Topic 5 Pollution Management
Semester Exam Review Questions
Answers
Notes Ch. 5 – Part 1
5.1 – 5.2 Nature of Pollution. Detection pp. 217- 222
1. Is the spraying of pesticides on a field an example of point or non-point source pollution?
Explain your answer.
2. State and explain which type of pollution, point source or non-point source, is
easier to identify, control and eliminate.
3. State one human activity that may cause eutrophication and is an example of a
point source of pollution.
4. State one human activity that may cause eutrophication and is an example
of non-point source pollution.
5. What is BOD?
6. The BOD in a river at any point can be determined by what?
7. Why do organic pollutants cause a high BOD?
8. Why is photosynthesis a problem when measuring BOD?
1
9. List a 5 – step method to measure BOD:
10. By looking at fig. 5.2 which has a higher tolerance for organic pollution, Tubifex
or mayfly nymphs?
11. Why is there less oxygen available in the water ( less DO) on warm days?
12. How do warm organic pollutants affect DO? Fish?
2
13. How and why does the population of Tubifex change close to the point
source pollution of the organic pollutant and further down stream?
14. How and why does the population of mayfly nymphs change close to the
point source pollution of the organic pollutant and further downstream?
15. Make sure you understand fig. 5.3 p. 221
16. Outline one method of indirect measurement using a biotic index, that
would indicate that a lake is becoming eutrophic.
3
5.3 Pollution Management, DDT pp 223-230
17. What is DDT , what was it used for during WWII and after WWII?
18. Who is Rachel Carson, the name of her book and what did she claim?
19. When was it banned? Several dates but by 1980
20. Explain bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
21. What is the WHO ?
22. Fill in the blank:
Farmers exposed to DDT have higher risk of _______. DDT may cause __, ___ and ____
cancer. In Ecuador the use of _______ ______ and there was a 61% reduction of
________.
23. If a lake is sprayed with a non-biodegradable insecticide to kill mosquitoes,
after a few years the highest concentrations of insecticide are most likely to
be found in the
A.
upper layers of the lake.
B.
tissues of the mosquitoes and other insects.
C.
tissues of the freshwater plants.
D.
tissues of predatory fish and fish-eating birds.
4
24. The figure below shows a simple aquatic food chain which has been exposed to
a pesticide called DDT.
Land progressive sequence
Milk
Meat
Aquatic progressive sequence
Humans, the
ultimate accumulators
Third carnivore
(larger fsh)
Grazing
animals
Second carnivore
(larger fsh)
First carnivore
(larger fsh)
Herbivore
(smaller fsh)
Grass
DDT
spray
First accumulator
(algae, water plants)
Pollutant in
molecular form
[Source: Adapted from Goudie, A (1993) The Human Impact on the Natural Environment, Blackwell,
p.219]
(a)
(i)
State how many trophic levels are shown in the figure above.
(ii) Identify which trophic level represents:
the producers
the top carnivores
(iii) State and explain what may be happening to the concentration of
pesticide in the food chain.
(b) An estimated 1000 kg of plant plankton are needed to produce 100 kg
of animal plankton. The animal plankton is in turn consumed by 10 kg
of fish, the amount needed by a person to gain 1 kg of body mass.
(i)
Explain why the amount of biomass declines at each successive
trophic level.
10% of energy is used in respiratory processes at each trophic stage and
is lost as heat or waste
(ii)
Distinguish between a pyramid of biomass and a pyramid of
productivity
5
5.4 Eutrophication pp. 230 – 237
25. Outline one method of direct measurement that would indicate that a lake
is becoming eutrophic.
26. Outline one method of indirect measurement using a biotic index, that would
indicate that a lake is becoming eutrophic.
27. What are the there main ways of dealing with eutrophication?
28. Changing human activities. Know these :
29. Regulating and reducing pollutants.
a) What does “ divert sewage effluent” mean?
b) List 3 domestic campaigns used in Australia.
6
30. Clean up strategies. List the main clean up methods.
31. Prevention of eutrophication at the source. List basic ideas.
32. Describe and evaluate management strategies to restore a eutrophic lake.
33. Development of a tourist resort near a lake is proposed. Outline strategies
for determining the environmental impact of the development on the
lake.
7
Notes Ch. 5 – Part 2
5.5 Solid Domestic Waste, Ozone pp. 238- 242
1. List 4 major types of solid household waste that is being recycled today by
most countries. Which item is worth the most money?
2. What are the main categories in how household waste is being separated
– sorted at home?
3. What does the government do ( depending on the country) to motivate
and ensure that people are recycling waste?
IB general comments about recycling :



incentives may be necessary to encourage householders to
recycle rubbish;
recycling is cheaper if householders sort their own waste;
recycling will not continue if there is no demand for recycled
goods
Composting
4. Define composting –
5. How does it help in terms of recycling?
Landfills and Incineration pp. 240-241 – know all
8
9
6. Which of the following pairs are both examples of recycling?
A.
Manufacturing new aluminum cans from old ones; biodegradation of plastic
bags
B.
Processing newspapers into toilet paper; breaking down of raw sewage in the
oceans
C.
Converting used car tires to rubberized road surfaces; producing compost
from organic waste
D.
Producing methane from landfill sites; incinerating plastics
10
7. The table below shows the different types of domestic waste and the amounts produced
per capita each year in a city in a developed country.
Material type
Examples
Waste produced
per capita / kg yr–1
Organic material
garden waste, food/kitchen waste, wood
Paper
newspaper, writing paper, packaging,
cardboard, milk cartons
91.2
Plastics
soft drink bottles, plastic bags, plastic
containers
25.1
Glass
jars, bottles, plate glass
23.9
Metals
steel cans, aluminium packaging and
cans, copper pipes
14.4
Household hazardous
paint, dry cell batteries, car batteries,
fluorescent light bulbs
1.9
Miscellaneous
ceramics (bricks, tiles etc.) rock, ash, soil
Total
188
10.2
354.7
[Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data]
(a)
Calculate the proportion of paper, glass, plastics and organic material
combined as a percentage of total waste.
(b)
Outline and evaluate strategies for the management of the domestic waste in
the table above.
11
8. The diagram below shows amounts of waste being recycled or sent to landfill in
Australia between 1993 and 2002.
Key:
8
Waste to landfill
Recycled materials
7
6
5
Mass/
×105 tonnes
4
3
2
1
0
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997 1998
Year
1999
2000
2001
[Source: adapted from
www.environmentcommissioner.act.gov.au/_data/assets/image/12231/graph2_03.jpg]
(a)
(b)
(i)
State, to the nearest hundred thousand tonnes, how much material was
recycled in Australia during 2001.
(ii)
Explain why the amount of waste sent to landfill in Australia has
remained relatively constant since 1994 despite the increase in
recycling.
(i)
Outline two ways in which technology can reduce the amount of solid
domestic waste that is sent to landfill within a country.
1
2
(ii)
Explain why the technological solutions you have described in part
(b)(i) may still have negative environmental effects.
12
2002
5.6 Depletion of Stratospheric Ozone pp. 242- 248
Ozone and temperature :
10. Fill in the blanks : the ozone is found between approximately _______ to ________
km with the highest concentration found between about _____ and ____ km. This is
found mainly in the lower ________sphere and causes the temperature to _______ with
a(n)______________ in altitude.
IB Qs True or False : mark T or F . If false rewrite statement to make it true:
11.
Ozone gas is increasing in the upper atmosphere through the action of CFCs –
12.
Ozone gas is increasing in the upper atmosphere because of global warming –
13.
Ozone gas is decreasing in the upper atmosphere because of the increase in the
amount of nitrogen oxides produced by the combustion of fossil fuels
14.
The formation of ozone involves the absorption of ultra-violet radiation
.
15.
The type of ultra-violet radiation absorbed by the ozone layer does not affect
living organisms
16.
Chlorofluorocarbons in the stratosphere are rapidly broken down allowing
them to escape into the outer atmosphere
17. True or False : Ozone is destroyed by carbon dioxide released by burning fossil
fuels
13
18. The ozone layer can be protected by
I.
using substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals.
II.
reducing cattle production.
III.
recycling old refrigerators.
A.
I and II only
B.
I and III only
C.
II and III only
D.
I, II and III
14
19. The figure below shows the mean October ozone concentrations recorded at the
Halley research station, Antarctica, over a 45 year period.
350
300
250
200
Dobson units
150
100
50
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Year
[Source: J Shanklin, British Antarctic Survey, in Climate Change, 2001, Royal Society of Chemistry]
(a)
(i)
Describe the trend in ozone concentration in the figure above.
(ii) Suggest reasons for the trend you have described in (a) (i).
(b) Outline the role of ozone in the absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
(c)
State one negative consequence to humans of exposure to UV radiation
and one negative consequence to plants.
Humans
Plants
(d)
Outline three methods of reducing the quantity of ozone depleting
substances in the environment.
15
Notes Ch. 5 – Part 3
1. What are the common names for the troposphere and stratosphere?
2. What is the difference between ozone found in the troposphere versus
that found in the stratosphere? ( include how each is formed in your
explanation)
3. What does VOC stand for? How do they react? List some examples.
4. Nitrogen Oxides : remember that these can also deplete ozone ( ODS – ozone
depleting substances) in the stratosphere ( upper atmosphere) although they help
form the ozone in the troposphere ( lower atmosphere).
5. Use the following to explain the reaction that causes urban haze commonly
known as smog: fossil fuel, nitrogen monoxide, oxygen, and nitrogen dioxide.
6. List damage done by tropospheric ozone on crops and humans:
7. Photochemical smog is formed when primary pollutants interact with which of the
following?
A.
Water vapour
B.
Heat
C.
Oxygen
D.
Sunlight
8. Which factor greatly increases the likelihood of photochemical smog forming over a
city?
A.
Low altitude
B.
High rainfall
C.
Thermal inversion
D.
Short daylight hours
16
9. Which statement about photochemical smog is correct?
A.
Photochemical smog is independent of local topography and climate.
B.
Photochemical smog is a mixture of snow and rain formed when the upper air
temperature is below freezing.
C.
Photochemical smog results from the meeting of two air streams in areas of
low pressure.
D.
Photochemical smog is a mixture of pollutants formed under the influence of
sunlight.
Know the Following:
Major Green house gases : water vapor, CO2 , nitrous oxide, methane, CFCs and
ozone.
10. What is the difference between dry deposition and wet deposition? Explain
using examples.
11. Explain the formation of acid rain.
17
Effects of Acid Rain
12. List the characteristics of an acidified lake
13. How does acid rain cause high levels of mercury or aluminum in fish? How
can this harm humans?
14. Explain the effect ( in detail) of acid rain on coniferous trees and
subsequent loss of NEEDLES:
15. Define leaching
Management of Acid Deposition – Know the following:

Add chalk - limestone ( Calcium carbonate) to neutralize acid rain in
lakes
18
17. Which of the following is not a result of acid deposition from burning of fossil fuels?
A.
Leaching of calcium from soils
B.
Death of coniferous trees in forests
C.
Killing of fish due to high levels of aluminium in lakes
D.
Thermal expansion of oceans
18. Lime was put into Scandinavian lakes in the 1980s as
A.
a response to acid rain from the combustion of fossil fuels in other European
countries.
B.
an attempt to replace nitrogen lost by excessive harvesting of fish.
C.
an attempt to combat eutrophication caused by excessive local use of
fertilisers.
D.
a waste product from local industrial processes
19. Which method would be most effective in reducing the acidity of rain downwind of a
coal-fired power station?
A.
Burning high sulfur coal
B.
Increasing the temperature at which fuel is burned
C.
Fitting wet scrubbers (filters) to chimneys
D.
Converting the power station to burn high sulfur oil
19