Environment

The Global Environment

Midterm Exam 1 Part B

Spring, 2022

Exam Front Page Instructions:

The following exam will test your ability to recall basic concepts and definitions as well as integrate the body of knowledge that you have accumulated during the first part of the semester.

The exam will consist of two (2) sections. SECTION A has 6 short answer questions. It will be worth 5 points each. These will be 4-5 sentence answers (about 50 words) or diagrams where necessary. SECTION B has 1 long essay question. These will be about a page long detailed answers (100 -150 words). It will be worth 20 points. Word limit is just an approximation for the answers. As long as the answer satisfies the question asked, you are good to go.

You have between (Feb 22nd- Feb 26th 11:30 pm) to complete the exam. Please feel free to ask questions if you do not understand any aspect of the exam. You can submit your answers as a word document or a pdf in the allotted folder by the due date. If you are using information from the web, mention their sources.

Section A: Short Answer and Diagrams (30 points):

Answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Be sure to provide specific details when answering questions and drawing diagrams.

1. What are five things you would do to cut waste in human societies by following principle of sustainability?

2. How can the extinction of bird species create a ripple effect through the rest of the ecosystem?

3. Use the second law of thermodynamics to explain why we cannot recycle the high-quality chemical energy stored in gasoline.

4. If anthropogenic processes introduce increasing amounts of atmospheric nitrogen to the biosphere and hydrosphere, where does that nitrogen go?

5. What can city planners do to make residents less dependent on cars, apart from providing public transit options?

6. How is it possible that countries with the same population size and affluence could differ in their environmental impacts?

Section B: Long Essay Question (20 points):

Be sure to be specific and provide details for your essay.

1. The “biological capacity” is the ability of the natural world to replenish its renewable resources and absorb the resulting waste products and pollution. Exceeding the biological capacity creates an “ecological deficit.” Discuss the potential future implications for the earth resulting from the fact that we are currently exceeding the earth’s biological capacity by about 50 percent.