigation results in the loss of the least amount of water by evaporation?
drop irrigation
the largest hydroelectric dam in the world is located on one of the world's longest rivers in this area
e (china)
a location where one tectonic plate is being forced beneath another, creating a volcanic arc
e phillipines
A major environmental problem caused by using the agricultural practice of tilling is
eutrophication from excessive fertilizer use
which of the following accurately describes a fuel cell vehicle?
fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen to generate electricity that runs the motor
drawbacks include noise and the release of corrosive chemicals
geothermal
Many environmentalists consider Egypt's Aswan High Dam on the Nile River to be an ecological disaster. Which of the following is the best evidence to support this viewpoint?
most of the nutrient rich silt that the Nile annually deposited downstream is now deposited behind the dam
some automobiles are fueled by natural gas. What is the primary environmental advantage of natural gas relative to gasoline as a transportation fuel?
natural gas combustion emits fewer pollutants
which of the following represents a correct pairing of an agricultural practice with its environmental consequence?
paddy rice cultivation and methane emissions
which of the following best describes the conditions under which peat is formed?
partially decayed vegetation is placed under high pressure, anaerobic, acidic conditions
there are various stages in the formation of coal as heat and pressure are increased and moisture content is decreased. These stages, in order, are
peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite
This type of irrigation uses a large system of sprinklers that must be manually moved from field to field and has very large evaporative losses
spray irrigation
An advantage of using synthetic fertilizer instead of organic fertilizer is that
synthetic fertilizer can provide more targeted macronutrients to the crops
the separation of the various components of crude oil in refineries is accomplished primarily by taking advantage of differences in which of the following?
the boiling points of the components
which statement best describes the approximate global distribution of coal supplies?
the us, ussr, china contain 50%
which of the following best describes the method of vehicle transport that is the most environmentally sustainable?
the use of a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells because there are no carbon emissions
Which of the following is a drawback to using biofuels, such as ethanol, as a fuel source?
there is high energy investments in producing and processing the crops needed for ethanol production
which of the following is the most practical solution to maximizing energy production at wind farms wile minimizing the risk to wildlife?
turn off turbines during periods of maximum migration
Which of the following practices is consistent with the production of organic crops according to the US department of agriculture?
using chemicals known as pheromones to disrupt insect mating cycles