Deck 15: Environmental Issues

Question 1

Mariculture, or aquaculture, has about the same relationship to commercial fishing as farming does to hunting.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Sediments deposited in urban estuaries since 1970 carry a decreasing toxicant load.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Oil spill cleanup techniques are able to recover and remove the majority of spilled oil from the marine environment.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was the largest oil spill to date in U.S. waters.

Question 5

Oil spills are the single greatest source of oil to the marine environment.

Question 6

The sea is so vast that it can easily absorb any pollutants we dump into it with little harm to the environment.

Question 7

The Mississippi delta is losing area because the supply of sediment is less than the rates of delta erosion and subsidence.

Question 8

Mariculture is the farming of fish species.

Question 9

Despite the growth in commercial fishing and the exploitation of new fishing stocks, world fish harvests have remained nearly constant over the last decade.

Question 10

Over 50% of the world's coastal mangroves forests have been destroyed.

Question 11

Estuary areas and associated wetlands are generally increasing in the United States today.

Question 12

Today invasive species are commonly transported through the oceans on the hulls of ships.

Question 13

The effects of overfishing cease immediately when fishing is stopped.

Question 14

Dumping the muds from dredged harbors offshore does not affect the coastal sediments.

Question 15

Only animals are considered invasive species.

Question 16

Marine wetlands are being rehabilitated faster than they are being removed.

Question 17

The sea is so vast that it can easily absorb any pollutants we dump into it with little harm to the environment.

Question 18

Ballast water is one of the main culprits introducing invasive species into new areas.

Question 19

Clean-up efforts for oil spills are often as destructive as the oil spill.

Question 20

The U.S. Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act is also known as the Ocean Dumping Act.

Question 21

Globally, aquaculture produces about _____% of fish consumed by humans.

A) 50
B) 38
C) 24
D) 12
E) 2

Question 22

The world's largest oil spill

A) came from a commercial oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
B) occurred in the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War.
C) happened during the grounding of the Exxon Valdez.
D) was the result of tanker collision during a North Atlantic storm.
E) was the grounding of the Amoco Cadiz on the French coast.

Question 23

Minamata disease is an example of humans ingesting __________ contaminated sea-life.

A) DDT
B) mercury
C) lead
D) chlorine
E) PCB

Question 24

Surimi is

A) a processed fish product.
B) a product processed from crab and shrimp.
C) shrimp paste made from krill.
D) shark meat that has been specially processed.
E) None of these are correct; it is a type of tuna eaten raw.

Question 25

How much oil is usually recovered after a spill?

A) 5-10%
B) 8-15%
C) 22-25%
D) Up to 50%
E) None is recovered.

Question 26

The ecology of San Francisco Bay is being disrupted by

A) Asian clams.
B) comb jellies.
C) European green crabs.
D) Asian clams and European green crabs.
E) Asian clams, comb jellies, and European green crabs.

Question 27

Hypoxia

A) occurs when oxygen concentrations fall below 2mg per mL.
B) can result in the death of sessile organisms.
C) occurs when respiration rates exceed oxygen replenishment via circulation.
D) occurs when oxygen concentrations fall below 2mg per mL, can result in the death of sessile organisms, and occurs when respiration rates exceed oxygen replenishment via circulation.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 28

The Exxon Valdez oil spill

A) was equal in volume to the Persian Gulf spill.
B) dissipated quickly in warmer inshore water.
C) was 99% recovered using new sophisticated methods.
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 29

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were

A) in greatest use in the early 1960s.
B) are no longer manufactured or used in the U.S.
C) are still entering the environment from previous use.
D) remain in the sediments for unknown periods of time.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 30

A low oxygen level in the Gulf of Mexico

A) kills most bottom organisms.
B) is responsible for a decline in Gulf fisheries.
C) has been linked to excess nutrients supplied by the Mississippi River.
D) kills most bottom organisms and has been linked to excess nutrients supplied by the Mississippi River.
E) kills most bottom organisms, is responsible for a decline in Gulf fisheries, and has been linked to excess nutrients supplied by the Mississippi River.

Question 31

The Federal Clean Water Act was passed in

A) 1972.
B) 1982.
C) 1990.
D) 1995.
E) 2000.

Question 32

Natural mangrove stands provide a coast with

A) protection from waves.
B) protection from storms.
C) habitats for fish and shellfish.
D) protection from waves and protection from storms.
E) protection from waves, protection from storms, and habitats for fish and shellfish.

Question 33

The number of human-caused oil spills in the ocean have decreased since the 1970s.

Question 34

The Marine Plastic Pollution and Control Act

A) prohibits dumping plastic debris in coastal oceans only.
B) prohibits dumping plastic debris everywhere in the oceans.
C) is enforced by the United Nations Ocean patrol.
D) has eliminated the plastic trash problem in the oceans.
E) prohibits dumping plastic debris everywhere in the oceans and is enforced by the United Nations Ocean patrol.

Question 35

It is estimated that roughly _____ or more of all material dumped at sea is dredged material from ports and waterways.

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 35%
D) 50%
E) 75%

Question 36

Plastics in the sea are a hazard to marine life because

A) they ensnare animals.
B) they are eaten by animals.
C) their colors confuse animals.
D) they ensnare animals and they are eaten by animals.
E) they ensnare animals, they are eaten by animals, and their colors confuse animals.

Question 37

Overfishing did not become an issue until about 100 years ago.

Question 38

Which of the following are considered incidental catch?

A) Turtles in shrimp trawls
B) Porpoise in tuna nets
C) Birds in salmon nets
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 39

The term "bycatch" refers to

A) all fish caught in nets.
B) animals other than fish caught in nets.
C) fish that are processed on board the fishing vessel.
D) fish other than the targeted species, often thrown away.
E) None of these are correct.

Question 40

Marine biological invaders arrive

A) in ballast water.
B) with commercially harvested shellfish.
C) from home aquariums.
D) attached to seaplanes and small boats.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 41

A toxicant is a substance that is not normally found in the environment.

Question 42

Biological invasions can occur in response to

A) shifts in climate patterns.
B) plate tectonics.
C) ballast water transport.
D) All of these choices are correct.
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 43

Addition of harmful substances to the environment is called eutrophication.

Question 44

There are more than 6,000 marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide accounting for approximately ______ percent of the world's surface ocean.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 5
D) 10
E) 20

Question 45

Material accidentally lost at sea is called flotsam, while material deliberately discarded is called jetsam.

Question 46

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) can include yard trimmings, food scraps, plastics, and packaging containers.

Question 47

Continued catches above the maximum sustainable yield

A) can be increased to prevent overfishing.
B) will result in underutilization.
C) will result in a decrease of fishing effort.
D) must be decreased in order to decrease population size.
E) will result in overfishing and the crash of fish populations.

Question 48

A toxicant is a substance that is not normally found in the environment.

Question 49

Hypoxic areas such as in the Gulf of Mexico develop when

A) oxygen levels fall below 5ppm.
B) large amounts of nitrate are added into the water.
C) die-off from a large phytoplankton bloom uses up the oxygen in water.
D) methyl-mercury is added to water.
E) oxygen levels fall below 5ppm, large amounts of nitrate are added into the water, and die-off from a large phytoplankton bloom uses up the oxygen in water.

Question 50

Simultaneous removal of fish from multiple trophic levels is termed

A) sustainable fishing.
B) fishing through the food chain.
C) overfishing.
D) fishing down the food chain.

Question 51

High concentrations of toxic heavy metals in estuaries are most likely to be found in

A) the water of the estuary.
B) air above the estuary.
C) the sediments.
D) the water of the adjacent ocean.
E) the air above the adjacent land.

Question 52

Which of the following organisms are expected to show the highest concentration of DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbons in its tissues?

A) Filter-feeding fishes
B) Carnivorous fishes
C) Phytoplankton
D) Sea lions
E) Zooplankton

Question 53

Floating objects accidentally lost at sea are called

A) flotsam.
B) jetsam.
C) toxicants.
D) garbage patches.

Question 54

As plastics discarded in the marine environment degrade, they can produce and concentrate

A) bisphenol A (BPA).
B) PCBs.
C) DDT.
D) All of these choices are correct.

Question 55

The size of the hypoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico appears to vary annually in response to all of the following except

A) annual fish catch.
B) annual rainfall.
C) the amount of fertilizer used.
D) periods of drought.

Question 56

Mercury toxicity has been directly linked with which one of the following health problems in humans?

A) Hepatitis.
B) Cancer.
C) Neurological disorders and paralysis.
D) Digestive disorders.
E) Respiratory problems.

Question 57

For the year 2008, the FAO estimated that every person on the planet consumed at least _____ percent of their animal protein intake as fish.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 17
D) 42

Question 58

The maximum sustainable yield is best defined as the

A) highest catch that can be taken without overfishing.
B) maximum fishing effort allowed after overfishing is reached.
C) highest catch that will pay the minimum cost of the fishing effort.
D) minimum catch that will still allow the population to grow.
E) the annual size of the catch that will balance natural death and predation.

Question 59

Pollution is best described as

A) adding substances or energy that harm the environment.
B) changing the population growth of species.
C) the decrease in the quality of the environment as a result of natural events.
D) substances or materials that are toxic to humans decreasing the quality of the human environment.
E) can be broken down by bacteria.

Question 60

Ecosystem-based management allows for diverse societal use of fish stocks including all of the following except

A) tourism.
B) ecosystem health.
C) fishing down the food chain.
D) fishing.
E) recreation.

Question 61

The number of large oil spills in the marine environment has decreased over the last 45 years.

Question 62

Fully oxygenated waters contain as much as ___________ ppm oxygen.

A) 100
B) 25
C) 12
D) 5
E) 2

Question 63

An example of fishing through the foodweb is

A) successively removing apex predators.
B) simultaneously fishing at multiple trophic levels.
C) fishing with trawl nets.
D) using fish pens for mariculture.

Question 64

The term "trash fish" indicates fish that were caught accidentally.

Question 65

The Maximum Sustainable Yield refers to

A) the maximum fishery biomass that can be removed annually while maintaining a standing stock.
B) the maximum amount of incidental bycatch that can be removed by a fishery.
C) the maximum fish biomass in the oceans that can be sustained.
D) the total biomass of fish caught in the ocean annually.
E) the maximum productivity of the ocean.

Question 66

The invasive seaweed ______________ was accidentally released from Monaco’s aquarium during a routine tank cleaning.

A) Corbula
B) Ulva
C) Hemigrapsus
D) Caulerpa
E) kelp

Question 67

In the United States, A Marine Protected Area where fishing and other activities are completely prohibited is referred to as a

A) marine protected zone.
B) marine reserve.
C) no-take zone.
D) national park.
E) conservation area.

Question 68

Introduction of alien species to bays and estuaries can result in "biological homogenization" of worldwide species diversity.

Question 69

Ecosystem-based management allows for diverse societal use of fish stocks including all of the following except

A) plastic bags.
B) plastic bottles.
C) cans.
D) cigarette butts.
E) sewage.

Question 70

Hypoxia, or low-oxygen conditions, is generally considered to occur when oxygen in the water drops to ________ ppm.

A) 15
B) 10
C) 5
D) 2
E) 0

Question 71

In 2012, fish production provided between _________________ of the annual protein consumption by humans globally.

A) 0-100%
B) 17-70%
C) 25-50%
D) 22-88%
E) 70-90%

Question 72

Human expansion can lead to altered marine ecosystems by

A) introducing new species.
B) conserving biodiversity.
C) surveying marine species.
D) reducing incidental bycatch.