EVR 2001 Exam 1 Complete Latest
Actual set with Questions and
correct/verified Answers
What is science? - ANSWER-Science is a body of knowledge and a method of acquiring further
knowledge about the world around us.
How does the scientific method work? - ANSWER-Hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)-> Observation
and Measurement-> New/revised hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)-> Observation and
Measurement-> Substantiated Hypothesis
What is Environmental Science? - ANSWER-an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical
and biological sciences (including physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, climatology, and
geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
Scales in Environmental Science - ANSWER-spatial, temporal, taxonomic
Major environmental issues - ANSWER-Biodiversity loss, habitat conversion and degradation, loss of
ecosystem services, soil degradation, pollution, solid waste accumulation, eutrophication and dead
zones, freshwater depletion, ocean acidification, anthropogenic climate change, and poverty, starvation,
and inequality
What is sustainable development? - ANSWER-economic development that is conducted without
depletion of natural resources
First Law of Thermodynamics - ANSWER-Energy (and therefore mass) can neither be created nor
destroyed, just converted from one form to another
Second Law of Thermodynamics - ANSWER-With each conversion, energy loses some ability to do useful
work
Entropy - ANSWER-A measure of the lost ability of energy to do work, or a measure of the decrease in
order of a system
Convergent plate boundary - ANSWER-Occurs when oceanic and continental plates move together. The
oceanic plate is forced under the lighter continental plate. Friction causes melting of the oceanic plate
and may trigger earthquakes. Magma rises up through cracks and erupts onto the surface.
Divergent plate boundary - ANSWER-occurs when plates move apart. Volcanoes are formed as magma
wells up to fill the gap, and eventually new crust is formed.
Conservative plate boundary (transform plate margin) - ANSWER-occurs where plates slide past each
other in opposite directions, or in the same direction but at different speeds. Usually creates
earthquakes
Energy from the sun - ANSWER-99.97% of Earth's energy budget
, • Sunlight drives biological,
physical, and chemical processes
• Biological: Photosynthesis
• Physical: Atmospheric and ocean
circulation
• Chemical: Provides energy for some
reactions (e.g. giving you a sunburn,
formation of ozone)
Geological processes - ANSWER-take up (chemical weathering) and release (volcanism) carbon
• Many are very slow, but some are punctuated by sudden, dramatic events, like the formation of a new
volcano or an earthquake
• Earthquakes can trigger tsunamis in the ocean and large lakes
• Landslides can reshape entire landscapes
• Floods are some of the most costly geological hazards
• Chemical weathering of limestone creates caves and sinkholes
Biogeochemical cycles - ANSWER-Complete path an element takes through the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, lithosphere, & biosphere as it is converted from one form to others
Nitrogen cycle - ANSWER-Essential for synthesis of
proteins and DNA
1. Nitrogen fixation (N2 to NH3/ NH4+ or NO3-)
2. Nitrification (NH3 to NO3-)
3. Assimilation (Incorporation of NH3 and NO3- into biological tissues)
4. Ammonification (organic nitrogen compounds to NH3)
Actual set with Questions and
correct/verified Answers
What is science? - ANSWER-Science is a body of knowledge and a method of acquiring further
knowledge about the world around us.
How does the scientific method work? - ANSWER-Hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)-> Observation
and Measurement-> New/revised hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)-> Observation and
Measurement-> Substantiated Hypothesis
What is Environmental Science? - ANSWER-an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical
and biological sciences (including physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, climatology, and
geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
Scales in Environmental Science - ANSWER-spatial, temporal, taxonomic
Major environmental issues - ANSWER-Biodiversity loss, habitat conversion and degradation, loss of
ecosystem services, soil degradation, pollution, solid waste accumulation, eutrophication and dead
zones, freshwater depletion, ocean acidification, anthropogenic climate change, and poverty, starvation,
and inequality
What is sustainable development? - ANSWER-economic development that is conducted without
depletion of natural resources
First Law of Thermodynamics - ANSWER-Energy (and therefore mass) can neither be created nor
destroyed, just converted from one form to another
Second Law of Thermodynamics - ANSWER-With each conversion, energy loses some ability to do useful
work
Entropy - ANSWER-A measure of the lost ability of energy to do work, or a measure of the decrease in
order of a system
Convergent plate boundary - ANSWER-Occurs when oceanic and continental plates move together. The
oceanic plate is forced under the lighter continental plate. Friction causes melting of the oceanic plate
and may trigger earthquakes. Magma rises up through cracks and erupts onto the surface.
Divergent plate boundary - ANSWER-occurs when plates move apart. Volcanoes are formed as magma
wells up to fill the gap, and eventually new crust is formed.
Conservative plate boundary (transform plate margin) - ANSWER-occurs where plates slide past each
other in opposite directions, or in the same direction but at different speeds. Usually creates
earthquakes
Energy from the sun - ANSWER-99.97% of Earth's energy budget
, • Sunlight drives biological,
physical, and chemical processes
• Biological: Photosynthesis
• Physical: Atmospheric and ocean
circulation
• Chemical: Provides energy for some
reactions (e.g. giving you a sunburn,
formation of ozone)
Geological processes - ANSWER-take up (chemical weathering) and release (volcanism) carbon
• Many are very slow, but some are punctuated by sudden, dramatic events, like the formation of a new
volcano or an earthquake
• Earthquakes can trigger tsunamis in the ocean and large lakes
• Landslides can reshape entire landscapes
• Floods are some of the most costly geological hazards
• Chemical weathering of limestone creates caves and sinkholes
Biogeochemical cycles - ANSWER-Complete path an element takes through the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, lithosphere, & biosphere as it is converted from one form to others
Nitrogen cycle - ANSWER-Essential for synthesis of
proteins and DNA
1. Nitrogen fixation (N2 to NH3/ NH4+ or NO3-)
2. Nitrification (NH3 to NO3-)
3. Assimilation (Incorporation of NH3 and NO3- into biological tissues)
4. Ammonification (organic nitrogen compounds to NH3)
