Deck 5: Climates and Soils

Question 1

Which of the following human activities is NOT a significant source of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?

A) generating electricity
B) using landfills
C) using refrigerants
D) agriculture
E) hunting

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Explain how an increased angle of Earth's tilt would affect the variation in the heating of Earth.

Answer 2

not answered

Question 3

The surface temperature of Mars averages approximately -55°C, with carbon dioxide trapped in ice and permafrost. How could humans begin to make the atmosphere more conducive to life?

Answer 3

not answered

Question 4

Where is the solar equator?

A) at the Tropic of Cancer
B) between the equator and 23.5° N, depending on the season
C) between 23.5° S and 23.5° N of the equator, depending on the season
D) along the equator
E) between the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn

Question 5

Urban heat islands are warmer than surrounding areas. How might albedo contribute to urban heat islands?

Question 6

Decreased temperature in adiabatic cooling is a result of

A) condensation of water vapor.
B) a decrease in volume.
C) absorption of sunlight.
D) a decrease in pressure.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?

A) methane
B) ozone
C) carbon monoxide
D) nitrous oxide
E) chlorofluorocarbons

Question 8

The intertropical convergence zone is

A) the dry region at the edge of the Hadley cells.
B) at the solar equator.
C) the area between polar and Hadley cells.
D) the cause of westerlies.

Question 9

Which is the correct order of the processes that occur in a Hadley cell?

A) adiabatic cooling, warm air displacing cool air, air rising, adiabatic heating, latent heat release
B) adiabatic heating, air rising, warm air displacing cool air, latent heat release, adiabatic cooling
C) air rising, warm air displacing cool air, adiabatic heating, latent heat release, adiabatic cooling
D) air rising, adiabatic cooling, latent heat release, warm air displacing cool air, adiabatic heating

Question 10

Why do the tropics receive more precipitation than areas at higher latitudes?

A) There is more water in tropical latitudes.
B) Water cycles more rapidly through the tropical atmosphere.
C) More precipitation falls as snow at higher latitudes.
D) The tropics are windier.

Question 11

The greenhouse effect occurs because of the absorption and re-emission of _______ radiation by the atmosphere.

A) visible light
B) infrared
C) ultraviolet
D) shortwave

Question 12

Imagine Earth as a cylinder with a pole at each end. How would the distribution of heat from the Sun change?

Question 13

During summer equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun shines most directly

A) at the Tropic of Capricorn.
B) at the Tropic of Cancer.
C) north of the solar equator.
D) at the equator.

Question 14

The maximum amount of water vapor air can hold is called the

A) saturation point.
B) latent heat capacity.
C) dew point.
D) absolute humidity.
E) condensate retention.

Question 15

How much did the average temperature of Earth change between 1880 and 2016?

A) 4°C
B) 2°C
C) 1°C
D) -2°C
E) no significant change

Question 16

Why might Earth's temperature continue to increase for a time even if all emission of greenhouse gases ceased?

Question 17

How much solar radiation is reflected by Earth's atmosphere and surface?

A) 24 percent
B) 33 percent
C) 45 percent
D) 60 percent

Question 18

The energy of incident solar radiation reaching the surface of Earth declines toward the poles from its maximum in equatorial regions. Which of these is NOT a reason for this?

A) The tilt of Earth increases the reflection of solar radiation.
B) A given amount of solar radiation is spread over a larger area at higher latitudes.
C) Solar radiation travels a longer path through Earth's atmosphere at higher latitudes.
D) The rays of the Sun strike Earth at right angles over the equator as compared to oblique angles at the poles.

Question 19

Which of the following has the highest albedo?

A) grass
B) snow
C) water
D) rainforest
E) pavement

Question 20

Excluding water vapor, greenhouse gases make up _____ percent of the atmosphere.

A) 7
B) 3
C)

Question 21

Thermohaline circulation is driven by

A) upwelling along the coast.
B) high precipitation from the intertropical convergence zone.
C) sinking polar water with high salinity.
D) increased temperatures at the solar equator.

Question 22

One potential effect of climate change is that it could disrupt thermohaline circulation. What might cause this disruption?

Question 23

Which of the following is an effect of an El Niño-Southern Oscillation?

A) increased precipitation and productivity in Australia and Africa
B) disruption of fisheries off the coast of California
C) increased upwelling along the western coast of South America
D) drought in the southern United States and Mexico

Question 24

Water near the equator is at a higher elevation than water near the midlatitudes because of

A) gravity.
B) salinity.
C) temperature.
D) precipitation.

Question 25

Explain how a decrease in atmospheric temperature can cause rain.

Question 26

What kind of oceanic circulation would you predict for the western coasts of continents?

A) cold currents moving poleward from the equator
B) warm currents moving poleward from the equator
C) cold currents moving from the poles toward the equator
D) warm currents moving from the poles toward the equator

Question 27

Which of the following phenomena triggers an El Niño-Southern Oscillation event?

A) development of an unusually cold high-pressure air mass in the Antarctic region
B) increased freshwater added to the surface currents, resulting in low salinity
C) reversal of high- and low-pressure areas in the equatorial central Pacific Ocean
D) cold water upwelling in the eastern Indian Ocean

Question 28

Explain how the Coriolis effect would change if Earth were egg-shaped, with a narrower equatorial region.

Question 29

Additional water vapor in the atmosphere has both positive and negative feedback. Why is this?

Question 30

Consult the graph to answer the following question. You have been asked to recommend a location for a botanical garden that will be used to propagate rare plants from the city of Mérida in the Yucatán Peninsula. Two sites are being considered, one in Bogotá, Colombia, the other in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Which would you recommend for establishment of this garden? Briefly explain your answer.

Question 31

Compared to coastal regions, the interior of a continent usually has _____ precipitation and ______ variation in climate.

A) less; less
B) more; more
C) less; more
D) more; less

Question 32

In the area between convection cells the prevailing wind direction is primarily

A) north to south.
B) east to west.
C) west to east.
D) nonexistent.

Question 33

Zoologists from Peru and Chile have been examining climate records from the coastal deserts of their countries. These deserts are the driest on Earth, yet they lie within the southward reach of the intertropical convergence during the Southern Hemisphere summer. Explain this curious phenomenon.

Question 34

The Coriolis effect causes what in surface winds?

A) wind deflection to the east near the equator
B) wind deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
C) wind deflection to the west in the Southern Hemisphere
D) polar wind deflection to the left

Question 35

What is the cause of the higher climatic variability in the Northern Hemisphere?

A) Significant mountain ranges interrupt convection currents.
B) More human activities affect the climate.
C) Water surface area is less.
D) More oceanic currents carry cold water from the poles.

Question 36

Gyres in the Southern Hemisphere rotate _____ and in the Northern Hemisphere rotate _______.

A) clockwise; counterclockwise
B) clockwise; clockwise
C) counterclockwise; clockwise
D) counterclockwise; counterclockwise

Question 37

Which of the following does NOT drive ocean currents?

A) the Coriolis effect
B) topography of the ocean basins
C) temperature differences
D) continental water sources
E) differences in salinity

Question 38

Upwelling causes

A) increased surface water temperature.
B) nutrient-rich zones.
C) low productivity in the deep ocean.
D) increased evaporation and precipitation.

Question 39

Explain how the effects of El Niño-Southern Oscillation illustrate the importance of air and water currents in the global distribution of heat.

Question 40

Rain shadows occur

A) on the downwind side of mountains.
B) in areas without significant convection currents.
C) along coasts with cold air.
D) between deserts and coastal areas.

Question 41

The parent material of a soil is the

A) organic matter from the vegetation on top of the soil.
B) area from which the soil has been transported.
C) bedrock underneath the soil.
D) type of erosion that contributed to soil formation.

Question 42

Explain why dry climates are commonly found around 30° S and 30° N latitudes.

Question 43

What causes the characteristic reddish color of soil in laterization?

A) high acidity
B) iron and aluminum oxides
C) high levels of organic matter
D) low cation exchange capacity

Question 44

Which of the following is the most likely reason a soil would not have an O horizon?

A) The area has heavy precipitation.
B) The soil is in a desert.
C) The soil is in a forest.
D) The soil is in an area that receives a lot of weathering.

Question 45

Podsolization is most likely to occur in

A) cold climates where acid soils form under needle-leaved trees.
B) cold climates where neutral soils form under broadleaf trees.
C) tropical climates where acid soils form under needle-leaved trees.
D) tropical climates where neutral soils form under broadleaf trees.

Question 46

Which soil characteristics are the most desirable for agriculture?

A) high cation exchange capacity and a large E horizon
B) low cation exchange capacity and a large E horizon
C) high cation exchange capacity and a small E horizon
D) average cation exchange capacity and a small E horizon

Question 47

Why is it difficult to predict how climate will change as a response to global warming?

A) The future levels of greenhouse gases are difficult to predict.
B) It is difficult to predict how human technology might change the climate.
C) The global climate is complex.
D) Variability resulting from the Sun's effects is unknown.

Question 48

A regression equation for algae biomass (micrograms per liter) depending on the amount of phosphorus (micrograms per liter) is determined to be y = 1.5x - 2. What is the biomass if there is 14 $\mu$ g/L of phosphorus?

A) 18 $\mu$ g/L
B) 19 $\mu$ g/L
C) 23 $\mu$ g/L
D) 11 $\mu$ g/L

Question 49

Explain why tropical soils often have low fertility.

Question 50

Warm temperatures and high precipitation break down clay particles, leach silicon, and lead to a predominance of iron and aluminum. This condition is known as

A) cation release.
B) laterization.
C) weathering.
D) podsolization.

Question 51

In areas with significant leaching, which soil horizon would be largest?

A) A
B) B
C) E
D) O
E) R

Question 52

What is the most important process in chemical weathering of rock?

A) displacement of certain elements in minerals by hydrogen ions
B) displacement of certain elements in minerals by calcium ions
C) displacement of certain elements in minerals by potassium ions
D) leaching of relatively insoluble oxides, such as titanium and silicon

Question 53

Which is the correct order of the soil horizons, starting at the surface?

A) A, B, C, E, O, R
B) R, A, E, B, C, O
C) O, E, C, B, A, R
D) O, A, E, B, C, R

Question 54

The greenhouse effect is so named because

A) Earth's oceans act as a greenhouse for phytoplankton.
B) Earth's landmasses provide the substrate for all terrestrial producers.
C) Earth's atmosphere acts like the glass of a greenhouse.
D) Earth's land mass is a heat sink much like a greenhouse.

Question 55

Explain why western Europe is much warmer than the same latitudes in eastern Europe.

Question 56

A statistical tool used to help one see how one variable changes in response to another variable is called ___________ analysis.

A) mean
B) regression
C) standard deviation
D) median

Question 57

Cation exchange capacity depends on the

A) amount of clay.
B) number of positive ions.
C) type of bedrock.
D) percentage of hydrogen ions.

Question 58

How might the plowing of soil for agriculture change the soil's fertility?

Question 59

Which of the following ions is NOT an important nutrient for plants?

A) K+
B) Ca2+
C) Na+
D) H+
E) Mg2+

Question 60

Which of the following changes will increase climate warming?

A) melting of glaciers and ice caps
B) increased intensity of storms and hurricanes
C) changes in oceanic circulation
D) increased precipitation

Question 61

At what time of year does the Northern Hemisphere receive the most direct sunlight?

A) December solstice
B) June solstice
C) September equinox
D) March equinox

Question 62

Describe the path that incoming solar radiation takes and how it is transformed in the greenhouse effect.

Question 63

How do tropical rainforests (like those found in the Amazon basin) maintain their high levels of productivity when the soil itself is nutrient poor (due to laterization)?

Question 64

Compare and contrast the two soil processes called podsolization and laterization.

Question 65

Some have proposed that humans might, individually, attempt to combat climate change by replacing their roof shingles with light or white-colored shingles rather than dark or black-colored shingles when replacing the roof of their homes. The notion behind this idea is

A) decreasing the albedo of Earth's surface.
B) increasing the albedo of Earth's surface.
C) decreasing the reflectivity of Earth's surface.
D) increasing the absorption of Earth's surface.

Question 66

As the temperature of the air increases, what happens to the saturation point of water vapor in the air?

A) The saturation point increases.
B) The saturation point decreases.
C) The saturation point remains the same.
D) The saturation point increases then decreases.

Question 67

Dry climates may be the result of

A) Hadley cell circulation and the rain shadow effect.
B) the Coriolis effect and the rain shadow effect.
C) Hadley cell circulation and the Coriolis effect.
D) thermohaline circulation and the rain shadow effect.

Question 68

The plant hardiness map developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the ordering of the zones of plant hardiness is generally related to

A) annual rainfall.
B) time of first frost.
C) longitude.
D) latitude.