Environmental Science Midterm (ENVS 2202)

Approximately how many percent of the world's population is currently in a state of water stress?

25%

Automobile exhaust is the major contributor to which environmental impact of urban sprawl?

Air pollution

Populations consist of:

All individuals of the same species living in a given area

Sustainable Cities are expected to have which of the following characteristics in order to be "successful":

All of the above

In 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Highway Revenue Act in order to secure funding to build and maintain roadways. What was taxed in order to generate the revenue for the Highway Trust Fund?

Automobiles

What is not an indicator of global environmental stress?

Decrease in toxic chemical abundance

The use of mathematical tools to investigate how populations respond to biotic and abiotic changes is called:

Demography

What is a tool that is used to assess consumption of individuals and estimate the area requirement needed to support this amount of consumption? Question

Ecological Footprint

The voluntary effort called LEED (Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design), which promotes green building, recognizes efforts and achievements in all of the following areas except:

Exterior design

_____________ is necessary to support restaurants and shopping centers, and it also provides means of employment to a vast number of city dwellers. This is found in many urban centers in the United States

High population density

Which one of the following would not likely exist within the aphotic zone of the ocean?

Kelp Forest

Which biogeochemical cycle involves the sequestration of an element by bacteria for use in plants?

Nitrogen cycle

Which material(s) listed below is an example of a persistent organic pollutant? (*select all that apply) Select 4 correct answer(s)

PCBs DDT Mercury Arsenic

What is the cause of a combined sewer overflow?

Rainy conditions causing overflows

This reservoir of water contains only about 0.01% of the the world's water?

Rivers and lakes

A __________ is the land drained by a river. (Select all that apply.)

Select 2 correct answer(s) tributary river discharge drainage basin watershed Correct answer - Drainage basin, Watershed

Which method is not utilized to dispose of sludge after the removal from wastewater?

Shipped into space

Who is consuming the majority of the Earth's resources?

The highest income countries

When the population of hares increased in North America, what happened to the size of the lynx population in response?

The population increased

What is the purpose of a fishbone diagram?

To outline causes of a problem

Increase in paved surfaces which increases the volume of runoff, leading to erosion and other side effects is a major contributor to which environmental impact of urban sprawl?

Water pollution

Population growth and increased oil consumption contributed to which environmental impact of urban sprawl?

Water pollution

Urban agriculture serves the following purpose(s):

a) Providing a use for vacant land b) Providing a clean up strategy for contamination c) Providing options for healthy fresh food d) All of the above Correct answers - D

In a scientific experiment, a control is

a) a test that duplicates an experimental test except for one variable. b) a way to study the effects of just one experimental variable c) both A and B d) neither A nor B Correct answer - D

The purpose of the scientific method as a method is to

a) design new experiments. b) gain new information. c) make observations. d) make hypotheses. Correct answer - C

Lifestyle changes that support a more sustainable way of life and more sustainable communities include _____.

a) more fuel-efficient cars and carpooling. b) less dependence on automobiles. c) the use of solar energy. d) recycling paper, cans, and bottles. e) all of the above. Correct answer - E

Another approach to survival is when species use body coloration or shape to deter predation by blending in with the surroundings. This is called __________.

camouflage

A form of logical thinking that relies on general principles or laws is knows as

deductive reasoning

In areas that have increased water nutrients, what occurs as response to this nutrient overload?

eutrophication

What event is common in chaparral systems?

fires

A form of logical thinking that uses related observations to derive conclusions can be described as

inductive reasoning

The notion that land should not be treated as property, but instead should be considered part of the larger community is known as

land ethic

What types of actions can cause water stress? (*select all that apply)

large populations, low precipitation

What factor(s) influence organisms living in aquatic biomes? (select all that apply)

light availability thermal properties dissolved minerals pollutants

The model of population growth that describes the reality of limited resources is called:

logistical growth

r-selected species are described as _____.

none of the above.

Treating the earth and environment like the resources contained within it are limited and humans should conserve resources for continued use is a

sustainability ethic

TDS and ppm are common units used to measure __________.

the direction of water currents.

Water loss by plants is called ________.

transpiration

The well spread out network of residential areas, shops and industrial areas connected by highways in urban-suburban areas is known as _____.

urban sprawl.