Geog 314 Exam Review Questions PDF

Geog 314 Exam Review Questions Please note that, while hints and some URLs have been provided for some questions as a starting point, these will not be included on the final exam version due to space constraints. Also – it’s possible to use point form for the short questions and even for parts of th...

Geog 314 Exam Review Questions Please note that, while hints and some URLs have been provided for some questions as a starting point, these will not be included on the final exam version due to space constraints. Also – it’s possible to use point form for the short questions and even for parts of the longer-answer questions, but it’s up to you to make sure that you provide enough information to complete your answer. Your instructors won’t be able to fill in missing bits, nor find extra marks by going through other parts of the exam. Final exam structure Two parts *short answer (1-3 marks) – 80 marks --includes 10 abbreviations, 10 definitions, and assorted 1-3 mark questions *longer answer (8-12 marks) – 44 marks —4 questions Potential Part 1 questions: Short answer – from the course material, what do these abbreviations stand for? NPP- Net Primary Productivity ODC- Ozone Depleting Chemical CCS UNFCCC- United Nations Framework convention on climate change IPCC- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change CoP- Conference of the Parties GLO- Ground level ozone VOC- Volatile Organic Compounds NOx- Nitric Oxide CO2e- carbon dioxide equivalent LULUCF- Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry ARD CDM- clean development mechanism CER- certified emission reductions JI- joint implementation ERU- emission reduction units NDC (hint: see the Paris Agreement) -Nationally determined contributions LFE (in Canada) DOE (from Schapiro “Conning the Climate” article) Designated Operational Entities EPR- extended producer responsibility (producers required to collect and recycle plastics) HARS (in BC)- Provincial Heat and Alert System Short answer -- know what these terms mean: Global Warming Potential - measures the ability of GHGs to trap heat in the atmosphere over a specific time period decarbonization trying to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used (Replacing coal with natural gas) Khazzoom–Brookes postulate, a.k.a. Jevons Paradox - increased energy efficiency can increase energy consumption emissions intensity -measure of the amount of GHG emissions produced per unit of activity. Ex. Measuring emissions from coal plant vs shoe factory brown ocean- When tropical hurricanes maintain severity when hitting landfall. Picking up moisture from saturated soil from earlier precipitation and then precipitating that moisture into a new area along the path of the hurricane receiver city urban area that absorbs or receives a significant number of people migrating from other regions due to environmental or economic factors Pigovian/Pigouvian tax attempting to compensate for negative externalities ( taxing tobacco, liquor) used to discourage buyers from purchasing carbon colonialism - rich, developed countries exploiting less developed, poor countries to offset their carbon emissions decoupling the economy -Theory that economies can make output independent of carbon emissions tax-shifting (in the context of carbon pricing) -strategy where governments implement carbon taxes and then reduce other taxes to offset the burden on economic the person. Shifting a tax tropical nights (in the context of the “Climate Projections for Metro Vancouver”) - a nighttime temperature in the metro Vancouver area that reaches at least 20 degrees Celsius backcasting proxy data (and give an example from class) Proxy data is the preserved physical characteristic of the environment that can account for direct measurements - example: Tree ring growth, pollen analysis from sediment cores Nurdle- small plastic pellet used to make plastic products zombie fire- fires that smolder below the surface in the winter virtual water - the amount of water required to produce a particular amount of a given commodity ( water used to create product) net zero by 2052 goal to achieve balance between GHGs emitted and GHGs removed from atmosphere. Emissions must be counter balanced attribution studies Hint: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/18/climate-crisis-to-blame-for-dozens-of-impossible-heatwaves-s tudies-reveal Short-answer questions (1 or 2 marks): *What kind of pollutant is PM? Where does it come from? mixture of solid tiny particles aswell as liquid particles. Can come from human or natural activity, combustion of fossil fuels or from natural dust or fires *What are the main sources of SO2 in the US, and in Canada? US- Burning coal Canada- Smelting ores *Why isn’t SO2 included in the Kyoto Protocol? Differences in “climate forcings” (drivers) *What are the precursor pollutants for acid rain? Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Both act as acids S02 NOx *What are the precursor pollutants for photochemical smog? NOx VOCs *Aside from CO2, and the specialized industrial chemicals (HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and most recently NF3) – which other greenhouse gases are covered by the Kyoto Protocol? CH4, N20 *What’s the main difference between CERs (under the CDM) and ERUs (under the JI procedure)? the type of project and the countries that receive it ERUs allows developed countries to implement projects in other developed countries CERs allow developed countries to implement projects in other developed countries *Both CERs and ERUs (and also RMUs and AAUs) are the same amount of CO2e. How much, by mass? 1 tonne of CO2e *What percentage below 2007 levels is British Columbia’s legislated greenhouse gas emissions target (in CleanBC), and what year is it supposed to be achieved by? - 40%. Achieved by 2030 *What year did BC bring in the provincial carbon tax? What is the current price (dollars per tonne of CO2e)? Spring of 2008 the tax was introduced - $80 per tonne of C02 *According to the UN climate agreements, to qualify as a “forest” under the official definitions, a tract of land must total more than 0.5 ha in area. What’s the minimum % canopy cover, and tree height? -10% tree canopy 5m tree height 0.5 ha of land covered *When was the last time the planet had an average monthly global temperature below the 20th century average? (month and year) - February 1985 *A lot of climate change skeptics blame volcanoes for the majority of pollution (emitting gases like CO2 and SO2). Why is this incorrect? Human activity amounts to more than 90 times what volcanoes emitt *Most nitrogen compounds being emitted are anthropogenic – what kinds of activities are responsible for this? -agriculture (fertilizer use and livestock waste) -transportation(vehicle emissions) -industrial activity (fossil fuel combustion) *If all the water on Earth were represented by $20, how much of it is in liquid surface freshwater (lakes etc.), soil moisture, and the atmosphere? ODC $0.01 in lakes, rivers, soil moisture and atmosphere *Approximately how much carbon dioxide (by mass) does a litre of gasoline release, upon combustion? 2.3kg/ L *Why does it matter what time of year an earthquake occurs in coastal BC, in terms of potential damage? (What might make infrastructure more vulnerable?) If it occurs in fall winter or spring (when precipitation is frequent) grounds can become more unstable and more prone to landslide or collapse. Infrastructure on these grounds are vulnerable From the Bar-On et al. (2018) paper looked at in class – about what percentage of the world’s mammal biomass is represented by wild mammals like whales, tigers, and squirrels? 4% In terms of sheer number of fatalities, what was the deadliest weather event in Canadian history? - BC’s Heatwave was the most deadly. Short-answer questions (2-3 marks): *One reason why sea levels are rising is that climate change is causing the water to warm up and expand. What are two other reasons why sea levels are going up? (Hint: the actual amount of water in the oceans is increasing.) 1. - 25% of current sea level rise is result of reallocation of water from the ground to the ocean 2. Humans are main cause since 1971, causing these activities that rise the sea level *What are UNFCCC Annex II countries supposed to be responsible for? Is Canada in this group? (Hint: see the glossary for the UNEP 2023 Emissions Gap Report, “Broken Record”. Also the treaty document.) https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2023 https://unfccc.int/cop3/fccc/climate/annex2.htm *In the “Climate Projections for Metro Vancouver” study, the variable “tropical nights” is the number of days per year where the nighttime low temperature is above 20 deg C. Currently the average yearly value is 0. By the 2050s, this could happen 4 days per year; and by the 2080s, 19. At first it doesn’t seem dangerous (20 deg C is routinely described as “room temperature”.) As we discussed in class, what are the implications for human health? https://metrovancouver.org/services/air-quality-climate-actio/Documents/climate-projections-for-metro-vancouver-201 6.pdf *Carbon trading is based on the premise that the emission units are “fungible”. What does this mean? And why isn’t it completely true? (Hint: think about the relative benefit of removing a tonne of CO2 from the air by planting trees – compared with keeping it out of the atmosphere entirely.) Units are not fungible, a dollar can buy a tonne of GHG in Ontario but can also buy two tonnes in california, its better for environement for Ontario company to buy in california - one tonne kept out of the atmosphere is better than one tonne emitted then taken out of atmosphere *Is it possible for emissions intensity to drop, while absolute emissions are increasing? Why or why not? Yes. Emissions can become more sustainable or efficient but can lead to more energy consumption, more efficient processes must be adopted *The carbon tax is criticized for being a regressive tax – what does this mean? How can this problem be addressed? regressive tax meaning that it takes a larger percentage of income from low income than high income people. Can be addressed through rebates for low income households *In the new BC plastics strategy that’s been implemented over the past year, four regulated categories of plastics are covered. One of them is “Disposable Food Service Accessories”. What are the other three? Lecture 12 maybe *Currently what’s the main cause for most species extinctions? Also, list two other factors we discussed in class. 1. Habitat Change 2. Climate change 3. Overharvesting *What’s the difference between green hydrogen and blue hydrogen? Green hydrogen- electrolysis using renewables (renewable electricity) Blue hydrogen- (fossil) methane with CCS (methane or coal) *What’s the difference between afforestation and reforestation? Afforestation establishing forests on land that wasnt historically forested Reforestation - land that had recent tree cover, new trees being grown *Why does it make a big difference, if higher temperatures mean that BC mountains get rain instead of snow in the winter? (Hint: Two reasons.)  reduced snowpack Increased flood risk *What’s the main difference between the concepts of carrying capacity and ecological footprints? - Carrying Capacity is the population that can be supported by a given area of land while ecological footprints is the area of land required to support a population *Explain the difference between “in situ” and “ex situ” biodiversity conservation, using agricultural crops as an example. In Situ on-site conservation in a natural environment. Growing in natural environement Helping animal or plant species survive and flourish in their natural environments Ex Situ Off site conservation in an artificial environment. Not growing in natural environement. May be used if natural population is very low due to habitat loss or disease. Captive breeding. May provide false sense of security *Explain the difference between species that are exotic, compared with “invasive exotics”. Invasive exotics are species that multiply rapidly and may displace native species and harms the native ecosystem. They may change the landx exotic species are not native to the ecosystem but does not cause harm to it *Explain how cane toads in Australia affected both “naïve prey” and “naïve predators”. The toads are able to hunt and eat large numbers of insects and small animals making them naive predators. However, they can be toxic when they are preyed upon by native predators making them naive prey. - some predators have learnt to deal with toxins or avoid toads, others have not *What are “oxo-degradable” plastics and why does the BC government want to get rid of them? plastic that does not fully break down but turns into microplastics “Green plastic” Wants to get rid to meet the EPR 5 year action plan *What are the thresholds for an extreme heat emergency in our part of BC, for nighttime and daytime temperatures? (This would be for situations lasting 3+ days.) - Daytime high of 29, nighttime low of 16 *Approximately what proportion of global energy use do fossil fuels account for? Is coal, petroleum, or fossil methane (natural gas) the most prominent source? fossil fuels amount to 80% of worlds energy *What are “low-carbon resilience” actions? (Hint: think of how they relate to both adaptation and mitigation.) Give an example of one that we looked at in class. Some actions include water conservation, education and new energy systems. - ex: increasing soil organic matter to improve fertility and moisture retention while keeping carbon out of the atmosphere *In the atmosphere, greenhouse gases behave in such a way that removing a tonne of CO2e (or preventing its emission) in Vancouver is just as effective if you do it on another continent. Explain why this is different from, for example, acid rain or GLO.  removing CO2 from anywhere in the world is effective as it is all eventually released into the atmosphere and circles around for a year before it is converted. *Climatologists have identified some potential feedbacks that could happen. Describe two positive feedback loops we looked at in class, which could intensify climate change. Positive feedback loops warmer temperatures cause forest fires, C02 is released Ice and snow melt, albedo decreases, surface heats up, more ice is then melted *Which is the most dangerous quadrant of a tropical cyclone making landfall in the Northern Hemisphere, and why? Right-front - this section tends to have higher winds and storm surge *Explain how cutting back fossil fuels would benefit human health due to reducing other pollutants besides greenhouse gases. Describe two reasons for this, which we looked at in the course. Improved air quality Less smog covered cities Fewer premature deaths *“Ban it, tax it, or trade it” — with reference to the course material, explain a real-life example for each of these three different approaches, to managing pollution/waste. Provide details like where this happened and what substance was being regulated. Please use different types of examples – if you mention carbon dioxide once, pick different chemicals for the others. Ban it-Banning the use of leaded gasoline in canada due to issues with exposure to it Tax it- Carbon(C02) Taxes in Canada Trade it- S02 and N0x used in emission trading, setting limits on amounts that are allowed to be emitted *Explain three ways in which anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions could affect salmon populations. -Warming water temperatures (increased GHGs rising water temps affecting migration) -Changes in streamflow (altered precipitation and glacial melt can erradicate streamflow) -Ocean acidification (higher CO2 levels in water impact food sources) - *Explain three ways in which we are “eating fossil fuels”. -Food production (fossil fuels used in fertilizers and pesticides, machines) -transportation (fossil fuel powers trucks and ships) - food processing ( cooking, packaging processes rely on fossil fuels for energy) *From the UBC “Living With Water” reading -- describe three changes we could make, to help us adapt to rising sea levels. https://beyond.ubc.ca/accept-rising-sea-levels/ Clam gardens, built at the low tide line, rock walls act like a submerged breakwater and a habitat for clams Sediment diversion, invloves raising the marshes and wetlands to establish themsevles as sea levels rise Moving to higher ground, retreat to higher ground to keep ecosystems as they are *Referring to the hazards unit from the course, explain three factors that may have contributed to the devastating Maui fires in 2023. *As discussed in class, explain THREE important differences between the greenhouse effect and the problem with the ozone layer. (The Whitman Challenge) Whitman was head of the Bush era EPA and didnt know why Location global warming(GHG) - troposphere Ozone layer- stratosphere Energy Wavelength  GHG- transparent to UV, absorbs longwave Ozone- absorbs UVm generally transparent to longwave Chemicals GHG — CO2, CH4, N2O, CFCs Ozone depletors- Cl atoms in CFCs *While individual efforts to reduce our own carbon footprints are worthwhile and will likely have other positive side-effects (financial, health, etc.), authors like Lukacs, Monbiot, and Gifford note that we also should be alert to attempts at manipulation. They are concerned that manufacturers have a vested interest in trying to get us to buy “green” products that aren’t effective, or distracting us from advocating for deeper changes. Explain why putting most of the responsibility for cutting emissions onto ordinary consumers is problematic. Give three different examples. it is reported that only 100 companies are responsible for 2/3 of global carbon emissions Placing responsibility on consumer rather than making structural changes. “ it is up to you to deal with environmental impact of their products” *From the “Climate Boomtowns” reading, explain three negative impacts on receiving communities, if there isn’t advance preparation for migration. placesjournal.org/article/climate-migration-boomtowns-and-receiver-cities Also – what do they mean by “human climate niche”, for North America? *Heatwaves and heat domes can cause significant numbers of deaths, but are seemingly not feared as much as other extreme weather events. Explain what might be accounting for this gap in perceptions. - it can be seen as invisible *For the “krill paradox”, what happened to krill populations after whale numbers had been drastically reduced by overhunting in the 20th century? What do researchers think caused the numbers of krill to change like that? *What are the conditions that could cause a nuclear winter? dust and smoke from nuclear strikes reaching the stratosphere can block sunlight, leading toagriculture failure. Ozone layer destroyed. Less than 100 bombs *List three international treaties we looked at in class, which recognize that air pollution crosses international borders. Kyoto protocol UNFCCC- United Nations framework convention on climate change Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone Potential Part 2 questions: *We looked at four types of adaptive strategies for climate change (actually five, but the last one is just status quo). List the FIRST FOUR types and describe an example of each from the course, that could be used to respond to climate change. *Explain FIVE different ways in which the economy could be made more “circular”, using examples. (You may find it helpful to look at the lifecycle analysis research we did for the course.) Reusing Reparing Refurbishing Remanufacturing Repurposing recycling *List FIVE advantages and FIVE disadvantages to ecosystem-based (e.g. tree-planting) carbon sequestration. (These can be biophysical, or socio-economic.) Hint: see the New Internationalist readings. Advantages:  Less specialized technology (no drilling) Can accomplish other goals (habitat preservation) Tree planting Encouraging soil to hold on to carbon. Making it more nutrient dense Disadvantages - *In the Leeside fictional scenario, around 2029 a situation becomes evident in Fiddler’s Green. Why is it a problem, and what (if anything) do city officials decide to do about it? If you were a local resident who was negatively affected, would you feel satisfied with the outcome? Explain your reasoning. (Here is the original link -- the PDF is also included in the Week 10 readings.) https://qz.com/1891446/welcome-to-leeside-the-uss-first-climate-haven/ *Select two artworks from the gallery in the US 5th National Climate assessment and analyze them, in terms of at least two concepts we covered in class. Explain whether or not you feel they are effective, in how they communicate climate issues. https://nca2023.globalchange.gov *Based on the BC coroner’s report on the deaths caused by the heat dome in 2021, describe FIVE important characteristics noted for the victims, and explain why these made them vulnerable.https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/death-review- panel/extreme_heat_death_review_panel_report.pdf 1. Age- People aged 70-79 were at highest risk and those ages around 2. Health- 3. Living situation - AC vs no AC 4. Indoors/outdoors- 5. Housing infrastructure- *The Suzuki Foundation developed a rating system for carbon offsets. (Hint: Section 5 in their document, available as a PDF in the Week 13 readings.) Which criteria did they select? List the SIX individual criteria and explain why they’re important, using examples. *It’s becoming evident that misinformation and conspiracy theories, if they get out of hand, can affect disaster response and even be harmful to public safety. Imagine you’re analyzing these situations for BC’s new Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. a) Identify THREE different problems that the spread of misinformation (whether accidental or deliberate) can cause -- in terms of conflicts, hindering the response by the authorities, hazards to first responders and the public, general confusion, etc. Give examples of actual situations you’ve found. (This can be elsewhere in the world, besides BC -- include details like where, when, etc.) b) Discuss THREE things (policies, pieces of legislation, educational initiatives, etc.) we could do, that you feel could help avoid these issues, or make them less serious. This could be for the immediate future, or implemented over a much longer term (aiming at cultural changes).