Anthropocene Midterm 2 (Multiple Choice)

Allowing natural fires to burn:

can help recycle nutrients in ecosystems that are fairly cool or dry

Wildfires could become more common and more damaging in the future because of:

all of these

• increased variability in precipitation

• increased rates of evaporation

• increased resource exploitation in tropical rainforests

Deforestation in tropical areas may lead to a _______________ in evapotranspiration and precipitation, causing a further decrease in forest cover, which is an example of _______________ .

decrease, positive feedback

Buffer zones, firebreaks, and fire-proof architecture can be effective strategies to manage fire:

in small areas where human infrastructure is vulnerable

In 1972, a change in fire policy was implemented in Yellowstone Park that:

allowed natural fires to burn

The Federal Wildland Fire Policy of 2009:

attempts to balance multiple objectives including ecosystem health and public safety

Managing the fuel source to control fires:

involves clearing brush and leaf litter from ecosystems

Extinguishing small fires in fire-dependent ecosystems:

can allow a dangerous accumulation of dry organic matter

Most naturally-occurring fires are caused by:

lightning

Rainforests are threatened by:

all of these

• grazing, timber harvesting, mining, climate change

The mismatch between fire regimes and fire management strategies in developed and developing countries is known as the:

none of these

• Global Fire Divide, Global Fire Dilemma, Deforestation Plan, Fire Management Overview

Globally, the country with the highest rate of rainforest loss is:

Brazil

In countries that are highly developed economically, fire has long been viewed:

as a danger to forests and infrastructure that needs to be extinguished

Most ecosystems in North America, such as temperate forests, grasslands, and Mediterranean shrub lands are considered:

fire dependent

Tropical rainforests are

fire sensitive

An ecosystem in which fire rarely occurs is considered:

fire independent

An ecosystem in which fire is required to recycle nutrients is considered:

fire dependent

An ecosystem in which fire can be quite damaging is considered:

fire sensitive

To maintain ecosystem health, fire is generally ___________ where natural ____________ is slow.

required, decomposition

Support for the Overkill Hypothesis includes direct evidence:

that a small group of human hunters killed off the moa of New Zealand

About 20,000 years ago, many groups of humans in Northerly latitudes supported themselves primarily through:

hunting large mammals

The idea that a rapidly changing climate during the past few million years helped spur human evolution is known as the:

Variable Selection Hypothesis

Neanderthals:

Disappeared between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago

According to the Savanna Hypothesis:

the drying of Africa's climate favored species with a more upright posture

The Overkill Hypothesis states that __________ caused the extinction of large mammals such as woolly mammoths and giant sloths.

human hunters

Our own genus (Homo) split from chimpanzees approximately:

5-6 million years ago

The past 2.6 million years have been characterized by:

multiple advances and retreats of ice sheets

Although only about ______ of the Earth's land area is considered "urban", these area have a disproportionate environmental impact because:

3%, they are often built in ecologically-sensitive and/or biologically productive areas such as deltas and estuaries

Urban and agricultural runoff are considered forms of:

non-point source pollution

Which of the following did the development of agriculture contribute to?

all of these

• the development of cities

• increased division of labor

• increased population

• increasing income inequality

Genetically modified organisms may accelerate the development of "super-pests" and have impacts on species such as bees, although the research is inconclusive.

True (GMO)

An argument in favor of genetically modified organisms is that they may reduce the need for agricultural land

True (GMO argument)

Which of the following is a good argument against animal agriculture:

all of these

• the resources devoted to providing meat for one person could be used to feed many people on a plant-based diet

• ruminants such as cows emit methane

• domestic animals can serve as vectors for diseases that infect humans

Usually, pesticides:

none of these

• affect only the specific pests they are designed to target

• do not accumulate in living tissues

• are restricted, by law, to only high value cash crops

Which of the following statements is true regarding agriculture and biodiversity:

agriculture can increase biodiversity on extremely degraded or unproductive land

The primary reason that modern industrial agriculture is practiced so widely is that:

it is profitable

The transition of freshwater bodies from an oxygen-rich, nutrient poor state to an oxygen-poor, nutrient rich state is known as:

eutrophication

Possible strategies to reduce nutrient pollution include:

all of these

• reduced use of chemical fertilizers

• contour plowing

• buffer zones around farms

Application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer to farms can cause:

all of these

• anoxia in the ocean

• eutrophication in freshwater

• increased greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere

The Clean Water Act of 1972 primarily addressed:

point source pollution

An area of land that drains to a common outlet is known as a(n):

drainage basin

Irrigation agriculture accounts for about 70% of:

global freshwater use

Freshwater use by agriculture is:

highest in Asia and Africa, which likely exacerbates shortages of clean drinking water 

At least ______ % of the Earth's land surface is ___________________

25%, agricultural

The 2nd Agricultural Revolution was associated with:

mechanization, crop rotation, and selective breeding

According to the Early Anthropogenic Hypothesis:

human beings began increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations 10,000 to 12,000 years ago

The Neolithic Revolution quickly made Earth's population healthier and longer-lived.

False (The NR)

The Neolithic Revolution originated in:

the Middle East

Globally, most people live in cities.

True (PND)

The Urban Heat Island Effect is caused primarily by:

Decreases in albedo and evapotranspiration in cities

Amendments to the Clean Air Act in 1991 successfully used which of the following mechanisms to reduce acid rain in Northeastern and Midwestern States?

Cap and Trade

In general, cities are ____________ than surrounding rural areas.

all of these

• hotter, cloudier, rainier

Ozone is good when it is found in the stratosphere, but is considered a pollutant at ground level.

True (polluntant)

Reactions of hydrocarbons, atmospheric oxygen, and nitrogen oxides often produces_____________, particularly in warm climates.

photochemical smog

Urban waterways often flood because: 

all of these

• there is less vegetation to slow the rate of overland flow

• paved surfaces do not allow infiltration into the soil and percolation to groundwater

• paved surfaces and storms sewers do not allow water to pool and eventually evaporate

Pollutants that form through reactions of chemicals that are emitted to the atmosphere are known as:

secondary polluntants

The expansion of cities "outward" rather than "upward" is called:

urban sprawl

Which of the following did the development of agriculture contribute to?

the development of cities

Runoff of nitrogen fertilizers to the ocean often causes:

all of these

• hypoxia, dead zones, algal blooms

A primary criticism of simply using laws or regulations to put a limit on the harmful emissions of any given factory is that:

It eliminates the incentive to reduce emissions for any factory that is below the limit

Globally, the highest proportion of carbon dioxide emissions comes from:

Power Stations (CO2)

Establishing an industry-wide limit on emissions and then allowing companies to buy and sell the rights to emit pollutants is known as:

cap and trade

Globally, the highest proportion of nitrous oxide emissions comes from:

Agricultural byproducts (NO)

Globally, the highest proportion of methane emissions comes from:

Agricultural byproducts (M)

Globally, the highest proportion of overall greenhouse gas emissions come from:

Power Stations (GH)

Which of the following countries has the highest overall emissions of greenhouse gases?

China

A pollutant emitted through coal combustion and metal smelting that can cause acid rain is: 

sulfur dioxide

Which of the following gases is largely transparent to shortwave radiation from the sun, but traps longwave radiation emitted by the Earth?

all of these:

• carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide

The class of pollutants that is most likely to cause acid rain is:

nitrogen oxides

The class of pollutants that is most closely associated with global dimming is:

particulates

Thermal pollution is often harmful because it causes:

oxygen depletion

Pollutants that are capable of emitting ionizing radiation, potentially for millions of years are known as:

radioisotopes

Pollutants such as hydrocarbons and detergents are considered:

organic chemicals (HC)

Pollutants such as arsenic and mercury are considered

inorganic chemicals

Pollutants consisting of rings or chains of compounds that contain carbon are known as:

organic chemicals (C)

Industry can have a disproportionate impact on ecosystems because factories and power plants are often located in estuaries, along the coast, or along rivers.

True (impact)

Industrial water pollution is easier in some ways to regulate than agricultural pollution because:

most of it arises from "point sources"

The Industrial Revolution marked a point in history when the GDP of Western countries diverged greatly from that of countries in Asia.

True (GDP)

The Industrial Revolution immediately increased the quality of life for just about everyone.

False (life)

The Industrial Revolution:

all of these

• led to vast increase in global life expectancy

• led to a vast increase in global income inequality

• led to a vast increase in global resource use

The innovation that is often used to mark the beginning of the Industrial Revolution is:

the modern steam engine

According to the "Ant Farm" Model, the maximum number of people the Earth can sustain is about:

30 billion

Projected trends in meat consumption generally indicate:

all of these

• modest declines in North America and Europe

• large increases in China

• large increases in India

• increases in Latin America and Subsaharan Africa

The most difficult variable to estimate in order to predict future global energy consumption is:

technology

The demographic transition model is so widely used because it precisely predicts the inevitable population trends that every society experiences.

False (DTM)

Which of the following regions has fairly low carbon emissions despite a fairly high level of affluence?

Europe

The most effective way to reduce population growth is through strict controls on the number of children a couple can have.

False (babies)

Establishment of a social safety net in a society can help to eventually reduce the birthrate.

True (net)

Economically developed countries tend to have lower birth rates and death rates than developing countries.

True (rate)

According to the demographic transition model, in the early stages of economic and technological development, societies:

experience a large decline in the death rate

According to the demographic transition model, hunter-gatherer societies:

none of these

• experience a very high growth rate

• experience a very low death rate

• experience a very low birth rate

According to UN projections, the human population in 2100 is most likely to be about:

10 billion

Thomas Malthus predicted that:

the human population would eventually outstrip agriculture's ability to produce enough food

For purposes of the IPAT equation, the "A" term is often treated as:

consumption

As a result of climate change over the next few decades, crop yields are likely to:

increase in colder climates, such as Scandinavia, Russia, and Canad

Advances in technology always cause a decrease in energy consumption.

False (tech)

According to Ehrlich and Holdren, environmental impact is proportional to the product of:

population, affluence, and technology

Bioaccumulation:

all of these

• is the buildup of toxins in an organism’s tissue over time

• is usually most produced in organisms at low trophic levels, such as insects and mice

• occurs primarily in areas where leaf litter is abundant on the forest floor

According to the Environmental Kuznets Curve:

all of these

• Environmental impact increases with increasing income at lower levels of development

• Once countries are wealthy, their environmental impact may decrease as income increases

• Countries may reach a "turning point" when environmental impact begins to decrease