Environmental EOY review

Three quarters of infectious disease deaths are caused by five types of diseases: respiratory infections, AIDS, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria. They are most often spread by contact between humans and animals or through contact with contaminated water and food sources. In which of the following countries would they most likely be a health issue?

• Ethiopia

• indonesia

• Japan

• Switzerland

Which of the following is a positive feedback mechanism associated with global climate change?

• increasing the acidity of sea water

• increasing the aerosol effect in the atmosphere

• melting of Arctic sea ice due to thermal expansion

• reducing carbon emissions in automobiles

Scientists are concerned about the increasing acidification of ocean waters. Why would ocean acidification, if it continues unchecked, eventually cause global climate change to accelerate?

• The ocean would supply less water vapor to Earth's atmosphere causing global climate change.
  

• The ocean would supply more water vapor to Earth's atmosphere causing global climate change

• The ocean's ability to be a carbon storehouse could decrease causing more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere

• The ocean's ability to be a carbon storehouse could increase causing more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere

Which of the following cannot be attributed to the ocean’s interactions with the atmosphere?

• Tropical water evaporation produces more storms.

• Decreased ocean temperatures can increase precipitation.

• Tropical water currents carry warm water toward the poles

• Increased carbon dioxide absorption increases photosynthesis.

  
  

One of the side effects of hurricanes is flooding. Flooding can have long-term and short-term effects on humans. What is a long-term effect of flooding?

• Medical treatment of cuts and bruises caused by the storm is delayed.

• Businesses are shut down to clear water from the roads.

• Residents are evacuated to a shelter until the storm ends

• Soil and water that is used to grow food crops can be contaminated.

Certain gases in the atmosphere can help maintain warmer temperatures which can result in climate change. Such gases are known as greenhouse gases. Which of the following best describes how greenhouse gases can warm the atmosphere?

• by changing low-energy molecules absorbing the Sun's rays into higher energy electromagnetic radiation

• by absorbing certain wavelengths of the Sun's electromagnetic radiation that usually escapes back out into space

• by absorbing ultraviolet rays from the Sun, and re-emitting electromagnetic energy at higher energies in the atmosphere

• by refracting electromagnetic radiation from the Sun enough for Earth's crustto absorb the energy and reradiate it at higher energies into theatmosphere

The North Atlantic Gyre is a large circular current in the North Atlantic Ocean. It moves large quantities of warm water on the western boundary from the equatorial regions to polar regions. On the eastern boundary, large quantities of cold water moves towards the equatorial regions from the polar regions. If the North Atlantic Gyre did not exist, how would the climate of polar regions be different?

• The climate would be colder with less snowfall

• The climate would be colder with more snowfall

• The climate would be warmer with less snowfall

• The climate would be warmer with more snowfall

Which climate problem is caused by the burning of rainforests?

• an increase of carbon in rivers, leading to algae blooms and die-offs

• an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and a loss of carbon storage in the forest plants

• an increase in carbon washed down river into the oceans, leading to increases in ocean temperatures

• an increase in carbon stored in life forms, such as plant material, grown on farms that were formerly rainforests

What negative environmental effects does energy production have on the Colorado River?

• Marine life is naturally abundant in Lake Mead

• Because the river has so many dams, it is unable to discharge into Gulf of California

• Population increases along the banks of the river have caused greater amounts of polluted runoff to enter

• The bathtub rings found in Lake Mead are a natural source of wonder due to the dams

Overdevelopment of scrubland in Florida has had adverse results on the environment. There have been news reports about individuals transplanting ancient scrub plants in order to save them from land development. Why would this activity not align with ecological theories?

• The plants will probably die off in a new habitat

• Scrub plants require more nutrient rich soil than other plants.

• Transplanting affects development and makes land less valuable

• Taking a plant from its natural habitat and transplanting it to a new spot will turn it to an invasive species