Climate change
Hazard Prep
Mineral Resources
Sustainability
Misc
100
Which of the following has the most immediate effect on climate?
a) Change in the eccentricity of Earth's orbit
b) Volcanic eruptions
c) Greenhouse gas emissions
d) Weathering of carbonate sediments
b) Volcanic eruptions
Volcanic eruptions would release ashfall which has a high albedo. On the shortest term scale, this will start reflecting back light so there will be ~1-2 years where the planet cools down. However, as the ashfall settles, the temperature will increase because volcanic eruptions typically contain CO2 and water vapor, both of which are greenhouse gases.
100
Tsunamis are triggered by a large displacement of water. What are 2 things that can trigger this displacement?
Earthquakes, volcanoes, meteorites, landslides
Basically you need to move a ton of rock load to get the water to move
100
Pyrite and magnetite are commonly ores of iron. In which landscape region of NYS would you most likely find pyrite and magnetite?
Adirondack mountains
ESRT pg 9-10
100
Why is overfishing bad?
Limits biodiversity
Species do not have time to recover populations
Yields of fishing areas decrease which leads to fishermen having to go further out
100
Identify one fossil and resource available in Ithaca, NY
Salt
Any Devonian fossil
200
True or false:
Compared to CO2, methane has a higher heating potential
True- Methane's warming potential is ~30x greater than carbon dioxide per molecule. However, we usually care about CO2 for 3 reasons:
1) There is more of it
2) It has a greater residence time (stays in the atmosphere longer)
3) We emit it
200
What preparations can be done to buildings in the case of hurricanes?
Board up windows; hurricanes have strong winds so boarding up windows would prevent glass from blowing in
Each hazard has specific preparations to consider outside of the standard food and water:
Blizzards- warm blankets because cold
Volcanoes- masks for ashfall
200
Limestone commonly chemically weathers to form caves. Identify the mineral and mineral property for this
Calcite reacts with acid
200
Explain using the concept of limited resources, why recycling is important
Because mineral resources are limited, it becomes more and more costly to mine. Recycling typically reduces the need for mining.
200
Define greenhouse effect
Energy reradiated by the Earth is absorbed partially by the greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases heat up and reradiate energy back in all directions, including back down
300
How do we use ice core data to understand historical climates?
Ice cores allow us to see records of hundreds of millions of years. The further down you dig, the older the data. Within the ice cores there are gas pockets which can be analyzed to understand the atmospheric composition at the time. Because we have the gas composition, we can use math to calculate the temperatures of Earth at a time. (No you don't have to do the math)
300
Which hazard is least predictable and why.
Earthquakes
You can only measure it after the fact. You can expect that there will be an earthquake based on plate boundaries.
300
The image below shows the bedrock geology of Florida. Explain where and how one would find coal
Coal would have to be deeper underground because the bedrock age is from the Cenozoic period while most coal deposits come from the Carboniferous.
300
What is one issue with switching from fossil fuels to nuclear energy?
Nuclear energy leaves radioactive waste so it can be a concern to store it. Historically, in the US we store it in the mountains.
300
Why is it hotter in urban environments than rural environments of the same latitude?
Urban heat island effect:
Asphalt (Dark colors) and buildings generate and retain a lot of heat.
Urban areas have a higher density of people, which means they need to use more energy which leads to greater greenhouse gas emissions
Tall buildings restrict wind so there is less cooling
400
Explain the wind speed and direction for the hurricane
Hurricanes will typically follow storm tracks that are based on planetary wind belts (pg 19)
This follows the westerlies (moving from west to east)
Wind speed decreases as you go away from Florida because the heat source for the hurricane is warm, ocean water.
400
Why would you want to be in a stable and sturdy space in the case of an earthquake?
Things are more likely to fall in an earthquake so something stable and sturdy will prevent this.
400
How have people impacted biodiversity?
Positives: Zoos and breeding programs try to restore biodiversity
Cons: Invasives, habitat fragmentation, deforestation, wiping out of species
Overall, we don't help
400
Identify one drawback of wind energy
Wind turbines take up a lot of space and are very loud. People typically do not like this and the phrase "NIMBY"- "Not in my backyard" became a term for being against wind turbines.
400
Calculate the rate of change between 2020 and 1990 in the following image:
In 2020: 1850 ppb
In 1990: 1700 ppb
150 ppb/ 30 years= Increase of 5 ppb/year
500
Why should there be a greater probability of hurricanes IF global temperatures continue to increase?
Hurricanes are fueled by warm ocean waters. Increased temperatures will provide more energy so hurricanes will more likely form.
500
Why do we not get earthquake drills in NYC?
Not near a plate boundary, limited earthquakes
500
Although both are made of calcite, limestone in Buffalo NY can contain fossils while marble in Inwood cannot. Why
Limestone is sedimentary and can be made of compacted shells and can contain imprints of other species. However, due to the heat and pressure, metamorphic rocks will not contain fossils. They become deformed and become destroyed in the metamorphism process.
500
Explain using mineral resources why it is impractical for NYS to rely on fossil fuels
There are very limited oil fields in NYS, mostly focused around Machias.
500
Identify an issue with landfills
Landfills are only managed for ~30 years and contain a lot of waste. They take up a lot of space, do not allow trash to actually decay (needs oxygen to decay). This will release methane gas. Over time, they tend to also wear down which leads to acid leaching into the soil (sulfuric acid- think smell of rotten eggs).