Textbook and Progress Check

Scientists have discovered that the Volatile Organic Compounds emitted from trees can contribute to photchemical smog formation. Data in the table above were collected in 2006 and 2014 in Berlin, Germany. Isoprene is a VOC released by some tree species. Impact factor refer tothe percentage of ozone attributed to the isoprene.

What best describes the relationship between variables in the data table?

Ozone maximum is correlated to average and maximum tempature.

What claim is best supported by the data shown in the table?

Isoprene's contribution to ozone levels in Berlin was greatest in July of both years.

Which of the following best describes the process shown in the diagram above?

Less-dense, warm air creates a temperature inversion between more-dense layers, trapping pollutants near the ground.

In addition to a nearby mountain range, which of the following environmental conditions would be required for the process in the diagram to occur?

A cool sea breeze and a high pressure system

Which of the following is the most likely reason for the trend shown in the graph of flucating indoor radon levels over the course of a year?

Radon levels tend to increase in the colder months because of the difference in temperature inside and outside the home, which created a vacuum pulling radon into the home at a higher rate.

Which of the following is most likely responsible for the indoor air pollutant shown in the graph?

Cracks in the basement foundation.

An experiment to evaluate the efficiency of wet and dry scrubber networks that filter particulate gas at different flow rates was conducted under different flow rate conditions.

Which of the following best describes the efficiency of dry scrubbers at removing particles that are less than 2 micrometers in diameter?

Dry scrubbers are less than 10% efficient at removing particles less than 1 um in size.

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following methods would be most effective at removing the greatest amount of particulate matter from coal-burning power plant emissions?

Wet scrubbers using a flow rate of 450 L/min are best suited to remove large particles.

Which of the following claims is best supported by the evidence provided by the article?

Frog populations may decrease in size as a result of males changing the pitch of their calls.

What is one potential impact of increased noise pollution in national parks that is supported by the article?

Prey populations are likely to increase in national parks because predators have a decreased ability to hear prey sounds.

Based on the author’s claim in the article, which of the following statements best describes the effect of noise pollution on wildlife?

Noise pollution has a negative effect on wildlife activities such as mating, establishing territories, and predator-prey interactions.

Air pollution from a power plant is being monitored for levels of nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone. The levels are measured daily at the same time. Which of the following best predicts the impact of a dark and cloudy day on the readings for the levels of air pollutants measured?

There will be an increase in the level of nitrogen dioxide and a decrease in the level of ground-level ozone.

Scientists are testing the effects of different scrubber technologies on the removal of pollutants from coal power plants. The scrubbers use a slurry of limestone and water.

Which of the following best describes the impact of modifying the slurry by increasing the amount of limestone?

The amount of sulfur dioxide released will decrease.

Scientists want to examine the effects of a coal-burning power plant on the pH of a lake that is downwind of the power plant.

Which of the following describes how their choice of control group could affect the results of their experiment?

The coal-burning power plant would not appear to have a large impact because the pH levels of the two lakes would be similar.

The graph shows the average distance traveled by individuals in a population in an urban area in the southwestern United States. Based on the data, which of the following months most likely experiences the highest levels of photochemical smog?

July

Which of the following points on the graph best illustrates the location where pollutants are most likely to accumulate as a result of a thermal inversion?

Point D

An air pollution expert set up a monitoring program to determine the amount of particulate matter leaving a farmer’s field after crops were harvested and the soil was bare. When she looked at her results she was surprised by how much the PM levels varied, both from site to site on a given date and over time at each site.

Which of the following parameters would have been best to measure to help explain the variation in her results?

Wind direction and speed

Which of the following devices is correctly paired to the air pollutant it would be used to measure?

Gas sensor: CO2

Scientists have been collecting atmospheric CO2 data for many years to monitor changes over time. Which of the following best describes why an island location, such as the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, is an ideal location to measure global Co2 concentrations?

The location is far from any continent, providing atmospheric air samples that are less liekly to be affected by industry and transportation.

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following insulation options is ineffective at insulating a home and greatly contributes to indoor air pollution?

Mineral fiber batt.

Which of the following is most responsible for the change in the emissions of volatile organic compounds from 1970 to 2020 as shown in the graph?

An increase in air emission standards that began in 1970 that regulated corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards.

Atmospheric deposition is receiving increased attention in the scientific community and has become the subject of a specific research area in the environmental sciences. Acid rain is detrimental to our ecosystems and can be measured in several ways.

Which of the following methods would best identify changes from acid deposition in an area over time?

Monitoring the long-term chemical and biological parameters of an ecosystem.

A researcher wants to determine if ponds and lakes downwind of a coal-burning power plant are affected by the plant’s emissions. Which of the following would be the best parameter from the water in the ponds and lakes to measure in order to determine the effect of the plant’s emissions on the aquatic ecosystem?

pH

Which of the following best describes how a scientist could accurately study the effects of soil buffering on plant growth in a region that is affected by acid deposition downwind of a coal-burning power plant?

Measure the change in the plants height over a year in two different groups of trees the same distance from the power plant; one group is in topsoil and one group is in topsoil with limestone added.

Since 1880, global sea level has risen approximately

26 cm

The data indicate that the main contributing factor of sea level rise has been

the thermal expansion of warmer water

Tropospheric carbon dioxide levels have been directly measured for more than 50 years. Scientist have recently measured these levels at slight over __ ppm. 

410

Of the following greenhouse gases, ___ concentrations have increased the most since 1750, the beginning of the industrial revolution.

methane

the pollutant least likely to be emitted from an industrial factory’s smokestack is

ozone

Under natural, unpolluted conditions, the pH of rainfall is closest to

5.6

which of the following is a major consequence of acidic deposition?

it leaches out important minerals from soils, resulting in the loss of biodiversity.

the greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth’s surface and the

troposphere