enviro

How many wilderness areas are there in the United States?

474

How might environmental manipulation of a crop have unexpected consequences?

The new crop may require more water than the original, the new crop may harm the environment, and the yield may be reduced

What was an unexpected consequence of the green revolution?

The overuse of fertilizer lead to reduced crop yields over time.

Approximately, how many national parks are there in the United States?

50

Reforestation projects would be more beneficial to forests that had undergone selective cutting rather than clear-cutting. (t/f)

false

Placer mining involves _______ to extract minerals.

dredging sediments from the water bottom

The long term effects of mining include _______.

acid drainage, erosion, dust emissions

What is the most likely consequence of open pit mining on plant life?

the complete loss of plant life in the area occupied by the surface mine

Reclamation restores an environment affected by mining to a state where it can sustain its ecosystem. (t/f)

True

What is most likely to happen to an abandoned strip mine over time?

The strip is likely to partly recover, but never return to its original state.

Why does mining have such an impact on the environment?

Because minerals are within the Earth’s surface, extraction causes destruction.

Which of the following is a long-term consequence of mining on the Earth?

erosion, an open pit, sedementation

Which type of mining is likely the least harmful to the environment?

subsurface mining

Which of the following regions has the highest population living in rural areas?

Asia

Which of the following is a negative consequence of upward urban growth?

creation of a "heat island", pollution, waste management issues

Which of the following is a stressful environmental condition found in degraded areas of New York City?

The soils are more contaminated, compacted, and disturbed.

London’s "killer fog" was ultimately the result of _______.

dirty coal

Which of the following is an example of government land management?

The clean air act

The greatest concentration of public land is in _______.

Idaho

Which of the following are allowed on public land?

grazing, logging, mining

Which of the following best describes the uses of private land?

It can be used for a variety of activities and businesses.

Which of the following is true about the usage of public land?

Public land can be protected or unprotected

Which of the following is not true concerning the usage of public land.

Unprotected lands can exist inside federal parks

What approximate percentage of land is used for housing worldwide?

2%

Public land is managed by several agencies at the state and federal levels. (t/f)

true

Which of the following best describes what led to London’s "killer fog" in 1952?

Millions of coal fires and stagnant air caused toxic fumes to build up in the air.

Imagine that the value of the US dollar rises compared to the Canadian dollar for many months. What effect is this likely to have on the amount of goods the US imports from Canada?

The US will import more from Canada

Imagine that the value of the US dollar remains high compared to the Canadian dollar for many months. What effect will this most likely have on the amount of goods the US exports to Canada?

It will decrease exports to Canada

Nations establish trade barriers against other nations for all of the following reasons except __________.

Create more free trade between nations

The United States imports thousands of tons of sugar each year from Brazil. If the US placed a quota on importing sugar from Brazil, it would be __________.

Limiting the amount of sugar from Brazil that can be imported

Which of the following usually is not considered a benefit of free trade?

higher taxes paid by trading partners

Imagine that the value of the US dollar remains high compared to the Japanese yen for many months. What effect will this most likely have on the amount of goods the US imports from Japan?

The US will import more from Japan

In 1955, Malcolm McLean named his new shipping company __________.

Sea-land

Which of the following is a cost associated with free trade?

Companies may move production to other countries

Why are environmentalists concerned about the introduction of genetically engineered trees?

Genetically engineered trees could have unexpected interactions with organisms of natural ecosystems.

Which of the following is a way that trees have been negatively impacted by human use?

deforestation, pollution, reduction

Which of the following organisms is the most harmful to the tree it grows on?

strangler fig

Mycorrhizal fungi are _______.

mutualistic root-dwelling fungi that help plants obtain more water and nutrients.

Which of the following is the best reason that trees are important for overall air quality?

Trees help provide a balance in components of the atmosphere.

The principal characteristic that differentiates temperate and tropical rainforests is __________.

latitude

Around 50,000 rainforest species go extinct every year. (t/f)

true

Which of the following best describes the use of rainforest plants as anticancer drugs?

Twenty-five percent of the active ingredients in cancer drugs are exclusively rainforest plants.

Which of the following is the most direct method for combating rainforest deforestation?

rehabilitation

The sustainable use of rainforest resources is exemplified by _______.

harvesting nuts

which of the following is not a food produced in rainforests?

mustard seeds

What fraction of the fossil fuel emissions in the United States could be absorbed by converting 25% of agricultural land in the U.S. to native forests?

Approximately 20%

Which of the following is a technology used by foresters?

infrared photography, aerial photography, remote sensing

How does seed-cutting differ from shelterwood cutting?

Shelterwood cutting takes place over several years.

What percent of the trees cut down are used for something other than paper?

65%

How does flooding affect rivers?

It causes river channels to change shape.

Which of the following practices could help reduce erosion of water banks?

buffer strips

The majority of the debris found in the garbage patch is _______.

small pieces of plastic

How is thermohaline circulation influenced by salinity and temperature?

It is driven by density gradients, which are affected by salinity and temperature, with cold water and water with higher salt concentrations being more dense.

Which of the following is a source of water pollution?

sewage, oil spills, fertilizer

How does the loss of vegetation on shore lines affect waterways?

increased erosion of waterways

What is a possible long-term consequence of groundwater overdraft?

unproductive wells

Which of the following is a way that groundwater depletion affects streams?

lower water level, loss of vegetation, wildlife disruption

Water stored above the water table _______.

surrounds the rock particles, leaving air between them

The largest amount of groundwater is used for _______.

irrigation

Which of the following regulations is the primary law regarding water pollution?

The Clean Water Act

Which of the following is a program rather than a law regulating water quality?

WaterSense

The Safe Drinking Water Act limits the amount of pollution introduced into waterways. (t/f)

false

How many gallons of water are needed to print a day’s supply of newsprint for the United States?

300,000,000 gallons

The Working for Water program helps conserve water by employing individuals to remove invasive plants. (t/f)

true

The _______ is most likely to be concerned with the overuse of water.

WaterSense program

What distinguishes bogs, marshes, and swamps from each other?

Swamps are deeper and have a larger proportion of surface water than marshes, and bogs have acidic groundwater.

Halophytes can be found in salt marshes. (t/f)

true

What characteristic is important for plants found in saltwater wetlands?

tolerance to salinity

Wetlands help slow the process of erosion by trapping sediments. (T/f)

true

Small particles of organic material are called _______.

detritus

Saltwater wetlands are more likely to be inland, while freshwater wetlands are more likely to be close to coasts. (t/f)

false

Swamps can occur seasonally. (t/f)

true

Which of the following best describes how levees impact wetlands?

Levees prevent rivers from adding their sediment to wetlands

Because they are manmade, fish farms are not considered fisheries. (t/f)

false

Surface water standards for recreation are determined by the Clean Water Act. (t/f)

true

Which of the following processes requires separate plumbing?

greywater use

What is common to all fossil fuels?

All fossil fuels are formed deep underground

The release of oxides of sulfur and nitrogen into the air can cause acid rain. (t/f)

true

The chemical dioxin, used in the paper-making process, has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. (t/f)

true

Natural gas drilling locations are determined by _______.

seismic surveys

Which of the following is true about glass recycling?

recycling glass is an energy saving practice

What two countries have nearly 50% of global coal reserves?

United States and Russia

Which of the following resources can be extracted from the ocean floor?

oil, natural gas, minerals

Who administers the Clean Air Act?

the EPA

How does biofuel use differ from solar, wind, and geothermal energy use?

Biofuels can have a more widespread use

What percentage of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States are due to buildings?

38%

Which of the following practices will lead to sustainability?

conservation tillage

The La Brea Tar Pits are _______.

filled with asphalt

Which of the following statements about biofuels is true?

Energy processing from corn biofuels is not energy efficient.

Which of the following alternative energy technologies is most likely to be used to power a car?

biofuel

Which of the following statements about energy resource availability is true?

The exact amount of nonrenewable energy resources is not currently known.

____ is the thermal energy transfer that occurs from the motion of fluid in a liquid or gas.

convection

the thermal transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves through the vacuum of space

radiation

Nearly all of the energy that Earth receives from the Sun is used in photosynthesis. (t/f)

false

Energy from the Sun is transferred to Earth through convection. (t/f)

false

transfer of heat through flowing material

convection

Radiation requires a heated liquid to transfer energy. (t/f)

false

process of changing a liquid into a gas

evaporation

____ is the transfer of energy in the form of rays or waves.

radiation

The main factors that affect an area’s temperature are prevailing winds and mountains. (t/f)

false

In winter in the Southern Hemisphere, the south end of Earth’s axis is tilted away from the sun. (t/f)

true

The climate on the leeward side of a mountain differs from that on the windward side mostly in

the amount of rainfall

The land on the leeward side of a mountain range is in a rain shadow. (t/f)

true

Volcanic activity may cause climate change by

blocking solar energy from reaching the Earth’s surface.

The energy that powers a hurricane is derived from

condensation of water vapor

The air behind a cold front is cold and dry. (t/f)

true

As the electrical energy of lightning is discharged into the air,

the air heats and expands rapidly

The leading edge of a cold air mass that overtakes a region formerly occupied by a warm air mass is called a

cold front

High winds and strong thunderstorms are characteristic of an approaching strong

cold front

What environmental condition contributed to the heat wave experienced in Europe and the thousands of deaths in France?

air pollution

What layer of the atmosphere is the most vital for supporting life on Earth?

troposphere

Pollution in the ____ will have the greatest effect on human health.

troposphere

The _______ is the coldest layer of the atmosphere.

mesosphere

Which two layers of the atmosphere are responsible for the majority of the solar radiation absorption?

stratosphere and thermosphere

Why are small quantities of chlorofluorocarbons so harmful to the ozone layer?

The chlorine from the chlorofluorocarbons reacts with free molecules of oxygen causing a stop in ozone production.

Ozone is formed when _______.

an individual oxygen atom combines with an oxygen molecule

How are individual atoms of oxygen formed in the stratosphere?

Individual oxygen atoms are formed when UV rays strike oxygen molecules.

Driving cars lowers the pH of the oceans by _______.

releasing CO2 that dissolves and forms acid in the oceans

Which of the following best explains why air pollution that was once blamed for global cooling is now considered responsible for global warming?

Scientists mistakenly thought pollution reflected sunlight and heat rather than absorbed it.

Which of the following best describes the impact of glaciers upon the surface of the earth?

Glaciers scraped across the surface and altered landscapes and the course of rivers.

How does climate change lead to an increase in algal blooms?

Decreased temperatures lead to an increase in phytoplankton growth.

How is the National Wildlife Refuge System similar to the Pacific Region Coastal Program?

Both programs are concerned with providing habitats for wildlife.

What is the main goal of the Pacific Region Coastal Program?

restore wetland and forest habitats

The Office of Ecology and Natural Resource Conservation works to _______.

develop foreign policy regarding the sustainable use of natural resources

Environmental sociology is concerned with _______.

Social factors that lead to environmental problems

The Kyoto protocol works by _______.

voluntary involvment

The National Environmental Policy Act was established in 1965. (t/f)

false

What is the main goal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change?

to prevent the continued rise of greenhouse gas concentrations

Why did Canada extend its territorial waters out to 200 nautical miles in the 1970’s.

to ensure the cod stocks were exploited domestically

What was the greatest impact of the National Environmental Policy Act?

requiring governmental agencies to prepare environmental assessments and impact statements

Which of the following is a result of government attempts to increase energy efficiency?

energy star

Which condition is a result of using an anaerobic digester?

increase in land fertility due to the addition of the nitrogen and phosphorous byproduct

Which of the following industries has not seen an increase in hazardous waste production?

food

What sometimes occurs when reclaimed water is used in agriculture?

pharmaceutical accumulation

Nuclear fusion occurs in stars. (t/f)

true

There are positive and negative consequences to producing energy using different methods. Which of the following is a reasonable argument for the use of nuclear power plants?

Nuclear power provides electricity at the lowest cost.

Nuclear fusion produces more energy than nuclear fission, but requires more initial energy. (t/f)

true

Most of the energy the Earth receives from the Sun participates in the water cycle. (t/f)

false

The use of nonrenewable resources can help sustain poverty levels. (t/f)

true

Hedgerows have created a new ecosystem within Britain’s _______.

farms