Environmental Management 2019 – 2023

Q. Define the processes leading to precipitation (in the water cycle)

A. The Sun heats the earth surface which causes water to evaporate
from oceans. Water vapour is also lost from plants. The warm air
rises and condenses to form clouds. When water droplets get too big
and heavy, they fall to the surface in the form of precipitation.

Q. Describe the impacts of ozone depletion .

A. Higher levels of ultraviolet radiation reaches the Earth causing an
increase in skin cancer, retina damage and cataracts.

Q. Describe how fertilizers can impact river ecosystems.

A. Leaching can cause eutrophication, leading to algal bloom. So,
aquatic plants die due to lack of sunlight for photosynthesis and
aquatic animals die or migrate due to reduced oxygen concentration.

Q. Problems of having a high number of old people and fewer young

people in a population.
A. Strain on economic resources (+healthcare) and high dependency
ratio. Increased burden on government for pensions.

Q. Can a LEDC feed its increasing population sustainably?

A. No, as it will require money and skilled workers. More land would
have to be cleared for farming and increased supply of water would
be required which would be taken from rivers. The need for imports
would increase as well.
Q. Describe how human activities in towns and cities can pollute
water sources.
A. Waste from factories can enter water courses and pollute them.
Untreated sewage is also released into the sea. Acid rain changes the
pH of water courses. Moreover, oil from vehicles is also dumped into
drains which eventually meets the sea.

Q. Describe the formation of oil.

A. Millions of years ago dead plants and animals fell to the bottom of
the sea. They were covered by sediment and the increase in
temperature and pressure changed the remains to crude oil.

Q. Advantages and disadvantages of oil as an energy resource.

A. Advantages – oil is easy to transport, has a versatile use in many
industries and it widely available.
Disadvantages – Oil is a non-renewable resource, releases carbon
dioxide contributing to global warming and oil spills damage habitats.

Q. Describe ways a supply of safe drinking water could be provided to

the area.
A. sewage treatment system, storage reservoirs, water treatment
plants, chlorination

Q. Suggest how replacing natural rainforest with teak forests can

affect biodiversity.
A. Teak forests are monoculture so there’s a reduction in biodiversity,
genetic depletion ( reduced gene pool ) and new species would move
to the teak habitat, disrupting the food chain.

Q. Instead of banning all timber extraction some countries allow

selective logging. Suggest reasons why.
A. There is less loss of biodiversity. The extractions are potentially
sustainable. It provides employment and the government gets a
source of income. A complete ban is also more difficult to enforce
and may encourage illegal logging.

Q. Suggest reasons why low- and middle-income countries were

greatly affected by air pollution.
A. They have a greater population density, less legislation to control
air pollution, and also poor housing systems leading to lack of
ventilation. They also use fossil fuels and cannot afford less polluting
technologies.

Q. Suggest reasons why it is difficult to make coral reefs into marine

ecological reserves.
A. It is difficult to accurately outline the area of the coral reefs. It may
come in the territory of more than one country. It’s difficult to patrol
and this also reduces the income of the local people who use the
coral reef.

Q. Advantages and disadvantages of surface mining compared to sub

surface mining.
A. Advantages – cheaper to extract, easier to access, less risk of
injury, quicker…Disadvantages – larger waste heaps, visual pollution,
noisy, uses lots of land, destroys habitats

Q. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using GM crops.

A. Advantages – higher yields from lower inputs, less area required,
crops can be made resistant…Disadvantages – risk of GM getting into
wild plants (crossbreeding), reduction in genetic diversity, may have
unknown long term environmental impacts

Q. Reasons why a country may be water poor.

A. Demand for use is greater than available water supply, long term
drought / limited precipitation, economic reasons

Q. Suggest reasons why large earthquakes can cause fewer deaths

than smaller earthquakes.
A. There might be a distance from the epicenter of the earthquake to
nearby towns. The area may have low population density. The
affected area may have availability of emergency services.

Q. Describe how cholera is spread from one person to another.

A. Cholera is caused by bacteria. So, when the sewage from an
infected person is leaked into the water supply, it gets contaminated.
People drink this contaminated water and the disease spreads.

Q. Systematic sampling method

A. Use the grid map of the area to select a random starting point.
Choose further grid points. Count the number of (pandas) at each
point by drawing a transect along the map. Calculate population
numbers from these samples.

- (znotes basic answer)

Q. Explain how oil or gas is extracted by fracking shale.

A. A shaft is drilled into the shale rock. Water, sand and chemicals
are pumped into the rock under pressure. This causes the rock to
fracture and gas or oil passes/rises to the surface.

Q. Some countries with large stores of fresh water cannot supply

enough drinking water to their populations. Suggest reasons why.
A. There’s economic water scarcity so the country doesn’t have
enough money to use water stores and they may not have the proper
technology required. The sources may be contaminated or frozen, or
it may be geographically inaccessible.
Q. Suggest ways a low birth rate affects a country over time.
A. Working age population decreases over time, there are more older
dependents and an increased burden on the medical system.

Q. Describe how an earthquake occurs at a destructive plate

boundary.
A. Two plates move towards each other. Subduction occurs where
the denser plate is forced under the lighter plate. Friction between
the plates occurs and is released suddenly, causing an earthquake.

Q. Describe how the structure of modern buildings can reduce the

risk of death from earthquakes.
A. Modern buildings used reinforced materials to prevent collapse.
They have rubber shock absorbers in their foundations to absorb
tremors and counter weights on top of buildings to reduce
movement.

Q. Describe how an anaerobic digestor is used to generate electricity.

A. Organic material is put into the digestor where biogas is produced
by bacteria digesting the waster anaerobically. The biogas is burnt to
produce heat, which turns the water into steam. The steam is used to
rotate turbines that power the generator which produces electricity.

-paper 2-
Q. Describe a method you could use to record changes in plant
biodiversity between two places.
A. Use a quadrat of defined size. Count the number of species and
number of each species. Repeat in following years.

Q. Explain why an environmental impact assessment is needed

(before the smelter can be build).
A. The smelter may cause a loss of biodiversity. Waste management
must be decided. Local people’s views must be taken into account.

Q. Describe the life cycle of the malarial parasite.

A. The plasmodium parasite is carried by a female mosquito, that
breeds in stagnant water. The mosquito bites a human and the
parasite multiplies in the human liver. When another mosquito bites
an infected person the parasite reproduces in the mosquito.

Q. Describe the benefits and limitations of fish farms.

A.