Question 1

It is _______ in mountains and highlands when compared to lowlands because _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  colder; there are more air molecules to absorb the infrared energy from the sun. 
B)  warmer; mountains are closer to the sun. 
C)  colder; there are fewer air molecules to absorb the infrared energy radiating from the Earth's surface. 
D)  about the same temperature; Earth loses heat to the atmosphere equally across elevations. 
A)  colder; there are more air molecules to absorb the infrared energy from the sun. 
B)  warmer; mountains are closer to the sun. 
C)  colder; there are fewer air molecules to absorb the infrared energy radiating from the Earth's surface. 
D)  about the same temperature; Earth loses heat to the atmosphere equally across elevations.

Question 2

Refer to the figure.
  The figure illustrates the Coriolis effect for Earth. Which of the following statements about the Coriolis effect is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Coriolis effect has a major impact on determining global patterns of ocean currents as well as winds. 
B)  The Coriolis effect occurs because points on Earth close to the equator are rotating around Earth's axis more slowly than points farther from the equator. 
C)  If the Earth's direction of rotation was from east to west rather than west to east, the deflection would still occur, but its direction would be reversed. 
D)  If the Earth was a cylinder (with its length oriented north-south and rotating around a north-south axis) rather than a sphere, no east-west deflection of a north-south trajectory would occur. 
A)  The Coriolis effect has a major impact on determining global patterns of ocean currents as well as winds. 
B)  The Coriolis effect occurs because points on Earth close to the equator are rotating around Earth's axis more slowly than points farther from the equator. 
C)  If the Earth's direction of rotation was from east to west rather than west to east, the deflection would still occur, but its direction would be reversed. 
D)  If the Earth was a cylinder (with its length oriented north-south and rotating around a north-south axis) rather than a sphere, no east-west deflection of a north-south trajectory would occur.

Question 3

A leak from an oil pipeline is flowing into an Alaskan lake that is approximately 1 km wide and 20 m deep. When oil spills into a body of water, much of it floats on top but some can adhere to tiny particles in the water column and be carried into deeper water. Suppose the oil leak occurs during early summer. The oil impacts not only the lake but also the surrounding vegetation, causing trees, bushes, and other plants to die off over the course of the summer. What effect would this have on the local albedo and evapotranspiration around the lake? Would you expect the lake to heat up more or less than it would during normal years? Which layer of the lake would be most affected?

Accepted Answer

The loss of vegetation and increase in b

Question 4

If the Earth rotated around its axis from east to west rather than west to east, what major consequences would this have had for the standard routes traversed by sailing ships traveling between Europe or Africa and the Americas prior to the 20th century?

Accepted Answer

In this imagined scenario, the prevailin

Question 5

El Niño events are associated with

Accepted Answer

A)  greatly increased upwelling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. 
B)  much reduced or absent upwelling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. 
C)  flooding in Indonesia and parts of Australia. 
D)  droughts in the southeastern United States. 
A)  greatly increased upwelling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. 
B)  much reduced or absent upwelling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. 
C)  flooding in Indonesia and parts of Australia. 
D)  droughts in the southeastern United States.

Question 6

Refer to the figure.
  What is the name of the circulation pattern indicated by the black arrow?

Accepted Answer

A)  Polar cell 
B)  Ferrell cell 
C)  Dobson cell 
D)  Hadley cell 
A)  Polar cell 
B)  Ferrell cell 
C)  Dobson cell 
D)  Hadley cell

Question 7

Refer to the figure.
   The figure shows seasonal temperature variation expressed as the difference in average monthly temperature between the warmest and coldest months (in ℃). San Francisco and Cincinnati are located at similar latitudes in North America. Based on the figure, which of these two cities experiences less temperature differential between winter and summer? Explain why.

Accepted Answer

Temperatures fluctuate much less within

Question 8

In the absence of greenhouse gases, Earth would be about _______ than it is now.

Accepted Answer

A)  2$\degree$C warmer 
B)  3$\degree$C cooler 
C)  13$\degree$C cooler 
D)  33$\degree$C cooler 
A)  2$\degree$C warmer 
B)  3$\degree$C cooler 
C)  13$\degree$C cooler 
D)  33$\degree$C cooler

Question 9

Earth's surface releases _______ it receives by solar radiation. Additional energy inputs to Earth's surface occur in part from back radiation due to _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  more energy than; evapotranspiration 
B)  more energy than; greenhouse gases 
C)  about the same energy as; evapotranspiration 
D)  less energy than; greenhouse gases 
A)  more energy than; evapotranspiration 
B)  more energy than; greenhouse gases 
C)  about the same energy as; evapotranspiration 
D)  less energy than; greenhouse gases

Question 10

During the summer, temperatures and plankton activity in temperate lakes are highest in the _______. This is also the period of _______ lake stratification.

Accepted Answer

A)  epilimnion; highest 
B)  epilimnion; lowest 
C)  thermocline; highest 
D)  thermocline; lowest 
A)  epilimnion; highest 
B)  epilimnion; lowest 
C)  thermocline; highest 
D)  thermocline; lowest

Question 11

Refer to the figure.
  Which statement is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Position "A" represents the June solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
B)  Position "B" represents the June solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
C)  Position "C" represents the December solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
D)  Position "D" represents the December solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
A)  Position "A" represents the June solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
B)  Position "B" represents the June solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
C)  Position "C" represents the December solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year. 
D)  Position "D" represents the December solstice, when locations in the southern hemisphere are in darkness for more hours than any other day of the year.

Question 12

Which areas of Earth receive the most precipitation on average?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tropics 
B)  Temperate zones 
C)  Regions near 30F1F1F1S1$\degree$F1F1F10N and S latitudes 
D)  Polar zones 
A)  Tropics 
B)  Temperate zones 
C)  Regions near 30F1F1F1S1$\degree$F1F1F10N and S latitudes 
D)  Polar zones

Question 13

The side of a mountain range that faces into the prevailing winds is called the _______ side. This usually receives _______ precipitation than the other side of the mountain.

Accepted Answer

A)  leeward; more 
B)  leeward; less 
C)  starboard; less 
D)  windward; more 
A)  leeward; more 
B)  leeward; less 
C)  starboard; less 
D)  windward; more

Question 14

On what time scale does the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  Daily 
B)  Monthly 
C)  Seasonal 
D)  Between 2 and 10 years 
A)  Daily 
B)  Monthly 
C)  Seasonal 
D)  Between 2 and 10 years

Question 15

Deforestation in the tropics should result in a(n) _______ in the land's ability to reflect solar energy and _______ latent heat transfer.

Accepted Answer

A)  increase; increased 
B)  increase; decreased 
C)  decrease; increased 
D)  decrease; more variable 
A)  increase; increased 
B)  increase; decreased 
C)  decrease; increased 
D)  decrease; more variable

Question 16

If the tilt of Earth's axis were to decrease,

Accepted Answer

A)  seasonality at the poles would increase. 
B)  seasonality at the poles would decrease. 
C)  the Intertropical Convergence Zone would move more. 
D)  Both a and c 
A)  seasonality at the poles would increase. 
B)  seasonality at the poles would decrease. 
C)  the Intertropical Convergence Zone would move more. 
D)  Both a and c

Question 17

Refer to the figure.
   
-You are one of a team of scientists studying a newly-discovered planet. You are receiving data from a probe that was landed on the planet by an unmanned mission. Your team is working with the little data you have from the probe to learn as much as you can about the planet's basic characteristics. The figure illustrates data collected by the probe at the same location on the planet during what you suspect are two different seasons (season A and season B). If plants from Earth's temperate deciduous forests could grow on this new planet, during which season(s) would they most likely show the most active growth? What other information would be required to determine probable growth patterns?

Accepted Answer

Plants on Earth are usually most active

Question 18

The greatest seasonal variation of temperature is most likely to be seen over

Accepted Answer

A)  oceans at low latitudes. 
B)  land at low latitudes. 
C)  land near oceans at low latitudes. 
D)  land in the middle of a continent at high latitudes. 
A)  oceans at low latitudes. 
B)  land at low latitudes. 
C)  land near oceans at low latitudes. 
D)  land in the middle of a continent at high latitudes.

Question 19

Which statement about atmospheric circulation patterns is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  The condensation of water vapor into clouds is a warming process. 
B)  Cool air can hold more water vapor than warm air can. 
C)  Thunderclouds potentially reach only to the boundary between the upper region of the troposphere and the bottom of the stratosphere. 
D)  Air cools due to expansion as it rises in the troposphere. 
A)  The condensation of water vapor into clouds is a warming process. 
B)  Cool air can hold more water vapor than warm air can. 
C)  Thunderclouds potentially reach only to the boundary between the upper region of the troposphere and the bottom of the stratosphere. 
D)  Air cools due to expansion as it rises in the troposphere.

Question 20

Which phenomenon is a major cause of the periodic glacial advances and retreats that have occurred over the last two million years?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) 
B)  El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) 
C)  Periodic changes of Earth's orbit from more circular to more elliptical 
D)  Changes in the rate of continental drift 
A)  The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) 
B)  El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) 
C)  Periodic changes of Earth's orbit from more circular to more elliptical 
D)  Changes in the rate of continental drift

Exam 2: The Physical Environment

It is _______ in mountains and highlands when compared to lowlands because _______.

Refer to the figure. The figure illustrates the Coriolis effect for Earth. Which of the following statements about the Coriolis effect is false?

If the Earth rotated around its axis from east to west rather than west to east, what major consequences would this have had for the standard routes traversed by sailing ships traveling between Europe or Africa and the Americas prior to the 20th century?

El Niño events are associated with

Refer to the figure. What is the name of the circulation pattern indicated by the black arrow?

In the absence of greenhouse gases, Earth would be about _______ than it is now.

Earth's surface releases _______ it receives by solar radiation. Additional energy inputs to Earth's surface occur in part from back radiation due to _______.

During the summer, temperatures and plankton activity in temperate lakes are highest in the _______. This is also the period of _______ lake stratification.

Refer to the figure. Which statement is true?

Which areas of Earth receive the most precipitation on average?

The side of a mountain range that faces into the prevailing winds is called the _______ side. This usually receives _______ precipitation than the other side of the mountain.

On what time scale does the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) occur?

Deforestation in the tropics should result in a(n) _______ in the land's ability to reflect solar energy and _______ latent heat transfer.

If the tilt of Earth's axis were to decrease,

The greatest seasonal variation of temperature is most likely to be seen over

Which statement about atmospheric circulation patterns is false?

Which phenomenon is a major cause of the periodic glacial advances and retreats that have occurred over the last two million years?

The Web of Life

The Biosphere

Coping With Environmental Variation:

Coping With Environmental Variation: Energy

Evolution and Ecology

Life History

Behavioral Ecology

Population Distribution and Abundance

Population Dynamics

Population Growth and Regulation

Predation

Parasitism

Competition

Mutualism and Commensalism

The Nature of Communities

Change in Communities

Biogeography

Species Diversity in Communities

Production

Energy Flow and Food Webs

Nutrient Supply and Cycling

Conservation Biology

Landscape Ecology and Ecosystem Management

Global Ecology

Filters

It is _ in mountains and highlands when compared to lowlands because _.

If the Earth rotated around its axis from east to west rather than west to east, what major consequences would this have had for the standard routes traversed by sailing ships traveling between Europe or Africa and the Americas prior to the 20^th century?

Earth's surface releases _ it receives by solar radiation. Additional energy inputs to Earth's surface occur in part from back radiation due to _.

During the summer, temperatures and plankton activity in temperate lakes are highest in the _. This is also the period of _ lake stratification.

The side of a mountain range that faces into the prevailing winds is called the _ side. This usually receives _ precipitation than the other side of the mountain.

Deforestation in the tropics should result in a(n) _ in the land's ability to reflect solar energy and _ latent heat transfer.