ENSCI 99 Exam

The precautionary principle advocates taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty to avoid harm, while the "innocent-until-proven-guilty" approach assumes a substance is safe until harmful effects are observed.

Which of the following best describes the difference between the precautionary principle and the innocent-until-proven-guilty approach in determining safety?

Above the reference dose 

Typically, during the dose-response assessment stage of the risk assessment for a non-carcinogen, a risk analyst may derive something called a reference dose for chemicals. When should there be a concern that there may be adverse health effects?

Changes

According to the first law of thermodynamics, Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it only ……. form.

Science progresses by building on previous experiments and refining ideas with new evidence.

What does the series of discoveries by von Helmont, Priestley, Ingenhousz, and de Saussure about photosynthesis best demonstrate about science?

It illustrates that consuming food closer to the producer level (plants/vegetables) is vastly more energy-efficient than eating higher-level consumers (meat).

What is a significant consequence of the 10% rule of energy transfer through trophic levels for human society and global resource management?

It helps explain the structure of food chains and why there are fewer large animals than plants in an ecosystem. 

Why is the 10% rule in energy transfer considered important in ecology and the study of ecosystems?

A biological community and its physical environment.

An ecosystem consists of

Flows, cycles

Energy ___ continuously through ecosystems like a stream while matter ____ through ecosystems.

Photosynthesis obeys the first law of thermodynamics by converting light energy into chemical energy. 

Photosynthesis is a vital process in ecosystems, how does it relate to the laws of thermodynamics? 

It reduces oxygen levels, disrupting the flow of energy by killing marine organisms and altering the cycling of nutrients.

How does the dead zone in an ocean affect the natural flow of energy and cycling of matter in marine ecosystems?

By burning fossil fuels and deforestation 

How are humans currently contributing to the disruption of the carbon cycle? 

Greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, trapping heat in the lower atmosphere.

Which statement best describes how the greenhouse effect warms Earth’s surface?

Faster warming in polar regions leads to greater ice melt and ocean expansion, raising sea levels worldwide.

Which of the following best explains how polar amplification can influence sea level rise in New York City?

Interpreting graphical data to support evidence-based reasoning.

During our lecture this week, you examined graphs showing changes in atmospheric concentrations of CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and CFCs over time. What transferable skill did you practice while completing this analysis?

Rising global temperatures cause sea ice and snow to melt, exposing darker surfaces that absorb more sunlight and lead to further warming.

Which of the following best illustrates a positive climate feedback mechanism involving ice and albedo?

Increasing temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, leading to longer dry periods followed by more intense storms when it rains.

How does global warming influence rainfall patterns and storm intensity?

Mitigation addresses the causes of climate change, while adaptation deals with its consequences.

We are responding to climate change in two main ways: mitigation and adaptation. Which of the following best explains the difference between these two approaches?

The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

Which of the following is a major infrastructure project that New York City has implemented to address sea-level rise and flood risks?

Increased risk of heat-related illnesses, greater flood risk, and infrastructure damage.

How would an increase in extreme weather events (e.g., heat waves or hurricanes) most likely affect residents living in a city like New York City?

The long-term alteration of temperature and typical atmospheric patterns in a place.

Climate change is ...

The natural greenhouse effect is beneficial and keeps Earth warm, while the human-enhanced greenhouse effect is additional warming due to increased greenhouse gases.

What is the difference between the natural greenhouse effect and the human-enhanced greenhouse effect?

It provides improved indoor air quality and health benefits.

You are a product manager introducing advanced HEPA air purification systems. What is one unique opportunity this new air purification technology presents?

To mitigate environmental and property damage, such as decreased visibility, crop loss, and the corrosion of historical monuments.

The EPA is tasked with setting National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for "criteria" pollutants. If a new secondary standard is being evaluated for Sulfur Dioxide, which of the following describes the main objective of that specific standard?

Addition of acid gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

What causes normal rain to become acid rain?

Ozone (O₃)

Which of the following is one of the six criteria air pollutants regulated under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards?

Some air pollutants are also greenhouse gases, and climate change can create conditions that enhance the formation of secondary air pollutants.

How are climate change and air pollution related?

It absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation before it reaches Earth's surface.

What is the primary benefit of the ozone layer in the stratosphere?

Through technological innovations and regulations

How was it possible to reduce pollutant emissions under the Clean Air Act?

Above / poor

During a thermal inversion, a layer of warm air forms ______ a layer of cool air, trapping pollutants near the surface and causing ______ air quality.

Primary pollutants are emitted directly from a source, while secondary pollutants form in the atmosphere through chemical reactions.

Which statement correctly describes the difference between primary and secondary air pollutants?