Pollutants also affect the atmosphere through their contribution to global warming. Global warming is an increase in the Earth's temperature. It is thought to be caused mostly by the increase of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases can be released by factories that burn fossil fuels. Over the past 20 years, burning fossil fuels has produced about three-quarters of the carbon dioxide from human activity. The rest of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is there because of deforestation, or cutting down trees ( Figure below ). Trees absorb carbon dioxide during cellular respiration, so when trees are cut down, they cannot remove carbon dioxide from the air. There are two planets, Glarnak and Bornak, that share the same atmospheric composition. The planets have nearly identical ecosystems and topography. The main difference between the two planets is the level of global warming on each planet. Glarnak is experiencing a strong impact from global warming. Bornak, though, is experiencing practically no effects of global warming. Which planet has more pollutants in the atmosphere?
Ans: Glarnak

Soil formation, or pedogenesis, is the combined effect of physical, chemical, biological and anthropogenic processes working on soil parent material. Soil is said to be formed when organic matter has accumulated and colloids are washed downward, leaving deposits of clay, humus, iron oxide, carbonate, and gypsum, producing a distinct layer called the B horizon. This is a somewhat arbitrary definition as mixtures of sand, silt, clay and humus will support biological and agricultural activity before that time. These constituents are moved from one level to another by water and animal activity. As a result, layers (horizons) form in the soil profile. The alteration and movement of materials within a soil causes the formation of distinctive soil horizons. However, more recent definitions of soil embrace soils without any organic matter, such as those regoliths that formed on Mars and analogous conditions in planet Earth deserts.An example of the development of a soil would begin with the weathering of lava flow bedrock, which would produce the purely mineral-based parent material from which the soil texture forms. Soil development would proceed most rapidly from bare rock of recent flows in a warm climate, under heavy and frequent rainfall. Under such conditions, plants (in a first stage nitrogen-fixing lichens and cyanobacteria then epilithic higher plants) become established very quickly on basaltic lava, even though there is very little organic material. The plants are supported by the porous rock as it is filled with nutrient-bearing water that carries minerals dissolved from the rocks. Crevasses and pockets, local topography of the rocks, would hold fine materials and harbour plant roots. The developing plant roots are associated with mineral-weathering mycorrhizal fungi that assist in breaking up the porous lava, and by these means organic matter and a finer mineral soil accumulate with time. Such initial stages of soil development have been described on volcanoes, inselbergs, and glacial moraines. Ben and Jerry studied agricultural sciences. Ben was specialized in pedology and pedogenesis, while Jerry specialized in entomology and phytopathology. Which person learned more about deposits of iron oxide?
Ans: Ben

Rain dissolves fertilizer in the soil. Runoff carries it away. The fertilizer ends up in bodies of water, from ponds to oceans. Nitrogen is a fertilizer in the water. Since there is a lot of nitrogen, it causes algae to grow out of control. Pictured below is a pond covered with algae ( Figure below ). Algae use up carbon dioxide in the water. After the algae die, decomposers break down the dead tissue. The decomposers use up all the oxygen in the water. This creates a dead zone. A dead zone is an area in a body of water where nothing grows because there is too little oxygen. There is a large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico ( Figure below ). The U.S. states outlined on the map have rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico. The rivers drain vast agricultural lands. The water carries fertilizer from these areas into the Gulf. Two farms had different plant cultivation methods. Jolly farm adopted the permaculture methods created by Sepp Holzer, while Peach farm continued using fertilizers and pesticides. Which farm caused more fertilizer to end up in oceans?
Ans: Peach

Medical research on the effects of excessive light on the human body suggests that a variety of adverse health effects may be caused by light pollution or excessive light exposure, and some lighting design textbooks[33] use human health as an explicit criterion for proper interior lighting. Health effects of over-illumination or improper spectral composition of light may include: increased headache incidence, worker fatigue, medically defined stress, decrease in sexual function and increase in anxiety.[34][35][36][37] Likewise, animal models have been studied demonstrating unavoidable light to produce adverse effect on mood and anxiety.[38] For those who need to be awake at night, light at night also has an acute effect on alertness and mood.[39] Two friends, John and Abe, worked at the same warehouse. John was exposed to very strong light all the time, while Abe worked in a more normal environment. John started experiencing health problems after a while. Which friend worked in a less healthy work environment, John or Abe?
Ans: John