AP Environmental Unit 7 Vocabulary

Catalytic converters reduce which of the following pairs of pollutants in car exhaust?

• Carbon dioxide and ozone

• Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons

• Carbon dioxide and particulates

• Lead and mercury

• Methane and particulates

Tags

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

Is primarily responsible for acid rain in the northeast United States

• uranium-238

• coal

• natural gas

• oil

• solar

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Occurs naturally in bedrock and leads to the formation of radon

• uranium-238

• coal

• natural gas

• oil

• solar

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

A paper company located on the banks of a river discharges its treated wastewater into the river.

Which of the following water quality indicators should be measured to best determine if the wastewater is increasing the acidity of the river?

• The amount of dissolved oxygen

• The total suspended solids

• The amount of hydrogen ions

• The species richness

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-5

Is the major pollutant that electrostatic precipitators are designed to remove from power-plant smokestack emissions

• Sulfur dioxide

• Lead

• Ozone

• Hydrocarbons

• Particulates

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-4

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

Emitted from most manufactured building materials and furniture

• asbestos

• radon

• lead

• carbon monoxide

• formaldehyde

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-7

Scientists are testing the effect of different scrubber technologies on the removal of pollutants from coal power plants. The scrubbers use a slurry of limestone and water. Which of the following best describes the impact of modifying the slurry by increasing the amount of limestone?

• The amount of sulfur dioxide released will decrease.

• The amount of ground-level ozone released will decrease.

• The amount of water released will increase.

• The amount of carbon monoxide released will increase.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-4

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

Scientists have been collecting atmospheric CO2 data for many years to monitor changes over time. Which of the following best describes why an island location, such as the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, is an ideal location to measure global CO2 concentrations?

• The island is also a dormant volcano, so there will be only anthropogenic atmospheric CO2 measured at the site.

• The location is below the inversion layer, making it less prone to local effects from industry and transportation.

• The location is far from any continent, providing atmospheric air samples that are less likely to be affected by industry and transportation.

• The impact of primary producers in the surrounding Pacific Ocean is negligible, reducing the effect of photosynthesis and respiration on CO2 levels.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Which of the following best describes how a scientist could accurately study the effects of soil buffering on plant growth in a region that is affected by acid deposition downwind of a coal-burning power plant?

• Measure changes in plant height over a year in a two different groups of trees; one group is 5km from the power plant and one group is 10km from the power plant.

• Measure the changes in plant height over a year in two different groups of trees the same distance from the power plant; one group is in topsoil and one group is in topsoil with limestone added.

• Measure changes in plant biomass over a year in two different groups of trees the same distance from the power plant; one group is not manipulated and one group is watered daily to dilute the deposition's acidity.

• Measure changes in plant biomass over a year in two different groups of trees; one group is 5km from the power plant over limestone bedrock and one group is 10km from the power plant that has nitrogen and phosphorus added to the topsoil.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

Which of the following best describes the process shown in the diagram above?

• Less-dense, cool air rises up and mixes with the denser warm air above it, increasing the amount of thermal pollution in the atmosphere.

• Less-dense, warm air creates a temperature inversion between more-dense layers, trapping pollutants near the ground.

• Dense, warm air from the mountains on the right pushes into the less-dense, cool air mass, causing an inversion layer.

• Movement of air currents over urban areas decreases the amount of photochemical smog during summer months.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6