COASTAL HAZARDS & GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
Review Guide – Final Exam – Fall 2006

Exam Format:  the exam format will be a mix of exams I, II, and III (50%), with 50% new material covering coastal hazards and global climate hazards and mitigation.

You should familiar with the following key concepts and words:

PREVIOUS MATERIAL

1. Plate Tectonic settings
2. Volcanic Hazards and Mitigation
3. Earthquake Hazards and Mitigation
4. Mass Wasting Hazards and Mitigation
5. Flooding Hazards and Mitigation
6. Groundwater Hazards and Mitigation

COASTAL HAZARDS

• Be familiar with the general processes that cause coastal erosion.
• What percent of population in the US live along coastal areas?
• What are the physical causes of coastal erosion?
• What are the effects of coastal erosion?
• Be able to tell me the major problems with your coastal CA site.
• List how can global warming affect coastal areas?

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

• Be familiar with the chemical elements/compounds, structure, geologic processes, and effects of each major sphere on earth.
• Can you relate water and other compounds (like NOx, SOx, CO2, O, H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), etc.) to each sphere, including the process that connects them together?  For example, water evaporates from the hydrosphere, is transported in the atmosphere, storing infrared light as heat along its path, then precipitated on the ground where it could be temporarily frozen in the cryosphere, then melted into the groundwater where it mixes with elements in the geosphere, like Si, O, Ca, etc., and is pumped to the surface by humans to feed crops (our biosphere) for consumption, where we retain much of that water for life. That would cover it. Can you apply your background knowledge to other compounds?
• What is a source and sink for atmospheric gases?
• What are the major atmospheric greenhouse gases and how do they react with incoming UV radiation?
• Which greenhouse gas is considered a proxy to climate change and what is its’ source and sink and process?
• What are the sources of air pollution that lead to acid rain? And what are their significant effects?
• What do ocean currents have to do with atmospheric temperature?
• What are the hazards associated with particulate and gaseous air pollution?
• What is ozone, where is it, and what does it do?
• What is the evidence for global warming?
• What are the causes AND effects of global warming? There are many here!
• How is permafrost related to global warming?
• How does global warming affect each sphere?
• Find one aspect of climate change that you enjoy and find interesting. You’ll be asked to write about it as if your audience is someone else in the class with the same background knowledge you have. Big picture is good with mixed details. Since this is an essay, think of an appropriate sketch or diagram that would be helpful.

READING

• Your homework on Coastal Hazards; review the processes that affect a coast line along California, as if I were to give you another photo!
• PowerPoint lectures I and II on Global Climate Change (the two files are posted on your WebCT)
• Chapter 9 from book: All text that applies to the topics discussing in lecture. The case studies will not be on the test. Introduction and summary are good places to reread.
• Chain Reaction magazine: pages 1 to 9, and 28 and 29 should be read. They are good material that relate to the book and the lecture.