Deck 5: Climates and Soils

Question 1

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 1

Adding artificial greenhouse gas molecules with high absorption potential, such as chlorofluorocarbons, to the atmosphere of Mars would begin to heat the atmosphere via the greenhouse effect. As the atmosphere heated, the carbon dioxide would be released and continue the process without further inputs.
There is unequal heating of Earth by the Sun

Question 2

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

Answer 2

The albedo of pavement and most roofs is much lower than the albedo of natural surfaces. This lower albedo reduces the reflection of solar radiation and increases the reradiation of infrared, which heats the local air.

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Because of the long lifetime of many greenhouse gases, even if emissions ceased, the gases already emitted will remain in the atmosphere for many years. Since it takes time for Earth to heat, the temperature will continue to rise until it stabilizes at the temperature dictated by the current levels of greenhouse gases.

Question 4

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

Question 5

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 6

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 7

Decreased temperature in adiabatic cooling is a result of

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

Question 8

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

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

Question 9

Which of the following has the highest albedo?

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

Question 10

The greenhouse effect occurs because of the absorption and reemission of _______ radiation by the atmosphere.

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

Question 11

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 12

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

A) 7
B) 3
C) 1.5
D) less than 1

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

The energy of incident solar radiation reaching the surface of Earth declines toward the poles from its maximum in equatorial regions. Why is 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) Both a and b
E) Both b and c

Question 16

During summer equinox in the Northern Hemisphere the sun shines most directly at

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

Question 17

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

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

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?

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

Question 19

Where is the solar equator?

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

Question 20

How much did the average temperature of the Earth change between 1880 and 2011?

A) 4^oC
B) 2^oC
C) 1^oC
D) −2^oC
E) no significant change

Question 21

Upwelling causes

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

Question 22

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 23

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 24

Which of the following does NOT drive ocean currents?

A) the Coriolis effect
B) gravity
C) temperature differences
D) continental water sources
E) salinity

Question 25

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 26

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 27

Compared with 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 28

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

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

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 31

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

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) no prevailing wind direction.

Question 33

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 34

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

Question 35

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 36

Explain how a decrease in atmospheric temperature can cause rain.

Question 37

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

Question 38

What is the cause of the high 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 small.
D) More oceanic currents carry cold water from the poles.

Question 39

Consult the nearby 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 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

A regression equation for algae biomass (micrograms per litre) depending on the amount of phosphorus (micrograms per litre) is determined to be y = 1.5x − 2. What is the biomass if there is 14 μg/L of phosphorus?

A) 18 μg/L
B) 19 μg/L
C) 23 μg/L
D) 11 μg/L

Question 42

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 43

Why is it difficult to calculate a regression line for a nonlinear regression like the one in the nearby graph?

Question 44

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

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

Question 45

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 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

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 48

Explain why dry climates are commonly found around 30ºS and 30ºN latitudes.

Question 49

The parent material of a soil is

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

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

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 52

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

A) K⁺
B) Ca²⁺
C) Na⁺
D) H⁺
E) Mg²⁺

Question 53

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 54

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 55

The nearby graph shows average temperature versus altitude for Mount Kilimanjaro. Which is the best regression line for the data?

A) y = −0.1x + 31
B) y = −100x + 3100
C) y = 100x + 3100
D) y = −0.01x + 31
E) y = 0.01x − 31

Question 56

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 57

Explain why tropical soils often have low fertility.

Question 58

Podsolization most likely to occur in

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

Question 59

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

Question 60

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