BIOEE1540 Final Practice Questions (Climate Change through Sustainability), BIOEE 1540 Final Exam 2018
E
.Greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere has created an energy imbalance in the earth system with more radiant energy coming into the earth than leaving the earth (about 2-Watts M-2). How much of the accumulating energy has been taken up by the ocean since the beginning of the industrial era? a. Less than 10% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75% e. Greater than 90%
According to the 2019 IPBES Report, how many animal and plant species face extinction, many within decades?
1 million
B
According to Bruce Monger, when someone screams that "we need to drill more oil because we need more jobs" he sees it as truly selfless act and sees the person as possessing a deep sense of caring for all people. a. True, Bruce thinks the person is really gracious by thinking of everyone else. b. False, Bruce sees it a generational selfishness. He sees it as "my generation needs this oil and I don't care about any other generations"
D
After all of the oil-soaked birds and other marine life are removed from the beaches after a big oil spill, how long does the oil remain in the environment at low-levels and cause a slow, but steady decline the overall health of the ecosystem? a. Low level amounts of oil remain for weeks after a big spill. b. Low level amounts of oil remain for months after a big spill. c. Low level amounts of oil remain for years after a big spill. d. Low level amounts of oil remain for decades after a big spill.
Does the marine mammal protection act make it a crime for most people (excluding for example some Native American Indian tribes) to kill all marine mammals or is there a specific group of marine mammals it is meant to protect?
All mammals are protected from being killed in US waters.
What is the benefit of a high level of biodiversity?
All of the above ( High biodiversity tends to yield more resilient and stable ecosystems ; High biodiversity tends to be more productive ; High biodiversity tends to support a greater level of ecosystem services.
What else do long-line fishing methods accidently catch besides the targeted fish?
All of the above (Seabirds;Turtles;Sharks)
According to Bruce Monger, what prevents some people (bystanders) from speaking up in favor of ocean conservation after learning about all the severe environmental threats impacting the ocean?
All of the above (They don't realize that the ocean is their own life support system and so they have every right to speak up for what keeps them alive. They don't realize that as a highly informed citizen they have a civic duty to speak up. They don't realize they are in charge of everything now and have within themselves the freedom to act on their own ideas and not just follow the crowd.)
Can we prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5oC relative to pre-industrial levels by just focusing on CO2 emission reductions alone or do methane (CH4) emissions also need to be reduced?
CH4 makes an important contribution to the overall greenhouse gas forcing and must also be reduced or we will rise above the 1.5oC warming threshold.
B
Can we prevent global warming from exceeding 2ᵒC by the end of this century without lowering both CO2 and methane (CH4) emissions? a. CO2 is by far the biggest cause of global warming and focusing our attention on this greenhouse gas will keep us below 2ᵒC warming. b. CH4 makes an important contribution to the overall greenhouse gas forcing and must also be reduced or we will rise above the 2ᵒC warming threshold by the end of the century.
How does nutrient pollution lead to so-called "Dead Zones"?
Excessive nutrients allow phytoplankton to grow to exceptionally high abundances and when the phytoplankton die and sink to the bottom, they become food for bacteria that draw down oxygen levels to zero.
According to Bruce Monger, when someone screams that "we need to drill more oil because we need more jobs" he sees it as truly selfless act and sees the person as possessing a deep sense of caring for all people.
False, Bruce sees it a generational selfishness. He sees it as "my generation needs this oil and I don't care about any other generation".
Which is currently a bigger natural biological source of methane release to the atmosphere?
Freshwater systems
According to Bruce Monger, how is effective climate change policy likely to come about?*
From the bottom-up whereby you, me, and lots of other concerned citizens raise our collective voice and demand that our leaders take effective policy actions.
One of the key goals contained in the COP-21 consensus statement, that was signed in Paris in 2015 by essentially every single leader of every nation on earth, is that we should work to prevent the earth from warming beyond 1.5oC. In that same consensus statement, what must happen to global CO2 emission to stay below a 1.5oC warming?
Global emissions must be rapidly reduced to 50% by 2030 and then zero 2050
B
How did the current goal of getting the Cornell campus to carbon neutrality by 2035 initially start? a. It all began in 2014 when President Skorton made a pledge to bring the campus to zero carbon emissions by 2035. b. It all began when members of the KyotoNow! student organization camped in front of Day Hall in 2001 and demanded that President Rawlings commit the campus to carbon reductions consistent with the Kyoto Protocol. c. It began last year when President Pollack took over as the new Cornell President. d. It began in 2010 when the US Congress passed a bill, and President Obama signed into the law, that required that all US universities achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
C
How does nutrient pollution lead to so-called "Dead Zones"? a. Excessive nutrients stimulate photosynthesis and the photosynthetic reactions consume oxygen. b. Excessive nutrients allow phytoplankton to grow to exceptionally high levels and this causes animals to die from overeating. c. Excessive nutrients allow phytoplankton to grow to exceptionally high abundances and when the phytoplankton die and sink to the bottom, they become food for bacteria that draw down oxygen levels to zero. d. Excessive nutrients stimulate harmful algal blooms that are able to draw oxygen levels down to zero. e. Nutrients chemically react and bind with oxygen in the sea water (similar to CO2's reaction with water) and thereby remove oxygen.
D
How is Sustainable Development defined? a. Development that is continuous b. Development that meets the needs of the present generation c. Development that meets the needs of future generations d. Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
C
How is it possible that a rapidly warming arctic can influence weather at lower latitudes? a. Westerly winds are accelerated because of an increase in the pressure gradient force, and this causes storms to have stronger winds. b. Freshwater from melting arctic ice flows toward lower latitudes and provides a source of moisture in the atmosphere that produces larger snow falls. c. The polar jet stream takes larger meanders toward lower latitudes.
D
How many global fisheries are currently fully exploited or over-exploited? a. 5% b. 33% c. 63% d. 93% e. 100%
D
How many of the top predator fish, like swordfish and large tuna, have been taken from the ocean over the past several decades? a. 10% b. 30% c. 60% d. 90%
C
How much area of ocean seafloor is bottom-trawled each year relative to the amount of area lost to deforestation each year? a. Bottom trawling area is the same as deforestation area. b. Bottom trawling area is 100 times larger than deforestation area. c. Bottom trawling area is 150 times larger than deforestation area. d. Bottom trawling area is 300 times larger than deforestation area. e. Bottom trawling area is 600 times larger than deforestation area.
After all the oil-soaked birds and other marine life are removed from the beaches after a big oil spill, how long does the oil remain in the environment at low-levels and cause a slow, but steady decline the overall health of the ecosystem?
Low level amounts of oil remain for decades after a big spill.
What is the one thing that holds us back from fixing the climate change problem?
We lack courageous political leadership.
C
What did Professor Allmon show was a common feature that is evident in all mass extinction events? a. Global warming b. Plate tectonic upheaval c. Dramatic loss of coral reefs d. Asteroids hitting the earth
D
What else do long-line fishing methods accidently catch besides the targeted fish? a. Seabirds b. Turtles c. Sharks d. All of the above
B
What fraction of the total amount of nitrogen put down on crops each year eventually enters the streams and coastal environment by the combined effects of direct fertilizer runoff and leaching from manure ponds of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)? a. About 7% each year b. About 37% each year c. About 67% each year d. About 97% each year
C
What is CITES? a. An international agreement narrowly designed to limit hunting of cetaceans such as whales and dolphins b. An international agreement narrowly designed to limit fishing of top predator fish such at Atlantic Bluefin Tuna and Swordfish c. An international agreement designed to limit the trade of endangered species on land and in the ocean d. None of the above
A
What is meant by the term: Tragedy of the Commons? a. It refers to the inevitable collapse of a common resource that is open to all who want to use it. b. It refers to a tragic failure by the United Nations to ratify an international agreement to share the common resources of the ocean. c. It refers to the general idea that many bodies of water share a common connection (e.g., rivers connected to oceans), so that when a tragedy occurs at one location that same tragedy can spread by common pathways to other bodies of water.
B
What is the Magnuson-Stevens Act? a. This act regulates fishing in Alaska and Washington State waters, but nowhere else. b. This act is the guiding authority for fishing regulation in all US coastal waters. c. This act regulates where, when, and how much oil exploration can be conducted in US coastal waters. d. This is basically another name for the Clean Water Act.
C
What is the driving force behind the astonishing increase in shark finning over the past decade? a. Increases in sport fishing b. Increases in bycatch by long-line fishing c. Increased demand for shark fin soup d. Increased safety concerns for recreational swimmers e. Trophy hunting for fins
A
What is the mechanism responsible for plastic pollution being concentrated to high levels in subtropical gyres? a. Ekman Transport forced by the Trade Winds and the Westerly Winds. b. River discharge of plastic to the coastal environment that is consumed by marine birds and other large marine and then carried to the gyre along their normal migratory pathways. c. Garbage carried off shore on large barges and purposely dumped into largely unregulated international waters of the subtropical gyre region.
C
What is the source of the heavy metal pollution in the ocean? a. Unregulated factories that dump toxic effluent directly into the coastal ocean. b. Dust that is contaminated with heavy metals from unregulated industries, that then blows off of continents and out over the ocean. c. Smoke stacks from unregulated factories and coal-fired power plants that inject heavy metals into the atmosphere that then wash from the atmosphere and into the ocean when it rains.
A
When the Ecological Footprint for each individual on earth is summed over the entire human population for 2017, the total is 1.7 planet earths. What does this mean? a. It means we are drawing on earth resources at a rate that is 70% more than earth needs to sustain the wellbeing of future generations. b. It means that humans, through technological increases in efficiency, are now able to surpass the normal limits that earth places on us by 70%
C
Where does much of the food that is fed to farmed salmon come from? a. Cornmeal b. Soybeans c. Small wild-caught prey fish like Anchovy, Sardine, or Menhaden d. Zooplankton that naturally flows through the cages holding the salmon
A
Which is a bigger natural biological source of methane release to the atmosphere? a. Freshwater systems b. The Ocean
D
Which is true about carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)? a. CO2 remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years. b. CH4 remains in the atmosphere for about a decade. c. The heat trapping ability of CH4 is 100 times more powerful (per molecule) than CO2. d. All of the above
A
Why are algal biofuels considered superior to biofuels obtained from other crops? a. The amount of biofuel energy per unit area is much higher for algal biofuels. b. The octane level (energy content per gallon of fuel) is much higher for algal biofuels. c. Lower amounts of nutrient are needed to grow algae than other crops. d. Algae can grow at lower sunlight conditions so they can be grown in a wider range of environments - both sunny and cloudy conditions.
In an assessment of the final annualized cost for the Earth Source Heat project, which would be cheaper?
Building and operating the Earth Source Heat System.
How has the Clean Water Act been expanded and shrunk between US Presidential Administrations?
By reinterpreting the definition of navigable waters
How is Sustainable Development defined?
Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
A
Does the corn ethanol program in the United States increase the size of the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone? a. Yes b. No
A
Does the marine mammal protection act make it a crime for most people (excluding for example some Native American Indian tribes) to kill all marine mammals or is there a specific group of marine mammals it is meant to protect? a. All mammals are protected from being killed in US waters. b. Only a defined set of large mammals (e.g. whales, dolphins, walruses) are protected and people are allowed to hunt certain smaller non-endangered mammals (e.g., sea otters and sea lions) in US waters as long as they purchase a valid hunting permit.
What is the mechanism responsible for plastic pollution being concentrated to high levels in subtropical gyres?
Ekman Transport forced by the Trade Winds and the Westerly Winds.
According to the IPPC 6th Assessment Report (AR6), how certain are climate scientists that human-caused increases in greenhouse gasses has led to increases in the frequency and intensity extreme weather events?
Established Fact
How did Natalie Mahowald describe the pathway for getting climate change science into international policy?
Publish Research > Include in Assessment > Accepted by the UN Conference of Parties (COP) Science > Media > Public Opinion Civil Action All of the above
Where does much of the food that is fed to farmed salmon come from?
Small wild-caught prey fish like Anchovy, Sardine, or Menhaden
What is the source of the heavy metal pollution in the ocean?
Smokestacks from unregulated factories and coal-fired power plants that inject heavy metals into the atmosphere that are transported over the ocean and then wash from the atmosphere and into the ocean when it rains.
According to the Nobel Laureate Elaine Orstrom, The Tragedy of the Commons can be avoided through the following approach:
Some mix of both government regulation and self-control
When is the first test well scheduled to be drilled for Cornell's Earth Source Heat project?
Spring 2022
B
There has been an important increase in atmospheric methane concentration beginning in about 2008. Professor Howarth went through an extensive accounting process to narrow down the likely source of this methane increase. What was his conclusion? a. It was caused by an increase in animal agriculture. b. It was caused by the process of fracking natural gas (so called unconventional shale gas extraction). c. It was caused by melting permafrost in the arctic region.
What is the Magnuson-Stevens Act?
This act is the guiding authority for fishing regulation in all US coastal waters.
The Pew Charitable Trust's Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy were the first comprehensive studies of marine policy in over 30 years. Both commissions concluded that US ocean resources are at great risk and both recognized a common factor that prevented good management of US Costal waters. What was this common factor?
Too many government agencies that have separate regulations that are often in conflict with each other
The Cornell Motto: "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study" is a statement of social justice.
True
When professor Warren Allmon lectured on the current sixth mass extinction, he compared the diversity and abundance we see today in the ocean with conditions that existed hundreds of years ago and he avoided making a comparison between today and just a few decades in the past.
True
According to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report (AR6), what is the level of scientific certainty that the observed global warming is largely caused by humans?
Unequivocal
The atmosphere plays central role in weather. The ocean plays a central role in climate.
true
As someone who now knows more about environmental and climate change issues than 99.99% of the people on this planet, do you have a civic duty to raise your voice and give leaders your own thoughts on the need to change directions on the environment (at least in Bruce's opinion)?
yes
If mercury levels in algae increased by 1 unit of mercury per unit of algae, how many units of mercury would you expect in a unit of tuna due to bio-accumulation? algae--->copepod--->small fish--->medium fish--->large fish---> tuna
100,000
Climate scientist James Hansen analyzed paleoclimate records of past atmospheric CO2 concentration and past sea level to create an equilibrium curve/graph showing how high sea level eventually equilibrates over time to a given CO2 concentration. Based on this equilibrium curve/graph he determined that to prevent catastrophic sea level rise we should limit CO2 in the atmosphere to:
350 ppm
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of New York State prescribes by law a specified amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050. How large is this prescribed reduction?
85%
How many of the top predator fish, like swordfish and large tuna, have been taken from the ocean over the past several decades?
90%
About how many plant and animal species exist on earth?
About 9 million
D
According to Bruce Monger, what prevents some people from speaking up in favor of ocean conservation after learning about all the severe environmental threats impacting the ocean? a. They don't realize that the ocean is their own life support system and so they have every right to speak up for what keeps them alive. b. They don't realize that as a highly informed citizen they have a civic duty to speak up. c. They don't realize they are in charge of everything and have within themselves the ability to act on their own ideas and not just follow the crowd. d. All of the above
What is CITES?
An international agreement designed to limit the trade of endangered species on land and in the ocean
A
As an informed citizen who now knows more about environmental and climate change issues than 99.99% of all the other people on this planet, do you have a civic duty to raise your voice and give leaders your own thoughts on the need to change directions on the environment? a. Yes b. No
What is needed to curb the decline in global biodiversity?
Both a and b (Setting aside (protect) 30% of land and ocean by 2030; Setting aside (protect) 50% of land and ocean by 2050)
Abby is a Cornell Alumna who wrote to me and explained that she was one of those KyotoNow students 20 years ago that protested to get Cornell to reduce it carbon emissions and put Cornell on its path to carbon neutrality by 2035. What is Abby's reward for acting?
Both a and b.(She gets to live the rest of her life with a warm emotional glow that remains strong enough to bring tears of joy and pride in thinking about her actions during that week of protest long ago. She gets to grow old and grey knowing that she acted and in so doing became heroic.)
How much area of ocean seafloor is bottom-trawled each year relative to the amount of area lost to deforestation each year?
Bottom trawling area is 150 times larger than deforestation area.
In 2010, The Obama Administration implemented, by executive order, a new National Ocean Policy (NOP) based largely on the recommendations made by the Pew Charitable Trust's Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. Regional Planning was a centerpiece of this new policy. What did this new policy approach intend to do?
Bring order to the chaos by bringing all stakeholders together where they can weigh the priorities of the user of the coastal environment as a whole rather than the piecemeal first-come-first-served approach used in the past
According to the guest lecture given by Professor Robert Howarth, which of the following are NOT a reasonable solution for getting New York State to net zero emissions?
Corn Ethanol & Nuclear Power
C
Cornell's CO2 emissions have declined by 36% since 2008. What has happened to the upstream methane release attributed to using natural gas obtained from the fracking extraction process in Pennsylvania shale gas fields during this same time period? a. Methane release also decreased by about 36% since 2008 b. Methane release stayed about the same since 2008 c. Methane release increased pretty dramatically since 2008
According to Bruce Monger, is the global fossil carbon energy system we have today super awesome - or does he think it is it absurdly primitive and something we should run away from as fast as possible - irrespective of any global warming problem?
He thinks fossil carbon energy is one step above burning logs in a cave and that we will all be much better off with clean renewable energy.
B
How deep will Cornell have to drill into the earth to find temperatures high enough to heat the campus effectively? a. 3-5 meters b. 3-5 kilometers c. 30-50 kilometers d. 300-500 kilometers
What would happen if the Meridional Overturning Circulation, also known as the Conveyor Belt Circulation, were to substantially slow down due to climate change? It would shut down deep-water formation in the North Atlantic and turn on the formation of deep water in the North Pacific.
It would lead to relatively colder temperatures at high la
How soon might we see the Arctic Ocean be largely ice-free during summer periods?
Ice free as soon as 2035
D
If mercury levels in algae increased by 1 unit of mercury per unit of algae, how many units of mercury would you expect in a unit of tuna due to bio accumulation? algae--->copepod--->small fish--->medium fish--->large fish--->tuna a. 100 b. 1,000 c. 10,000 d. 100,000 e. 1,000,000
C
If you were on a romantic dinner date and wanted to impress them with your sustainability knowledge, which of the following would be your most environmentally friendly choice? a. Wild caught shrimp b. Farmed Carnivorous Salmon c. Farmed Planktivorous Tilapia d. Wild caught swordfish e. Shark fin soup
C
If your community has a Secondary Sewage Treatment Facility, what has not been removed from the original sewage water before it is discharged into the environment? a. Solids have not been removed b. Dissolved organic compounds have not been removed c. Inorganic plant nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) have not been removed
C
In 2010, The Obama Administration implemented, by executive order, a new National Ocean Policy (NOP) based largely on the recommendations made by the Pew Charitable Trust's Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. Regional Planning was a centerpiece of this new policy. What did this new policy approach intend to do? a. Reduce regulations b. Increase regulations c. Bring order to the chaos by bringing all stakeholders together where they can weigh the priorities of the user of the coastal environment as a whole rather than the piecemeal first-come-first-served approach used in the past d. Creates new laws that give priority to environmental protection over economic development
A
In 2018, The Trump Administration rescinded the Obama Administration's executive order mentioned in the previous question and replaced it with a new executive order that focuses less on ocean sustainability and more on economic development. a. True b. False
A
Professor Allmon lectured on the current sixth mass extinction event that is being caused by humans. An important point he tried to make to give students a reference point from which to measure the magnitude of human impacts was to show the diversity and abundance of the natural world that existed hundreds or thousands of years ago and avoided making the comparison over just a few decades. a. True b. False
A
In the movie Forest Gump, the likeable main character (Forest Gump) goes shrimping on a bottom trawler in the Gulf of Mexico. Does the fishing method he used to collect his shrimp make Forest Gump a little less likeable (i.e., was the fishing method he used excessively destructive to the seafloor)? a. Yes, Forest Gump is less likeable - bottom trawling for shrimp is very destructive. b. No, Forest Gump is still a really nice guy - bottom trawling for shrimp is a pretty eco-friendly way to catch seafood.
What is the estimated asset value, associated with low-lying megacities around the world, that are vulnerable to a 1-meter sea level rise by the end of this century?
In the tens of trillions of US dollars range
What is the driving force behind the astonishing increase in shark finning over the past decade?
Increased demand for shark fin soup
How did the current goal of getting the Cornell campus to carbon neutrality by 2035 initially start?
It all began when members of the KyotoNow! student organization camped in front of Day Hall in 2001 and demanded that President Rawlings commit the campus to carbon reductions consistent with the Kyoto Protocol.
According to Professor Allmon, what has happened over the last several decades to the level of scientific agreement that we are now in a 6th mass extinction?
It has grown much stronger
When the Ecological Footprint of each individual on earth is summed over the entire human population for 2021, the total is 1.7 planet earths. What does this mean?
It means we are drawing on earth resources at a rate that is 70% more than earth needs to sustain the wellbeing of future generations.
What is meant by the term: Tragedy of the Commons?
It refers to the inevitable collapse of a common resource that is open to all who want to use it.
There has been an important increase in atmospheric methane concentration beginning in about 2007. Professor Howarth went through an extensive accounting process to narrow down the likely source of this methane increase. What was his conclusion?
It was caused by the process of hydro-fracking natural gas (so called unconventional shale gas extraction) in the United States.
D
The Pew Charitable Trust's Oceans Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy were the first comprehensive studies of marine policy in over 30 years. Both commissions concluded that US ocean resources are at great risk and both recognized a common factor that prevented good management of US Costal waters. What was this common factor? a. Not enough government regulation b. Inept government authorities c. Corruption of government regulators bought-off by big business interests d. Too many government agencies that have separate regulations that are often in conflict with each other
Why was the UN's 21st Conference of Parties (COP-21) Meeting Paris in 2015 so important to the climate change movement?
The consensus statement agreed upon by nearly every single nation on the planet set as a very clear goal the need to decarbonize the global energy system by mid-century to maintain stable human societies.
How is it possible that a rapidly warming arctic can influence weather at lower latitudes?
The polar jet stream takes larger meanders toward lower latitudes.
what does Provost Kotlikoff think students should do with regard to action on climate change?
Write letters and raise your voice to the Cornell administration to push forward for carbon neutrality. Make personal choices to reduce your own carbon footprint. Advocate to others, parents, local community and beyond to move toward carbon neutrality. all of the above
Does eating industrially raised meat in the United States contribute to an increase in the size of the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone?
Yes
Does the corn ethanol program in the United States increase the size of the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone?
Yes
In the movie Forest Gump, the likeable main character (Forest Gump) goes shrimping on a bottom trawler in the Gulf of Mexico. Does the fishing method he used to collect his shrimp make Forest Gump a little less likeable (i.e., was the fishing method he used excessively destructive to the seafloor)?
Yes, Forest Gump is less likeable - bottom trawling for shrimp is very destructive.
According to comments made in class by Bruce Monger, on the scale of all the generations that have ever existed on planet earth, is the present generation super special?
Yes, this generation is the generation that will decide the fate of humanity
North Atlantic Right Whales have recently moved from their traditional feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. As a result, they have suffered high mortality rates. What is believed to be the reason for this movement?
climate change
There was a controversy promoted by climate deniers that took place back in the early 2000s. Using just ten years of data (1999-2009), they claimed that there was a global warming hiatus, and we could all go home and stop worrying about the so-called climate change emergency. Using a multi-decadal time scale, the same claim of a global warming hiatus can still be made.*
false
