AP Environmental Science Chapter 9 questions

This is Mariko and I's submission for the end of chapter questions. We've also redone our tests and submitted them!

1. What are the "stabilization wedges" suggested by Pacala and Socolow at Princeton University (see table 9.2)? How many wedges do we need to accomplish to flatten our CO2 emissions?

Stabilization wedges represent something that can be done to reduce carbon emissions over the next 50 years. A "wedge" represents 1 GT of carbon emissions saved; scientists propose that only 7 GT per year in reduction need to be achieved to avoid doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide.

2. What is the greenhouse effect, and how does it work?

The greenhouse effect is named after the phenomenon where light energy enters the atmosphere but becomes trapped as heat energy because of the presence of particles in the atmosphere that absorb the heat and prevents its radiation back into space. It is called such because of the similarity to glass greenhouses; sunlight enters but becomes trapped within the glass enclosure, warming up the entire structure.

3. Why are we worried about greenhouse gases?

Greenhouse gases are believed to be the leading cause of global warming, leading to catastrophic consequences for the world: rising sea levels, destruction of animal habitats, adverse conditions for growing crops in many of the world's present breadbaskets.

4. What is the thermohaline ocean conveyor and what is happening to it?

The thermohaline ocean conveyor is the system of water circulation that happens around the world. For example, the Gulf Stream carries warm water from the Caribbean to northern Europe, helping to keep temperatures there well above what is expected to be of another place at a similar latitude.

5. Describe the El Niño/Southern Oscillation.

El Niño occurs when La Niña goes out of phase. La Niña is one large healthy cell that moves with a fast current, originating from the ocean and moving towards the coast. El Niño is when the La Niña cell splits into two weaker cells that originate from the the center of the ocean. El Niño happens every three to five years, and in those years, many coastal areas experience weather that is opposite of what is usually expected during the same season in a La Niña year.

6. What gas, action, and country make the largest contribution to global warming?

Carbon dioxide, the burning of fossil fuels, and China (though trailed very closely by the United States) make the largest contribution to global warming.

7. What has been the greatest air pollution control success in the United States since 1970?

The success of the Montreal Protocol in reducing ozone depletion has been the greatest success story for any joint resolution on air pollution in the world as well as the United States. However, nothing close to that has come since; the United States did not even sign the Kyoto Protocol on global climate change, and is unlikely to do so anytime in the future soon.

8. Define primary air pollutant, secondary air pollutant, photochemical oxidant, point source, and fugitive emissions.

A primary air pollutant is where pollutants are released in a harmful way. Secondary pollutant dont become toxic until they reach the air. Photochemical oxidant are pollutants than react with sunlight and heat to produce a pollutant. These are often found in cities. A point source is a concentrated pollution source such as a smokestack. A fugitive emmision is one that does not have a concentrated output area, this can often include dust.

9. What is destroying stratospheric ozone, and where does this happen?

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were destroying the atmosphere and were banned in the 1980s following the resolution of the Montreal Protocol.

10. What is the "new source review"?

The New Source Review is a contested aspect of the Clean Air Act established in 1977 that ensured that new emissions do not worsen air quality, especially those from factories that are "grandfathered" into the law because they were built before the law came into effect. The New Source Review program also assures people that any large new or modified industrial source in their neighborhoods will be as clean as possible, and that advances in pollution control occur with industrial expansion.