2014 environmental science written examination 2

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Written examination Monday 10 November 2014 Reading time: 11.45 am to 12.00 noon (15 minutes) Writing time: 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm (2 hours) QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK Structure of book Section Number of questions Number of questions to be answered Number of marks A 30 30 30 B 6 6 90 Total 120 Students are permitted to bring into the examination room: pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners, rulers and one scientific calculator. Students are NOT permitted to bring into the examination room: blank sheets of paper and/or white out liquid/tape. Materials supplied Question and answer book of 24 pages. Answer sheet for multiple-choice questions. Instructions Write your student number in the space provided above on this page. Check that your name and student number as printed on your answer sheet for multiple-choice questions are correct, and sign your name in the space provided to verify this. All written responses must be in English. At the end of the examination Place the answer sheet for multiple-choice questions inside the front cover of this book. Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised electronic devices into the examination room. © VICTORIAN CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT AUTHORITY 2014 SUPERVISOR TO ATTACH PROCESSING LABEL HERE Victorian Certificate of Education 2014 STUDENT NUMBER Letter

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCEWritten examination

Monday 10 November 2014 Reading time: 11.45 am to 12.00 noon (15 minutes) Writing time: 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm (2 hours)

QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK

Structure of bookSection Number of

questionsNumber of questions

to be answeredNumber of

marks

A 30 30 30B 6 6 90

Total 120

• Studentsarepermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:pens,pencils,highlighters,erasers,sharpeners,rulersandonescientificcalculator.

• StudentsareNOTpermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:blanksheetsofpaperand/orwhiteoutliquid/tape.

Materials supplied• Questionandanswerbookof24 pages.• Answersheetformultiple-choicequestions.Instructions• Writeyourstudent numberinthespaceprovidedaboveonthispage.• Checkthatyourname andstudent numberasprintedonyouranswersheetformultiple-choice

questionsarecorrect,andsignyournameinthespaceprovidedtoverifythis.

• AllwrittenresponsesmustbeinEnglish.At the end of the examination• Placetheanswersheetformultiple-choicequestionsinsidethefrontcoverofthisbook.

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised electronic devices into the examination room.

©VICTORIANCURRICULUMANDASSESSMENTAUTHORITY2014

SUPERVISOR TO ATTACH PROCESSING LABEL HEREVictorian Certificate of Education 2014

STUDENT NUMBER

Letter

2014ENVSCEXAM 2

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SECTION A–continued

Question 1Whichoneofthefollowingcanbedescribedasanon-renewable,non-fossilfuelenergysource?A. oilB. biomassC. uraniumD. naturalgas

Use the following information to answer Questions 2–7.Emilylivesonafarm.Shehastwooptionsforasourceofelectricity:connectingtoanearbyhydro-electricpowerplantorusingsolarpanels.Shedecidestousesolarpanels.Thepowerreceivedfromthesunisanaverageof 0.5kWpersquaremetrewhenthesunisshining.Sheplaces10solarpanelsonherroof.Eachpanelis1.0m2.

Question 2Whichoneofthefollowingbestindicatesthepowerintothesolarpanelsystemwhenthesunisshining?A. 0.5kWB. 1.0kWC. 5.0kWD. 50kW

Question 3Onacloudyday,thetotalinputtothesolarpanelsystemfromthesunis0.75kW.Emilymeasurestheoutputfromthesystemas0.15kW.Whichoneofthefollowingbestgivesthepercentageefficiencyofthesystem?A. 15%B. 20%C. 50%D. 75%

SECTION A – Multiple-choice questions

Instructions for Section AAnswerallquestionsinpencilontheanswersheetprovidedformultiple-choicequestions.Choosetheresponsethatiscorrectorthatbest answersthequestion.Acorrectanswerscores1,anincorrectanswerscores0.Markswillnotbedeductedforincorrectanswers.Nomarkswillbegivenifmorethanoneansweriscompletedforanyquestion.

3 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION A–continuedTURN OVER

Question 4ThesolarpanelsystemprovidestoolittlepowerforEmily’sneeds,sosheconnectstothenewlyconstructedlocalhydro-electricpowerplant,basedonalargedamnearby.Whichoneofthefollowingdescribestheoverallenergyconversioninvolvedinahydro-electricpowerplant?A. heatenergytoelectricalenergyB. electricalenergytokineticenergyC. chemicalenergytoelectricalenergyD. gravitationalpotentialenergytoelectricalenergy

Question 5Rogerclaimsthatthehydro-electricpowerplantisnotasenvironmentallyfriendlywithrespecttoglobalwarmingasthesolarpanels.OnemajorreasonforthisclaimisthatA. theheatfromthegeneratorswarmstheatmosphere.B. carbondioxideevaporatesfromthewaterinthedam.C. thehydro-electricpowerplantemitslargequantitiesofagreenhousegas.D. theremovaloftreestoconstructthedamresultsinfewercarbondioxidesinks.

Question 6Whichoneofthefollowingbestdescribesahydro-electricpowerplant?A. arenewablefossilenergysourceB. anon-renewablefossilenergysourceC. arenewablenon-fossilenergysourceD. anon-renewablenon-fossilenergysource

Question 7Rogermaintainsthatthehydro-electricpowerplantisanecologicallysustainabledevelopment.AvalidreasonforthisviewisthatA. itismoreefficientthanacoal-firedpowerplant.B. thewatercoolsthelocalatmosphere,hencereducingglobalwarming.C. itprovidesabodyofwaterforthelocalfish,birdsandotheraquaticanimals.D. itdoesnotconsumeanenergyresource,leavingthisresourceavailableforfuturegenerations.

2014ENVSCEXAM 4

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SECTION A–continued

Use the following information to answer Questions 8–13.FrogSpeciesAandBareendemictotheQueenslandhinterland,butonlysmallpopulationsofeachspeciesstillsurviveinthisarea.Habitatdestructionandthecanetoad(anexoticspecies)arethemainthreatstobothspecies.Anecologistestimatestheprobabilityofextinctioninthenext20yearstobe0.90forSpeciesAand0.40forSpeciesB.

Question 8Theprobabilityofbothspeciesbecomingextinctwithinthenext20yearsisA. 0.36B. 0.50C. 0.65D. 1.30

Question 9Whichofthefollowingisthemostlikelyclassificationgiventoeachspecies?

Species A Species B

A. vulnerable endangered

B. extinctinthewild endangered

C. criticallyendangered vulnerable

D. criticallyendangered extinctinthewild

Question 10Asmall,isolatedpopulationofSpeciesBwasfoundtobedeclininginthetotalnumberofindividuals.ThispopulationA. isatriskofinbreeding.B. ismoreresistanttodemographicvariation.C. hasahighnumberofindividualdifferences.D. shouldnotbemonitoredbyconservationists.

Question 11AsmallpopulationofSpeciesAexperiencedrandomchangesingeneticmake-upoverseveralgenerations.ThisisanexampleofA. geneflow.B. geneticdrift.C. highgeneticdiversity.D. asuccessfulmanagementstrategy.

Question 12ThebestmanagementplanforasmallpopulationofSpeciesAwouldincludeA. hand-feedingbyparkrangers.B. captureandreleaseintoawarmerhabitat.C. placementoftwoindividualsofthespeciesinazoo.D. actionstostoporreversetheeffectsofhabitatdestructionandexoticspecies.

5 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION A–continuedTURN OVER

Question 13 TherelationshipbetweenfrogSpeciesAandthecanetoadisanexampleofA. symbiosis.B. competition.C. host-parasitism.D. cross-pollination.

Use the following information to answer Questions 14 and 15.AcompanyhasappliedtotherelevantAustraliangovernmentagencyforapermittoimportavarietyofstuffedwildanimalsforsaletoprivatecollectors.Anumberofthesespecimensarelistedasendangeredintheirnativecountry.

Question 14BecauseAustraliaisasignatorytoCITES,thecompanyisdeniedpermission.CITESisanabbreviationfortheA. ConventionontheIllegalTradeofEndangeredSpecies.B. ConventiononInternationalTradeofEndangeredSpecies.C. CooperationfortheInternationalTreatmentofEndangeredSpecies.D. ConventionagainsttheInhumaneTreatmentofEndangeredSpecies.

Question 15UnderCITESguidelines,theapplicationwasnotpermittedbecauseA. therewereconcernsaboutdiseasesbeingintroducedintoAustralia.B. itisillegaltotradeanyanimalorplantmaterialsthatarelistedintheguidelines.C. theimportedstuffedwildanimalsmaybeincompetitionwithlocallyproducedones.D. nocountryistoallowtheimportorexportofliveanimalsoranimalproductsfromanyendangeredspecies.

2014ENVSCEXAM 6

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SECTION A–continued

Use the following information to answer Questions 16 and 17.Amanufacturerconductedaninvestigationintothetypesoflightglobesitproduces.Theaimofthemanufacturerwastofindbettersourcesofrawmaterialstoimprovetheenergyefficiencyofitsproductsandthemanufacturingprocessesusedtomakethem.Themanufacturerfoundthatlight-emittingdiodes(LEDs)aresimplertoproduce, haveamuchlongerlifespanthannormallightglobesandreleasefewerpollutantswhentheyaredisposedof.LEDsarefivetimesmoreefficientthannormallightglobes,whichwouldleadtoenergysavingsandreducedcarbondioxideemissions.

Question 16Thelight-globemanufacturer’sinvestigationwouldbestbedescribedasA. aLifeCycleAssessment.B. awasteminimisationstudy.C. anEnvironmentalRiskAssessment.D. anEnvironmentalManagementPlan.

Question 17LEDsaremoreenergyefficientthannormallightglobesbecausetheyA. costmuchlesstomanufacture.B. operateatahighertemperature.C. producelesswasteheatwhenoperating.D. contributeamuchlowerlevelofgreenhousegastotheatmosphere.

Question 18ThekeyaimofanEnvironmentalRiskAssessmentistoA. determinesomeofthepossiblehumanhealthrisksofanenvironmentalproject.B. continuallyassessandmonitorenvironmentalproblemsassociatedwithanenvironmentalproject.C. createanobjectiveanalysisandcomparisonoftherelativerisksofaparticularactivitytoanecosystem.D. assessandquantifykeyfactorsthatwouldbeofbenefittotheenvironmentifaparticularprojectwere

developed.

Question 19Wastefromafactoryhasbeenillegallydumpedinawetland,leadingtosomepollutantsenteringthebodyofwater.BioremediationofthewetlandwouldfocusonA. usingplantsandbacterialactivitytoremovepollutantsovertime.B. cleaningupthepollutantsbyusingmanualandchemicalmethods.C. ensuringthatthreatenedwaterbirdspeciesarenotharmedbythepollutedwaters.D. finingtheownersofthefactoryunderregulatoryframeworksmanagedbytheEnvironmentProtection

Authority.

7 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION A–continuedTURN OVER

Question 20ApollutantcanbestbedescribedasaA. harmfulsolid,liquidorgas.B. wasteproductcreatedbyhumanactivity.C. toxicsubstancecontrolledbygovernmentlegislation.D. substanceintroducedintotheenvironmentwithundesiredeffects.

Question 21Smokerswhoareexposedtoasbestoshaveagreaterchanceofcontractingalungdiseasethansmokerswhoarenotexposedtoasbestos.ThisisanexampleofA. synergisticaction.B. pollutantmobility.C. dual-pointsources.D. thespecificityofenvironmentalhazards.

Question 22Singleexposuretohighlevelsofleadcompoundscanleadtomusclepains,headaches,nauseaandseizures.ThesesymptomsareduetoA. leadmobility.B. dilutionoflead.C. chronicleadpoisoning.D. acuteleadpoisoning.

Question 23Laboratorytestsshowthat50%ofratsexposedto3gofdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT)perkilogramofbodyweightwilldie.WhatmassofDDTwillkillhalfoftheratsinapopulationof100,weighing500geach?A. 3gB. 50gC. 100gD. 150g

Question 24Hayfever,asthma,eczemaandhivesareallconsequencesofA. toxicity.B. allergies.C. nutrientexposure.D. environmentalhealthmeasures.

2014ENVSCEXAM 8

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SECTION A–continued

Use the following information to answer Questions 25 and 26.Theterm‘soilhalf-life’referstothetimeneededforhalfofthemassofapollutanttobreakdownintheenvironment.Thetablebelowshowsthesoilhalf-livesofvariouspollutants.

Pollutant Soil half-life (months)

aldrin 10

chlordane 26

DDT 36

dieldrin 22

oxyfluorfen 16

tetrachlorobenzene 4

Question 25Ofthepollutantslisted,DDThasthegreatestA. toxicity.B. specificity.C. persistence.D. bioaccumulation.

Question 26Thesoilinapaddockcontains4kgoftetrachlorobenzene.Ifnoadditionaltetrachlorobenzeneisaddedtothesoil,howmanymonthswillittakebeforethereisjust1kgoftetrachlorobenzeneremaininginthepaddock?A. 8B. 12C. 16D. 20

Question 27Microbesinsoilhelpdecomposepollutantsinsoil.ThemicrobeswithinthesoilbehaveasaA. sink.B. diffusesource.C. bioaccumulator.D. synergisticactor.

9 2014ENVSCEXAM

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END OF SECTION ATURN OVER

Question 28WhichoneofthefollowingrepresentsasignificantsourceofsulfurdioxideasanairbornepollutantwithinAustralia?A. rooftopsolarpanelsB. fertiliserapplicationC. mineraloreprocessingD. hydro-electricpowerplants

Question 29Theuseofwhichoneofthefollowingwouldbethemosteffectivewayofreducingemissionsofsulfurdioxidefromachimney?A. largefansB. watersprayC. paperfiltersD. magneticplates

Question 30Whichoneofthefollowingisnotapropertyofsulfurdioxide?A. Itisagasthatislessdensethanair.B. Itisabletoformacidintheenvironment.C. Itisproducedduringthecombustionofsulfur-containingsubstances.D. Eachofitsmoleculescontainsonesulfuratomandtwooxygenatoms.

2014ENVSCEXAM 10

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SECTION B – Question 1 –continued

Question 1 (15marks)Theresidentsofasmallisland,approximately200kmoffthecoastofmainlandAustralia,areplanningtoimprovetheisland’selectricitysupplysystem.Atpresent,85%oftheelectricitysupplyforthe3000residentscomesfromafossilfuelpoweredgenerationplant,withtheremainingenergybeingfedintothegridfromnon-fossilfuelenergysources.Therearenosourcesoffossilfuelonoraroundtheisland.Theplanistoincreasenon-fossilfuelsourcestoprovideupto60%oftheisland’selectricityneeds,includingdevelopingalarge-scalebatterystoragesystemthatcanprovideelectricityatappropriatetimesduringtheday.Apartfromdomesticuse,electricityisbeingusedbyagrowingtourismindustry.

Nameafossilfuelandanon-fossilfuelenergysourcethatyouhavestudied.

Fossilfuelenergysource

Non-fossilfuelenergysource

a. Howcanthisfossilfuelenergysourcebeusedtogenerateelectricityfortheisland?Whatinfrastructurewouldberequiredtoachievethis? 2marks

b. i. Outlinetheformsofenergyandconversionstepsthatwouldberequiredtogenerateelectricityfromthisfossilfuel. 3marks

SECTION B

Instructions for Section BAnswerall questionsinthespacesprovided.Writeusingblackorbluepen.

11 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B–continuedTURN OVER

ii. Suggestwhythisenergyconversionprocessisnot100%efficient. 2marks

c. Inrelationtoaccessibility,distributionandefficiency,whymaytheresidentsontheislandconsidermovingtowardsgreaterinputfromnon-fossilfuelenergysources? 3marks

d. Describeonepositiveandonenegativepotentialenvironmentalimpactofincreasingtheuseofyournon-fossilfuelenergysourceontheisland. 3marks

e. Whywouldabatterystoragesystemneedtobedevelopedtoallowfortheincreaseduseofnon-fossilfuelenergysources? 2marks

2014ENVSCEXAM 12

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SECTION B – Question 2–continued

Question 2 (12marks)Figure1showsradiationenteringEarth’satmosphere.

sun

stratosphere

indicatesabsorption

Earth’s surface

R

X

PQ

Figure 1 nottoscale

a. Whichoneofthefollowing(A.–D.)bestdescribesthetypesofincomingradiation?Writeyour answerinthebox. 1mark

Infrared Visible Ultraviolet

A. P Q R

B. Q R P

C. Q P R

D. R P Q

b. ReferringtoXinFigure1,identifythetypeofradiation,describehowitoriginatesandexplainthemechanismbywhichitcontributestothenaturalgreenhouseeffect. 4marks

13 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B–continuedTURN OVER

c. Namethegasthatisthelargestcontributortothenaturalgreenhouseeffect. 1mark

d. Explainwhythenaturalgreenhouseeffectisimportant. 2marks

e. Nameonegasproducedbyhumanactivitythatiscontributingtotheenhancedgreenhouseeffect.Describeamajorsourceofthisgasandstatetwomethodsofreducingatmosphericconcentrationsofthisgas. 4marks

Gas

Source

Methodsofreducinggas

2014ENVSCEXAM 14

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SECTION B – Question 3 –continued

Question 3 (16marks)a. Statethreekeypropertiesofmercury. 3marks

b. Describethemajorhumanhealtheffectsofexcessiveexposuretomercuryanditscompounds. 2marks

c. Brieflydescribetwohuman-createdsourcesofmercury. 2marks

d. Selectoneofthehuman-createdsourcesofmercuryyouhavedescribedinpart c.andexplainwhetheritisapointordiffusesource. 2marks

15 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B–continuedTURN OVER

e. Mercurycanbetransportedintheenvironmentbyairandwater.

Describethesetwotransportmechanismsofmercury,includingthechemicalforminwhichitis carried. 4marks

• Transportmechanism–air

Description

• Transportmechanism–water

Description

f. Describetheprocessofchemicalchangethatoccurstoelementalmercury,whichenablesittoaccumulateinthetissuesoffishandshellfish. 3marks

2014ENVSCEXAM 16

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SECTION B – Question 4–continued

Question 4 (15marks)TheGreenCarpenterBeeisalargeAustraliannativebeewithalengthof2cmandadistinctive blue-greenbody.ScatteredpopulationsofthebeecanbefoundalongtheeastcoastofAustralia,aswellasonKangarooIslandinSouthAustralia.ThebeenestsinthedrygrassanddeadbranchesofsomeAustraliannativetreespecies.BushfiresonKangarooIslandin2007drasticallyreducedthehabitatsuitablefortheGreenCarpenterBeetoonlyafewareasofsurvivingvegetation.TheGreenCarpenterBeenowfacesextinctiononKangarooIsland,withperhapsonlyafewsmallisolatedpopulationsremaining.WildlifeofficersandvisitorstoKangarooIslandaremonitoringthepopulationofGreenCarpenterBeesbyreportingindividualsightings.Thisinformationwillbeanalysedandarecoverymanagementplanwillbedeveloped.Thesebeesare‘buzzpollinators’.TheyremovepollenfromtheAustraliannativeguineaflowerbyvibratingthefloweruntilpollenfallsout.Othercommonbees,suchasthehoneybee,areunabletoremovepollenfromtheguineaflowerinthisway,sotheGreenCarpenterBeeisanimportantpollinatoroftheguineaflower.TheguineaflowerhasalsodecreasedinabundanceonKangarooIslandinrecentyears,eventhoughitisabletogrowrelativelyquicklyfromseedfollowingabushfire.

a. StatethescientifictermusedtodescribethesurvivinghabitatthatisstillpopulatedbytheGreenCarpenterBeeonKangarooIsland. 1mark

b. IstheGreenCarpenterBeeendemictoKangarooIsland?Justifyyouranswer. 2marks

c. Usingtheinformationprovided,howmightthereductioninthenumberofGreenCarpenterBeeshaveledtothereductioninabundanceofthenativeguineafloweronKangarooIsland? 2marks

17 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B – Question 4–continuedTURN OVER

d. ThefollowingstrategiesmaybeincludedintherecoveryplanfortheGreenCarpenterBeeonKangarooIsland.

Stateonepossibleadvantageandonepossibledisadvantageforeachstrategy. i. RelocationofanumberofGreenCarpenterBeesfromtheeastcoastofAustraliatoKangaroo

Island 2marks

Advantage

Disadvantage

ii. Banningoffuelreductionburnswithinthepatchesofsurvivingvegetation 2marks

Advantage

Disadvantage

e. Describeadifferentmanagementstrategythatmaybeappropriateforinclusionintherecoveryplan. 2marks

2014ENVSCEXAM 18

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SECTION B–continued

f. DuringacommunitymeetingonKangarooIsland,ThomasarguesthatresourcesshouldnotbewastedonprotectingtheGreenCarpenterBee.Hestatesthatthenestingsitesofthebeearetoorare,sotheextinctionofthebeeisinevitable.Healsostatesthatthebeecannotbeeasilylocatedandsowillnotdrawtouriststothearea.

EvaluateThomas’sarguments,statingwhetheryoubelievetheGreenCarpenterBeeshouldbethesubjectofconservationmeasures. 4marks

19 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B – Question 5–continuedTURN OVER

Question 5 (13marks)Scientistsarestudyingthefishbiodiversityofthreeunconnectedlakes:A,BandC.Eachlakeisapproximately100hectaresinsize.Thescientistswishtoconductasurveytodeterminethenumberofspeciesandthenumberofindividualswithineachspecies.

a. Describeanappropriatesamplingmethodthatcouldbeusedtocollectdataonfishnumbers. 3 marks

Thescientistsrecordthefollowingdata.

Table 1

Fish species Lake A Lake B Lake CU 10 0 10V 30 35 30W 150 40 30X 30 45 0Y 70 36 90Z 10 44 40

b. Whichlakehasthegreatestspeciesrichness?Justifyyouranswer. 2marks

c. UsingthedatainTable1,whichlakehasthegreatestbiodiversity?Justifyyouranswer. 2marks

2014ENVSCEXAM 20

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SECTION B – Question 5–continued

Inafurtheranalysis,thescientistsuseanindexofbiodiversity(I)thattheyhavedeveloped.Thisindexisgivenby

I = sum of the difference of each species from the mean of thhe whole lakenumber of different species in that lake

Alowerindexindicatesagreaterspeciesdiversity.ThecalculationsforLakeAatthetimeoftheoriginalsurveyareshowninTable2.

Table 2.LakeAoriginalsurvey

Species No. of individuals Difference from mean

U 10 40

V 30 20

W 150 100

X 30 20

Y 70 20

Z 10 40

Total 300Mean = total/no.ofspecies

300/6=50

sumofdifferencesfrommean=240

I=240/6=40

Twoyearslater,thescientistsrepeatthesurveyforLakeA.ThedataforthesecondsurveyisshowninTable3.

Table 3.LakeAsecondsurvey

Species No. of individuals Difference from mean

U 30

V 47

W 70

X 40

Y 60

Z 5

TotalMean = total/no.ofspecies

sumofdifferencesfrommean=

I =

21 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B–continuedTURN OVER

d. CalculatetheindexforLakeAfromthedatainthesecondsurvey.Theright-handcolumninTable3 maybeusedforcalculations. 2marks

Index(I)calculationforLakeAinsecondsurvey

e. Basedonyourindexcalculation,hasthespeciesdiversityincreasedordecreased?Justifyyouranswerintermsoftheindex. 2marks

f. Referringtothedatainthesurveys,explainthechangeinspeciesdiversityoverthetwoyears. 2marks

2014ENVSCEXAM 22

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SECTION B – Question 6–continued

Question 6 (19marks)Australianfisheriesproduceover25000tonnesofprawnsannually.Around80%oftheseprawnsarecaughtinthewild,withtheother20%beingproducedbyaquaculture(i.e.fishfarms).Farmedprawnsgeneratearound$75millionayearandprovideapproximately1000directjobsinthisindustry.Itisarguedthatprawnfarmingdecreasespressureonstocksofprawnsinthewildandreducestheimpactonothermarinespeciesbylimitingbycatch(i.e.unwantedspeciesthatarecaughtandkilledinthenetsofprawntrawlers).Aproposaltodevelopaprawnfarmhasbeenpresentedtothelocalcouncilofacoastalregion.Currently,thesiteismainlyusedasgrazinglandaroundanaturallagoon.Theproposalrequirestheconstructionof10one-hectareponds,supportedbyasystemofchannels,pumpingstationsandaprocessingplantwithrefrigerationrooms.Thelagoonhasbeendegradedoverthelast20yearsandisnotthoughttoprovideahabitatforanythreatenedspecies.However,thelastenvironmentalassessmentoffaunaandfloraspeciestookplace15yearsago.Wastewaterfromtheprawnpondscontainingexcessnutrientswillbepumpedintothelagoon,whichflowsoutintotheseanearamajorlocalsurfbeach.Thecouncilhassuggestedthattheowneroftheprawnfarmneedstoconstructathree-hectaresettlementpondtoallowforthetreatmentandbreakdownofnutrientwastebybiologicalorganisms,beforethetreatedwaterisreleasedintothelagoon.Theowneroftheprawnfarmarguesthatthesettlementpondwillbeanunnecessarycostandthatthesettlementpondisnotneeded.

a. Usingonekeyprincipleofecologicallysustainabledevelopment,explainwhytheproposeddevelopmentoftheprawnfarmcouldberegardedassustainable. 3marks

b. Usingakeyprincipleotherthantheoneusedinpart a.,explainwhytheproposeddevelopmentoftheprawnfarmmaynotberegardedasanecologicallysustainabledevelopment. 3marks

23 2014ENVSCEXAM

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SECTION B – Question 6–continuedTURN OVER

c. Explainhowtheprecautionaryprinciplecouldbeappliedtothissituation. 3marks

d. Beforethelocalcouncilconsiderssupportingtheprawnfarmdevelopment,itwantsanenvironmentalimpactassessmenttobeprepared.

Whatisthepurposeofpreparinganenvironmentalimpactassessment? 3marks

e. Identifyarelevantgovernmentorganisationthatcouldbeinvolvedinencouragingresponsibleenvironmentalpracticesbytheowneroftheprawnfarmonceitisoperating.

Howcouldthisorganisationbeinvolvedinmonitoringand/orregulatingtheprawnfarm? 2marks

2014ENVSCEXAM 24

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f. Describekeyargumentsforandagainsttheproposaltodevelopaprawnfarmonthelagoonsite.Basedonthesearguments,makearecommendationaboutwhethertheproposalshouldbeallowedtoproceed. 5marks

END OF QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK