Studied by 6 people
What percentage of the atmosphere is composed of oxygen?
21 percent
The lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, the one directly above the ground, is called the
troposphere.
What is the source of the energy that drives air movement in the troposphere and influences weather and climate?
sun
Carbon-containing fuels, or fossil fuels, formed millions of years ago from the remains of
living organism
How does carbon monoxide affect human health?
It interferes with the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to cells.
Normal precipitation has a pH of about 5.6. What pH might acid precipitation have?
4.6
Pollutants are removed or changed chemically before they leave factory smokestacks by a(n)
scrubber
Ozone depletion was caused by the following chemicals, which were used in refrigerators and aerosol spray cans.
chlorofluorocarbons
In which main layer of Earth’s atmosphere does most weather occur?
troposphere
What is the source of most air pollution?
combustion of fossil fuels
What atmospheric condition caused London’s “killer smog” of 1952 and regularly causes smog buildup in some cities, such as Los Angeles and Mexico City?
temperature inversion
The pH scale is used to measure
whether solutions are acidic or alkaline.
Which of the following is a provision of the Clean Air Act?
It prevents states and Native American tribes from developing pollution regulations.
A device in a motor vehicle that reduces the amount of air pollutants in emissions is a(n)
catalytic converter.
The ozone hole was located primarily above
Antarctica.
Which approach to resource management aims to harvest resources in ways that minimize impact on the ecosystem and processes that provide the resource?
ecosystem-based management
Which of the following is an economic value of forests?
they provide wood
The clearing of a forest and its replacement by another land use is called
deforestation.
Under the National Forest Management Act, national forests
can be harvested only where soils will not be irreversibly damaged.
Which phrase is true for private logging operations?
produces a monoculture
Some tree plantations resemble a natural forest that
contains uneven-aged stands.
Prescribed burns are fires that
are set by humans.
The removal of snags following a fire is called
salvage logging.
Which of the following words best summarizes the adaptive management approach shown in the diagram?
adjustable
One disadvantage of the selection system of timber harvesting is that it
is more dangerous for loggers.
Deforestation is particularly harmful in arid regions because it can lead to
desertification.
The National Forest Management Act
Requires plans for national forests that follow multiple use and maximum sustainable yield guidelines.
Which type of forest most likely contains the greatest variety of habitats?
old-growth forest
Smokey the Bear’s message resulted in
suppression of all forest fires
Fire suppression can result in a(n)
buildup of material that fuels future fires
prescribed burns
are carefully controlled
The main goal of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act is to
promote salvage logging
If a wood product is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, it was produced
using sustainable method
After a catastrophe, soil formation is the first step in
primary succession.
A rock containing iron turns red as its surface is exposed to air and water over time. This is an example of
chemical weathering.
Most of the nutrients in soil come from
decomposition.
A farmer interested in raising healthy crops should look for a
loamy, clumpy soil with a neutral pH and a dark color.
Deterioration of the soil’s fertility and ability to provide ecosystem services is called
soil degradation.
Watering crops by way of human-constructed structures is known as
Irrigation
Agriculture most likely began
10,000 years ago in the Middle East.
Genetic engineering relies on placing a gene that codes for a desired trait into the _____ of a different organism from the organism where the gene was originally harvested.
genome
Your friend tells you she’s decided not to use pesticides or synthetic chemicals on her farm; instead she’ll rely on composting and biological pest control. She is practicing
organic agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is important because while human population continues to grow, one of the following will not.
arable land
An example of a soil parent material is
volcanic ash.
As a farmer, you would be most concerned with the quality of the soil in the
A horizon.
A rancher interested in the quality of the soil in her pasture might use which aspect of soil as a quick indicator of the pasture’s overall fertility?
color
In a region with strong winds, flat land, and little natural forest cover, what would you recommend in order to reduce erosion?
shelterbelts
The porous qualities of soil mean that which of the following can filter through the ground and pollute groundwater?
pesticides
What event enabled the evolution of agriculture?
warming climate due to volcanic eruptions in Indonesia
A large area of cropland seeded with one crop is a(n)
monoculture.
One of the problematic side effects of pesticide use is the fact that
pesticides kill important pollinator insects as well a insect pests
You would expect to find most farmers who use GM crops living in
relatively wealthy, developed nations.
GM foods are engineered to resist herbicides so that
farmers can use heavier doses of pesticides for weeds without killing the crop plants.
One proven risk of GM crops is
the escape of GM genes into non-GM crops.
Conservation of which of the following is dependent on the reduction of pesticide use?
pollinators
Only a very small portion of Earth’s water is both liquid and
fresh
A hole dug into an aquifer to reach groundwater is called a
well
From greatest to least, rank the primary uses of fresh water around the world.
agriculture, industry, personal
To conserve water, when is the best time to water a lawn or garden?
night
The best way to reduce groundwater pollution is to
prevent it from happening.
Which of the following was not part of the Clean Water Act?
regulated the amount of fertilizers and pesticides that are contained in runoff
As a natural resource, freshwater is
renewable source
All of the land area that supplies water to a particular river system is included in a(n)
watershed
An impermeable layer of soil and rock
has few or no pores
Sometimes, the water table naturally rises to the surface creating
springs
At the average American home, most water use takes place
outdoors in yard
Which major category of water use would include watering grain to feed to livestock?
agricultural
To help regulate river flow and to build a stable supply of water, engineers build
dams
Overirrigation can result in
salinization.
Reverse osmosis is a process often used for removing the following from water.
salt
What type of system targets individual plants and introduces water directly into the soil?
drip irrigation
Which of the following is an example of nonpoint-source pollution?
rain washing salt off the roads
Which nutrient is usually responsible for causing eutrophication in fresh water?
phosphorous
Harmful algal blooms are a result of what type of pollution?
nutrient
Leaky underground storage tanks are a major source of what type of pollution?
groundwater
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Flashcard (24)