Review Room bio

General Exam Information

• Upcoming exam has content pulled from recent chapters (19-16).
• Key topics include stewardship, recycling, greenhouse effect, and climate change.
• Exam format:
  • 60 Multiple Choice and True/False questions
  • 10 Fill in the Blanks
  • 5 Short Answers
  • 1 Essay (5 points)
• Available during finals week from tomorrow until Wednesday.

Chapter 13: Energy Resources

• Key Definitions:
  • Energy Input: The energy required to harvest or convert energy resources.
  • Energy Yield: The amount of energy produced.
  • Net Energy Yield: The total useful energy obtained from a resource minus the energy expended to obtain it; crucial for evaluating energy efficiency.
• Energy Source Comparisons:
  • Pros and cons for each energy type:
  • Coal: Cheap but polluting.
  • Natural Gas: Less polluting than coal but extraction (fracking) can be controversial.
  • Nuclear Power: Efficient but concerns over radioactive waste (e.g., Yakamatin site).
  • Hydrogen: Currently has negative net energy yield when used for electricity.
• Important Comparisons in Energy Use:
  • World and U.S. energy sources utilize oil and coal predominantly.
  • Focus on the percentage contributions from each source rather than exact numbers.

Chapter 14: Environmental Hazards and Human Health

• Risk Definition: Probability of health being harmed by hazards.
• Types of Hazards:
  • Biological: Infectious diseases.
  • Chemical: Toxic substances; key sub-types include carcinogens, mutagens, antigens.
  • Natural: Earthquakes, fires.
  • Cultural: Poverty, working conditions.
  • Lifestyle: Smoking, diet choices.
• Impact of Immunization: Reduced deaths from infectious diseases due to advancements in health technology.
• Endocrine System Overview: Hormonal regulation impacted by chemical hazards.

Chapter 15: Air Pollution, Climate Change, and Ozone Depletion

• Smog Definition: Air pollution typically results from pollutant interactions (2 types: photochemical and industrial).
• Air Pollution Types:
  • Primary Pollutants: Directly emitted into the air.
  • Secondary Pollutants: Formed from reactions of primary pollutants.
• Climate vs. Weather: Climate refers to long-term averages; weather refers to short-term conditions.
• Global Temperature Rise: Average surface temperature has increased by 1.4°F since early 1900s.
• Greenhouse Effect: Misleading term; climate change includes both warming and extreme weather patterns (increased droughts, storms).
• Albedo Effect: Melting ice exposes darker land/water which absorbs more heat; critical to understand its role in climate change.

Chapter 16: Solid and Hazardous Waste

• Issues from Solid Waste: Pollution, degradation of natural capital, health problems, increased deaths.
• Hazardous Waste Types:
  • Toxic Waste: Poisonous or chemically reactive materials.
  • Radioactive Waste: Requires long-term storage (10,000-240,000 years).
• Waste Management Strategies:
  • Reuse, recycling (primary vs. secondary), composting, incineration, landfills (sanitary vs. open).
  • Plasma Gasification: High-temperature vaporization of waste producing gas and encapsulating toxic residues.
• Government Regulations: Basel Convention (hazardous waste shipping) and Stockholm Convention (bands on certain pollutants).

Study Tips

• Focus on understanding the pros and cons of different energy sources, types of environmental hazards, and their effects on human health.
• Familiarize yourself with definitions and their significance in context (e.g., different types of pollutants, what constitutes smog).
• Review charts and graphs on energy yields and their implications.
• Cross-reference notes with the study guide provided for efficient study preparation before the exam.