EVR Study

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Florida State University *

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1001

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Geography

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Dec 6, 2023

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Uploaded by HighnessFang12682

Possible Essay Questions: How certain are scientists that humans are causing global climate change? Describe the language used by scientists and some of the particular climate trends they have identified as changing. If the scientific community is convinced of the evidence, why is there still debate? - Scientists agree that today's global warming is due to the well-documented recent increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, and that this results primarily from burning fossil fuels for energy and secondarily from the loss of carbon-absorbing vegetation due to deforestation - Scientists have created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPC) to share their research on climate with policymakers and the public. In 2013/2014, they released the Fifth Assessment Report that summarizes thousands of scientific studies about surface temperature, precipitation patterns, snow and ice cover, sea levels, and storm intensity. Also predicts future changes in phenomena and addresses the impacts of climate disruptions on ecosystems, and how we can respond to them. - Average temperatures on Earth have risen by nearly 0.6 degrees celsius (1.6 degrees fahrenheit) - A warmer atmosphere speeds evaporation and holds more water vapor, and precipitation has increased by 2% over the past century - Extreme weather is becoming the new normal - Melting ice - As warming temps diminish mountain glaciers, summertime water supplies will decline for millions of people - New commerce shipping lanes - Exposed underwater oil and mineral reserves will be exploited - Permafrost is thawing, which can lead to the release of methane - Rising sea levels Certain topics in debate : 1.) Are humans causing climate change? 2.) How much of global warming is caused by humans? 3.) What will happen to the climate in the future? 4.) How should we combat global warming? Please list three facts about climate change that the scientific community agrees on completely and two things that are still being debated by some climate scientists. For the two that are still being debated, please state what most scientists believe. Indisputable Facts: 1.) Earth's climate changes naturally 2.) CO2 levels are rising rapidly 3.) Earth's climate is getting warmer if everything remains the same 4.) Global temperatures have increased in the past, but is now rapidly increasing by a substantial amount Topics in Debate: 1.) Are humans causing climate change? - 97% of scientists say yes 2.) How much is due to human activities? - a lot or all

Is extinction natural? How has the extinction rate changed over time? Why are extinction rates today different than in the past? - Extinction is a natural process. - Extinction rates have risen higher than the background extinction rate during several mass extinction events during Earth's history. In the past 440 million years, there have been five major episodes of mass extinction. If current trends continue, the modern era may see the extinction of more than half of all species. While similar in scale to previous mass extinctions, today's ongoing mass extinction is different in two respects. First, humans are causing it. Second, humans will suffer as a result. "Anthropogenic Extinction" - human caused How have humans altered the phosphorus and nitrogen cycles? Please explain an important way in which phosphorus and nitrogen cycles differ. - Human activities have increased concentrations of phosphorous in surface waters, most notably through runoff of the phosphorous rich fertilizers we apply to lawns jand farmlands. Phosphorous has also been added to waterways through releases of treated wastewater rich in phosphates from domestic use of phosphate detergents. With nitrogen, humans have been fixing at least as much nitrogen artificially as is being fixed naturally, and we are overwhelming nature's denitrification abilities. There has been nitrogen runoff, and nitrogen based fertilizers have been stripping the soil of vital nutrients. Burning fossil fuels, forests, or fields generates nitrogenous compounds that act as greenhouse gases, cause acid deposition, promote eutrophication, and contribute to photochemical smog. - The phosphorous cycle does not contain a gaseous phase, while the nitrogen cycle does. What are Milankovitch Cycles? How are they caused? Why are they important - Milankovitch cycles are variations in the orbit, axial tilt, and wobble of the Earth over extended periods of time. Happen because of gravitational pull of planets. These variations contribute to changes in climate over long periods of time. They initiate the beginning of ice ages and natural periods of global warming Please explain the processes that drive the thermohaline cycle and also explain the reason that the thermohaline cycle is important for the Earth's climate. - Winds drive ocean currents in the upper 100 meters of the ocean's surface. However, ocean currents also flow thousands of meters below the surface. These deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the water's density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) - The temperature of the traveling water usually correlates with the temperature of the air

Please list both a positive and a negative feedback on climate change that is associated with increased evaporation of water from the oceans. Explain what makes each a positive or negative feedback on global temperature. - positive feedback is an increase in output that leads to a further increase output. a negative feedback is an increase in output that leads to a later decrease. negative moves the system in the opposite directions where as positive drives the system to an extreme. increased solar radiation reaches the earths surface and raises the oceans temperature. this results in more evaporation which results in more clouds, this is an example of negative feedback. an example of positive feedback would be water being turned into vapor which turns into clouds creating rain Is a carrying capacity a fixed entity? Discuss the role of humans in regulating carrying capacity for the human species and in altering the carrying capacity for other species. 1. Because there are many factors such as health of ecosystem, resource utilization, quality of life, and technology, influencing a population's growth, a carrying capacity is never a fixed entity and can be subject to change. Humans are proved capable in intentionally altering our environment in order to raise our carrying capacity. We have managed to increase our own carrying capacity at the cost of other species' carrying capacity. By appropriating immense proportions of the planet's natural resources, we have reduced the carrying capacity of other organisms who also rely on those same natural resources 2. carrying capacity is not a fixed entity. it depends on the limiting factors, the environment, population growth and many other things. Humans alter the carrying capacity of the human species as well as others by overgrazing, over planting, and overbreeding. Humans also destroy the habitats of species which leads to a drop in the carrying capacity of wild species

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Practice Exam Identify the source of the highest albedo? a) fresh snow b) the Earth c) a pine forest d) a grass covered meadow e) dark rock a) fresh snow When old-growth forests are harvested it may take hundreds of years for the forest to restore itself. This period is known as: a) population collapse b) population overshoot c) exponential decline d) lag time e) ecosystem interval d) lag time A forest that has developed on a new lava flow is an example of: a) old-field succession b) primary succession c) secondary succession d) dune succession e) bog succession b) primary succession Which of the following statements is true about Northern Hemisphere Summer? a) The Earth is closer to the sun b) The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun c) Light strikes the northern hemisphere at a more oblique angle than in the NH winter d) More light reaches the Earth b) The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun

Mathematical models such as global circulation models (GCMs) are used to: a) set up instrumentation stations in critical geographic locations b) make predictions of atmospheric changes on a global scale c) monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations d) calculate the rates of transfer of infrared radiation (IR) between the sun and the Earth e) measure radioactive particles in the atmosphere b) make predictions of atmospheric changes on a global scale What type of energy is visible light? a) Nuclear energy b) Electromagnetic energy c) Potential Energy d) Heat Energy e) Chemical Energy b) Electromagnetic energy Hurricanes are fueled by: a) Hot, moist air b) Cold, moist air c) Hot, dry air d) Cold, dry air a) Hot, moist air What ultimately drives atmospheric circulation? a) Differential heating of the Earth's surface that leads to areas or hot rising and cold cooling air b) An energy imbalance with greater energy near the polar regions c) The motion of the Earth d) The wind-driven circulation of the oceans a) Differential heating of the Earth's surface that leads to areas or hot rising and cold cooling air The number of species in a given habitat is affected by which of the following? a) latitude b) elevation c) topography d) severity of the environment e) all of the above e) all of the above

If 10 kg of CO2are added to the atmosphere and 1 kg of methane is added to the atmosphere, what can we say about the relative impact of each on climate change over a 10 year time horizon and over a 1000 year time horizon? a) CO2 will have a greater impact on the 10 year time horizon and on the 1000 year time horizon b) Methane will have a greater impact on the 10 year time horizon and the 1000 year time horizon c) CO2 will have a greater impact on the 10 year time horizon, but methane will have a greater impact on the 1000 year time horizon d) Methane will have a greater impact on the 10 year time horizon, but CO2 will have a greater impact on the 1000 year time horizon e) We need more information about the molecules' behavior in the atmosphere to determine which will have a greater impact d) Methane will have a greater impact on the 10 year time horizon, but CO2 will have a greater impact on the 1000 year time horizon Simply stated, environmental unity means: a) change in ecosystems is initiated in unison b) all changes in the natural environment are of equal impact c) many aspects of the natural environment are closely linked such that changes in one part of a system affect other parts of the system d) harmony of the natural environment can be achieved by making changes according to majority preferences e) secondary and tertiary effects of change within a system are negligible c) many aspects of the natural environment are closely linked such that changes in one part of a system affect other parts of the system The following are all greenhouse gases that have increased in the troposphere due to human actions except: a) Carbon dioxide b) Nitrogen c) Methane d) Ozone b) Nitrogen Two basic kinds of processes must occur in an ecosystem: a) a cycling of chemical elements and a flow of energy b) the finding of mates and reproduction c) predator and prey d) producing and consuming food from inorganic compounds e) autotrophy and photosynthesis a) a cycling of chemical elements and a flow of energy

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Biologically speaking, where a species lives is its ___ , but what it does for a living is its ___ . a) ecological niche / habitat b) habitat / ecological niche c) residence / evolution d) evolution / diversity e) diversity / evolution b) habitat / ecological niche What pieces of evidence tell us that CO2 increasing in the atmosphere is the result of burning fossil fuels a) Trends of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere closely match trends of fossil fuel burning b) The historical record shows that times with higher CO2 were typically warmer c) Radioactive 14C concentrations of atmospheric CO2 show a fossil fuel signature d) All of the above e) A and C e) A and C The moratorium on commercial whaling: a) went into effect in 1924 b) has allowed many populations of whales to recover c) was described in the novel Moby Dick d) has been expanded to include sea lion and otters e) has led to the extinction of 12 whale species b) has allowed many populations of whales to recover Which of the following is NOT an approach used by scientists to estimate the climate sensitivity (the total impact of all positive and negative feedbacks) to radiative forcing by carbon dioxide? a) Global circulation models that incorporate many climate feedbacks b) Measurements of past climate temperatures and carbon dioxide determined from ice cores c) Temperature changes that result from short-term perturbations of the climate system after volcanic eruptions d) Measuring the isotopic signature of modern carbon dioxide d) Measuring the isotopic signature of modern carbon dioxide Which of the following is NOT a key property of a population?

a) birth rates b) death rates c) growth rates d) maximum lifetime e) age structure d) maximum lifetime The simplest and least controversial means of slowing population growth is: a) abortion b) birth control c) delaying first childbearing d) no sexual activity before marriage e) sterilization c) delaying first childbearing Blackbody radiation theory suggests that if any planet heats up it will emit more energy from itself and thus decreasing future heat increase, is this: a) A negative feedback b) A positive feedback c) Not a feedback a) A negative feedback Which of the following is not a key theme of environmental science?a) Human population growth b) A global perspective c) Ecosystem nutrient cycling d) An urbanizing world e) Science & Values c) Ecosystem nutrient cycling When an animal digests food and then starts running they are: a) Converting heat energy to potential energy b) Converting chemical energy to kinetic energy c) Converting heat energy to kinetic energy d) Converting chemical energy to potential energy e) Converting electromagnetic energy to heat energy b) Converting chemical energy to kinetic energy Which of the following is NOT a suitable reason for valuing biodiversity?

a) products produced by species (i.e., honey by bees) are of direct value to people b) the belief that species have a right to exist c) theological beliefs d) the belief that nature is beautiful e) all of the above are valid reasons for valuing biodiversity e) all of the above are valid reasons for valuing biodiversity Which of the following statements is true about oceanic circulation? a) It is driven by sinking freshwater b) It transports heat from the poles to the equator c) It transports heat from the equator to the poles d) It is driven by whales' tails c) It transports heat from the equator to the poles Short Answer Questions You weigh flour on a scale to find out how much you need for baking cookies because your recipe calls for exactly 105.00 grams (otherwise your cookies will turn out like bricks). Yesterday the scale fell from the counter onto the floor and is now off by exactly 10.25 grams. Your scale is now: - Precise not accurate What is the term for average weather patterns or trends? - climate For the past century, the Earth's radiative budget has been unbalanced (more energy entering than leaving the Earth). Where has most of this heat energy gone? - Atmosphere What is the fundamental feedback on the temperature of all objects (including Earth) in the solar system? - Black body radiation Next to water, what is the most abundant fluid in the upper part of the earth's crust? - Oil How does the total fertility rate (TFR) affect the population growth of a nation? - The higher the fertility rate the faster the population grows How can scientists estimate climate change over the past 100,000 years? - Using climate proxies, measuring tree rings How do we know that Milankovitch cycles (that likely caused the glacier advance and retreat during the ice age) are not responsible for global temperature increases over the past 100 years. - These cycles trigger long-term climate variation but do not account for the recent rapid climate change because the cycles are natural and are long-term and are not as severe as the climate change today. Name an invasive species in Florida - Lion fish and burmese python The early atmosphere of the Earth had very little oxygen. Which organisms led to the rise of an oxygenated atmosphere?

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- cyanobacteria

EVR Study

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