[Mission 2024] STATIC QUIZ, 28 November 2023 – Environment

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Soil Organic Matter (SOM) is mainly composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen but also has small amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur, potassium, calcium and magnesium contained within organic residues.

After carbon enters the soil in the form of organic material from soil fauna and flora, it can persist in the soil for decades, centuries or even millennia. Eventually, SOC can be lost as CO2 or CH4 emitted back into the atmosphere, eroded soil material, or dissolved organic carbon washed into rivers and oceans.

Solution: c)

There is more solar energy available in the tropics, which contributes to higher productivity; this in turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.

Tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialisation and lead to a greater species diversity.

Speciation is generally a function of time, unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent glaciations in the past, tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus, had a long evolutionary time for species diversification.

Solution: a)

Only Statement 1 is correct.

Fossil fuels generally are the products of the carbonisation of vegetable matter. The term carbonisation is also applied to the pyrolysis of coal to produce coke. Carbonisation is also a stage in the charcoal making process, and is considered the most important step of all since it has such power to influence the whole process from the growing tree to the final distribution of charcoal to various sources. The gas produced by carbonisation has a high content of carbon monoxide which is poisonous when breathed.

Solution: a)

Nitrous oxide is a major scavenger of stratospheric ozone, with an impact comparable to that of CFCs.

Being the third most important long-lived greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide also substantially contributes to global warming.

Solution: b)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), also known as Solar Radiation Management, Radiation Modification Measures or Solar Geoengineering, would aim to address a symptom of climate change by reflecting more sunlight back into space, or by allowing more infrared radiation from Earth to escape, in order to reduce the Earth’s temperature. It includes numerous proposed methods which differ significantly. None are ready for deployment. Solar Radiation Modification could not be a substitute for reducing emissions, or removing atmospheric CO₂.