"A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE"

Question

by Jessica Merzdorf

Why are there so many songs about rainbows? For NASA’s upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission, or PACE, the colors of the rainbow — or, if you prefer, the visible wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum — are the key to unlocking a wealth of new data on skies and seas around the world.

PACE’s high-resolution instruments will see ocean and atmosphere features in unparalleled detail when the mission launches in 2023. By measuring the intensity of the color that exits Earth’s ocean surface, PACE will capture fine details about phytoplankton — tiny plantlike organisms and algae that live in the ocean — that are the basis of the marine food web and generate half of Earth’s oxygen. Beneficial phytoplankton communities fuel fisheries, but harmful algal blooms (HABs) can poison animals and humans and disrupt tourism and fishing industries. . .

Understanding phytoplankton health can help predict harmful algal blooms, or HABs. When substances from land wash into the ocean, they sometimes become a feast for algae, allowing them to eat, grow and multiply rapidly. HABs can generate harmful toxins that sicken marine wildlife and humans and deplete oxygen in the water as bacteria feed on numerous dead algae.

“Harmful algal blooms are not recent. We have writings from indigenous tribes in the Pacific Northwest that talk about things happening on the beach,” said Cetinić. “It’s just that today we’re looking for it more, and also anthropogenic influences are making blooms more prevalent.”

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Question
Use this excerpt from the “A Walk Through the Rainbow with PACE” article to answer the question.

Which statement represents an inference drawn from the text? Select the two correct answers.

(1 point)
Responses

Humans have an economic incentive to study and prevent the growth of HABs.
Humans have an economic incentive to study and prevent the growth of HABs.

Humans have documented the existence of HABs over the course of history.
Humans have documented the existence of HABs over the course of history.

Phytoplankton serves as a food source for many kinds of marine life.
Phytoplankton serves as a food source for many kinds of marine life.

Understanding phytoplankton is critical to protecting global ecosystems.
Understanding phytoplankton is critical to protecting global ecosystems.

HABs are caused by a number of natural and human-made factors.
HABs are caused by a number of natural and human-made factors.

Answer 1

The two statements that represent inferences drawn from the text are:

1. Humans have an economic incentive to study and prevent the growth of HABs.

   • This is inferred from the mention of how harmful algal blooms can disrupt tourism and fishing industries, suggesting an economic impact that drives the need for study and prevention.

2. Understanding phytoplankton is critical to protecting global ecosystems.

   • This is inferred from the text's emphasis on phytoplankton being the basis of the marine food web and playing a significant role in producing half of Earth's oxygen, indicating its importance to global ecosystems.

The other statements are more factual or directly stated in the text rather than inferred.