Foundations of ESS Part 2 (Topics 1.3 and 1.4)
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Foundations of ESS Part 2 (Topics 1.3 and 1.4) - Leaderboard
Foundations of ESS Part 2 (Topics 1.3 and 1.4) - Details
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| 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 |
| What is the first law of thermodynamics? | That energy can be transformed, but not created or destroyed. |
| What is the second law of thermodynamics? | That the entropy of a system increases over time. |
| What is entropy? | A measure of the amount of disorder in a system. |
| What does the second law of thermodynamics explain? | The inefficiency and decrease in available energy along a food chain. |
| What does more entropy = | More entropy = less order |
| What is efficiency? | The work, energy or output produced by a process divided by the amount of energy consumed being the input to the process. |
| What is the equation for efficiency? | (Useful energy produced/Energy consumed) X 100 |
| What is a negative feedback loop? | It is stabilising |
| When do negative feedback loops occur? | When the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way to reduce change. |
| What is a positive feedback loop? | It is destabilising |
| What does a positive feedback loop do? | It amplifies change and drives the system towards a new tipping point where a new equilibrium is adopted. |
| What is equilibrium? | It is the tendency of a system to return to its original state following a disturbance. |
| What are the four types of equilibrium? | Steady-state(dynamic), static, stable and unstable. |
| What is a steady-state dynamic? | A characteristic of an open system where there are continuous inputs and outputs of energy and matter, but the system remains in a constant state. |
| What does negative feedback do to a steady state equilibrium? | It stabilises it |
| What is a static equilibrium? | An equilibrium where there is no change over time. |
| Where can static equilibriums not occur? | In living systems. |
| What is a stable equilibrium? | Where a system tends to return to its original equilibrium after a disturbance. |
| What is an unstable equilibrium? | Where a system tends to return to a different equilibrium after a disturbance. |
| How is an ecological tipping point reached? | When an ecosystem experiences a shift to a new state in which there are significant changes to its biodiversity and the service it provides. |
| What are three examples of tipping points? | Lake eutrophication, Coral reef dying and the extinction of a keystone species. |
| How is the coral reef dying a tipping point? | If the acidity levels in the oceans rise then the coral reef dies and cannot regenerate. |
| What is sustainability? | It is the process of using materials that support the current generation but do not jeopardise future generations. |
| What is natural capital? | The natural resources that can be classified as a good or a service. |
| What is natural income? | It is the yield obtained from natural resources. |
| What is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)? | Its a report prepared before a development project to change the use of land. |
| What is an example of a plan that needs an EIA? | Before turning a forest into a gold course. |
| Where did the use of EIAs come from? | The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) passed by the US in 1969 which makes it necessary for any federal agency to consider the environment before a project. |
| What is a weakness of an EIA? | Different countries have different standards of EIAs, which makes it hard to compare them. |
| What is an ecological footprint (EF)? | It's a model used to estimate the demands that human populations place on the environment. |
| What do EFs take into account? | The area required to provide all of the resources needed by the population and the assimilation of all wastes. |