Global Bio Study guide 3

Global seas are rising at ___ the rate of three decades ago

Double

The rate of increased death resulting from heat was higher for ___ and ___

Women,

Men

______% of children and young people are very or extremely worried about climate change.

59%

Global climate change is ______ crisis

Pollution

The first global pollution crisis was the _____________

Great oxidation event

Carbon from fossil fuels is an _______

Outsider

Present greenhouse gas levels are unprecedented compared with those of the past _________ years

800,000 years

The US, EU, and Japan used _____ times as many barrels of petroleum per capita compared to the world as a whole

4

Natural gas is the ______ largest primary source for electricity

Second

_____tons an hour is the amount of methane emitted by a single oil and gas site in the United States—equivalent to running about _______ SUVs

5.5,

One million

Wind velocity ___ with height above ground

Increase

___ is a low-carbon energy source that rely on artificial reservoirs created by fracking

Enhanced geothermal

___ is the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde of Climate

China

Flex fuel is made up of __% gas and __% EtOH

85%,

15%

The ‘___’ is the max EtOH in gas without causing corrosion

Blend wall

Crop biofuels via ___ ag practices will ___ mitigate climate change impacts

Conventional,

NOT

___s are a group of nearly 5,000 compounds with bonds so tight that they are almost indestructible

PFAs

The greatest levels of river pollution were seen in ___- to ___ countries.

Low,

Middle-income

___ was the largest accidental marine spill in the oil industry history

Deepwater Horizon (BP)

( ___ =CERCLA) is better known as superfund

The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability Act

31. Brain scans show areas of reduced cortical thickness in children exposed to higher levels of ___ during their first year of life

Traffic pollution

PM2.5 = airborne particles <___ microns and not only harms physical health, but alter ___ as well

2.5,

Brain chemistry

___ are plastic particles under 1 micrometer in length, or one-seventieth the width of a human hair

Nanoplastics

Microplastics were found in ___ samples of the 62 ___ sampled

All,

Placentas

Those patients who had microplastics in fatty plaques lining their arteries were ___x more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke, or death in the 3 years after their surgery

4.5x

36. Americans throw away __% of their __ in the trash

76%,

Recyclables

___ = recycled plastics often fabricated into non-recyclables, thus sustaining (not eliminating) their existence

Down cycling

___ are a group of highly toxic compounds produced by burning chlorine-based compounds with hydrocarbons

Dioxins

___ = Biodiversity loss goes unnoticed because we fail to gauge ongoing changes versus those from the past.

Shifting baseline syndrome

40. If current climate policies continue how much is the Earth expected to warm?

a) 1 °C

b) 1.5 °C

c) 3.1 °C

d) 2.5 °C

c) 3.1 °C

41. Seas will swell by how many cm in the next 30 years?

a) 1 cm

b) 17 cm

c) 104 cm

d) 500.9 cm

b) 17 cm

42. What percentage of the population lives within miles of the sea?

a) 10%

b) 33%

c) 50%

d) 75%

c) 50%

43. Fossil fuels fueled what percentage of energy consumption in 2024?

a) 91% _

b) 20%

c) 75%

d) 63%

a) 91% _

44. Who benefits the most from increased oil prices?

a) Consumers

b) Richest 10%

c) Pipeline workers

d) Farmers

b) Richest 10%

45. Refining and the price of crude oil make up what percentage of gas prices?

a) 74%

b) 53%

c) 87%

d) 34%

a) 74%

46. CH4 (Methane)-Escape must be less than what percentage for natural gas to be more advantageous than coal?

a) .5%

b) 2%

c) 5%

d) 10%

b) 2%

47. How many tons of methane are emitted each hour from the Winston-Salem U.S. landfill?

a) 1.4

b) 5.8

c) 12.8

d) 20.3

b) 5.8

48. What percentage of Denmark’s energy needs are met by wind?

a) 10%

b) 20%

c) 40%

d) 70%

b) 20%

49. China generates what percentage of its electricity from fossil fuels?

a) 25%

b) 53%

c) 70%

d) 87%

c) 70%

50. The 30x30 approach would require what percentage of total U.S. land area to be cultivated?

a) 33%

b) 50%

c) 67%

d) 86%

d) 86%

51. Control rods

a) Absorb neutrons

b) Control nuclear reactions

c) Control neutrons

d) Absorb neutrons and control nuclear reactions

d) Absorb neutrons and control nuclear reactions

52. A person’s typical exposure to background radiation (in Millisieverts [mSv])

a) 2,200

b) 2.4 per year

c) 200 per year

d) 24

b) 2.4 per year

53. Solar radiation kills how many people a year?

a) 4,000

b) 40,000

c) 12,000

d) 2,400

c) 12,000

54. How many gallons (millions) of oil was spilled in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

a) 5

b) 11

c) 16

d) 23

b) 11

55. What percentage of the 200 people undergoing surgery had microplastics in fatty plaques lining their arteries?

a) 20%

b) 60%

c) 45%

d) 90%

b) 60%

56. Metals, glass, plastic, and wood make up what percentage of recycled municipal solid waste (MSW)?

a) 26%

b) 33%

c) 66%

d) 89%

b) 33%

Odd man out:

Areas where fossil fuel demand isn’t decreasing enough

57. A) Air Travel B) Shipping C) Electricity Production D) Industry

C) Electricity Production

Paleoclimatic data

58. A) Tree Rings B) Glacial Cores C) Corals D) Satellites

D) Satellites

Increase due to Strait of Hormuz Blocked

59. A) Oil Prices B) Solar Panel Prices C) Fertilizer Prices D) LNG Prices

B) Solar Panel Prices

Benefits of Natural Gas

60. A) High Fuel Efficiency B) High Operating Flexibility C) Modest Capital Costs D) High Greenhouse Gas Emissions

D) High Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Disadvantages of Solar

61. A) Low Maintenance B) Weather Dependent C) Storage and-or-alternate power needed D) Diurnal

A) Low Maintenance

Benefits of Geothermal

62. A) Economical B) Expandable C) Day-night Operation D) Suitable sites distant from populace

D) Suitable sites distant from populace

Disadvantages of Biofuel

63. A) Food B) Animal Feed C) Clean Emissions D) Fiber Needs

C) Clean Emissions

Areas stressed by biofuel growth/extraction

64. A) Water supplies B) Air Quality C) Water Quality D) Land Use

B) Air Quality

Major nuclear accidents

65. A) Three-mile Island B) Hiroshima C) Chernobyl D) Fukushima

B) Hiroshima

Issues with Nuclear Waste

66. A) Affordable B) Mining C) Reactors D) Yucca Mountain

A) Affordable

Garbage is a byproduct of an ecosystem that encourages consumerism

67. A) Produces goods cheaply B) Encourages consumer to buy C) Promotes sustainability D) Promotes throw-away containers

C) Promotes sustainability

Benefits of recycling

68. A) Post-production waste B) Reduces incineration/landfills C) Promotes jobs D) Promotes a conservation mindset

A) Post-production waste

Matching:

Match the % distribution of municipal solid waste sectors

Landfills a. 52.5%

Recycling Centers b. 12.8%

Waste-to-Energy Plants c. 25.8%

Composters d. 8.9%

Landfills - a.

Recycling Centers - c.

Waste-to-Energy Plants - b.

Composters - d.

Rank waste management options from best option to worst option (1= best, 6= worst)

Recycling

Energy Recovery (Incineration)

Minimization

Reuse

Disposal (Landfill)

Prevention

1. Prevention

2. Minimization

3. Reuse

4. Recycling

5. Energy Recovery (Incineration)

6. Disposal (Landfill)

Match the mass extinctions with their date

Devonian a. 359/ ~400 mya

Triassic b. 65/ ~100 mya

Anthropocene c. 200 mya

Ordovician d. 443/ ~450 mya

Cretaceous e. 251/ ~250 mya

Permian f. Present

Devonian - a.

Triassic - c.

Anthropocene - f.

Ordovician - d.

Cretaceous - b.

Permian - e.

69. Describe the progress trap concept

A progress trap occurs when a technological or societal advancement provides short-term benefits but creates long-term problems that can ultimately threaten the sustainability or survival of a system.

70. Describe the difference between weather and climate

Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions (like temperature or rain at a specific time), while climate is the long-term average of those conditions over many years.

71. Describe the relationship between C12 and C13 carbon molecules

The ratio of carbon-13 (C¹³) to carbon-12 (C¹²) in organic material reflects biological and environmental processes, with organisms preferentially using C¹², making C¹³ useful for tracing sources and pathways in ecological and climate studies.

72. List the five non-carbon renewable energy sources.

The five non-carbon renewable energy sources are solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and nuclear energy.

73. Describe the duck curve associated with solar power

The duck curve describes how solar energy causes electricity demand from the grid to drop during the day and then rise steeply in the evening when solar production declines and demand remains high.

74. What are the two general types of biofuels?

The two general types of biofuels are first-generation biofuels (from food crops like corn and sugarcane) and second-generation biofuels (from non-food biomass like cellulose and waste materials).

75. Describe why delivery costs are greater for renewables than for fossil fuels, as well as potential solutions.

Delivery costs are higher for renewables because energy sources like solar and wind are often located far from demand and are intermittent, requiring expanded transmission infrastructure and storage, which can be mitigated by building better grids, energy storage systems, and local generation.

76. Explain how fission works (very briefly)

Nuclear fission is the process where a heavy atom splits into smaller atoms, releasing a large amount of energy and additional neutrons that can sustain a chain reaction.

77. Describe how a pebble-bed reactor works

A pebble-bed reactor works by using small fuel spheres (“pebbles”) containing uranium that are cooled by gas (typically helium), allowing heat from nuclear fission to be efficiently transferred while maintaining high safety and preventing meltdown.

78. Describe what happens in Delhi post-monsoon season when the weather is cooler and drier

After the monsoon in Delhi, cooler and drier conditions lead to temperature inversions that trap pollutants near the ground, causing severe air pollution and smog.

79. Define the “3 Rs” and “MUD”

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Make, use, and dispose.