Review Packet #3

Climate & Biomes

  1. Explain the basics of weather including fronts, El Nino, and the rain shadow effect.
  1. Describe the basic types of plants.
  1. Climate varies by what two factors?
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in the Arctic tundra biome
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in the Boreal forest.
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in the Tropical rain forest.
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in the desert.
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in the mountains.
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in the grasslands.
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in a temperate rainforest.
  1. Describe the composition, climate & biotic factors in a temperate deciduous forest.

Soils & The Earth

  1. Sketch soil horizons and identify each layer.
  1. Describe the three components of soil
  1. Differentiate between soil porosity & permeability.
  1. Sketch the layers of the earth list the major components (elements) of each.
  1. Describe plate tectonics.
  1. Where are earthquakes & volcanoes?
  1. Describe erosion & its natural & accelerated states.
  1. Describe mineral resources & the terminology used to describe them.
  1. What are the environmental & health impacts of surface mining.
  1. What are the environmental & health impacts of subsurface mining.
  1. What are the environmental impacts of using mineral resources?
  1. Describe the environmentalists concerns over the 1872 Mining Law.
  1. What are the major threats to loss of soils?
  1. What can be done to preserve soils?

Energy Resources

  1. Explain the pros and cons of each of the following: oil, coal, natural gas, tar sands & oil shale.
  1. Describe how a basic power plant works.
  1. Describe the types of coal (worst to best).
  1. Describe how a nuclear power plant works.
  1. What are the advantages & disadvantages of nuclear power.
  1. What happened at TMI & Chernobyl.
  1. Describe how alternative energy sources make power (sun, hydroelectric, tidal, biomass, solar, energy efficiency, wind, hydrogen, & geothermal).
  1. Describe the pros & cons of alternative energy sources (sun, hydroelectric, tidal, biomass, solar, energy efficiency, wind, hydrogen, & geothermal).
  1. Differentiate between fusion & fission. Where do each occur?
  1. Explain the basics of fission in a nuclear power plant reactor.

Risk & Human Health

  1. Define risks & their general categories.
  1. What is the role of extrapolation in setting exposure limits? (can we extrapolate animal testing results to humans? pros? cons?)
  1. What is a poison (technical definition)?
  1. What is LD-50?
  1. What is a dose-response curve?
  1. How is toxicity determined?
  1. Differentiate between a risk analysis, risk management, system reliability, and risk perception.
  1. What is a risk-benefit analysis?
  1. Describe synergistic interactions & how they can affect risk.