Florida Atlantic University Environmental Issues in Atmospheric and Earth Science First Midterm Examination Key

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1 ESC3704 Name 60 points February 2, students took exam - Numbers to the left of the question number in red are the number of incorrect responses. Instructor comments are in blue. Florida Atlantic University Environmental Issues in Atmospheric and Earth Science First Midterm Examination Key True-False - Print the letter T or F in the blank to indicate if each of the following statements is true or false. Illegible answers are wrong. (1 point each) 5 T 1. In terms of percent increase, one of the fastest growing segments of the United States' population are people over 100 years old. 0 T 2. Technological improvements have greatly enhanced our knowledge of the temporal scale of global change. 4 F 3. All major environmental changes result exclusively from man's actions. 15 F 4. During a mass mortality event, many different species become extinct. Mass mortality means a large number of individuals of a species dies, but not all members of that species. 1 T 5. Humans affect environmental change at rates unprecedented in the geological record. 10 F 6. Most political decisions involving processes that may negatively impact the ecosystem of the earth are made on medium to longer term time-scales (decades to centuries) appropriate for the process being considered. Usually until the next election 3 T 7. Rise of industrial systems in the past century has transformed the majority of the terrestrial biosphere into intensively used anthromes dominated by novel ecological processes 17 F 8. After peaking around 2003, the number of undernourished people in the world has been declining through the latest available data from It declined until 2014, but has begun rising since then. 8 T 9. Half of the habitable land on earth is used for agriculture. 1 T 10. Food insecurity can be both a contributing factor to human conflict, and a result of human conflict. 1

2 3 F 11. Since wheat is not used as a source of biofuel, use of food for biofuel will not influence the cost of wheat. 4 F 12. Climate change is expected to increase corn and wheat yields in the next one to two decades. 2 T 13. In the U.S., seven of the 10 states with the highest poverty levels are also among the 10 states with the highest rates of obesity 0 T 14. The article Population Ecology by M.J. Farabee says that human action is causing the extinction of species at thousands of times the natural rate. 26 F 15. According to the article Is Cellulosic Ethanol the Next Big Thing in Renewable Fuels?, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has only recently (after 2000) begun work on cellulosic ethanol production. Work actually began in T 16. The biggest obstacle to producing cellulosic ethanol is the high cost of producing enzymes necessary to do the conversion. Within one decade, NREL reduced the cost of enzymes from $3 a gallon to 30 cents. 7 T 17. According to Scientific Challenges Underpinning the Food-Versus-Fuel Debate by Kenneth G. Cassman, cereal crops account for more than half of all calories in human diets. 26 F 18. Cassman further states that crop-yield potentials, the maximum yield an adapted crop cultivar or hybrid can achieve when grown without limitations from water, nutrients, or pests, for both rice and corn have increased substantially since 1975, due to research on improved varieties. He actually said rice had not improved since 1966 and corn had not improved since F 19. Worldwide numbers of overweight children decreased about 20% from 2005 to (According to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2017, the numbers increased by 20%). 0 T 20. The global prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and T 21. No country is free from malnutrition, and most countries experience multiple burdens of malnutrition. 6 F 22. Agricultural production in the United States consumes less than half of the fresh water used. Actually it is about 85% 2

3 20 F 23. There were significant increases in per capita availability of renewable resources during the period Per capita rates have steadily decreased. 8 F 24. Automobile exhaust, from many cars in an area, is an example of point-source pollution. Multiple-Choice - Choose the best response to each statement or question. Print the letter corresponding to your choice in the blank. (1 point each) 5 D 1. The green revolution has lead to a huge increase in food supply in the last sixty years. Which of the following changes was used in the green revolution? A. Introduction of higher-yielding crop varieties B. Massive increases in the use of chemical fertilizers C. Use of irrigation to increase the amount of arable land available for farming D. All of the above 16 A 2. Which region of the world currently has the fastest rate of population growth? A. Africa B. Asia C. Europe D. North America 4 C 3. In An Essay on the Principle of Population the author stated that Population, if not purposefully checked ( preventative checks ), would outpace resources and lead to unplanned positive checks that would return population to sustainable levels. Who wrote this essay in 1798? A. Paul Ehrlich B. Harry Hess C. Thomas Malthus D. Alfred Wegener 4 C 4. Around 1400, the population of the earth took a significant dip, What caused this temporary population reduction? A. A major European war B. A series of volcanic eruptions, which blocked sunlight from reaching the earth s surface, and caused mass starvation C. An outbreak of bubonic plague D. A large earthquake, which caused a tsunami, which in turn killed 100,000,000 people 3

4 0 C 5. Cyanobacteria were described in lecture as a species that has profoundly changed the earth. What change did they cause? A. They were the first life on earth B. They were the first life to move from the oceans to the land C. They were the first life forms capable of photosynthesis, and gradually converted the earth s atmosphere from having no oxygen to today s atmosphere with 21% oxygen D. None of the above 13 A 6. According to the article Forget Mother Nature: This is a world of our making, 8000 years ago humans had already altered as much as a fifth of Earth's ice-free land, primarily by using fire to clear forest. What was the approximate human population at that time? A. 10,000,000 - Even a small number of humans can cause significant change B. 200,000,000 C. 750,000,000 D. 1,500,000,000 1 D 7. Currently there are approximately how many people on earth? A. 100,000,000 B. 2,500,000,000 C. 4,100,000,000 D. 7,400,000, D 8. What percentage of the world s population had economic resources totaling less than $10,000 in 2017? A. 10% 4 people thought this was correct B. 30% 15 people thought this was correct C. 50% 4 people thought this was correct D. 70% 7 A 9. To add another billion people to the world s population expected to take approximately how long? A. 13 years B. 37 years 6 people thought this was correct C. 65 years 1 person thought this was correct D. 83 years 11 C 10. In The challenge of hunger, Josette Sheeran, which appeared in the Lancet in 2008, how many people were estimated to die every day due to hunger related causes? This includes one child every 5 seconds A. 1,000 B. 10,000 C. 25,000 D. 60,000 4

5 18 B 11. In The Emerging Politics of Food Scarcity Lester Brown estimates that, as incomes rise, annual grain consumption per person increases by what factor? He said it climbs from less than 400 pounds, as in India today, to roughly 1,600 pounds, as in the United States A. 1.5 B. 4 C. 8 D C 12. According to the video clip from KCCI (Des Moines, Iowa) a reduction in ethanol production and an increase in the price of corn used for cattle feed was due to what? A. Corn borer pest B. Increased production of soybeans, reducing corn planting C. Drought D. All of the above 2 C 13. In countries like Mexico and South Africa, obesity tends to be concentrated in the middle classes. Why? A. More sedentary lifestyles, often caused by moves to an urban environment B. Consumption of more processed foods C. Both of the above D. None of the above Figure 1 8 A 14. Figure 1 shows a population pyramid for Ouray County, CO in Which of the following statements is most likely to describe the future change over the next two decades in population, assuming no net migration? A. Population will decrease B. Population will increase rapidly C. Population will increase slowly D. Population will remain constant 5

6 Fill-Ins - Write in the word or words which best completes each statement or answers each question. (1 point per blank) One factor leading to increased population, at least in the short term, is a dramatic reduction in the childhood death rate in developing countries. Name two factors that have contributed to this reduction. A. DDT used against mosquitoes that transmit malaria B. Childhood immunization used against cholera, diphtheria, etc. C. Antibiotics used against bacterial infections D. Improved pre- and post natal care 1, Which type of pollution, point source or non-point source, is easier to reduce or eliminate? 3) POINT SOURCE IS EASIER TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE 4.Why? IT IS EASIER AND MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE TO PLACE CONTROLS ON A SINGLE SOURCE OF POLLUTION, RATHER THAN ON A LARGE NUMBER OF SOURCES 9 5. A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region, usually divided into terrestrial and aquatic types, is a BIOME The impact of human activities on the natural world, causing changes in the ecosystem, are referred to as ANTHROPOGENIC Changes The difference between the birth rate and the death rate is known as the RATE OF NATURAL INCREASE of population. 6

7 Discussion questions - Write a complete, concise answer to each of the following questions. Diagrams (labeled) may be used to supplement your written answers, where appropriate, and must be shown where requested. Points as shown Name and briefly describe two types of atmospheric modification, including the significant effects of the modification, caused by humans. ( 2 points) Depletion of ozone (O 3 ) in the ozone layer (stratosphere) which affects UV light absorption. This has lead to the formation of an ozone hole, which leads to increased rates of skin cancer Acid deposition introduction of pollutant gasses into the atmosphere leads to the formation of acid rain, which hurts plant growth and can lead to sterile lakes, devoid of life. Modification of the climate system by the introduction of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, freons, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases are raising the global average temperature, and will increase number and severity of major storms. They may affect short and medium term climate, and may modify the areas in which food can be grown, and may create climate refugees. 2. The World Health Organization defines food security as having three facets. Name and describe these three facets. (3 points) 7.5 Food availability - having available sufficient quantities of food on a consistent basis 10.5 Food access - having sufficient resources, both economic and physical, to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet 15 Food use - appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation 7

8 The price of petroleum can affect the price of food in three different ways. Describe these. (3 points) This question was misprinted on exam, so the question was not counted. Bonus points were added for those getting correct responses. The production of nitrogen based fertilizers is heavily dependent on energy, so as the price of petroleum increases, so does the price of fertilizer. Fertilizers allow more food to be produced from the same amount of land, so higher fertilizers cost raise food prices. Food must be transported to markets, which require fuel. As petroleum prices increase, so do transportation costs. These costs are cecouped by increasing food prices. Higher petroleum prices increase the incentives for the diversion of food production into biofuels, which lowers the amoubnt of food available, and increases food prices Name and describe two advantages that cellulose has as a potential biofuel source. Why isn t cellulose currently used extensively for biofuel production? (3 points) Cellulose if not a human food source, so using it to produce fuel does not reduce the food supply. Cellulose offers a vast source of energy from things like corn stover, which is often waste. It isn t used extensively because cost-effective methods of conversion of cellulose to biofuel really don t exist yet. The large potential fuel supply offers economic incentives, so considerable efforts are being made to develop conversion methods. 8

9 14 5. Why would a world-wide change in diet to a more vegan type diet with less reliance on meat benefit the food supply? (2 points) Meat comes primarily from livestock and poultry. Both of these sources require more water and land to produce equivalent amounts of food than does direct consumption of plants. The worse case is beef. Producing one kilogram of beef requires twelve times the water needed to produce 1 kilogram of wheat, and more than five times as much land In the article, Forget Mother Nature: This is a world of our making Erle C. Ellis says, We are warming the atmosphere, melting the ice caps, acidifying the ocean, polluting land and sea, driving species to extinction and inducing invasions by species from around the world and in some areas leaving only a wasteland of monocultures and weeds. Does he conclude that the future of the Anthropocene is hopeless? Discuss his conclusion to support your answer. (2 points) He thinks the future is positive. He said, We most certainly can create a better Anthropocene. We have really only just begun, and our knowledge and power have never been greater. We will need to work together with each other and the planet in novel ways In The Emerging Politics of Food Scarcity Lester Brown points out the tremendous increase in the land planted in soybeans. He said, As recently as 1995, China produced 14 million tons of soybeans and consumed 14 million tons. In 2010, it still produced 14 million tons, but it consumed a staggering 64 million tons. What is providing the incentive for the rapid increase in soybean production? (1 point) Adding soybean meal to livestock and poultry feed sharply boosts the efficiency with which grain is converted into animal protein The use of biofuels in gasoline is intended to reduce the input of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where if contributes to global warming. In the study by Lapola et al., which appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors conclude that The planned expansion of biofuel plantations in Brazil could potentially cause both direct and indirect land-use changes. Explain what effect this will have on carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and why. (2 points) They expect that biofuel plantations will replace rangelands, and rangelands will replace forest. Wood in the forest will either burn or decompose, returning stored carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. 9

10 Midterm 1 Results A A B B MEDIAN = B MEAN = 46.9 (78%) C 42.5 C D D 37.0 D F 10

11 Midterm 1 Grades from Previous Terms Term Mean Grade (percent) Spring, Fall, Spring, Fall, Fall, Fall, Fall, Spring, Fall, Spring, Fifth out of ten 11