ESPM 2 PS 3 4 Questions

Q3 Urban Ecology

Grading comment:

The “luxury effect” positively associates which two factors in an urban setting?



Choice 1 of 4:species richness & biodiversity


Choice 2 of 4:wealth & biodiversity


Choice 3 of 4:habitat connectivity & wealth


Choice 4 of 4:habitat complexity & environmental justice

Q4 Urban Ecology

Which of the following is not a central aspect of urban ecology?



Choice 1 of 4:Human-animal interactions


Choice 2 of 4:Connectivity of habitat fragments


Choice 3 of 4:Tree cover vs. impervious surface cover


Choice 4 of 4:Biomagnification of pollutants (C)

Q5 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Which of the following is true about ozone creation in both the troposphere and the stratosphere?



Choice 1 of 4:Reactions require sunlight to occur (C)


Choice 2 of 4:NOx reacts with VOCs to make ozone


Choice 3 of 4:The source of odd oxygen is from photolysis of O₂ gas


Choice 4 of 4:Ozone is only created in the polar regions

Q6 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

What feature best explains why a hole in the ozone layer formed over Antarctica and not other areas on Earth?



Choice 1 of 4:The Antarctic Circumpolar Current


Choice 2 of 4:Increased CFC concentrations


Choice 3 of 4:Thinning of the stratosphere


Choice 4 of 4:Polar stratospheric clouds (C)

Q7 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Which catalyst is primarily responsible for the Antarctic ozone hole?



Choice 1 of 4:HO


Choice 2 of 4:Cl (C)


Choice 3 of 4:HFCs


Choice 4 of 4:CH₄

Q8 Tropospheric Air Pollution

Which of the following pollutants are the main components of modern photochemical smog?



Choice 1 of 4:Carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂)


Choice 2 of 4:Ozone (O₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂)


Choice 3 of 4:Ozone (O₃) and particulate matter (PM) (C)


Choice 4 of 4:Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and methane (CH₄)

Q9 Tropospheric Air Pollution

Which of the following causes of mortality are most commonly linked to long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution, specifically from particulate matter (PM2.5)?



Choice 1 of 4:Kidney failure and severe bronchitis


Choice 2 of 4:Vision impairment


Choice 3 of 4:Hearing loss


Choice 4 of 4:Cardiovascular disease and stroke (C)

Q10 Tropospheric Air Pollution

Which of the following is true about both ‘classic’ and photochemical smog?



Choice 1 of 5:occur primarily during atmospheric inversions (C)


Choice 2 of 5:occur in the summertime only


Choice 3 of 5:occur in the wintertime only


Choice 4 of 5:the particle component of smog is soot


Choice 5 of 5:initiated by the formation of fog

Q11 Fundamentals of Climate Change

Which of the following best describes the difference between El Niño and La Niña?



Choice 1 of 4:El Niño is associated with cooler ocean temperatures in the Pacific, while La Niña brings warmer temperatures.


Choice 2 of 4:Both El Niño and La Niña result in unusually warm ocean waters across the Pacific.


Choice 3 of 4:La Niña occurs more frequently than El Niño, affecting global weather less significantly.


Choice 4 of 4:El Niño leads to warmer ocean water in the eastern Pacific, while La Niña is characterized by cooler ocean temperatures in the same region. (C)

Q12 Fundamentals of Climate Change

2.5 Points

Grading comment:

Select which TWO of the following are examples of potential negative feedback loops for climate:


Choice 1 of 4:Warming leads to snow melt, reducing albedo and thus leading to increased local warming.

Choice 2 of 4:Higher temperatures lead to more fires and extreme events, reducing carbon uptake and speeding up the rate of climate change. (C)

Choice 3 of 4:Higher temperatures lead to an extension of the growing season, and thus more carbon uptake and a slower rate of climate change.

Choice 4 of 4:Higher CO2 levels increase plant growth, leading to more carbon uptake and a slower rate of climate change. (C)

Q13 Fundamentals of Climate Change

Which of the following statements about global warming is true?

Choice 1 of 4:Natural variations, not greenhouse gases, are the primary cause of recent warming trends.

Choice 2 of 4:Human activities are increasing greenhouse gases, leading to more radiative warming at the Earth's surface. (C)

Choice 3 of 4:Earth's warming trend has already reached its maximum predicted level and has signs of decreasing.


Choice 4 of 4:Climate indicators suggest that global warming is entirely unrelated to greenhouse gas emissions.

Q14 Impacts of Climate Change

Which of the following is NOT a threat of climate change?



Choice 1 of 4:More intense rain and snowstorms


Choice 2 of 4:More extreme heatwave events


Choice 3 of 4:Increased earthquake frequency (C)


Choice 4 of 4:Extreme sea level rise

Q15 Impacts of Climate Change

How does ocean warming contribute to ocean acidification?



Choice 1 of 5:Warmer waters increase oxygen levels, slowing acidification.


Choice 2 of 5:Ocean warming reduces the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, allowing more CO₂ to accumulate in the atmosphere.


Choice 3 of 5:Warmer oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, lowering the water’s pH and increasing acidity.


Choice 4 of 5:Ocean warming causes acidification by directly releasing sulfuric acid from marine organisms.


Choice 5 of 5:None of the above (C)


Q16 Fundamentals of Climate Change

1.5 Points

Grading comment:

Which of the following does NOT contribute significantly to sea level rise?



Choice 1 of 3:Sea ice melt (C)


Choice 2 of 3:Glacier melt


Choice 3 of 3:Thermal expansion

Q17 Fundamentals of Climate Change

Where is the majority of anthropogenic global warming going (i.e., where is the extra heat stored)?



Choice 1 of 5:atmosphere


Choice 2 of 5:ocean (C)


Choice 3 of 5:continents


Choice 4 of 5:glaciers and ice caps


Choice 5 of 5:urban areas

Q18 Climate Change Economics

In the context of climate economics, why might a carbon tax be politically challenging to implement compared to sector-specific policies?

Choice 1 of 4:Carbon taxes are less effective at reducing emissions.


Choice 2 of 4:Carbon taxes require broad consensus and affect multiple sectors simultaneously, making them harder to pass politically. (C)


Choice 3 of 4:Sector-specific policies are always more effective in reducing overall emissions.


Choice 4 of 4:The economic benefits of carbon taxes are less understood than those of sector-specific policies.

Q19 Climate Change Economics

What is the primary method used by economists to monetize changes in mortality related to climate change?



Choice 1 of 4:Stated preference approach


Choice 2 of 4:Market-based approach


Choice 3 of 4:Value of a statistical life (C)


Choice 4 of 4:Cost-benefit ratio

Q20 Climate Change Policy

What sector is responsible for the highest portion of California’s carbon emissions?

Choice 1 of 4:Agriculture


Choice 2 of 4:Transportation (C)

Choice 3 of 4:Residential

Choice 4 of 4:Energy (imports + domestic)

Q21 Climate Change Policy

What is a potential issue with using hydrogen as a fuel source?


Choice 1 of 4:automobiles cannot run on H2 without ethanol as an additive

Choice 2 of 4:It's impossible to fly a plane with it

Choice 3 of 4:Hydrogen is unable to be transported

Choice 4 of 4:Much of today’s hydrogen fuel is derived from fossil fuels (C)


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