Environmental Science 3205- Final Exam Review

Final Exam Outline:

Multiple Choice – 60%

Short Answer Questions – 25%

Case Study – 15%

Unit 1 – Introduction to Environmental Science

Key Terms

  1. Open System
  2. Closed System
  3. Environmental Science
  4. Ecology
  5. Multidisciplinary field
  6. Environmental Impact Assessment
  7. Food Chain
  8. Food Web
  9. Producer
  10. Consumer
  11. Primary Consumer
  12. Secondary Consumer
  13. Tertiary Consumer
  14. Decomposer
  15. Carnivore
  16. Omnivore
  17. Stewardship
  18. Carrying Capacity
  19. Environmental Conservation
  20. Biodiversity
  21. Niche
  22. Extinction
  23. Extirpation
  24. Mass Extinction
  25. Introduced Species
  26. 100 mile diet

Review Questions:

  1. What is the difference between an open system and a closed system?
  2. Is the earth an open system or a closed system? Explain (You may want to compare the earth to a spaceship)
  3. Why is environmental science called a ‘multidisciplinary field’? List and explain 3 types of careers that would be involved in environmental science.
  4. Imagine that there is a proposal to build an offshore oil rig near Makkovik, NL. Create a list of 5 different people or groups that will be affected by building the oil rig.
  5. Create a food web for your local environment. Include 10 different species, and show their feeding relationships.
  6. What is a stewardship? What are some of the challenges of creating a stewardship for a local area?
  7. What are the three main parts of being a good eco-citizen?
  8. What is Biodiversity?
  9. Scientists are now concerned that the earth is now in the middle of a mass extinction. What are 3 things that humans are doing that is causing this mass extinction? Suggest a solution to fix one of these things.
  10. Why has the population of Moose increased quickly in Newfoundland since they were introduced, but the population of moose in Labrador has grown slowly?
  11. What happened to the people that lived on Easter Island? Explain how their culture was not sustainable.

Unit 2 - Recreation and the Environment

Key Terms:

  1. Consumptive Activity
  2. Non-consumptive Activity
  3. Wilderness
  4. Ecotourism
  5. Newfoundland Railway
  6. Access Road
  7. All Terrain Vehicle
  8. Soil Compaction
  9. Quota

Review Questions:

  1. Make a list of 5 benefits of outdoor recreational activities. (162)
  2. What are 4 ways that hunting has changed in the past 100 or so years?
  3. Explain how a recreational activity such as camping has changed in the last 100 years.
  4. Make a list of 5 consumptive recreational activities and 5 non-consumptive recreational activities.
  5. How does ATV usage impact the soil that people drive on? What effect might this have on wildlife in the area?
  6. How did Moose Arrive in Newfoundland?
  7. What are some of the reasons why access roads are built? ( P 185)
  8. What are 2 benefits and 2 negative impacts that access roads have on the environment? (185)
  9. What make a list of 3 motorized and 3 non-motorized ways of accessing the environment.
  10. How did the Newfoundland Railway impact recreation in Newfoundland?
  11. What Environmental Problems did the Newfoundland Railway Cause?

Unit 3 – Mining and the Environment

Key Terms:

  1. Mining
  2. Open-Pit Mining
  3. Underground Mining
  4. Mountaintop Mining
  5. Fly-in Fly-out
  6. Ore
  7. Placer Mining
  8. Tailings Pond
  9. Minerals
  10. Hard Rock Mining
  11. Quarries
  12. Tailings
  13. Leaching
  14. Smelting
  15. Blood Diamond

Review Questions:

  1. What are the 4 main stages of mining? Describe each of the 4 main stages of mining briefly.
  2. Is mining a sustainable or non-sustainable resource? Explain.
  3. Why are most modern mining operations now ‘fly-in, fly-out’ as opposed to building towns near the mine site?
  4. Mining is considered one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet.
  5. What are some of the most dangerous parts of mining?
  6. What are some of the long-term health effects experienced by miners?
  7. Voisey’s Bay took a very long time to develop because of the environmental assessment that took place. Why was the Environmental Assessment at Voisey’s Bay unique to other sites? (433)
  8. Earlier, we looked a case study of an environmental officer at a mine site in New South Wales.
  9. What are some of the responsibilities of an environmental officer on a mine site?
  10. What are some skills that you may need to be an environmental officer?
  11. Areas that are involved heavily in the mining industry may benefit greatly from mining, but there are also disadvantages.
  12. What are some of the benefits that mining brings to an area?
  13. What are some of the disadvantages mining may have on an area?
  14. The Diamond Industry in Africa is a good example of how the mining industry can have more negative impacts than positive on a society.
  15. Describe how the Rebel United Front used the diamond industry against the people of Sierra Leone.
  16. Why should you be very careful about where you purchase diamonds?

Unit 4 – Water Use and the Environment

Keywords:

  1. Precipitation
  2. Groundwater
  3. Surface water
  4. Water cycle
  5. Transpiration
  6. E. coli
  7. Aquaculture
  8. Fish stock
  9. Catch Sentinel Fishery Program
  10. Watershed

Review Questions:

  1. Why is water considered a ‘scarce’ resource even though most of the worlds surface is water?
  2. Draw a Diagram of the water cycle.
  3. Why do oceans remain salty, even though rain and snow are made from fresh water?
  4. Look at a map of Labrador. How does the border between Labrador and Quebec relate to the watershed of each province?
  5. What happened in Walkerton, Ontario in May of 2000?
  6. What are the biggest challenges facing global fisheries today?
  7. What are 3 factors that caused the Newfoundland and Labrador Cod fishery to collapse?
  8. What other species are commercially fished in our province?
  9. Why is aquaculture a quickly growing industry worldwide?
  10. What is a ghost net? Explain how a ghost net gets lost in the ocean, and what impact it has on the ecosystem.
  11. How are seals impacting the recovery of the cod stocks in Newfoundland and Labrador?
  12. How do oil spills affect the local ecosystem in the short term and in the long term?

Unit 5 – The Atmosphere and the Environment

Key Terms:

  1. Atmosphere
  2. Greenhouse gas
  3. Global Warming
  4. Ozone Layer
  5. CFC

Review Questions:

  1. What are the four layers of the atmosphere? Draw a diagram to show where each layer is located.
  2. What two main gases make up the majority of our atmosphere?
  3. What other gases are found in the atmosphere?
  4. What is a greenhouse gas? List four greenhouse gases.
  5. Why are greenhouse gases important to life on earth?
  6. How is human activity increasing greenhouse gas levels?
  7. What are some of the expected impacts on the climate due to increase greenhouse gases?
  8. Why is the Ozone layer important to protecting life on earth?
  9. What did humans do during the 1980s to harm the ozone layer?
  10. Why is there still a problem with the ozone layer even today?