Practice IB Environmental systems and societies (ESS) Topic 6.1 Introduction to the Atmosphere with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for 6.1 Introduction to the Atmosphere and mirrors Paper 1, 2 style where relevant.
Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build confidence with questions aligned to IB examiner expectations.
(a) Refer to the figure. the one of the most abundant gases in the atmosphere about 4.3 billion years ago.
(b) the one of the most abundant gases in the atmosphere over the past 1 billion years.
(d) between the natural greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect.
(e) two consequences of the enhanced greenhouse effect on the resilience of human societies.
The table shows an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cows and cars in the UK in 2015.
Table 1.
| Estimated numbers | Average emissions | Total emissions (kg/year) | Global warming potential (GWP) | Overall effect (Total emissions × GWP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 million cows | 100 kg of methane/cow/year | 350 million | Methane = 23 | 8.05 billion |
| 35 million cars | 5,450 kg of carbon dioxide/car/year | 190.75 billion | Carbon dioxide = 1 | 190.75 billion |
(a) two greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide and methane.
(b) Referring to Table 1, the relative impact of cows and cars on global warming.
(c) a strategy that could be used to reduce humans' reliance on cars.
(d) what is the effect of these greenhouse gases in the stratosphere.
(a) four reasons for the baseline study in an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment).
(b) why renewable energies may not be sustainable and may not allow for environmental justice for all.
(c) are energy sources impacted by anthropogenic (human-caused) changes to the atmosphere, and how may this influence energy security?
(a) two major storages of matter that are present in a named aquatic ecosystem.
(b) one transfer and one transformation of matter that occur within a soil system.
(c) the use of models (such as systems diagrams or computer simulations) in understanding the complexities of an ecosystem.
Figure 1 shows historical data and two future projections for atmospheric carbon dioxide () concentrations through the year 2100.
Figure 1: Projections of Atmospheric Concentration
(b) the specific layer of the atmosphere where the greenhouse effect is primarily influenced by the concentrations shown in Figure 1.
(d) Environmental systems are often characterized by their resilience and of equilibrium.
the role of feedback mechanisms in determining whether a system maintains a stable equilibrium or crosses a tipping point into a new .
(a) the approximate concentration of in the atmosphere in the year 2020, as shown in Figure 1.
(c) two reasons why technological Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) might be considered a more stable long-term sequestration strategy for Scenario B than biological sequestration (e.g., afforestation).
(d) how the projected reduction in concentration in Scenario B would alter the Earth's radiation balance to mitigate global warming.
