NAME: ______________________________ ISU ID: ________________________

Practice Exam #3
Env S/EnSci/Geol/Mteor 324 Spring 2019
Multiple Choice Questions

1) Power plants burning fossil fuels are responsible for emitting what percentage of total SO2 and NOx,
respectively, into the atmosphere each year in the U.S.?
a. 50% and 50%
b. 25% and 21%
c. 67% and 21%
d. 10% and 90%

2) What carbon reservoir has the largest capacity for storing atmospheric carbon?
a. The deep ocean
b. The lithosphere
c. Permafrost
d. Energy crops

3) Which of the following is (are) evidence used in class to argue that natural climate forcings are not
responsible for modern global warming?
a. Temperature change during the glacial-interglacial cycles occurred at a rate of 2°C per
century.
b. Observed modern warming of 1°C per century is 2-5 orders of magnitude faster than
temperature change observed in the geologic past.
c. The occurrence of snowballs and blizzards in winter.
d. None of the above are correct.

4) Choose the option that best completes the following sentence:

Passage of Title IV of 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments was important, because ________ .
a. It established a non-market approach to reducing emissions
b. It capped SO2 emissions at twice the amount of 1980 emissions
c. It showed how successfully a cap and trade system combined with new emission reduction
technology could work
d. All of the above are correct

5) Environmental impacts of acid deposition in the northeastern U.S. include which of the following?
a. Decrease in fish species diversity
b. Red spruce trees show increased susceptibility to freeze injury
c. Decrease in soil nutrient content
d. All of the above are correct

6) What is geoengineering in the context of climate change?

a. Building of artificial biospheres in Earth’s interior that will ensure survival of climate change.
b. Deliberate modification of Earth’s energy balance via global scale engineering projects.
c. The synergy created when geologists and engineers join forces.
d. Deliberate modification of Earth’s carbon cycle through solar radiation management.
7) What is PM2.5?
a. Airborne particulate matter that has a diameter between 2.6 and 10 microns.
b. The EPA drinking water standard for molybdenum concentrations.
c. Airborne particulate matter that has a diameter less than or equal to 2.5 microns.
d. None of the above are correct.

8) Choose the option that best completes the following statement:

The historical (~1880-present) increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is correlated
with a large negative excursion in atmospheric carbon isotopes. This correlation suggests that the
major source of historical carbon dioxide emissions is ________ .
a. heavy carbon isotopes
b. volcanic eruptions
c. organic carbon
d. None of the above are correct.

9) In parts of the country where areas of photochemical smog often occurs, why does the peak
concentration of ozone (O3) occur in the afternoon between noon and 3 pm?
a. Solar UV radiation is necessary to produce ozone, and the sun is at its zenith during
the early afternoon.
b. Primary pollutants from vehicles are emitted predominantly from noon to 3 pm.
c. Land breezes (wind blowing from land to sea) are strongest in early afternoon.
d. All of the above are correct.

10) Choose the option that best completes the following statement:
The stable oxygen isotope composition of glacial ice can be used to estimate ____________ in the
geologic past.
a. the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide
b. the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (in general)
c. the average temperature of glacial ice
d. the average temperature of the atmosphere

11) Why is photochemical smog more problematic in the summer months?

a. The lower lapse rate traps the air pollution at a lower altitude
b. The lower lapse rate allows the air pollution to travel to higher altitudes
c. The higher lapse rate allows ozone to be produced without sunlight
d. The higher lapse rate overwhelms the acid neutralizing capacity of local environments.

12) Choose the option that best completes the following statement:
Improper fuel/air mixtures when burning fossil fuels produces ________________ .
a. Ammonium
b. Carbon monoxide
c. Silicic acid
d. Bicarbonate ions
Short Answer Questions

1) Acid deposition in the northeastern United States has had a detrimental impact on both terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems. For terrestrial ecosystems, the initial effect of acid deposition involves soil.
In aquatic ecosystems, the initial effect involves zooplankton (i.e., microscopic animals).

Choose one of these two ecosystems and describe how acid deposition has degraded it. Organize your
answer as a process that starts with a more thorough description of the initial effect mentioned
above and the consequences for other aspects of your chosen ecosystem.