Download in-class final exam

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(1 point) Your name: _____________________________
(1 point) Your TA’s name (circle one):
Gus Jesperson
Jill Harris
Jennifer Webster
Jason Scullion
Final – ENVIR 100 Fall 2008 (75 points total for in-class exam)
You have 110 minutes to take this exam. Be sure to look at the point values and allocate
your time accordingly, ask questions if necessary, and make sure your answers are clearly
legible. Good luck!
For grading purposes:
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out of 2):
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1) (4 points) What is “albedo”? Give a definition and then discuss how albedo is
affected by melting ice, forest fires, or some other example relevant to class.i
2) Roughly speaking, the world can be divided into tropical regions (near the equator),
polar regions, and temperate regions (in between).
a. (1 point) In which of these regions is climate change expected to increase
temperatures the most? Circle one ( tropical / polar / temperate ); you do
not need to explain.
b. (3 points) In which of these regions is most of the world’s biodiversity
found? Circle one ( tropical / polar / temperate ) and list one major
reason why.
c. (3 points) In which of these regions is climate change expected to have
the largest impact on food security? Circle one ( tropical / polar /
temperate ) and list one major reason why.ii
d. (2 points) Julian Simon or the author of “Plenty of Gloom” would be
unlikely to agree with David Battisti (the climate scientist who gave the
guest lecture on food security) that more people will be at risk of hunger
in 2080 compared to today. What is one argument Julian Simon would
probably make?iii
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3) These questions are about NAAQS air pollutants.iv
a. (4 points) Give one example of a local air pollutant that is subject to
NAAQS and list one impact it has on human health or the environment.
b. (3 points) What has been the general trend of emissions levels for these
pollutants over the last few decades in the U.S.? Circle one: Emissions
have ( gone up / gone down / been about the same ) and list one
major reason why.
c. (3 points) What has been the general trend of required attainment levels
for NAAQS pollutants over the last few decades? Circle one: Attainment
levels have ( gotten stricter / gotten looser / been about the same )
and list one major reason why.
4) (8 points, 2 points each) Give examples of each of the following ecosystem services:v
a. provisional services:
b. cultural services
c. supporting services
d. regulating services
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5) Here is a quote from Jason Scullion’s guest lecture on “The Story of Life”: “Today,
life on earth faces the sixth great extinction event.”
a. (2 points) How does the cause of this extinction event compare with the
cause of previous extinction events?vi
b. (3 points) Did the current extinction event begin in the 20th century?
Circle one ( Yes / No ) and then briefly explain your answer.vii
c. (2 points) What percentage of other species are being lost every year?viii
6) (3 points) Dee Boersma’s guest lecture about penguins actually began with an ethical
discussion that was mostly not about penguins. Given that Professor Boersma’s field
is conservation biology, was it unexpected for her to begin with a discussion of
ethical issues? Circle one ( Yes / No ) and then briefly explain. It may help to think
about the definition of conservation biology.ix
7) (3 points) “Daniel Beltra’s goal is to take beautiful pictures of nature.” Circle one
( True / False ) and briefly explain.x
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8) (5 points) Positive feedback cycles are common in environmental systems. For
example, the following diagram depicts a terrestrial example of a positive feedback
cycle. (The arrow can be interpreted to mean “leads to”, i.e. “A leads to B”.
Warmer
atmosphere
More forest
fires
More carbon
in atmosphere
For this question you need to create a positive feedback cycle for ocean acidification.
Fill in the blank boxes below with the most appropriate letter from the list below.
(One letter is filled in for you. Each letter is used once and only once.)xi
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
A
More CO2 in atmosphere
Shells of marine organisms dissolve
More carbon in the surface layer of the oceans
Less carbon transferred to deep oceans
Oceans become more acidic
Marine ‘biological pump’ breaks down
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9) (4 points) Class lectures also described a “biotic pump” in the Amazon. What
biogeochemical cycle did it involve and how did that pump work?xii
10) (3 points) Which permit system is most like a tax? Circle one ( Grandfathered /
Auctioned ) and then explain the difference between them.xiii
11) Consider the environmental impact equation I = P ∙ A ∙ T (IPAT).
a. (3 points) Say what P stands for, and then list one relevant fact about P
(e.g., current level, future level, etc.)xiv
b. (3 points) Say what A stands for (note that there are two correct answers;
also, make sure to think about units!), and then list one relevant fact
about A.xv
c. (3 points) The T stands for technology, and in the specific case of carbon
emissions it stands for world carbon emissions per unit of GDP. In this
specific case, which way do we want T to go to address climate change?
(Circle one: Up / Down ) Which way has T been going over the past
few decades? (Circle one: Up / Down ). Which example was discussed
in detail in The Economist’s article on “The Power and the Glory”?
(Circle one: Fuel cells / Biofuels )xvi
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12) (8 points total) Look at the images on the projector screen. Each was presented during
lecture. Please provide a caption for two of the three images. Your captions must
explain the context of the picture as well as describe one of the following
implications: social, ethical, and scientific.
[Note to teaching team: The images will be of Daniel Beltra’s stranded boat, of Pluie
the Wandering Wolf, and of David Battisti’s graph of temperature changes. We’ll
have to provide DSS with copies of these images for use by the students taking the
exam there.] YORAM TO DELETE THIS PARAGRAPH. BUT REMEMBER
ABOUT DSS!!!
a. (2 points for correct connect, 2 points for implication)
b. (2 points for correct connect, 2 points for implication)
i
2 points for definition and 2 points for example. Albedo is a measure of how much light
is reflected from a substance. When ice or snow melts to become water, the albedo falls
because water absorbs more light than ice or snow. Similarly, a forest fire blackens the
earth, lowering the albedo. Both of these are positive feedback loops relating to climate
change.
ii
1 point for correct circling, 2 points for examples. Climate change will increase
temperatures the most in polar regions. Most biodiversity is in the tropical regions
because of, e.g., availability of energy and water and climate stability both within and
between years. Climate change is projected to impact food security the most in tropical
regions because, e.g., that’s where many poor people live who are dependent on
agriculture, and because that’s where temperatures are already high.
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Development will mean fewer poor people and fewer people dependent on agriculture;
also technological advancement will allow us to adjust to climate change.
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iv
2 points for CO, lead (Pb), SOx, NOx, VOCs, or PM. CO2 is not a local air pollutant.
each part of each question. Then 2 points for appropriate health or environmental impact.
Then 1 point for levels having gone down and 2 points for catalytic converters, scrubbers,
etc. Then 1 point for attainment levels getting more strict and 2 points for something like
scientists discovering additional health impacts on vulnerable populations.
v
Provisional services including providing goods like food and fuel; cultural services
include recreation and religion; supporting services include primary production, soil
formation, and nutrient cycling; and regulating services include flood control and climate
regulation.
vi
This extinction is caused by humans rather than, e.g., asteroids.
vii
1 point for circling No, 2 points for explanation. The current extinction event has come
in three waves: the first was about 40,000 years ago when humans migrated around the
world; the second was about 500 years ago with European exploration of the world; and
the third is the current globalization.
viii
About 1%.
ix
1 point for No, 2 points for explanation. Conservation biology is a mission-driven
discipline with the goal of protecting and preserving the world’s biodiversity. It is not
value-neutral.
x
1 point for False, 2 points for explanation. This is false. His goal is to make an impact,
to make a difference in the world, so not all of his pictures are beautiful or of nature.
xi
There were actually a total of 6 possible points on this problem. The correct answers
are CEBFD. One point for each correct connection: AC, CE, EB, BF, FD, DC.
xii
2 points for water cycle, 2 points for explanation. In the Amazon, evaporation from
trees is a significant source of precipitation; this is a “biotic pump” in the water cycle that
can be disrupted by logging. In the oceans, algae use photosynthesis to draw carbon out
of the atmosphere; when these algae die, some of them fall to the bottom of the ocean,
where their stored carbon remains for thousands of years; this a “biotic pump” in the
carbon cycle that reduces carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.
xiii
1 point for Auctioned, 2 points for explanation. Grandfathering means that permits are
issued to existing firms on the basis of historic emissions. Auctioning means that permits
are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Auctioning is most like taxing because in both
cases the government gets revenue and polluters have to pay for the ability to pollute.
xiv
1point for Population, 2 points for relevant fact, e.g., current world population of 6.5
billion, growth expected to peak later this century at about 9 billion.
xv
1 point for Affluence or Activity (measured as GDP per capita), 2 points for fact, e.g.,
that affluence is expected to rise rapidly this century, especially in developing countries,
or that increases in A are mostly a good thing because it means people coming out of
poverty.
xvi
1 point for Down, 1 point for Down (unfortunately, T has not been falling fast enough
to make up for increases in P and A), and 1 point for Biofuels.