What is the main reason that species are being lost to extinction?
The main reason is destruction of habitat, pollution and (climate change depending on where the animal is located and what type of species it is--this is one reason, not the main reason).
Name and describe three human activities that affect the environment.
Transportation which causes air pollution through the release of vehicle emissions (use at least 1 compound eg. carbon dioxide), industrial production releases sulfur dioxides, and nitrous oxides, and overpopulation causes more use of natural resources an
Name three factors or measures used to compare developing and developed countries.
Developed countries have higher average incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and strong social support systems.
Name the two types of pollution and describe the difference between them.
Biodegradable pollutants, and Non-degradable pollutants
Biodegradable pollutants can be broken down naturally, and non- degradable pollutants cannot be broken down naturally.
Give three examples each of renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Renewable- Fresh water, soil, air, trees, and crops
Nonrenewable- copper, oil, natural gas, coal
Name the five major fields of study that contribute to environmental science.
Biology- the study of living organisms
Earth science- the study of earth's non living system
Physics- the study of matter and energy
Chemistry- the study of chemicals and their interactions
Socials sciences- the study of human populations
What were three positive developments that occurred during the Industrial Revolution?
Increased the cultural productivity
Improved the medical care
Increased the efficiency of industry.
Increased the efficiency of transportation
What activities of hunter-gatherers altered the environment?
Over hunting together with a combination of rapid climate changes led to extinction of large mammals such as; Sloths, giant bison, mastodons,cave bears and saber toothed cats. Fires led to open prairies and then prevented the growth of trees and caused po
During which period in human history were most of our modern environmental problems introduced? What are they?
Most of the modern environmental problems were introduced during the Industrial Revolution. These problems are: overpopulating, air and water pollution, habitat loss
Explain how you would determine the mean age of the students in your school.
I would add up all of the ages of the students, then divide it by the amount of students used in the equation.
1.) A scientist has been told by landowners that there are no natural sources of water in a certain section of a local desert. She doesn't believe that this is true, and starts exploring the desert. She notices a rock section that seems darker in color th
1.) The Habit of Skepticism (when she doesn't believe this statement is true.)
Curiosity (when she's curious to find out whether or not what the landowners told her are true)
2.) They are important because they lead to important discoveries that could fac
A die is a game piece that has six sides numbered 1 through 6. A student calculates that when the die is tossed, the probability of rolling a "5" is equal to one out of six, or 1/6 or 0.17. To test this probability, the student tosses the die 20 times, an
The sample size the boy used is 20.
a.) The students result is less than their probability (explain numbers)
b.) The sample size was too small and they should have used a higher sample size to get a more accurate answer which would be around the probabili
Explain why conceptual models are important to scientists. Give two examples of a conceptual model.
They show a visual representation of the data in an easily recognizable fashion. A conceptual model might be a flow chart or it might be a drawing.
Explain why mathematical models are important to scientists. Give two examples of a mathematical model.
Mathematical models enable scientists to infer about the outcome of cases which involve more than one variable, such as the weather. These models are usually made into visual models which let scientists easily find data. An example of a mathematical model
What values would you consider in deciding whether or not to water your garden during a dry spell when your state has imposed restrictions on water use?
What are the environmental consequences of your act?
What are the risks involved with getting caught?
Are you ready to face the social consequences if one of your neighbors catches you
Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement: Environmental values should be placed above all others.
It's not useful to us, the current generation, but it is more important to the next generation of people to save the environment. (this is an opinion question. No answer is necessarily correct, but you need to make sure you give a sufficient explanation/s
Explain how probability and risk are related.
Probability: chance of something happening
Risk:probability of an unwanted outcome
They are both chances of any outcome.
What is a "normal distribution"?
it is when a bell shape curve forms on the data of the graph. When data is symmetrical spread across the mean.
Describe the local and global effects a volcanic eruption can have on the environment.
Local effects: ash that falls to the ground can cause buildings to collapse under its weight, bury crops, and damage the engines of vehicles. Volcanic ash may also cause breathing difficulties.
Large eruptions create clouds of volcanic ash and sulfur-rich
How do water and wind affect Earth's landscape?
Earth and water can erode the landscape. Water erosion: process that wears down rocks and makes them smoother but it takes a long time. Rivers can also carve deep gorges into the land scape. Wind erosion: When wind blows sand and soil away and change the
Describe how tectonic plates move.
They glide across the underlying asthenosphere. Tectonic plates move away or collide with each other.
Describe Earth's inner core in terms of its composition, estimated temperature, and whether it is solid or liquid.
The inner core is the center of the Earth and is solid because it is made of solid nickel and iron. The estimated temperature is between 4000 to 5000 degrees celsius.
How might we protect people and property from earthquakes?
Predicting earthquakes can let people evacuate the place before the earthquakes happens. We can predict earthquakes by looking at the seismic waves in the earth or depending on the location of the country, some animal behavior.
How might Earth be different if the ozone layer did not exist?
People get cancer then and other diseases. In addition, Earth's temperature would change.
How does Earth's atmosphere change over time?
The atmosphere changes as gases are added and removed, Water cycle, Global warming, carbon cycle, air pressure.
Solar energy reaches Earth as electromagnetic radiation. What does this radiation include? What happens to energy that doesn't reach Earth's surface?
The radiation includes visible light, infrared radiation, and ultraviolet light. The energy that doesn't reach the surface is absorbed or reflected in the atmosphere by clouds, gases, and dust.
Describe the process known as the greenhouse effect, in which gases trap heat near Earth.
The light of the sun is radiated to the earth which is observed by the earth and then released as heat. The heat from the sun is absorbed by greenhouse gases, which warms the air. Heat is then radiated back toward the surface of the earth.
Describe three aspects of the physical environment that support the existence of life on Earth.
Liquid water, moderate temperatures, and a source of energy.
What is the water cycle?
Surface water evaporates and rises into the atmosphere as water vapor. The water vapor forms water droplets, in the process of condensation. The heavier water droplets then fall back onto the surface as rain, in the process of precipitation. The cycle con
Considering how much fresh water is used every day, why don't we run out of water?
The water cycle makes it a renewable resource by renewing it over and over again by changing form.
Explain why many people still have difficulty getting enough water for drinking, cooking, and irrigating crops
There are many reasons, maybe there's no groundwater anymore or the water around the place is polluted.
Suppose that a controversial new dam has been proposed for a river in your state. Name two benefits and two problems that can result from the building of a dam.
Two benefits: The dam can control the water that comes, and can help save water and create energy
two problems: People with crops downstream won't be able to irrigate them and fish and other animals that live in water might die because there will be way l
Is thermal pollution point-source or non-point-source pollution? Explain your answer.
Point source because industries use the lake or river to cool there water then they discharge all the warm water which can cause plants and animals to die.
Most groundwater is like the water in a sponge. Explain this analogy.
the ground is very permeable like a sponge and allows water to go through pores easily like a sponge would do.
Desalination is an expensive method of obtaining fresh water. Explain why some countries use this method.
Countries use desalination to force water through a artificial water cycle and makes the water potable
Silt and other suspended solids are washed from areas of erosion into rivers and streams, where they can cause the water
to become thick and murky. Could this affect the productivity of aquatic plants? Explain your answer.
This could stun the photosynthesis process because of the thick and murky water block sunlight and nutrients from getting to the plants.
Most water pollution in the United States is caused by nonpoint-source pollutants. Explain this statement.
Most water pollution in the United States is caused by nonpoint-source pollutants. There are many bodies of water being polluted by many people using chemicals.
Identify five ways that water can be conserved in your home.
Low-flow toilets and showerheads, people water lawns at night, landscape that requires less water.
Give an example of how water is used in each of the following: homes, industry, and agriculture.
Water is used in homes for hygiene and landscape. Water is used in industries manufacturing goods, dispose of waste, and generate power. Water is used in agriculture for irrigation.
Explain why groundwater pollution is difficult to clean.
Groundwater pollution is difficult to clean because groundwater recharges very slowly. The process for some aquifers to recycle water and purge contaminants can take hundreds or thousands of years. Groundwater is also difficult to decontaminate because th
escribe a law that has been designed to improve water quality.
Clean Water Act: Set a national goal of making all natural surface water fit for fishing and swimming by 1983 and banned pollutant into surface water after 1985. That also required that metals be removed from waste water
Briefly explain why it is necessary to have laws that regulate water quality.
Water pollution can cause immediate damage to an ecosystem. Toxic chemcials spilled directly into a river can kill nearly all living things for miles downstream. This is just one example. Many people are not educated with such information, and thus will d
If the water in an aquifer is pumped out faster than it is replenished, the water table drops. How can this affect the humans and animals that depend on this water source?
Water may be more difficult to reach for animals and humans and they need it to survive with energy and agriculture.
What steps have been taken by the Environmental Protection Agency, the state of California, and the automobile industry to reduce the amount of air pollution from vehicles?
Several programs have been passed to reduce pollution, such as the California Zero emmisions Act, as well as the automobile industry using technology to reduce the pollution, like catalytic converters. Gasoline became unleaded.
Using your knowledge of how an industrial scrubber works, explain how frequent rainfall could help to reduce the amount of smog in a city.
The increased rain water will collect the smog from the air just like a scrubber would with the water it would take from the pollution sources and in industrial smoke stacks
How is mass transit in cities a possible solution to urban air pollution?
Mass transit is a possible solution because less people will use individual transportation. It lowers the amount of pollution per person, which will lower air pollution.
Describe two atmospheric conditions that make air pollution worse.
Smog, which is smoke mixed with fog and temperature inversions, when the air above is warmer than below.
How can acid precipitation endanger a country's cultural heritage?
Acid precipitation can dissolve statues and other cultural monuments and attractions.
Where does the majority of the air pollution in the United States come from?
Most of the air pollution is caused by human activity, the main one motor vehicles emissions.
Explain why the temperature inside a greenhouse is warmer than the temperature outside.
Sunlight goes through the glass, then changes to heat when the sunlight is absorbed by objects and then the heat is trapped by the glass.
Explain the effect on sea levels as global warming continues to cause Earth's average temperature to increase.
They rise due to the melting of glaciers/land based ice and thermal expansion.
Ozone is formed near Earth's surface from automobile exhaust. Ozone is being depleted in the upper atmosphere. Explain why
the first environmental problem is not the solution to the second one.
Ozone doesn't rise up to the stratosphere
What are the most important steps developed countries could take to help reduce levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide?
Use mass transportation, the Kyoto Protocol, environmentally friendly cars.
How might global warming cause changes in major ocean currents?
Water holds large amounts of heat and it influences the temperatures of the wind which is carried to climates and heats costal land up
What are some effects of rising sea levels on coastal beaches and wetlands?
It could cause major flooding, beaches could be extensively eroded, salinity of water pathways would increase and become too salty to use.
Why is it that prevailing winds do not blow directly northward or southward?
Because the earth rotates and the latitude and longitude get different amounts of heat, Corillias effect
Briefly explain the nature and effects of the El Ni�o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
El nino is a short term periodic change in the location of warm and cold water masses in the pacific ocean. During El Nino winds in the west are weak and creates large amount of precipitation in the southern united states.