Mixed Deck — All Environmental Science Topics Flashcards
100 cards from real Environmental Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 20 Mixed Deck — All Environmental Science Topics flashcards as text
What is a carbon sink?
Answer: A natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases
Carbon sinks like forests and oceans absorb net CO₂ from the atmosphere, helping regulate atmospheric carbon levels.
Which of the following is a primary environmental concern associated with utility-scale solar PV installations?
Answer: Land use impacts and habitat disruption in desert ecosystems, plus waste from end-of-life panel disposal
Large solar farms require significant land area (5-10 acres/MW), potentially displacing desert tortoises, plant communities, and other sensitive species; end-of-life panels contain cadmium, lead, and other materials requiring careful disposal.
Genetically modified (GM) crops engineered with Bt toxin produce an insecticide that:
Answer: Is derived from a naturally occurring soil bacterium and is toxic to specific insect larvae
Bt toxin is derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring soil bacterium; its crystal proteins are highly selective, primarily toxic to Lepidoptera (caterpillars) or Coleoptera (beetles) larvae, not to mammals or most non-target organisms.
Which class of air pollutants is regulated under the U.S. Clean Air Act as the six common air pollutants?
Answer: Criteria air pollutants
The EPA designates six 'criteria pollutants' including ozone, particulate matter, CO, NO₂, SO₂, and lead.
Which U.S. law provides the primary legal framework for protecting threatened and endangered species and their habitats?
Answer: Endangered Species Act (ESA)
The Endangered Species Act (1973) prohibits harm to listed species and requires recovery plans and critical habitat designation.
What is a lahar, and which natural disaster is it most directly associated with?
Answer: A mudflow of volcanic debris and water associated with volcanic eruptions
A lahar is a fast-moving mudflow or debris flow composed of a mixture of volcanic material and water that travels down the slopes of a volcano.
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is primarily associated with:
Answer: Poor indoor air quality from inadequate ventilation, VOCs, mold, or chemical off-gassing
SBS describes acute health and comfort effects linked to time spent in a particular building, typically caused by poor ventilation, VOC emissions from building materials, mold, and other indoor air pollutants.
The concept of natural capital in environmental economics refers to:
Answer: The stock of natural assets (soils, water, air, biodiversity) that provides ecosystem services to humans
Natural capital encompasses the Earth's natural assets - living and non-living - that provide services (clean water, climate regulation, pollination) essential to human welfare.
The primary environmental concern associated with large hydroelectric dams is:
Answer: Disruption of river ecosystems, blocking fish migration, and flooding of upstream habitats and communities
Large dams block fish passage (salmon, shad, sturgeon), flood unique terrestrial and riparian ecosystems, displace communities, alter downstream sediment and flow regimes, and can emit methane from decomposing organic matter in reservoirs.
Which persistent organic pollutant was banned in the U.S. after being linked to raptor population crashes?
Answer: DDT
DDT caused eggshell thinning in birds of prey, leading to crashes in bald eagle and peregrine falcon populations before its 1972 ban.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) differs from photovoltaic (PV) solar in that CSP:
Answer: Uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight as heat to drive a conventional steam turbine
CSP concentrates sunlight to produce high-temperature heat used in a conventional thermodynamic power cycle (steam or Stirling engine), and can incorporate thermal storage to dispatch power after sunset.
Nuclear fission reactors generate electricity by:
Answer: Splitting heavy atomic nuclei to release heat
In fission reactors, heavy nuclei (typically uranium-235) are split, releasing enormous amounts of heat used to produce steam that drives turbines.
Which type of ecological relationship exists between a lion and a zebra?
Answer: Predation
Predation is a relationship where one organism (predator) kills and eats another (prey) for energy.
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are associated with environmental concerns including:
Answer: Large volumes of waste containing nitrogen, phosphorus, pathogens, and pharmaceuticals that can contaminate water bodies
CAFOs concentrate thousands of animals in small areas, producing vast quantities of manure that contain nitrates, phosphorus, bacterial pathogens, antibiotic-resistant organisms, and hormones, which can contaminate groundwater and surface water.
The concept of weak sustainability versus strong sustainability concerns:
Answer: Whether manufactured capital can substitute for natural capital (weak) or whether natural capital is irreplaceable (strong)
Weak sustainability allows trade-offs: natural capital can be depleted if equivalent manufactured or human capital is created. Strong sustainability holds that critical natural capital (biodiversity, ozone layer, climate stability) cannot be substituted and must be maintained.
The Clean Water Act requires municipalities to obtain which type of permit for wastewater discharges?
Answer: NPDES permit
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program regulates point source discharges into U.S. waters.
Which water treatment process uses chlorine or UV light to kill pathogenic organisms?
Answer: Disinfection
Disinfection is the final treatment stage that eliminates remaining pathogens to make water safe for drinking.
What does the concept of decoupling mean in the context of sustainable development?
Answer: Achieving economic growth while simultaneously reducing environmental impacts such as resource use or emissions
Decoupling means that economic growth (GDP increase) is accompanied by a reduction (or slower growth) in environmental pressure - resource use, emissions, or waste - breaking the historic linkage between prosperity and pollution.
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) has raised environmental concerns primarily related to:
Answer: Groundwater contamination, induced seismicity, and methane leakage
Fracking injects high-pressure fluid into rock; concerns include well casing failures contaminating aquifers, disposal-well-induced earthquakes, and fugitive methane emissions.
Which renewable energy source currently provides the largest share of U.S. electricity generation among renewables?
Answer: Wind
Wind energy surpassed hydropower to become the largest renewable electricity source in the U.S. in recent years.