Environmental Bio final exam

List some "best management practices": ways of managing the land that could helpreduce the runoff of pollutants into streams, lakes, and oceans

putting drains in parking lots and streets, adding barriers such as shrubs to the sides of a body of water, etc...

Explain the principle behind the Ocean Cleanup Project

rid the world's oceans of plastic through innovative and scalable technologies. Use devices called Interceptors to capture plastic waste before it reaches the sea. The project employs large, passive systems that use the natural ocean currents to concentrate and collect plastic debris. These systems consist of floating barriers that guide the plastic into a central collection area for removal

Explain how human activities may be contributing to a global increase in rates of asthma

pollution, climate change, urbanization

Name the government agency that sets air and water pollution standards in the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

List sources of outdoor air pollution

vehicles, wildfires, smoke, dust storms, dust from construction sites, pesticides, fertilizers, factories, power plants

list sources of indoor air pollution

cooking stoves, heating systems, paint, cleaning supplies, fireplaces, mold

Explain what radon is, where it originates, how it gets into homes, and how it affects humans

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It is produced from the decay of uranium, which is found in nearly all soils and rocks. When radon gas is inhaled, it can damage the cells lining the lungs. Long-term exposure to high levels of radon increases the risk of lung cancer.

Explain the difference between laws and regulations

Laws are broad legal rules established by legislative bodies, such as Congress or state legislatures. They set the fundamental framework for governance and societal conduct. Regulations are specific rules or directives developed by governmental agencies to implement and enforce laws. These agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), create detailed requirements and standards based on the broader mandates of the laws.

give an example of this difference between laws and regulations as relates to air quality

Law: The Clean Air Act (CAA) is a federal law that provides the overarching framework for regulating air pollution in the United States. It authorizes the EPA to set limits on certain air pollutants to protect public health and the environment.Regulation: Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, the EPA establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide. These regulations detail the specific limits on the concentration of these pollutants in the air and outline the methods for monitoring and enforcing these standards

Explain the difference between weather and climate

weather is daily atmospheric patterns; climate is long term atmospheric conditions

Explain why global carbon dioxide and temperature levels are strongly related to eachother

Global carbon dioxide levels and temperatures are strongly related because CO₂ traps heat in the atmosphere through the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming

List various lines of scientific evidence that Earth's climate has changed unusually rapidly over the past 100 years; how do we know what happened in the distant past?

Scientific evidence such as rising global temperatures, shrinking ice sheets, retreating glaciers, and increasing sea levels shows rapid climate change over the past 100 years, while ice cores, tree rings, and ocean sediments reveal past climate conditions

Explain the dominant trend in Earth's average temperature over the past 100 years, andthe predicted possible changes to 1) temperature, 2) rainfall, 3) polar ice, and 4) sea level over the next 100 years

Earth's average temperature has risen significantly, and in the next 100 years, it is predicted that temperatures will continue to increase, rainfall patterns will become more extreme, polar ice will continue to melt, and sea levels will rise

List three major greenhouse gases

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide

Provide at least three examples of ways in which human activities are causing globalclimate change

Burning fossil fuels for energy, deforestation, and industrial processes are major human activities causing global climate change by increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Have global temperature and carbon dioxide levels ever been higher?

yes

Give examples of ecological impacts of climate change

heat and drought, more severe wildfires, shifting species distributions, coral bleaching, and rising sea levels, all of which disrupt ecosystems and biodiversity

Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. have been decreasing over the past decade. Why?

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have decreased over the past decade primarily due to a shift from coal to natural gas and renewable energy sources, improvements in energy efficiency, and changes in industrial and transportation practices

Almost all of the energy on Earth - from plant biomass to oil, coal, and natural gas -comes from the sun. Explain why this is true.

Almost all energy on Earth comes from the sun because solar energy drives photosynthesis in plants, which forms the basis of the food chain and, over millions of years, creates fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas

Explain what's different between renewable and non-renewable sources of energy, andgive at least three examples of each type

Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydropower, are naturally replenished and sustainable, while non-renewable energy sources, like coal, oil, and natural gas, are finite and deplete over time

Give examples of ways that the mining and burning of coal can be harmful to theenvironment and to human health

by causing air and water pollution, releasing greenhouse gases, and exposing people to toxic substances like mercury, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter

Give examples of ways that the extraction and burning of oil and gas can be harmful tothe environment and to human health

The extraction and burning of oil and gas can harm the environment and human health by causing air and water pollution, contributing to climate change, and exposing people to toxic substances like benzene, methane, and particulate matter

Explain the primary uses of each of these substances in the U.S.: coal, oil, natural gas

coal is primarily used for electricity generation, oil is mainly refined into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel for transportation, and natural gas is primarily used for electricity generation, space heating, and as an industrial feedstock

List two pros and two cons of our nation's shift in recent years from coal to natural gasfor electricity generation

Two pros of the shift from coal to natural gas for electricity generation are lower carbon dioxide emissions and improved air quality, while two cons are the potential for methane leaks and the continued reliance on fossil fuels

Explain how automobile fuel economy has changed over the past 40 years, and why

it has significantly improved due to advancements in technology, stricter fuel efficiency standards, and a shift towards lighter materials and more efficient engines

In simple terms, explain how a hybrid car "works"

combining a gasoline engine with an electric motor and a battery pack

In simple terms, explain the general process by which coal-burning, wind, andhydroelectric plants produce electricity - how does each work?

Coal-burning plants produce electricity by burning coal to create steam that spins a turbine connected to a generator, wind plants use wind to turn turbine blades that spin a generator, and hydroelectric plants use flowing water to spin a turbine connected to a generator

List pros and cons of wind, hydro, and solar energy

Wind Energy

Pros: Renewable and clean, low operating costs; Cons: Intermittent, noise and visual impact.

Hydroelectric Energy

Pros: Reliable and consistent, low greenhouse gas emissions; Cons: Environmental impact, high initial costs.

Solar Energy

Pros: Renewable and sustainable, low environmental impact; Cons: Intermittent, high upfront costs.

Explain which type(s) of energy (coal, gas, solar, etc.) Georgia produces the most of eachyear, versus which type(s) of energy Georgia consumes the most of each year to produce electricity

Georgia produces the most energy from nuclear and renewable sources like biomass and hydro, while it consumes the most natural gas and nuclear energy for electricity generation

Explain why, from an energy standpoint, it is better for us to eat lower on the food chain

Eating lower on the food chain, such as consuming more plant-based foods, is more energy-efficient because it requires fewer resources like water, land, and energy to produce plants compared to animal products, which need additional energy for growing feed and maintaining livestock

Define and explain the difference between organic and locally grown food

Organic food is produced without synthetic chemicals and GMOs, while locally grown food is produced and sold within a specific geographic area, regardless of farming methods

Define GMO food and list some pros and cons of this technology

GMO food, created by altering an organism's DNA through genetic engineering, can offer benefits like increased yield and pest resistance, but also raises concerns about potential health risks and environmental impact

List consumer choices you could make that could lead to better personal health and moresustainable agriculture

Choosing organic and locally grown foods, reducing meat consumption, supporting sustainable farming practices, and minimizing food waste can improve personal health and promote sustainable agriculture

List the three root causes that underlie most environmental problems

pollution, deforestation, and overpopulation

If given an environmental resource-use scenario, identify the stakeholders and tradeoffsinvolved with alternative decisions

stakeholders such as local communities, businesses, government agencies, and environmental groups must balance tradeoffs between economic development, conservation, and social well-being

Discriminate questions that can from questions that cannot be answered by scientific investigation

Questions that can be answered by scientific investigation are empirical and testable through observation and experimentation, while those that cannot be answered involve subjective experiences, supernatural claims, or moral and ethical judgments

order the steps of the scientific method

identify a problem, form a hypothesis, design a study/test method, collect data/synthesize/interpret, discard unsupported hypothesis/continue testing

If given an observation and related experiment, identify the independent and dependentvariable(s), control variable(s), and test and control group

the independent variable is what the researcher changes, the dependent variable is what is measured, control variables are kept constant, the test group receives the experimental treatment, and the control group does not

Recognize the difference between an experimental and observational study

Experimental studies involve manipulating variables to establish cause-and-effect relationships, while observational studies involve monitoring subjects without intervention to identify correlations

Explain what makes primary sources the best sources for scientific information

Primary sources are the best for scientific information because they provide firsthand accounts of original research, including detailed methodologies, results, and data, ensuring accuracy and reliability

Remember the approximate global human population size. How many billion?

8.2 billion

what shape does the graph of population size vs. time look like?

The graph of population size vs. time shows an exponential growth curve, with a sharp increase in population size in recent centuries.

Explain what factors contributed to the exponential growth of human populations overthe past three centuries

The exponential growth of human populations over the past three centuries has been driven by advances in medical science, improved public health and sanitation, agricultural innovations, and the industrial revolution

Define "ecological footprint", and explain why the ecological footprint of U.S. citizens(and citizens of other postindustrial nations) is larger than the footprint of, for example,citizens of Mali (and citizens of other preindustrial or industrializing nations)

An ecological footprint measures the demand on Earth's ecosystems by calculating the biologically productive area needed to support a population's consumption and waste, with U.S. citizens having larger footprints due to higher consumption of resources, energy use, and waste production compared to citizens of preindustrial nations like Mali

Order the levels of biological organization (population, biosphere, individual, biome,ecosystem, community) from smallest to largest

The levels of biological organization from smallest to largest are: individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, and biosphere

Recognize producers, decomposers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, andtertiary consumers in a food chain or pyramid

producers (like plants) create their own food, primary consumers (herbivores) eat producers, secondary consumers (carnivores) eat primary consumers, tertiary consumers (top predators) eat secondary consumers, and decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down dead organisms

Recall how much energy is lost (what percentage?) as you go from one level to the nextin a food chain

Approximately 90% of energy is lost as you go from one trophic level to the next, with only about 10% being transferred

Explain how human activities change the cycling of carbon, phosphorous, and nitrogenthrough the biosphere

Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, using synthetic fertilizers, and deforestation, alter the cycling of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen by increasing atmospheric CO2, causing nutrient runoff into water bodies, and disrupting natural nutrient cycles

We say that selection affects individuals, but it is populations that evolve; explain what ismeant by this statement

natural selection acts on individual organisms by favoring those with advantageous traits, but it is the population as a whole that evolves over generations as these traits become more common

Which group of organisms is most diverse overall (i.e., has the greatest # of species)?Which group of vertebrate organisms is most diverse?

Insects are the most diverse group of organisms overall, with nearly a million described species, while fish are the most diverse group of vertebrate organisms

Radon

Radioactive gas from soil and rocks.

Asthma

Chronic respiratory condition causing difficulty breathing.

Climate vs. Weather

Climate is long-term; weather is short-term.

Climate change

Long-term alteration of temperature and weather patterns.

Carbon sequestration

Process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Greenhouse effect

Trapping of heat in Earth's atmosphere by gases.

Greenhouse gas

Gas contributing to the greenhouse effect, e.g., CO2.

Clean Air Act

U.S. law regulating air emissions from stationary sources.

Laws vs. Regulations

Laws are formal rules; regulations are specific guidelines.

Milankovitch cycles

Earth's climate changes due to orbital variations.

Paris Agreement

International treaty to combat climate change and its impacts.

Mountaintop removal mining

Mining technique involving the removal of mountain tops.

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

Method to extract oil and gas from underground.

Fossil fuel

Natural fuel formed from decomposed organisms, e.g., coal.

Biomass and biofuels

Renewable energy from organic materials and waste.

Solar electric (photovoltaic) vs. solar thermal

Photovoltaic converts sunlight to electricity; thermal uses heat.

Coal ash/fly ash

Waste product from burning coal, often toxic.

Agriculture

Cultivation of plants and livestock for food production.

High-yield variety of crop or livestock

Genetically improved species for increased production.

Confined animal feeding operation (CAFO)

Large-scale industrial livestock farming facility.

Precision agriculture

Farming management using technology for efficiency.

Food security

Access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.

GMOs

Genetically modified organisms for enhanced traits.

Food desert

Area with limited access to affordable, healthy food.

Environment

Surroundings affecting living organisms and ecosystems.

Environmental science/biology

Study of interactions between humans and the environment.

Stakeholders

Individuals or groups with an interest in environmental issues.

Science

Systematic study of the natural world through observation.

Hypothesis

Proposed explanation for a phenomenon, testable.

Cause and effect vs. correlation

Cause and effect implies direct relationship; correlation does not.

Toxin

Poisonous substance harmful to living organisms.

Peer review

Evaluation of scientific work by experts in the field.

Carrying capacity

Maximum population size an environment can sustain.

Ecological footprint

Measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems.

Sustainable

Able to be maintained without depleting resources.

Ecosystem services

Benefits provided by ecosystems to humans.

Biodiversity

Variety of life in a particular habitat.

Ecology

Study of interactions among organisms and their environment.

Evolution

Process of change in species over time.

Limiting factor

Environmental condition restricting population growth.

Population size

Number of individuals in a specific area.

Geographic range

Area where a species is found.

Species richness vs diversity

Richness counts species; diversity includes abundance and variety.

Species diversity

Variety of species within a given ecosystem.

Primary productivity

Rate of energy production in ecosystems.