Intro ESCI Final Flashcards

An environmental scientist is doing research on the decrease of sugar maple trees in New England. They notice damaged vegetation in the area, and nearby lakes are experiencing a decline in fish populations. What would be at the top of the list for this scientist to investigate the cause?

Acid deposit

Which law empowers the EPA to determine acceptable levels of CO2, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide in the outside air?

Clean air act

The policy strategy known as tradable emission allowances was specifically created to address which of the following?

Sulfure dioxide gas fro coal-burning power plants

Which phrase describes chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)?

Ozone-depleting chemicals that were addressed by the Montreal Protocol

Which phrase describes particulate matter?

Can cause respiratory ailments such as asthma

Prevailing wind patterns near the top of the troposphere, where the Hadley and Ferrel cells join and where the Ferrel and polar cells meet, are known as

Jet streams

Soot from forest fires, smoke from cigarettes, and photochemical smog are all example

air pollution

If you are an airline pilot and need to avoid a thunderstorm, which layer of the atmosphere are you concerned with?

Troposphere

Atmospheric greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect by

Preventing the escape of radiant heat from Earth’s surface into space

Warming at the North Pole reduces the ice cover that normally reflects sunlight. As a result, the darker water absorbs more energy from the sun. This surface change from ice cover to water

Decreases the albedo

The Milankovitch cycles involve changes in __________ that correlate with glacial epochs, or ice ages

Earth’s orbit

Which of the following surfaces would decrease solar radiation absorbed by the Earth?

White asphalt on a parking lot

Carbon dioxide moves out of the atmosphere by the

Process of photosynthesis

Which is the most significant greenhouse gas released by human activities

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

What conclusion can scientists make from studying global climate models?

They show inputs must include both natural and human factors to match the warming we currently see

Select the example of a reinforcing, or positive, feedback loop

Warmer ocean temperatures release more carbon dioxide into the atmoshpere

Select the example of a balancing, or negative, feedback loop

Increased algae growth in warmer waters leads to more absorption of carbon dioxide

The frequency and intensity of droughts have most notably been increasing in the ________ United States

Southwestern

The amount of water required for the growth, production, and processing of foods would be considered

The embedded water

The Ogallala aquifer, a glacier, and the Pacific Ocean would all be considered

resevoirs

An underground area where water can accumuluate, often creating in a source of drinking water, is referred to as a(n)

aquifer

A damaged septic field is leaking waste into a nearby stream. This discharge would be described as a

Point source

Which of the following would be considered a nonpoint source of pollution?

Urban runoff

The process of desalination can be summarized as the

Removal of salt from water

Ocean ecosystems by _____, as seen in the Deepwater Horzion disaster in the Gulf of Mexico

Oil spills

Eutrophication in aquatic systems ultimately leads to _________ in freshwater systems.

Decrease in oxygen

What type of infrastructure is common in developed countries to improve water quality but is still needed in many developing countries?

Wastewater treatment plants

An ecosystem experiences three consecutive years of higher-than-normal temperatures and lower-than-normal precipitation. Which of the following would most likely result from this condition?

Drought conditions

What is hydraulic fracturing

(fracking), involves drilling into the earth and angling the drill into a shale formation to release the natural gas trapped there

Hydraulic fracturing targets ____ gas

Shale

How are fossil fuels formed

After organic matter is broken down after millions of years in an anaerobic environment

What is proven recoerable reserve?

The amount of a fossil fuel that is technologically and economically feasible to remove under current conditions

What is energy efficiency?

The ability to obtain a given amount of output while using less energy input

What is energy conservation?

The practice of reducing wasteful or unnecessary energy use

What are PV cells?

Photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electrical energy