APES -EVERYTHING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024

APES -EVERYTHING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024 Environment the sum of all conditions surrounding us that influence life Environmental Science The field that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature System any set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials Ecosystem particular location on Earth whose interacting components include biotic and abiotic components Environmental Studies Includes subjects environmental policies, economics, literature, ethics, chemistry, biology, Earth science How long have humans lived on earth? 2.5 mil years Postitive Human Activites Native Americans on Great Plains used fire to capture animals for food, these fires kept trees from encroaching on plains allowing a window for an entire ecosystem to develop. Technology + Dramatic human population growth =? increase rate and scale of our global environmental impact How Do Humans Alter Natural Systems? modern cities - electricity, running water, sewage systems, public transportations. Cities also cover land that was once natural habitat so species living there relocate or go extinct. Ecosystem Services the processes by which life supporting resources such as clean, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced. 5 Global Scale Indicators 1. Biological Diversity 2. Food Production 3. Average global surface temp & CO2 in Atmosphere 4. Human Population 5. Resource depletion Genetic Diversity A measure of genetic variation among individuals in a population. Species Diversity number of species in a region / particular type of habitat Why are frogs important? used to study land and water habitats Speciation evolution of a new species (slow process) 1-3 new species a year world wide. How many species go extinct each year? 10,000+ What does loss in biodiversity tell us? natural systems are facing strains unlike any in the recent past Food Production our ability to grow food to nourish human population. What factors influence worldwide grain production irrigation, human labor/energy, climatic conditions, amount/quality of land. Why has grain production not kept up with population growth? 1. productivity of agricultural ecosystems down bc of soil degradation, crop disease and unfavorable weather conditions. 2. Demand outpaces supply What has lead to the increase in atmospheric CO2? Anthropogenic activity Examples of finite resources coal, oil, uranium What happened on Easter Island? -was once covered with trees and grasses -when humans settled hundreds of years ago, they quickly multiplied, cut down tress to build, and overused islands soil and water resources -without trees to hold soil in place, massive erosion occurred and loss of soil caused food production to decrease -civilization did not survive. Sustainable development development that balances current human well being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations Environmental science presents unique challenges (4) 1. Lack of baseline data (control) 2. Subjectivity 3. Interactions 4. Human well-being Matter anything that occupies space Mass a measure of the amount of matter it contains Weight the force that results from the action of gravity on mass Atom smallest particle that can contain the chemical properties of an element Element substance composed of atoms hat cannot be broken down any smaller Molecules particles containing more than one atom Compounds molecules that contain more than 1 element Atomic # number of protons Mass # total number of protons + neutrons Isotope atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons Radioactive Decay the spontaneous release of material from the nucleus Half Life the time it takes for one-half of the original radioactive parent atoms to decay Covalent Bonds Elements that do not readily gain or lose electrons from compounds by sharing electrons Ionic Bonds transfer of electrons from a cation (+ charged ion) and anion (-charged ion) Hydrogen Bonds weak bond that forms when H atoms that are covalently bonded to one atom are attracted to another atom on another molecule Water is polar one side is more positive hat the other Water Properties surface tension, capillary action, high boiling point, and ability to dissolve different substances Acid substance that contributes H+ ions to solution Bases substance that contributes OH- ions to solution HNO3 and H2So4 (Acids) primary constituents of acid deposition. 1 form is acid rain