2017 environmental science written examination...environmental science written examination friday 17...
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCEWritten examination
Friday 17 November 2017 Reading time: 3.00 pm to 3.15 pm (15 minutes) Writing time: 3.15 pm to 5.15 pm (2 hours)
QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK
Structure of bookSection Number of
questionsNumber of questions
to be answeredNumber of
marksA 30 30 30B 9 9 90
Total 120
• Studentsarepermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:pens,pencils,highlighters,erasers,sharpeners,rulersandonescientificcalculator.
• StudentsareNOTpermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:blanksheetsofpaperand/orcorrectionfluid/tape.
Materials supplied• Questionandanswerbookof32 pages• Answersheetformultiple-choicequestions
Instructions• Writeyourstudent numberinthespaceprovidedaboveonthispage.• Checkthatyourname andstudent numberasprintedonyouranswersheetformultiple-choice
questionsarecorrect,andsignyournameinthespaceprovidedtoverifythis.• AllwrittenresponsesmustbeinEnglish.
At the end of the examination• Placetheanswersheetformultiple-choicequestionsinsidethefrontcoverofthisbook.
Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised electronic devices into the examination room.
©VICTORIANCURRICULUMANDASSESSMENTAUTHORITY2017
SUPERVISOR TO ATTACH PROCESSING LABEL HEREVictorian Certificate of Education 2017
STUDENT NUMBER
Letter
2017ENVSCEXAM 2
SECTION A – continued
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Question 1Whichofthefollowingconditionswillmostlikelyleadtotheformation,overtime,ofanecosystemwithhighspeciesdiversity?A. smallvariationinclimatethroughouttheyear;fewdifferenceswithininternalhabitatsB. littlevariationinclimateoveralongperiodoftime;manydifferenceswithininternalhabitatsC. significantvariationinclimatethroughouttheyear;fewdifferenceswithininternalhabitatsD. significantvariationinclimateoveralongperiodoftime;manydifferenceswithininternalhabitats
Question 2OveraperiodoftimeattheendofthePermianperiod,averyhighproportionofspeciesdiedout.ThisperiodoftimeisassociatedwithA. amassextinction.B. thedeathofthedinosaurs.C. anincreaseinspeciesdiversity.D. theevolutionofhumansfromthespeciesthatdiedout.
SECTION A – Multiple-choice questions
Instructions for Section AAnswerallquestionsinpencilontheanswersheetprovidedformultiple-choicequestions.Choosetheresponsethatiscorrectorthatbest answersthequestion.Acorrectanswerscores1;anincorrectanswerscores0.Markswillnotbedeductedforincorrectanswers.Nomarkswillbegivenifmorethanoneansweriscompletedforanyquestion.
3 2017ENVSCEXAM
SECTION A – continuedTURN OVER
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Use the following information to answer Questions 3–5.ThegenusPodarcisisagroupof23lizardspeciesfoundthroughouttheMediterraneanBasin.Highlevelsofdiversityinbodysize,scaleshapeandcolourpatternsarefoundbetweenlizardspecieslivingontheislandsintheMediterraneanSeaandthesurroundingcountries.
Question 3The23PodarcislizardspeciesareendemictotheMediterraneanBasin.Whatdoestheterm‘endemic’referto?A. AllofthespeciesofPodarcislizardshavesimilarcharacteristics.B. AllofthespeciesofPodarcislizardsarefoundinsimilartypesofhabitats.C. Thelizardspecieshaveallevolvedfromthesamecommonancestorlizard.D. Populationsofthe23Podarcislizardspeciesareonlyfoundonislandsandcountrieslocatedinthe
MediterraneanBasin.
Question 4ScientistsinvestigatingaparticularMediterraneanislandforaspeciesofPodarcislizarddecidedtouseanadequatenumberofrandomlyplacedquadratsthroughouttheislandtoassesstherangeanddiversityoftheselizardsbycountingtheburrowsfoundineachquadrat.Whydidthescientistsuserandomlyplacedquadrats?A. Quadratsareeasiertousethanothermethodswhenmeasuringlizardpopulations.B. Datacollectedinthiswaywillminimiseexperimentalbiasandwillbescientificallyvalid.C. Theywantedtofindinterestinglocationsspreadovertheentireislandwherelizardshidefrompredators.D. Quadratsarethebestwaytomeasurespeciesandpopulationnumbersoverlargeareas,suchasanentireisland.
Question 5Thescientistsalsousedsmalltrapstocatchlizardsthroughouttheislandinordertocollectdatausingthe mark-recapturemethod.Theycaptured,markedandreleased60lizardsonthefirstdaythattheysetthetraps. Aweeklatertheycaptured38lizards,ofwhich12hadbeenmarked.Whatisthebestestimateofthepopulationoflizardsontheisland?A. 86B. 110C. 190D. 456
2017ENVSCEXAM 4
SECTION A – continued
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Use the following information to answer Questions 6–8.ThewaterlilyEichhornia crassipesbioaccumulatesalargeamountofmercuryinleaftissueswithoutsufferingdamage.Scientistshavesuggestedgrowinglargenumbersofwaterliliesinlakesthatarecontaminatedbymercury.However,someenvironmentalscientistsareconcernedthatintroducingthewaterlilytolakeswhereitisnotanativespeciesmightharmtheenvironment.
Question 6Growingmanywaterliliesinmercury-contaminatedlakeswouldprimarilyaimtoachievewhichofthefollowingecosystemservices?A. soilformationB. nutrientrecyclingC. waterpurificationD. carbonsequestration
Question 7Iftheintroductionofthewaterlilyoccurs,whattypeofharmaretheenvironmentalscientistsconcernedabout?A. lossofpollinatorsofthewaterlilyB. overexploitationofthewaterlilybyhumansC. geneticswampingofthewaterlilybydispersalagentsD. reducedavailabilityofnaturalresourcesfornativespecies
Question 8Waterlilypopulationsthataregrownforthispurposeareoftenclonedfromoneindividualandaregeneticallyidentical.SuchapopulationwouldA. showsimilarmorphologicaltraits.B. haveahighlevelofgeneticdiversity.C. showalargerangeofstructuraladaptations.D. belikelytosurviveselectionpressuresduetolowgeneticdiversity.
Question 9ItisthoughtthatwiththecurrenttrendofdeclineoftheTasmaniandevil,thespecieswilllikelybecomeextinctinthenearfuture.Whilesomeindividualsremaininthenaturalenvironment,alargeproportionhavebeenaffectedbyafataldisease.WhichoneofthefollowingconservationcategorieswouldbestdescribethesituationoftheTasmaniandevil?A. extinctB. endangeredC. extinctinthewildD. conservationdependent
5 2017ENVSCEXAM
SECTION A – continuedTURN OVER
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Use the following information to answer Questions 10 and 11.Thegovernmentofalargecitybelievesthatthecitymaysoonhaveaninadequatesupplyofwater.Thereisamountainrangetothenorthofthecityand,ontheothersideofthat,alargeriverflowingintoawetland.Thereisasmalldamonthisriver,runningasmallhydro-electricplantforanadjoiningtown.Thegovernmentproposesenlargingthedamandconstructingapipelinetobringwaterfromthedamtothecity.Thiswillsignificantlyreducetheflowbelowthedam.
Question 10Scientistsareunsureifthewetlandfedbytherivercontainsanyendangeredspecies.Environmentalistshavearguedformaintaininganadequatewaterflowintothewetland.Whichprocessshouldbeappliedbasedonthisinformation?A. bioremediationB. theuserpaysprincipleC. theprecautionaryprincipleD. efficiencyofresourceusage
Question 11Duringtheconstructionphaseofthedamandpipeline,theprincipleof‘ecologicalsustainability’requiresthatA. thecostoftheprojectbeminimised.B. theenvironmentoftheconstructionsitesberestored.C. thereisnodisturbancetotheenvironmentduringconstruction.D. noresidentsorbusinessesberequiredtorelocateawayfromthesite.
Question 12Whichoneofthefollowingstatementsexplainsthedifferencebetween‘sustainability’and‘ecologicalsustainability’?A. ‘Sustainability’onlyappliestoenvironmentalconcerns.B. ‘Ecologicalsustainability’isabroadertermthan‘sustainability’.C. ‘Sustainability’addstheconceptsofeconomicneedsandsocialneedsto‘ecologicalsustainability’.D. ‘Sustainability’onlyreferstocurrentneeds;‘ecologicalsustainability’impliesintergenerationalequity.
Question 13ThenaturalprocessesthatcreatefossilfuelstypicallyoccuroverA. hundredsofyears.B. thousandsofyears.C. millionsofyears.D. billionsofyears.
Question 14FossilfuelsarecreatedbyA. combustioninengines.B. thedecompositionofburied,deadorganisms.C. thereactionsofwasteproductsinoilrefineries.D. radioactiveprocessesdeepinEarth’scrust.
2017ENVSCEXAM 6
SECTION A – continued
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Question 15Whatdoestheterm‘peakoil’referto?A. thefuelwiththehighestoctanelevelB. themaximumrateofconsumptionofoilC. thetypeoffuelusedwhenhouseholdenergydemandsaregreatestD. theyearinwhichthemaximumrateofextractionofoilisreached
Question 16Whichoneofthefollowingisnotarenewableenergysource?A. solarB. biomassC. naturalgasD. geothermal
Question 17Whichofthefollowinggivesthesequenceofenergyformsinathermal-electricity-generationstationpoweredbynaturalgas?A. chemical,heat,kinetic,electricalB. kinetic,chemical,heat,electricalC. gravitationalpotential,kinetic,heat,electricalD. chemical,gravitationalpotential,kinetic,electrical
Question 18Onefactorinfluencingtheefficiencyofcoal-firedpowerstationsisthemoisturecontentofthecoal.Higherlevelsofmoistureinthecoallowerheatoutputwhenthecoalundergoescombustionandalsoproducegreatercarbondioxideemissionsperunitofelectricalenergygenerated.Howcouldtheefficiencyofcoal-firedpowerstationsbeimproved?A. byusingacoalsourcewithalowerinitialwatercontentB. bytrappingthecarbondioxidereleasedwhenthecoalisburntandstoringitundergroundC. bychangingthefuelsourcefromblackcoaltobrowncoalwithahighermoisturecontentD. byreplacingcoal-firedpowerstationswithrenewableenergyformssuchaswindandsolar
Question 19Whichoneofthefollowingisagreenhousegas?A. carbonB. oxygenC. methaneD. nitrogen
7 2017ENVSCEXAM
SECTION A – continuedTURN OVER
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Question 20ThecontributionsofagreenhousegastoclimatechangedependonA. whetherthegreenhousegascomesfromfossilfuels.B. thenumberofcarbonatomsinthegreenhousegasmolecules.C. theatmosphericconcentrationofthegreenhousegasbeforeindustrialisation.D. howlongthegreenhousegaspersistsintheatmosphereanditsabilitytoabsorbinfra-redradiation.
Question 21Thealbedoeffect,whenappliedtoEarth,isameasureofA. greenhousegasemissions.B. theriseinglobaltemperature.C. thepercentageoficeatEarth’ssurface.D. howmuchofthesun’senergyisreflectedintospace.
Question 22WhichofthefollowingapproachesdoscientistsuseasthemainmethodofprojectinghowEarth’sclimatewillchangeinthefuture?A. assumptionsaboutthecontinuationofcurrentclimatetrendsB. simulationsbycomputer-basedclimatemodelsC. icecoreandtreeringrecordsD. dailyweatherforecasts
Question 23During2015,Melbourne’sweatherwascoolerandwetterthanthepreviousyear.ThisdifferenceisanexampleofA. weatherforecasterrors.B. naturalvariabilityofclimate.C. thefirstlawofthermodynamics.D. changesinatmosphericcomposition.
Question 24WhichofthefollowingisoneoftheMilankovitchcyclesthataffectnaturalvariabilityinclimate?A. changesinEarth’stiltB. transitionsbetweenseasonsC. variationsinthesun’senergyD. fluctuationsinatmosphericcomposition
Question 25Whichoneofthefollowingisanexampleofcarbonsequestration?A. emissionsofmethanefromcoalminesB. combustionofdieselfuelinacarengineC. seawaterdissolvingcarbondioxidefromtheairD. absorptionofinfra-redradiationbygreenhousegases
2017ENVSCEXAM 8
SECTION A – continued
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Use the following information to answer Questions 26 and 27.Thegraphbelowshowsfourdifferentclimatechangeprojectionsforglobaltemperaturechangestotheyear2100.Theprojectionsarebasedondifferentfuturegreenhousegasconcentrations,fromthehighestprojection(lineR)tothelowestprojection(lineU).
R
S
T
U
global surfacewarming (°C)
–1
0
1
2
3
4
1950 2000year
2050 2100
Source:RetoKnuttiandJanSedláček,‘Robustnessanduncertaintiesinthe newCMIP5climatemodelprojections’,Nature Climate Change,vol.3,2013
Question 26Theplanet’saveragesurfacetemperatureisnowapproximately15°C.IftheworldfollowsprojectionS,theaveragesurfacetemperaturein2100willbeapproximatelyA. 15°CB. 16°CC. 17°CD. 18°C
Question 27Whichfeatureofthegraphshowsthescientificuncertaintyassociatedwitheachindividualprojection?A. thefutureriseintemperatureB. thegreyshadingaroundeachlineC. fluctuationsinobservedglobalsurfacetemperatureD. therangeofpossibletemperaturechanges,fromUtoR
9 2017ENVSCEXAM
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END OF SECTION ATURN OVER
Use the following information to answer Questions 28–30.Aclassofstudentssetsouttotestthehypothesisthatsoilcharacteristicsinaforestecosystemchangeovertimeduetoclimatechange.Theclassplanstotakeinitialsoilsamplesandreturninsixmonths’timetosamplethesamearea.Thefollowinginitialreadingswereobtainedfromthesamesoilsamplinggridbythreedifferentgroupsintheclass.
Soil characteristic Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
pH 5.5 5.0 4.7
potassium(mgperkg) 73 75 64
phosphorus(mgperkg) 30 33 28
totalnitrogen(mgperkg) 25 24 23
Question 28Whichsoilcharacteristicreadingshavethegreatestprecisioninresultsbetweengroups?A. pHB. potassiumC. phosphorusD. totalnitrogen
Question 29Whichoneofthefollowingshouldbeacontrolledvariableinthisexperiment?A. soilcompositionB. climatechangeovertimeC. environmentaltemperatureD. locationofsamplinggrid
Question 30ThereliabilityofthisexperimentwouldbeimprovedbyA. havingmoregroupstakingmeasurements.B. monitoringforasignificantlylongerperiod.C. usinganewpHmetereverytimeasampleistested.D. measuringcarbondioxidelevelsintheairabovethesoil.
2017ENVSCEXAM 10
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SECTION B – Question 1–continued
Question 1 (13marks)Microbatsareavarietyofspeciesofbatthatusuallyeatinsects,arenocturnalandusetreehollowsasnestingsites.Theyaresmall-tomedium-sizedbatswithwingspansofupto25cm.Thereare21nativespeciesofmicrobatsfoundthroughoutVictoria.Duetoalackoffoodoverwinter,mostmicrobatspeciesgointotorpor(amildformofhibernation)duringthecoldermonths.Thebatsmateinlatespringandthepups(babybats)areborninearlysummer.ScientistsstudyingthediversityofmicrobatsattwositesinVictorianwoodlandscollectedthefollowingdata.Simpson’sIndexofspeciesdiversity(D)wasusedbythescientiststoquantifythemicrobatdiversityofeachofthewoodlandsites.Theindex(D)canbecalculatedasfollows.
Simpson’sIndex:D n nN Ni i= −
∑ −−
1 11
[ ( )]( )
Note:∑ referstothe‘sumof’ ni meansthetotalnumberoforganismsofeachindividualspecies N meansthetotalnumberoforganismsofallspecies
Ahigherindexvalueindicatesgreaterspeciesdiversity.
Bat species (at Site A) ni ni – 1 ni (ni – 1)
commonbent-wingbat 11 11 – 1 = 10 11 × 10 = 110
easternhorseshoebat 7 7–1=6 7×6=42
south-easternlong-earedbat 3 3 – 1 = 2 3×2=6
littleforestbat 18 18–1=17 18×17=306
chocolatewattledbat 6 6–1=5 6×5=30
southernforestbat 6 6–1=5 6×5=30
N = 51 ∑[ni(ni–1)]=524
N (N – 1) 2550
Therefore D n nN Ni i= −
∑ −−
1 11
[ ( )]( )
D = −1 5242550
D=0.795
Simpson’sIndex(D)forSiteAis0.795
SECTION B
Instructions for Section BAnswerall questionsinthespacesprovided.Writeusingblueorblackpen.
11 2017ENVSCEXAM
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SECTION B – Question 1–continuedTURN OVER
a. UsethefiguresinthetablebelowandthespacesprovidedtocalculateSimpson’sIndex(D)forSiteB. 3marks
Bat species (at Site B) ni ni – 1 ni (ni – 1)
commonbent-wingbat 26
easternhorseshoebat 5
south-easternlong-earedbat 0
littleforestbat 21
chocolatewattledbat 4
southernforestbat 8
N = ∑[ni(ni–1)]=
N (N – 1)
Therefore D n nN Ni i= −
∑ −−
1 11
[ ( )]( )
D = −1
Simpson’sIndex(D)forSiteBis .
b. Whichofthetwosites–AorB–hasthehigherspeciesdiversity?Justifyyouranswerusingtheindexfiguresyouhavecalculated. 2marks
2017ENVSCEXAM 12
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SECTION B – Question 1–continued
c. Populationdataaboutmicrobatsfromathirdwoodlandsite,SiteC,wascollectedandusedtocalculateaSimpson’sIndex(D)of0.336
ExplainwhatthisfiguresuggestsaboutspeciesdiversityatSiteC. 2marks
d. Thesouth-easternlong-earedbatislistedasvulnerableundertheCommonwealthEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Whatarethebenefitsoflistingthesouth-easternlong-earedbatunderthisAct? 2marks
Inordertomeasurethemicrobatpopulationnumbersatthethreesites,scientistsusedharptrapstocatchindividualbats.Theharptrapsconsistedofa1.8m×1.8maluminiumframemountedonadjustablelegs.Fishinglinewasstrungwithintheframe,withacottoncatchbagatthebottom.Batsflewintothelinesandsliddownintothebag,fromwhichtheycouldnotescape.Eachanimalwascollectedfromthebag,measured,weighedandidentifiedaccordingtospecies,andthenreleased.Anexampleofaharptrapusedtocatchthebatsisshownbelow.
Source:Fourbankharptrap,image19,FaunatechAustbat, <www.faunatech.com.au/products/harptrap.html>
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
Thescientistsfollowedanumberofstepswhenusingthistrappingmethod.Harptrapsweresetalongflightcorridorsthroughthewoodlandatvariouslocations.Thetrapsweresetbeforesunsetandleftopenovernight.Eachtrapwascheckedatleastonceduringthenightandthenatdawn.Trapswerenotusedduringtheperiodfromlatespringtoearlysummer.
e. Thereisanargumentthatanimalspeciesshouldnotbetrappedatall,evenforscientificpurposes.
Explainhowbioethicalguidelinesarebeingusedtominimisetheimpactonthemicrobatspeciesduringthistrappingprocess. 2marks
f. Thepurposeofthisstudywastocomparethepopulationsatdifferentsites.Scientistscollectingbatpopulationdataatanothersitesetupthetrapsashortdistancefromthemainroadonaflatpieceoflandbecausethelocationwaseasytoaccess.
Describetheeffectonexperimentalbiasofthismethodofplacingtheharptraps. 2marks
2017ENVSCEXAM 14
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SECTION B – Question 2–continued
Question 2 (9marks)Semon’sleaf-nosedbatisanendangeredspeciesfoundinwettropicalrainforestsontheCapeYorkPeninsulaofQueensland.Thebatisnocturnal,foragingatnightaroundvegetationandalongthegroundforinsects.Itutilisesoldminingsitesornaturalcavesforroostingduringtheday.Thespeciesisunderthreatmainlyduetohabitatdestructionofroostingsites.
a. Thebatconsumesanintroducedspecies,thecoastalbrownant.ThecoastalbrownantcompeteswiththeendangeredAustraliannativefritillarybutterflyforsuitablehabitat.
Explainhowextinctionofthebatcouldaffecttheendangeredfritillarybutterflyspecies. 2marks
b. Describeonepossibleadvantageandonepossibledisadvantageofeachofthefollowingmanagementstrategiesforthebatpopulation. 4marks
• Captivebreedingandreintroduction
• Translocationofasmallnumberofbatstoadifferentarea
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
c. AkeyreasongivenformanagingandprotectingthebatpopulationatthissiteistogivetouristsvisitingCapeYorktheopportunitytoviewtheseendangeredanimalsintheirnaturalhabitat.
Isthisargumentbasedonanthropocentricorecocentricvalues?Explainyouranswer,makingthedifferencebetweenthetwotermsclear. 3marks
2017ENVSCEXAM 16
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SECTION B – Question 3–continued
Question 3 (13marks)Amajorcityisservedbyaportlocatedclosetothecitycentre.Theportisbuiltontheedgeofalargebay,whichhasbothsignificantmarinewildlifeandrecreationalfacilities.Theporthandlesapproximately50milliontonnesofcargoeachyearandisaccessedbyarailwayline.However,withoutmajorenlargementandredevelopment,theportwillreachitscapacitywithin10years.Withoutprovidingformoreportcapacity,theeconomyofthecitywillsuffersubstantiallyinthefuture.Amajorfireintheportseveralyearsagosenttoxicsmokeoverpartsoftheadjoiningcity.Theshallowwaterofthebaycurrentlypreventsthelargestcontainershipsfromenteringtheport.Thegovernmentisconsideringtwooptionstoenablemorecargotobehandledbytheport:• Option1–Majorenlargementofthecurrentport Thiswouldincludedredgingofthebaytoenablelargershipstoenter.Thiswouldbesubstantiallycheaperthan
anyotheroption.• Option2–Establishmentofanewportapproximately100kmfromthecity Thislocationisonanotherbaythatisamajorrecreationalcentreforthelocalpopulationandisontheedgeofa
nationalpark.Thisbaywouldnotrequiredredging.However,thereisnorailaccessinthearea.Supportersofthisoptionarguethatmajorroadscouldbebuiltandtrucksusedtoconveycargotothecity.
17 2017ENVSCEXAM
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SECTION B – Question 3–continuedTURN OVER
a. Whichofthetwooptions–1or2–doyouconsidertobemoreecologicallysustainable?Injustifyingyouranswer,usethesustainabilityprinciplesofintergenerationalequity,intragenerationalequity,andconservationofbiodiversityandecologicalintegrity. 6marks
2017ENVSCEXAM 18
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SECTION B – continued
b. Explainhowtheuserpaysprinciplecouldbeappliedtoanyplanforportredevelopment. 2marks
c. Describeonerolethateachofthefollowingstakeholdergroupscouldplayinthedecision-makingprocessregardingthefuturedevelopmentofaport. 2marks
• Governmentagencies
• Environmentalinterestgroups
d. Explainhowthemajorfirethatsenttoxicsmokeoverpartsofthecityshouldinfluenceriskmanagementplanningforthefutureportdevelopment. 3marks
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
CONTINUES OVER PAGE
2017ENVSCEXAM 20
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SECTION B – Question 4–continued
Question 4 (7marks)Acoal-firedpowerstationanditsopen-cutmineoccupiedanareaof20hectaresforover30years.Itwasdevelopedinthemiddleofalargeforestofradiatapine(aNorthAmericantreespecies).Theradiatapinewasintroducedtothisregionover70yearsago.Recently,thecoal-firedpowerstationwasclosedbecauseofitsageandbecausethecoaldepositwasalmostexhausted.Geologistshavefoundanaturalgasreservenearby.
a. Statethemechanicalandchemicalprocessesthatmayberequiredtorehabilitatethepowerstationandminesite. 2marks
b. Theownersofthepowerstationarguethatthesiteshouldbereplantedwithradiatapinetrees,asthecompanyisrequiredtorehabilitatetheareatorestoretheoriginalecosystemandradiatapinewastherebeforetheminebeganoperation.Environmentalistsarguethatnativeeucalyptustreesshouldbeplantedinstead.
Whichofthesetwooptionsisbetterforthebiosphere?Justifyyouranswer. 2marks
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
c. Scientistswithinthepowercompanyarguethatthepowerstationshouldbeupgradedandconvertedfromcoal(itspreviousfuelsource)tonaturalgas.Naturalgasismainlycomposedofmethane.Leakageofnaturalgasduringthedrillingprocessandduringtransportationthroughpipelinesreleasesmethaneintotheatmosphere.
Thecombustionofcoalgeneratedlargeamountsofcarbondioxide.Methanehasanestimatedglobalwarmingpotentialthatis28to36timeshigherthancarbondioxide.
Isthehigherglobalwarmingpotentialofmethaneavalidargumentagainstconvertingthepowerstationfromcoaltonaturalgas?Explainyouranswer. 3marks
2017ENVSCEXAM 22
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SECTION B – Question 5–continued
Question 5 (10marks)
40
30
20
10
0
gigabarrelsoil equivalent
(Gboe)
1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025years
2050 2075 2100 2125 2150 2175 2200
World fossil fuel annual production between 1850 and 2012, and predictions of fossil fuel production to 2200 coal Gboe
coal predictionall liquids (oils) Gball liquids (oils) predictionnatural gas Gboenatural gas prediction
Key
Source:JeanLaherrere,‘Worldfossilfuelsannualproductionandforecastsassumingnoabovegroundconstraint’, Update on Coal,ASPOFrance,p.12,12October2012
Note:‘Production’referstotheamountofeachfossilfuelminedandprocessedeachyearforuseasanenergysource.
a. Describewhatispredictedtohappentocoalproductionfrom2012to2200. 2marks
b. Listtwofactorsthatcouldchangethepredictedproductionratesofthesefossilfuelsinthefuture. 2marks
23 2017ENVSCEXAM
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
c. Thepredictionsinthisgrapharebasedonscientificmodelling.
Whatisthepurposeofmodellingdatarelatedtofuturefossilfuelproduction? 2marks
d. Doesthegraphindicatethatweareusingthesefossilfuelenergyresourcesinasustainablemanner?Explainyouranswer. 2marks
e. Ifthesepredictionsforoil,coalandnaturalgasproductionareaccurate,describeoneimpactoneithersocietyorourenvironment. 2marks
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SECTION B – Question 6–continued
Question 6 (9marks)AsmallresearchstationislocatedonthecoastofAntarctica.Windspeedsinthisregioncanreachover250km/h.Electricityissuppliedbyadieselgenerator.
a. Indicatetwodisadvantagesofusingthedieselgeneratortoprovideelectricityfortheresearchstation. 2marks
b. Anengineersuggestsreplacingthedieselgeneratorwithasmallnuclearreactortogenerateelectricity.
Describethestepsandenergyconversionsinvolvedingeneratingelectricityusingnuclearenergyasthesource. 3marks
c. Anotherengineersuggestsreplacingthedieselgeneratorwithanumberofwindturbinesbecausethereisagreaterefficiencyofenergyconversions.
Explainwhattheterm‘efficiencyofenergyconversions’refersto. 2marks
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
d. Whatdifficultiescouldoccurinusingwindturbinesasthemajorsourceofelectricalenergyfortheresearchstation? 2marks
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SECTION B – continued
Question 7 (7marks)a. Drawandlabelasimplediagramillustratingthenaturalgreenhouseeffect.Includetheinteractionof
greenhousegasesintheatmospherewithdifferentformsofradiation. 3marks
b. ComparetheimpactsofthenaturalgreenhouseeffectandtheenhancedgreenhouseeffectonEarth’sbiosphere. 2marks
c. Describeonemethodofcarbonsequestrationthatcouldbeusedtoreduceemissionsfromcoal-firedpowerstations. 2marks
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
CONTINUES OVER PAGE
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SECTION B – Question 8–continued
Question 8 (10marks)Thefollowinggraphshowsvariationsinglobalatmosphericcarbondioxideconcentrationsandinglobalsurfacetemperaturefromtheyear1000totheyear2000.
Variations in global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrationsand global surface temperature over the last 1000 years
200
250
300
350
200018001600140012001000
year
–0.5
0.0
0.5
1.0Cape Grim and South Pole CO2 concentrationsLaw Dome ice cores CO2 concentrationstemperature change
temperaturevariation (°C)
CO2(ppm)
Key
Source:MRebbeck,EDwyer,MBartetzkoandAWilliams, A guide to climate change and adaptation in agriculture in South Australia,February2007,p.9;
©SouthAustralianResearchandDevelopmentInstitute,PrimaryIndustriesandResourcesSAandRuralSolutionsSA
a. Thegraphincludesglobaltemperaturemeasurementsfromatimewhenpeopledidnothavethermometers.
Explaintwomethodsthatscientistsusetodaytoestimatewhatglobaltemperatureswerehundredsofyearsago. 4marks
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SECTION B – continuedTURN OVER
b. Calculatethepercentagechangeinatmosphericcarbondioxideconcentrationsfromtheyear1000totheyear2000. 2marks
c. Statetworeasonsforthesignificantincreaseinatmosphericcarbondioxideconcentrationsoverthepast200years. 2marks
d. Explaintheimpactofglobalwarmingonsealevels. 2marks
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SECTION B – Question 9–continued
Question 9 (12marks)Agroupofstudentsconstructedasystemtotestiftheangleatwhichasolarpanelwasplacedtowardsthesunaffectedtheamountofpower(watts)thatthesolarpanelwasabletogenerate.Thestudentshypothesisedthattheamountofpowergeneratedbythesolarpanelwoulddecreasetozerowattsastheanglereducedtozerodegrees.Theyusedthesametypeofsolarpaneloneachofthesevenmountsshownbelow.Theymeasuredthepowergeneratedforeachangle.
sunlightsunlightsunlightsunlightsunlightsunlightsunlight
90° tosunlight
75° tosunlight
60° tosunlight
45° tosunlight
30° tosunlight
15° tosunlight
0° tosunlight
Thepowergeneratedbyeachofthepanelswasrecordedbythestudentsandplottedonthegraphbelow,exceptforthe45°panel,whichwasfoundtohaveanelectronicfault.
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
00 10 20 30 40 50
angle of panel (degrees)60 70 80 90
power(watts)
Power generated versus angle of panel
Source(diagramandgraph):‘Howdifferentanglesofincidenceofsolarraysimpacttheperformanceofasolarcell’, AllScienceFairProjects,<www.all-science-fair-projects.com/project1091_96_2.html>
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SECTION B – Question 9–continuedTURN OVER
a. Statetheindependentvariableusedinthisexperiment. 1mark
b. Didthestudentscollectqualitativeorquantitativedata?Explainyouranswer,makingclearthedifferencebetweenthetwoterms. 3marks
c. i. Onthegraphonpage30,drawalineofbestfit. 1mark
ii. Usingthisgraph,estimatethepowercollectedbythe45°panel. 1mark
d. Whatconclusionshouldthestudentsmakebasedonthedatatheycollectedrelativetotheirhypothesis? 2marks
e. Explainonewaythattheexperimentcouldbeimprovedtomakethedatamorereliable. 2marks
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END OF QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK
f. Describeonehealthandsafetyguidelinethatshouldhavebeenfollowedwhenthestudentswereconductingtheexperimentwiththesolarpanels. 2marks
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