2026 Environmental Science 2nd Semester Test

What makes up acid rain?

Water, Sulfuric Acid, Nitric Acid

natural sources of acid rain

lightning, volcanic eruptions, hot springs

human sources of acid rain

burning coal and other fossil fuels

layers of the atmosphere in order from the surface of the Earth out

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere

composition of the atmosphere

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases

Clean Air Act of 1970

required EPA to develop and enforce regulations to protect the public from airborne contaminants; forced states to follow and make sure the laws for followed

natural sources of indoor air pollutants

radon, mold, dust

human sources of indoor air pollutants

smoke, asbestos, VOCs, lead

radon

a radioactive gas that results from the natural decay of uranium in rock, comes in through cracks in building foundations and contaminates groundwater

asbestos

a fiberous material once used in insulation and other materials that can cause respiratory diseases

sick building syndrome

people occupying a building experience severe health effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified, caused by poor ventilation and chemical contaminants such as VOCs, combustion products, mold, dust, and pathogens

photochemical smog

air pollution that forms from the interaction between VOCs and nitrogen oxides in the air and sunlight, produces ozone and PANs, causes respiratory illness

point source pollution

pollution that enters a body of water from a specific, identifiable source, ex. sewage pipe, thermal pollution, lead pipes, oil spills

non-point source pollution

water pollution that does not have a specific, easily identifiable point of origin, ex. trash, fertilizers, mercury, pharmaceuticals

biomagnification

the increase in chemical concentration in animal tissues as the chemical moves up the food chain

bioacculumation

increase in the concentration of pollutants in an organism

pesticide treadmill

a need for constantly increasing doses or new pesticides due to natural selection causing pesticide resistance

salinization

accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth

Clean Water Act of 1972

establishes and maintains goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity

3 steps of wastewater treatment

primary: physical removal of large objects, secondary: biological treatment to break down organic matter, tertiary: chemical treatment to remove nitrogen, phosphorous, and bacteria

open dump

a landfill that is a field or hole in the ground where garbage is deposited, trash can blow away, causes groundwater contamination, methane is released into the atmosphere

sanitary landfill

a landfill that uses plastic liners, drainage systems, and systems to capture methane gas to prevent groundwater contamination, harm to wildlife, and methane emissions

3 Rs

reduce: cut back on the amount of waste produced, reuse: use an item as many times as possible before throwing it away, recycle: turn a waste material back into its raw form

US Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

regulates the creation, use, handling and disposal of hazardous wastes

Superfund Act

handles violations and clean-ups of hazardous waste mismanagement

clear cutting (forestry)

removing all or almost all of the trees in an area, afterward the area is applied with pesticide

selective cutting (forestry)

removing only a small amount of specific trees

benefits of prescribed burns

clears away leaf litter, cycles nutrients, encourages growth of new vegetation, helps to prevent larger uncontrolled fires

bycatch

the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species

impacts of commercial fishing

loss of fish stocks caused by new fishing tech, bycatch; destruction of the sea-floor, including coral reefs and seagrasses, fishing gear pollution, loss of Biodiversity

impacts of clearcutting

loss of biodiversity, increased erosion, decreased water quality, habitat fragmentation

turtle exclusion device

is a specialized device that allows a captured sea turtle to escape when caught in a fisherman's net

aquaculture benefits

requires little water, space, and fuel; reduces risk of fishery collapse, can meet supply with demand

aquaculture drawbacks

destruction of mangrove swamps and saltwater marshes, wastewater contamination (feces, antibiotics, pathogens, etc) to natural ecosystem, increased chances of disease

climatogram

a graph that shows both annual precipitation and temperature in an area, can be used to identify biomes

desert biome

hot with very little rainfall, low biodiversity

tropical grassland biome

warm temperatures year-round, has a wet and dry season, open grassland with few trees, animals migrate based on wet/dry seasons

temperate grassland biome

moderate rainfall, has cold winters, most fertile soil of all biomes

temperate rainforest biome

mild temperatures, high rainfall year-round, lots of old growth evergreen trees

temperate deciduous forest

moderate rainfall, has all 4 seasons, lots of deciduous trees

taiga biome

coniferous forests that have long, cold winters, trees have needles, largest terrestrial biome

chapparal biome

coastal, has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters, lots of spiny evergreen shrubs, requires seasonal fires for shrub germination

tundra biome

very dry, extremely cold, has permafrost, very short growing season, little vegetation, low biodiversity

polar ice caps

very dry, extremely cold, no vegetation, ecosystem completely dependent on the ocean for food, lowest biodiversity of the terrestrial biomes

tropical rainforest biome

high precipitation, high rainfall, year round growing season, dense vegetation, poor soil, highest biodiversity of the terrestrial biomes

abiotic factors that affect aquatic biomes

temperature, light availability, salinity, pH, nutrients, gases

salinity

the amount of salt in water

intertidal zone

closest to shore, submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide

coastal zone

in the ocean, nutrient-rich, shallow water that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the gently sloping, shallow edge of the continental shelf, where coral reefs and kelp forests are

open ocean

deep ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom

estuary

a habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean, where many fish and shellfish come to spawn