GED110 - Module 2 Quiz

What is the most accurate description of an example of climate?

During the last century, the local average daily high temperature for June is 82°F.

Why is the equator warmer than the poles?

Sunlight hits the equator directly, but hits the poles at a low angle.

How do ocean currents affect the atmosphere?

Atmospheric winds and ocean heat affecting circulation of air in the atmosphere, which both affect motion.

Which of the following powers the circulation of the atmosphere?

Convection.

Which of the following is an important greenhouse gas?

CH₄ (methane).

As moist air blowing inland from an ocean reaches a mountain range, what happens?

It rises, expands, and cools, losing moisture as rain and snow.

Which of the following describes the edge effect?

The way that species diversity is greatest at the areas where different biomes meet.

Which of the following best describes a general characteristic of temperate deserts that they share with other deserts?

They are hot during the day but cold at night.

Where do grasslands primarily occur?

They occur in regions too moist for deserts but too dry for forests.

Which portion of the open ocean is defined as the brightly lit upper zone?

Euphotic zone.

Where do mangrove forests grow?

In coastal wetlands.

What is the term for a lake with a large supply of nutrients?

Eutrophic.

What river feature is found in the source zone?

Headwaters.

Which of the following has been true of many inland wetlands in the United States over time?

They have been drained or filled to grow crops.

Which of the following characterizes tropical rainforests?

They have structured vegetation layers that provide specialized niches for animals.

Given the documented impact of atmospheric warming on the water cycle, what specific regions or ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to changes in precipitation patterns, and how might these changes affect them?

Mountainous areas may see decreased river flow.

___ represents the world's available freshwater supply?

0.024%.

Why is freshwater an economic issue?

Water is vital for producing food and energy and for reducing poverty.

Compared to areas with little flooding, how is the reliable runoff expected to differ in regions prone to annual flooding of rivers and streams?

Lesser.

What water issue will likely be the source for increasing international conflicts as water becomes scarcer?

Transboundary water disputes.

What is the likely impact on aquifer recharge when the land above it sinks or collapses?

Substantially impeded or severely compromised.

Estimated extinction rates for freshwater species are higher than rates for marine and terrestrial species due to which of the following?

Dams and excessive surface water withdrawal.

What is the name of the process of desalination that involves using high pressure to force saltwater through a membrane filter with pores small enough to block the salt?

Reverse osmosis.

To manage the Colorado River, researchers suggest that the best way to address the severe ecological problems associated with the damming of the Colorado River is which of the following?

Sharply increase the historically low price of water.

Which of the following is the most efficient irrigation system, even though, it is used on less than 4% of the irrigation fields in the world and United States due to high cost?

Trickle irrigation.

Freshwater, we can do so more sustainably by which of the following?

Investing in water saving technologies.

___ domestic freshwater in the United States that accounts for about one-fourth of home water use is which of the following?

Toilet flushing.

If flooding in already wet areas is made worse by engineering practices such as channelization, then it could be expected to become even more so because of which of the following?

Climate change.

Which of the following represents an underreported but significant source of sewage waste in the oceans?

Cruise ships.

In what two ways can farms reduce nonpoint sources of water pollution?

Slow-release fertilization and organic farming.

Which of the following describes an important difference between the stratosphere and the troposphere?

The stratosphere contains more ozone and less water vapor than the troposphere.

What are chemicals or substances emitted directly into the air from natural processes and human activities at concentrations high enough to cause harm?

Primary pollutants.

Which of the following describes the mixture of two types of acidic deposition, wet deposition and dry deposition?

Acid rain.

Photochemical smog first begins to form when which of the following occurs?

NO and VOCs are released by morning commuter traffic and mix with sunlight.

Under which of the following systems is each fossil fuel burning plant given a number of pollution credits annually, allowing the plants to emit a certain amount greenhouse gases?

Cap-and-trade system.

Which substance was banned from use in gasoline in 1976, resulting in a 99% drop in atmospheric emissions?

Lead.

Which common indoor pollutant can be found in old pipes and can cause nervous system damage?

Lead.

Which of the following are included in Milankovitch cycles?

Slight changes in the shape of Earth's orbit around the sun and slight changes in Earth's tilt.

Which potent greenhouse gas has been detected at much higher levels since the 1970s, with about 70% of this increase resulting from human activities?

Methane.

___ oceans and causes ocean acidification?

Carbon dioxide.

By 2059, up to 45% of the world's land area could be experiencing which of the following extreme conditions due to an increase in kinetic energy in the atmosphere?

Drought.

Which species are predicted to be hit the hardest by global warming?

High elevation species.

The potentially massive release of methane from thawing Arctic permafrost and from the Arctic seafloor is an example of what concept?

Climate tipping points.

What action would be required to keep atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ below 450 ppm and the atmospheric temperature from increasing more than 2°C (3.6°F) above the preindustrial level?

Leaving 82% of coal reserves and 50% of natural gas and Arctic oil reserves in the ground.

How could a hole in the ozone layer accelerate global warming?

Ultraviolet radiation could destroy CO₂-consuming photosynthetic organisms in the oceans.

Where will most municipal solid waste in the United States end up?

Landfill.

What is the term for waste that threatens human health or the environment?

Toxic.

What is the term for the process in which consumers produce much less solid waste and consider the wastes that are produced as potential resources to be reused, recycled, or composted?

Waste reduction.

What is the function of cradle-to-cradle responsibility laws?

They require companies to take back their products for recycling or remanufacturing.

Why is it preferable to refuse, reduce, and reuse rather than improve methods of waste disposal?

These approaches reduce the amount of waste produced, reducing the need for disposal.

What is a particular concern about the disposal of plastic bags and other plastic products?

It can take a long time for plastic to break down, these products harm wildlife, and large amounts end up in the oceans.

What is the term for a type of recycling in which materials such as aluminum cans are recycled into new products of the same type?

Primary.

What type of system, which handles both recyclable and nonrecyclable materials, is generally used by cities that make money by recycling and that have higher recycling rates?

Single-pickup.

Some landfills also have systems for collecting which of the following and burning it as a fuel?

Methane.

Which term describes the approach used with sanitary landfills, which encourages waste production?

Open-ended.

What is used as a base layer in sanitary landfills to help keep material dry and prevent leaks?

Layers of clay or plastic foam.

Which process, in which bacteria and enzymes help to destroy hazardous substances or convert them to harmless compounds, can be used for toxic waste disposal?

Bioremediation.

What is the process by which plants can be used to help clean up soil and water that is contaminated with chemicals?

Phytoremediation.

Which of the following is likely to leak and could contaminate groundwater, according to the EPA?

Open dumps.

What industrial approach follows the same process in which natural systems handle waste?

Biomimicry.