Get premium membership and access revision papers, questions with answers as well as video lessons.

Envs 121: Environmental Systems Question Paper

Envs 121: Environmental Systems

Course:2009

Institution: Kabarak University question papers

Exam Year:2009

INSTRUCTIONS:
TOTAL MARKS = 60 %
Attempt ALL questions in section A and any two question in section B

SECTION A: (40 marks)

1.
a. Explain any environmental problems that may result from the use of coolants
(2 marks)
b. Discuss the effects of ozone layer depletion (5 marks)

2. Define the following and explain their causes and effects
a. Plate tectonics (4 marks)
b. Continental drift (4 marks)

3.
a. Outline the significance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and explain the
effect of increasing its concentration (3 marks)
b. Describe mechanisms that would contribute to the increase of CO2 in the
atmosphere (3 marks)
c. Suggest ways of reducing the rate of increase of the CO2 in the atmosphere
(3 marks)

4. Explain why:
a. Clear nights are colder than cloudy nights (1 mark)
b. The ocean appears blue (1 mark)
c. Nitrogen is limiting in the biosphere, yet it is the most abundant in the
atmosphere
(1 mark)
d. Temperate lakes and rivers do not get completely frozen from top to bottom in
severe winter (2 marks)

5. Explain the meaning of the principle of relative proportions in sea water and by use of
a diagram only, illustrate the relationship between salinity and oxygen solubility in sea
water (3 marks)

6.
a. Describe the sources and significance of atmospheric sulfur dioxide (3 marks)
b. Explain how man affects the cycling of phosphorus (2 marks)
c. Explain the processes by which atmospheric nitrogen becomes available to the
biosphere (3 marks)

SECTION A: (20 marks)

7. Illustrate the structure of the earth’s atmosphere and describe the characteristics and
significance of each of the structural components (10 marks)

8. Discuss the significance of the unique properties of water to the environment
(10 marks)

9. Discuss the causes and effects of climate change (10 marks)

Envs 121: Environmental Systems Question Paper

More Question Papers

Popular Exams