Deck 48: The Biosphere

Question 1

On April 26, 1986, in Ukraine, a meltdown occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Nuclear fuel burned for nearly ten days and released 400 times more radioactive material than the atomic bomb that dropped on Hiroshima. Winds carried radioactive fallout around the globe. Thirty-one people died right after the meltdown. Thousands more are still likely to die from cancers and other harmful effects of radiation.
The Chernobyl accident stiffened opposition to nuclear power in the United States, but recent developments have some people reconsidering. Increasing the use of nuclear energy would diminish the countrys dependence on oil from the politically unstable Middle East. Nuclear power does not contribute to global warming, acid rain, or smog. It does produce highly radioactive wastes. Investigate the pros and cons of nuclear power, and decide if you think the environmental benefits outweigh the risks. Would you feel differently if a nuclear power plant were about to be built ten kilometers upwind from your home

Answer 1

Nuclear power has both advantages and disadvantages. With the advancement in science, the technology required for Nuclear Power plants is feasible and the operation cost is low, once constructed. A single nuclear power plant can generate electrical energy required for the industrial and domestic needs of a city. The nuclear waste can be minimized through waste recycling and reprocessing the waste. Nuclear Energy provides a constant supply of energy throughout the year. The amount of carbon released is also less compared to fossil fuels.
However the risk of accidents is high when nuclear energy is used. The meltdown of a 500-megawatt reactor situated 30 miles away from a city can lead to the immediate death of several people and cause irreparable damage to buildings. The nuclear waste generated is not easy to handle. If there is no proper shielding the dose can be lethal within seconds can be hazardous for several human generations.
Ten kilometers is a very small distance and it is not advisable to set up a nuclear power plant at such distance from a residential area.

Question 2

Solar radiation drives the distribution of weather systems and so influences _____________.

A) temperature zones
B) rainfall distribution
C) seasonal variations
D) all of the above

Answer 2

Latitudinal and seasonal variations in sunlight results in heating up of ocean water, which set currents in motion. These currents distribute the heat energy around the seas and affect the weather patterns. Hence the answer is
c. seasonal variations

Question 3

Use of off-road recreational vehicles may double over the next twenty years. Many off-road enthusiasts would like increased access to government-owned desert areas. Some argue that its just the perfect place for off-roaders because "Theres nothing there." Do you agree If not, how would you counter this argument

Answer 3

I do not support off vehicle riding in desert. The scarcity of water makes desert very fragile. It takes a very long time for the plants like saguaro cactus in the desert to grow. Off road vehicle riding leave tracks on the soil which damages the vegetation. Destruction of vegetation directly leads to soil erosion and indirectly to the destruction of animals. The habitats of some animals like rodents are also destroyed. Animals that hide in the sand, like the sand viper might be accidentally killed during the off road vehicle riding. Since soil in the desert is held by the plants roots, once plants are destroyed the soil will erode in the strong winds. 

Question 4

_____________________shields life against the suns UV wavelengths.

A) A thermal inversion
B) Acid precipitation
C) The ozone layer
D) The greenhouse effect

Question 5

Write a short description of how global warming may affect spring overturn and thermocline formation in a Minnesota lake. What would be some ecological effects

Question 6

Regional variations in the global patterns of rainfall and temperature depend on _____________.

A) global air circulation
B) ocean currents
C) topography
D) all of the above

Question 7

Thalia democratica , a salp, is one of our remote chordate relatives. This urochordate is part of marine plankton, usually in warm and temperate seas but also in cold, deep water. Salps swim, separately or in loose chains, in vast numbers. Salps range in size from 1.5 centimeters to a reported I tubular specimen ( Pyrostremma ) that was 20 meters long and wide enough for a scuba diver to swim through.on the feeding mode of urochordates. Then formulate a hypothesis on how the deep curtain of plastic debris in the ocean may adversely affect the vast salp populations and, through them, marine food webs.

Question 8

A rain shadow is a reduction in rainfall ________________.

A) on the leeward side of a mountain range
B) during an El Niño event
C) that occurs seasonally in the tropics

Question 9

Acid rain is one outcome of __________.

A) coal burning
B) gas and oil burning
C) nitrogen-rich fertilizers
D) all of the above

Question 10

Biomes are __________.

A) water provinces
B) water and land zones by dominant plants
C) vast expanses of land
D) partly characterized
E) both c and d

Question 11

Biome distribution depends on ____________.

A) climate
B) topography
C) soils
D) all of the above

Question 12

Grasslands most often predominate ___________.

A) near the equator
B) at high altitudes
C) in interior of continents
D) b and c

Question 13

During ___________, deeper, often nutrient-rich water moves to the surface of a body of water.

A) spring overturns
B) fall overturns
C) upwellings
D) all of the above

Question 14

Match the terms with the most suitable description.