SCI 256 final exam all correct answers

SCI 256 final exam all correct answers
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1.According to the Environmental Science text, overuse of local resources had little or no
long-lasting effect:
2.Like the Scientific Method, the process of making decisions can be presented as a series
of steps. List these steps, as enumerated in this course.
3.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 be like bricks).
Yesterday the scale fell from the counter onto the floor and is now off by 10.25 grams.
Did you get a precise or an accurate measurement? Justify your answer.
4.The lessons of Amboseli National Park teach us that:
I. Overgrazing by domestic livestock can have devastating impacts on native
ecosystems.
II. East African ecosystems are especially vulnerable to environmental change,
especially periodic drought.
III. Continued wet-dry cycles change soils, the distribution of plants, and the abundance
of animals.
5.Consider a situation where increased solar radiation reaches the Earth’s surface and raises
the ocean temperature. This results in more evaporation, which produces more clouds.
The increased cloud cover reduces the amount of solar radiation that reaches the surface
of the Earth. This is an example of:
6.Human population growth during the pre-industrial agricultural period and during the
Industrial Revolution period occurred with little change in:

7.The crude growth rate is defined as:
8.The nitrogen cycle is one of the most important biogeochemical cycles. However,
molecular nitrogen (N 2 ) in the atmosphere is not a significant element for life because:
9.The case study of Lake Washington in the Environmental Science text illustrates how
phosphorous in the effluent of sewage treatment plants caused an unnatural growth of
algae in the lake. Before the unnatural algae growth, phosphorous was the __________ in
the growth of the algae
10.Which population is most likely to exhibit an evolutionary response to a change in its
environment?
11.A set of interacting species that live in the same area is called a(n):
12.Matter and energy are both always conserved, both in physical systems and biological
systems. This principle is stated in the:
13.Change in the amount of biomass is called:
14.Which of the following refers to lack of a specific chemical component of food:
15.Describe the characteristics of land considered to be marginal for agriculture.
16.When a pest develops resistance to a chemical, all of the following are true except:

17.In the 1930s, soil erosion became a major issue in the United States. Large areas of the
American Midwest became the so-called Dust Bowl. Explain how this happened.
18.Forests differ from many other natural resources in that:
19.Forests have been managed more successfully than fisheries mainly because:
20.With the recent introduction of off-road vehicles to the Sahara desert, the Sahara goat has
been subjected to an increase in hunting by Bedouins. Studies indicate that as the total
population size is decreased by the hunting, the percentage of females that are pregnant is
increasing. This is an example of:
21.What are the major advantages of wild game ranching, compared with traditional goat,
sheep, and cattle ranching?
22.Can a heat engine convert all of the energy input into work? Why or why not?
23.Which energy transformation occurs as a book falls from the top of your book shelf
towards the floor?
24.According to the Environmental Science text, the estimated peak oil production will
about 50 billion bbl per year and it will arrive sometime between 2020 and 2050. In 2004
the growth rate for oil was 3.4% . What will happen when the peak production occurs and
demand is not met?
25.Why is combustion of natural gas cleaner than burning oil?

26.Passive solar is one general class of solar energy systems. Name three other solar
systems
27.“Biodiesel” is a biofuel sometimes used to power cars and trucks. One potential source
of biodiesel is:
28.What are the two nuclear processes that can be used to release energy? Define each one.
29.Name the important steps in the nuclear fuel cycle.
30.Which of the following is a serious groundwater overdraft problem:
31.The total runoff of the world’s rivers is 48,000 km 3 of fresh water each year. Human use
of water is about 4,000 km 3 , or about 8% of the total. How can anyone say there is a
water shortage on Earth?
32.According to the Environmental Science text, what is the most critical water pollution
problem in the world?
33.A specific location where pollution is introduced into surface water or groundwater:
34.A carbon sequestration project is underway in Norway beneath the North Sea. Explain
the purpose of this project.
35.Which of the following is a plausible argument that burning fossil fuels may not lead to
severe global warming:

36.Which of the following was an important factor in producing air pollution during the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China?
37.Which of the following is the least significant air pollutant (either primary or secondary)
associated with driving cars and other vehicles?
38.Black lung disease is associated with long-term exposure to:
39.In a large office building, a number of employees begin complaining of headaches,
dizziness, and nausea at about the same time. What is this condition called? List some
possible causes for the symptoms.