MB130P60E Global Change, Photosynthesis, and Sustainability
Spring semester, 2010/2011
Questions
1. What is the main difference between science dealing with plants or climate
chase and science of sustainability.
2. How much carbohydrates (g or kg) is needed to supply energy for an average
human energy expenditure of 12,500kJ per day.
3. What are the mains forms of energy absorbed by a leaf or canopy from their
environment.
4. What are the main forms of energy that decrease temperature of a leaf or
canopy.
5. Are the physical laws regulating the absorption and emission of radiation
energy the same for a non-living physical object and for a living leaf?
6. What is the value and meaning of the solar coefficient?
7. What form of renewable energy on the Earth depends on the Moon orbiting?
8. Mean geothermal heat flow (per m2) corresponds to what portion (in % or ratio
or J) of solar energy incident on the Earth?
9. Is there any limitation in the use of geothermal energy?
10. What are the 5 main forms of ocean renewable energy?
11. Why are fossil fuels considered to be historically unique and never more
repeatable subsidy to human economy and living standard?
12. By how much (oC) was the 2010 global mean temperature higher than the
mean for the 20th century?
13. In 2010 the mean temperature was higher on the North or South hemisphere?
14. What are the main meteorological parameters (give at least 4) used for the
characteristic of climate?
15. What is the minimum time interval used as a source of data for the
characteristics of climate?
16. What is the global annual mean of the use of incident solar radiation in plant
photosynthesis?
17. Outline a figure illustrating the dependence the rate of photosynthesis of a C3
and a C4 plant on the CO2 concentration.
18. When and how in the Earth´s history was the oxygen concentration of the
atmosphere considerably increased?
19. Why did the increased O2 concentration in the air a necessary prerequisite for
the expansion of living organisms on the continents?
20. What is the molar ratio between the amount of CO2 released into the
atmosphere CO2 from fossil fuel burning and the amount of oxygen absorbed
during the burning process?
21. Specify the difference between sustainability and sustainable development of
human societies.
22. What is the annual increase in the global population at the beginning of 21st
century?
23. UN predicts that by the year 2100 the world population will reach 6, 9 or 14
billions (109)?
24. Give the number of hectares per 1 global inhabitant at the beginning of the 21st
century.
25. During the last 40 years the meat consumption considerably increased. What
is the consequence for cereal consumption?
26. What is the ratio between (solar energy in the crop yield) and (the input
energy derived from fossil fuels)?
27. Clearing of forests and their transformation into agricultural land is less
favourable in the tropics. Explain.
28. List at least 5 reasons, why the term “sustainable development” became
popular during the last 2 decades.
29. Explain the term “Anthropocene” as presented by Steffen et al.
30. List at least 10 phenomena characterizing global change.
31. Where is located the Global Change Research Centre of the AS.
32. Give an example illustrating that the impact of current human activities could
last for over very long periods.
33. Give at least 7 phenomena identifying and quantifying planetary boundaries.
34. Who was and when lived George Perkins Marsh?
35. What is the importance of the book Man and Nature?
36. Explain the main credit of Vladimir Ivanovitch Vernadski.
37. Who was and when lived Aldo Leopold?
38. Characterize the importance of the book A Sand County Almanac.
39. When the book A Sand County Almanac was Publisher?
40. Who was and when lived Rachel Carson?
41. Characterize the importance of the book Silent Spring.
42. Explain the meaning of the title of the book Silent Spring.
43. Who was Gro Harlem Brundtland.
44. What is the publication “Our Common Future”?
45. What are the three main pillars of sustainable development?
46. Why the most common characteristics of sustainable development cannot be
considered as a serious definition?
47. Why should we recommend reading of books written by Jared Mason
Diamond ? Or why not?
48. Who is James Lovelock?
49. Why should we recommend reading of books written by James Lovelock? Or
why not?
50. Do you think that biologists have special ethical responsibilities related to the
protection of nature?
51. What is the current global population?
52. What is the annual increase in the global population at the beginning of the
21st century?
53. What is the difference between the CO2 concentration in the year 2009 and
2010?
54. Why could insects as a source of food increase the availability of food on the
Earth?
55. Scientists are worried because of the increase in CO2 concentration in the
atmosphere but not about the decrease in the O2 concentration. Explain.
56. Over the ocean surface the precipitation is higher or lower than evaporation?
57. Where could be found water representing the difference between
evapotranspiration and precipitation over continents?
58. Explain the effect of increasing CO2 concentration on the amount of water in
the rivers.
59. Explain the principle of the gasometrical measurement of the rate of
photosynthesis.
60. What is FACE?
61. Draw a graph illustrating the effect of CO2 concentration on the rate of
photosynthesis of C3 and C4 plants (describe the axes).
62. Draw a graph illustrating the effect of temperature on the rate of
photosynthesis of C3 and C4 plants (describe the axes).
63. Explain the way in which the increasing CO2 concentration could modify the
species composition of canopies.
64. What are the direct effects of CO2 on plants.
65. The increase in the crop yields cultivated under enhanced CO12 concentration
reached 10, 25 or 50 per cent?
66. During the last 800 000 years, the CO2 concentration varied from ? to ? ppm.
67. What was the mean interannual change of the CO2 concentration (ppm) in
the last 800 000 years?
68. What was the mean interannual change of the CO2 concentration (ppm) in
the last decade?
69. When the CO2 concentration reaches its maximum during a year?
70. When the CO2 concentration reaches its minimum during a year?
71. What part of global human population lives in countries where the CO2
emissions per capita are higher than the global mean?
72. Is the GDP directly or indirectly proportional to the CO2 emissions?
73. What is the region of wavelength for the UV-A solar spectrum?
74. What is the region of wavelength for the UV-B solar spectrum?
75. What is the region of wavelength for the UV-C solar spectrum?
76. What are the wave lengths of the PAR?
77. What is the proportion (%) of the long wave radiation in the Sun spectrum?
78. One mol of “red photons” represents more or less energy than one mol of
“blue photons”?
79. Sun radiation is considered as a short wave length radiation. What is the long
wave radiation?
80. Explain the Wien´s displacement law.
81. What is the common value of albedo of a leaf?
82. What is the common property of greenhouse gases?
83. What is the ratio between energy absorbed by the Earth surface and energy
emitted from the Earth surface?
84. The efficiency of utilization of solar energy in photosynthesis is higher at low or
high radiation?
85. What is the leaf area index?
86. What is the leaf area index of a dense wheat canopy?
87. Explain the term “harvest index”.
88. What is the realistic maximum of the utilisation of incoming solar radiation by a
canopy with C3 plants?
89. What is the realistic maximum of the utilisation of incoming solar radiation by a
canopy with C4 plants?
90. What are the typical species used as energy crops?
91. Explain the term “second generation of energy crops”.
92. What are the main effects of volcano eruption on the temperature of the Earth
surface?
93. What is the effect (in W m-2) of variations in solar luminosity?
94. The Sun luminosity is directly or indirectly proportional to the number of
sunspots?
95. Explain the term “radiative forcing”.
96. Explain the term “global warming potential”.
97. Explain the term “ CO2 equivalent”.
98. What is the temperature change related to the radiative forcing of 1 Wm-2?
99. What are the main activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change?
100.
What proportion (%) of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions remains in
the atmosphere?
101.
What proportion (%) of the anthropogenic CO2 is absorbed by the
oceans?
102.
Until the 18th century, the absorption of atmospheric CO2 by terrestrial
ecosystems was higher or lower than the emissions?
103.
Until the 18th century, the terrestrial ecosystems functioned as sink or
source of atmospheric CO2 ?
104.
What is the annual change of atmospheric CO2 concentration (ppm)?
105.
The total annual emissions of CO2 by developed countries is higher or
lower than that of developing nations?
106.
What is the current concentration of methane?
107.
What are the most important natural sources of methane?
108.
What are the most important anthropogenic sources of methane?
109.
Relate the radiative forcing of CO2 and CH4.
110.
What are methane hydrates?
111.
Explain the positive aspects of methane hydrates.
112.
Explain the risks in exploiting the methane hydrates.
113.
Do plants emit methane under aerobic conditions?
114.
The nitrous oxide is more or less effective greenhouse gas than
methane?
115.
What are the main sources of N2O emissions at present?
116.
Chlorofluorocarbons are dangerous for the ozone layer or as
greenhouse gas?
117.
Estimate the approximate amount of C content in 1 ton of dry wood.
118.
Estimate the approximate amount (kg) of CO2 released after burning of
1 ton of plant dry matter.
119.
Estimate the approximate amount (Litre) of CO2 released after
burning of 1 ton of plant dry matter.
120.
Explain the term blue water.
121.
Explain the term green water.
122.
Explain the term virtual water.
123.
How much water plants absorb from the soil and release into the
atmosphere during the period when just 1 ton of plant DM was produced in
photosynthesis?
124.
What are the components of the global hydrological cycle?
125.
Explain the term “Intensification of the hydrologic cycle“
126.
The temperature increase of the atmosphere is coupled with its
increase or decrease in the water vapour content?
127.
Explain some of the consequences of the Intensification of the
hydrologic cycle
128.
Could be atmospheric nitrogen assimilated by plants?
129.
What is the main anthropogenic effect of the recent global nitrogen
cycle?
130.
What could limit the availability of phosphate fertilizers in the future?
131.
What is the ratio of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions due to land use
change and due to fossil fuel burning (x : y or percent of total)?
132.
The annual change of CO2 absorption varies more for the continents or
on the ocean?
133.
Could there be ocean areas where CO2 is released into the
atmosphere?
134.
What is the main difference between the CO2 utilisation by plants on
the continents (terrestrial) and in the ocean?
135.
What are the main (3) factors determining the amount of CO2 absorbed
by the oceans in the future ?
136.
Explain the term “biological pump” in the ocean.
137.
Could there be a nutrient limitation of the rate of photosynthetic CO2
fixation in the ocean?
138.
Explain the contrasting effects of atmospheric increase in CO2
concentration and in the temperature on the strength of the ocean CO2 sink.
139.
Illustrate some of the consequences of the ocean acidification.
140.
What is the pH change of the oceans during the last 2 decades.
141.
Explain the term “mitigation” in relation to global climate change.
142.
Public engagement into the global climate change is important. Why?
143.
What are the main forms of renewable energy sources (at least 5)?
144.
What is the approximate portion of renewable energy sources from
recent total energy use?
145.
Explain the term carbon capture system.
146.
List some examples of storage options of CO2 emitted from the fossil
fuel burning.
147.
What is the main problem of the carbon capture systems?
148.
List some examples of biospheric greenhouse gas emission mitigation
measures.
149.
Explain the term “geoengineering”.
150.
List some examples of geoengineering projects.
151.
List some (at least 5) examples of benefits of stratospheric
geoengineering.
152.
List some (at least 10) examples of risks of stratospheric
geoengineering.
153.
According to your view, what are the main risks of stratospheric
geoengineering?
154.
List some (at least 5) partial programs of global change mitigation, that
could help reducing the greenhouse gas emissions (recall the paper by
Pacala).
155.
What is the annual course of carbon dioxide contentration in the
atmosphere?
156.
What are carbon pools in the forest ecosystems?
157.
What is difference between deforestation and forest degradation?
158.
In what ecosystems is expected the highest biodiversity loss during
climate change?
159.
What are uncertainty factors in modeling the impacts of climate change
on forestry?
160.
How evapotranspiration affects local climate on regional scale?
161.
What is difference between carbon stock and carbon sink?
162.
Is an undistirbed forest a large sink and a large stock? Explain.
163.
How can the forest sector mitigate climate change?
164.
What ecosystem services are provided by forests?
165.
What is a difference between mitigation and adaptation strategies?
Explain based on a land-use change.
166.
Why adaptation is important for ecosystems? Give example.
167.
What is UNFCCC? When it was issued?
168.
What are key provisions of UNFCCC? (give 4)
169.
What does mean “Precautionary púrinciple” and how is it applied in
UNFCCC?
170.
What does mean abbreviation COP and name the most important one.
171.
When the Kyoto protocol was adopted by UNFCCC?
172.
What is Kyoto protocol? What is it aimed for?
173.
How the countries are grouped in the Kyto Protocol and on what
principle?
174.
What is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)? What is it aimed
for? What is CDM a part of?
175.
What is Emission trading (ET) ? What is it aimed for? What is ET of?
176.
What are mechanisms of implementation of Kytot Protocol?
177.
What is carbon trading? And through what mechanisms is it achieved?
178.
What is the Montreal Protocol? When it was adopted? What is it aimed
for?
179.
How is release of CFCs into atmosphere connected with stratospheric
ozone layer?
180.
What are CFCs? What were they used for in past?
181.
What happens with a CFC molecule in stratosphere hwen it is hit by
ultraviolet radiation?
182.
Why are CFCs so dangerous for stratosphereci ozone depletion?
183.
Background for political decisions aimed on global scale solutions to
combat climate change: what precedes to international protocols?
184.
Decsribe three basic phases of development of political decision aimed
on combating stratoshperic ozone depletion.
185.
What international scientific assesment and political agreement
preceeded Kyoto Protocol?