Environmental science exam

Metric:
Millimeter to micrometer = decimal moves right 3x

Labs:
1. Globe Lab

• Know cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) and degrees (0° 90° 180° 270°)+ label on outside compass.

• Label ordinal directions (NE, SE, SW, NW) outside compass.

• Label the inter-ordinal directions (NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW) inside the compass.

• Be able to use magnetic compass to determine direction you are facing (Fred in the Red shed)

• Differentiate between latitude and longitude lines + describe properties of each 

Latitude: Horizontal lines parallel to the equator, measured 90 deg N and 90 deg S. Tropic of cancer is above equator (latitude: 23.5°N / longitude: all), Trop of capricorn is below equator (latitude 23.5°S / longitude: all)

Longitude: Vertical lines perpendicular to the equator, measured 180 deg N and 0 deg S

Prime meridian- longitude of 0 deg, Antimeridian- longitude of 180 deg

• Label north and south pole, equator, tropics of cancer and capricorn, prime meridian, antemeridian 

• Be able to use a globe to locate the coordinates of various locations or find a location based on coordinate 

• Know the abbreviations °(degree), ‘(minutes), “(seconds), stand for.

• Know how many degrees per sphere, how many minutes per degree, and how many seconds per minute.
  360° in a circle; 60’ in a degree; 60” in a minute.

• Describe the relationship between latitude and temperature. - The closer you are to equator the more direct/overhead angle of sunlight which equals hotter temperatures.

• Explain why higher latitudes are colder and by how much. - The angle of sunlight disperses the energy making it cooler.

• Identify what season it is based on the position of the earth and the sun.

• Explain why there are season: axial tilt of 23.5°

• Define solstice and equinox. 

  Northern Hemi directly towards/ away from sun- summer/winter solstice

  Summer Solstice (June 21st)  is the longest day of the year/ Winter (Dec 21st)  is the shortest

  Southern Hemi directly towards/ away from sun- Fall/spring equinox

  Fall (Sep 21st)/ Spring (March 21st)  equinox- day and night are equal 

  • Explain how altitude affects temperature, why, and by how much. The higher the altitude, the cooler the temperature because the air pressure goes down. 

  • Explain global temperature decrease. - Because of the curvature of the earth, global temperatures decrease approximately 3° F (1.2°C) for every 500 miles you move away from the equator.

  
  

  2. Measuring and Metric

  • Know how to find the closest tenth of a millimeter. 

  • Know how to convert millimeter to centimeter + millimeter to micrometer
    1 centimeter = 10 millimeters
    1 millimeter = 1,000 micrometers
    (move decimal three to right going from milli to micro)

  
  
  

  • How to find Mean - Sum/Add all values and divide by amount of values.

  • How to find median - middle value when all values are listed in order smallest to largest. (if odd amount it is middle number) (if even amount it is average of two middle numbers)

  • How to find mode - the value that is most frequently seen in a data set.

  • How to find range - largest number minus the smallest number.

  • Understand rules of sig figs - Pink sheets will be provided and you must understand nuances.

  
  

  3. Microscope

  From Class Notes 

  • Field of views will be given. YOU must determine fit# to calculate the size. 

  • Plus must know how to go from millimeter to micrometer. 

  • Don't need to know names of parts but do need to know how to use parts of a microscope.

  
  
  

  4. Climate intro Greenhouse GasesKnow the greenhouse gases - water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, cfc’s nitrous oxide (We can only mitigate climate freaking change now) 

• Know the chemical formula for all: H2O, CO2, O3, CH4, CFCs, N2O

• Know what degrees are adiabatic cooling vs warming and which are wetter/dryer: 60° and 0° is cooling & wetter, 30° is warming & dryer

• Due to adiabatic cooling, temperatures drop approximately 3°F for every 1000 feet you go up in altitude 

• Identify the most common atmospheric gases: Nitrogen (N2) 78.8%, oxygen (O2) 20.95%, argon (Ar) 0.9% KNOW THEY ARE NOT GREENHOUSE GASES

• Remember the troposphere, tropopause, and stratosphere

• We are in troposphere, weather happens here, and most gasses in the atmosphere are here

• Ozone layer is in the stratosphere

• Know that the temperature “pasuses”, stays the same in the tropopause

• Understand the greenhouse effect

• Ultraviolet (UV) is shorter in wavelength and higher in energy

• Infrared (IR) is longer in wavelength and less energy

• UV: 90% absorbed, 10% reflected. IR: 90% reflected, 10% absorbed

5. Ocean acidification

Class Notes:

• Will receive hypothetical experiment and know how to find the control, treatment, independant & dependant variable, and causes

• What is the cause/impact of ocean acidification?

Cause: Increased Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mixing with water creating carbonic acid and a higher acidity in the ocean, decreasing pH

Impact: Can negatively impact ecosystems and biodiversity by affecting shells, corals, and many marine life negatively.

• How does ocean acidification impact oceans globally?

The carbonic acid deteriorates shells, negatively impacting marine organisms that have skeletons and shells that are made up of calcium carbonate. 

• What type of experiment observes things that have already happened?

Natural experiments

• What is the type of experiment where a scientist controls some conditions and changes other conditions to test a hypothesis?

Manipulative experiment

• What is the variable that is controlled by the experimenter?

The independent variable (for ex: pH in our ocean acidification lab)

• What is the part of the experiment that changes because of the manipulation of the independent variable?

The dependant variable (for ex: change in shell size/mass in our ocean acidification lab)

• What is the groups that are exposed to the exact same conditions in an experiment?

Replicates

• What is the group in the experiment where the factors will not change

Constants

• What percentage of the atmosphere is composed of Carbon Dioxide?

0.04%

• Oceans absorb approximately how much of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

1/3

• CO2 that ends up in deep ocean currents can eventually reach the surface waters through _____  along coastal areas?

Upwelling

• What pH range typically characterizes acid rain?

4.2-4.4

• Normal pH of seawater is typically what?

Slightly basic

• A pH of 5 is _______ than a pH of 7

100x more acidic

• Algal blooms can contribute to acidification of coastal waters

True

• Before the industrial revolution, what was the average ocean pH?

8.2

6. Sea level +Ocean ice

• What are the three main causes of motion in the ocean -  tides, winds, heat + salinity (thermohaline ocean circulation)

• Describe the moon phases -  New Moon - directly in front of the sun.

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of the Moon is visible.

First Quarter - The right half of the Moon is illuminated      Waxing Gibbous - The Moon is mostly lit but not yet full.

Full Moon - The entire side of the Moon is illuminated.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts to darken on the right side.

Third Quarter - The left side of the Moon is lit.

Waning Crescent - only small portion on left side lit

• What is sea level - “the average sea level relative to land”

• How has sea level changed globally over the past few centuries - it has consistently risen globally.

• What  two factors contribute most significantly to sea level rise and explain each.
  - Thermal Expansion: As global temperatures rise, ocean water warm and expands. The hydrogen molecules create more space.
  - Melting of land ice: Melting of glaciers and ice sheets adds more water to ocean therefore raising the levels. 

• Describe the relationship between the amount of ice remaining and the water temperature in the beaker of this experiment - the water temperature remained the same as long as ice remained because the ice was absorbing the heat.

• What are some ecosystem impacts of warming ocean temperatures - coral bleaching, sea ice habitats, harming biodiversity.

• What are some ecosystem impacts of rising sea levels - flooding, coastal ecosystems being disrupted.

• What gas is contributing the most to global climate change, what acid forms when this mixes with water, and what are some ecosystem impacts of this process? - the gas contributing the most is carbon dioxide (CO2). When mixed with water, CO2 turns into carbonic acid (H2CO3). Impacts would lower the pH of the ocean, affecting shells and coral.

• What moon phases do spring tides occur in?

New moon and full moon (every two weeks)

• What moon phases do neap tides occur?

1st quarter moon and 3rd quarter moon

• What are the three different types of tides?

Flood tide (incoming tide), Ebb tide (outgoing tide), Slack tide (in between)

7. Air quality and pm on ice

• Particulate Matter (PM) tiny particles in the air 

• Particulate Matter less than 2.5mm (PM 2.5) 

• Particulate Matter less than 10mm (PM 10) 

• PM2.5 particles are generally more harmful than PM10 because they can penetrate deeper into the lungs.

• Natural sources of (PM) are dust, pollen, and volcanic ash 

• Human-made sources of (PM) are vehicle emissions, industrial process, and construction activities 

• (PM2.5) can affect lower respiratory and blood stream 

• What is the primary health concern associated with particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers (PM10)? Respiratory problems

• Which of the following pollutants contributes to both indoor and outdoor air pollution, as described in the article? Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 

• Carbon dioxide emitted from human activities is considered a pollutant due to its impact on climate change.

Select all pollutants that are classified as greenhouse gases. Methane, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Carbon dioxide

• Class Notes:

  • Pre Industrial level of carbon dioxide- 280 ppm

  • Current tropospheric level of carbon dioxide- 420 ppm

  • 100 year global warming potential for methane- 25

  Ppm- Parts per million