EVR 2001 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is science? - Answers :Science is a body of knowledge and a method of acquiring
further knowledge about the world around us.
How does the scientific method work? - Answers :Hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)-
> Observation and Measurement-> New/revised hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)->
Observation and Measurement-> Substantiated Hypothesis
What is Environmental Science? - Answers :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 - Answers :spatial, temporal, taxonomic
Major environmental issues - Answers :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? - Answers :economic development that is conducted
without depletion of natural resources
First Law of Thermodynamics - Answers :Energy (and therefore mass) can neither be
created nor destroyed, just converted from one form to another
Second Law of Thermodynamics - Answers :With each conversion, energy loses some
ability to do useful work
Entropy - Answers :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 - Answers :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 - Answers :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) - Answers :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 - Answers :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 - Answers :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 - Answers :Complete path an element takes through the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, & biosphere as it is converted from one form to
others
Nitrogen cycle - Answers :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)
5. Denitrification(NO3- to N2)
Phosphorus cycle - Answers :• Essential for all life, often the limiting factor
for plant production
• Over time, rain and weathering cause rocks to release phosphate ions and other
minerals. This inorganic phosphate is then distributed in soils and water.
What is science? - Answers :Science is a body of knowledge and a method of acquiring
further knowledge about the world around us.
How does the scientific method work? - Answers :Hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)-
> Observation and Measurement-> New/revised hypothesis-> Experiment(if possible)->
Observation and Measurement-> Substantiated Hypothesis
What is Environmental Science? - Answers :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 - Answers :spatial, temporal, taxonomic
Major environmental issues - Answers :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? - Answers :economic development that is conducted
without depletion of natural resources
First Law of Thermodynamics - Answers :Energy (and therefore mass) can neither be
created nor destroyed, just converted from one form to another
Second Law of Thermodynamics - Answers :With each conversion, energy loses some
ability to do useful work
Entropy - Answers :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 - Answers :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 - Answers :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) - Answers :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 - Answers :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 - Answers :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 - Answers :Complete path an element takes through the
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, & biosphere as it is converted from one form to
others
Nitrogen cycle - Answers :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)
5. Denitrification(NO3- to N2)
Phosphorus cycle - Answers :• Essential for all life, often the limiting factor
for plant production
• Over time, rain and weathering cause rocks to release phosphate ions and other
minerals. This inorganic phosphate is then distributed in soils and water.
