Week 4
What is Biosphere 2?
An experimental, enclosed ecological system in Arizona designed to explore the viability of closed ecological systems to support and maintain human life, providing insights into Earth's complex systems and the challenges of recreating them.
how many degrees celsius is the barrier for mean global temperature increase we should not cross?
2 degrees
what energy source does most of Seattle's electricity come from?
hydro
what is the population of the earth in billions?
8 billion
do you need to bring a scantron to the test?
yes
The process of plants taking up water through the ground and releasing it into the air.
Transpiration
How does Ocean Acidification works, chemically?
OA occurs when CO2 dissolves in seawater, forming carbonic acid, which when dissociates into bicarbonate and hydrogen ions. The increased hydrogen ions decrease pH, while the reaction of hydrogen ions with carbonate to form more bicarbonate reduces carbonate availability for shell-forming organisms.
What is EROEI?
Energy Obtained from the fuel/Energy invested to obtain the fuel
What is the difference between positive and negative feedback?
Positive feedback amplifies the original trend and promotes instability and change, while negative feedback counteracts the trend and stabilizes the system.
What do you write with on the scantron and what do you write with for the short answer questions?
Pencil on the scantron, pen on the test.
approximately what percentage of the worlds water is available and drinkable?
about 1 percent
why do humans have to worry about ocean acification? we are land animals
the food web, or any other reasonable response
what energy source would reduce carbon emissions the most?
nuclear
Impact=population*affluence*technology
Talk about environmental ethics
a field of philosophy that examines the moral basis of environmental responsibility and the appropriate extent of this responsibility.