APE 4.5-4.9
Which of the following shows the approximate concentration of CO2 , N2 , and O2 in dry air?
CO2N2O2< 1%78%21%
Which of the following is a biome found at 30° N and 30° S as seen in the diagram?
Deserts
Which latitude shown on the diagram above experiences 24 hours of daylight on December 21?
E
Earth currently rotates on an axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees. If that axis changed to 20 degrees, so that the axis was closer to vertical, which of the following would be expected to occur?
Earth would experience a change in seasonal timing and length.
Directions: Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the data table below that shows the annual anchovy catch and average sea surface temperature off the coast of Peru from 1995 through 2001. The high sea surface temperature in 1998 was most likely due to
El Niño
Region with the lowest atmospheric pressure
Exosphere
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena associated with changing water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of these events can result in changes in global weather and ocean circulation patterns. Which of the following is a positive effect likely to result from an El Niño event?
Fewer hurricanes forming in the Central Atlantic basin
Reasons that human populations historically have settled in floodplains include which of the following? 1. The soil in floodplains is usually fertile. 2. The terrain in floodplains tend to be flat. 3. Floodplains are close to rivers for transportation.
I, II, and III
El Niño and La Niña are natural phenomena associated with changing water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of these events can result in changes in global weather and ocean circulation patterns. Which of the following changes in eastern Pacific Ocean food webs is typically associated with La Niña events?
Increased phytoplankton concentrations
Which of the following correctly characterizes one of Earth's atmospheric layers?
Layer D is the thermosphere, where auroras are found.
A team at a university in Pennsylvania has concerns about the health of streams in a watershed because of the various land uses in the area. There has been an increase in road repair work, and the area has many dairy farms. Which of the following would be most effective at preventing sediment runoff into the streams of the watershed?
Maintain zones of grass at least 100m wide on the sides of streams in the area.
The shaded area in New York State, Pennsylvania, and Ohio in the northeast United States is referred to as a snowbelt. On average, this region receives much more snowfall than surrounding areas. Which of the following best explains why the shaded area receives more snowfall than the other parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio?
Moisture picked up from the warmer water in the Great Lakes is deposited as snow downwind.
Which of the following is the most abundant gas by volume in the atmosphere?
N2
The most abundant element in Earth's atmosphere
Nitrogen
The city of London in the United Kingdom is found approximately at the same latitude as the city of Calgary in Canada. Calgary has an average high temperature in December of −4.6 degrees Celsius, while London has an average high temperature of 8.6 degrees Celsius. Which of the following statements best explains why the average temperature of London is warmer than that of Calgary in December?
Oceanic currents warm the atmosphere in London.
During an El Niño-Southern Oscillation event, which of the following best describes conditions in the eastern part of the tropical Pacific Ocean (e.g., near Peru and Ecuador)?
Sea Surface Temperature Rainfall High High
Which of the following is the source of energy driving the circulation pattern labeled C in the diagram?
Solar radiation
Region where the protective ozone layer is located
Stratosphere
The beneficial ozone layer is in this region of the atmosphere.
Stratosphere
This layer of Earth's atmosphere contains the ozone layer that absorbs the sun's ultraviolet rays.
Stratosphere
Which of the following best describes why understanding a watershed and its boundaries is important in designing housing developments along a river?
Surface water and stormwater runoff will drain downstream within the watershed boundaries, so it is important to understand the flow of water through the watershed.
Which of the following correctly describes the season and length of day at the Tropic of Cancer at the time of year shown in the diagram?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, so it is winter at the Tropic of Cancer and daylight is approximately twelve hours per day.
Based on the diagram, which of the following changes are most likely to occur in the central and eastern tropical Pacific during El Niño?
The Peruvian current weakens, leading to warmer-than-average sea-surface temperatures.
Which of the following areas receives the most intense solar radiation at the time of year shown in the diagram, and why?
The Tropic of Capricorn, because this latitude is nearly horizontal to incoming solar radiation.
Based on the diagram, which of the following statements best explains why the climate of the West Coast of Africa is drier than that of the East Coast of the United States, even though they are located at similar northern latitudes?
The cold ocean currents off Africa absorb heat from land and therefore cool the atmosphere.
Hoover Dam is the largest dam in the United States, built on the Colorado River to supply hydroelectric power and flood control. Which of the following best describes a downstream environmental effect of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River watershed?
The damming of the Colorado River led to a change in stream flow, preventing river water and sediments from reaching the delta area.
Which of the following should be included in a watershed map to best determine the non-point source of a pollutant, such as fertilizer, found in a river?
The land use upstream of the river and water quality indicators in streams that run downstream into the river
Based on the diagram, which of the following identifies a characteristic of the atmosphere between the stratopause and the tropopause?
The ozone layer is in the stratosphere.
Which of the following best explains why City B regularly receives less precipitation than City A?
The rain shadow effect causes City B to be drier because the mountain blocks precipitation from reaching the city.
Which of the following does NOT exert a major influence on Earth's overall climate?
The seasonal development of temperature inversions in geographical basins
Which of the following best explains why the lower portion of the troposphere is warmer than the upper portion?
The surface of Earth absorbs sunlight, heating the lower portion of the troposphere more than the upper part.
Which of the following factors is fundamentally responsible for seasons on Earth?
The tilt of Earth's axis of rotation
During an El Niño event, warm surface water moves from the western equatorial Pacific Ocean to the eastern equatorial region. Which of the following best describes how the warm water will affect upwelling off the coast of equatorial South America?
The warm surface water will decrease upwelling because of the density difference between the warm surface water and the cold deep water.
In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, daily high and low temperatures will frequently fluctuate by 40°� (33°�) or more. Which statement below best explains the large variation in temperature?
There are no bordering oceans or large bodies of water to provide a stabilizing humidity to the air.
This layer of Earth's atmosphere contains the fewest molecules of the layers shown, and the low density of gas leads to very few molecules transferring heat to an object. In this layer, ultraviolet radiation causes photodissociation of molecules, creating ions.
Thermosphere
El Niño, a periodic warming of ocean surface waters, occurs in which of the following regions?
Tropical East Pacific
In which of the following atmospheric layers does most weather occur?
Troposphere
Most oxygen is found in this layer of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
Region largely responsible for the weather experienced at the Earth's surface
Troposphere
Region that contains the majority of molecules in the atmosphere
Troposphere
The phenomenon causing global warming occurs primarily in this region of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
This layer of Earth's atmosphere has the highest density of any atmospheric layer and contains most of the water vapor in the atmosphere.
Troposphere
Which of the following causes the air to rise high into the atmosphere in the areas labeled A, B, and C on the diagram?
Warm, moist air that is less dense than the surrounding air
Brown pelicans are fish-eating birds. As a result of an El Niño event, the population of brown pelicans in southern California declines. Which of the following best explains the relationship between the El Niño event and the population decline?
Warmer ocean temperatures can cause fish to move to colder water farther from pelican nest sites.
Which of the following is a primary cause of El Niño climate variations?
Warmer surface waters in the Pacific Ocean
Which of the following is the most likely effect of a strong El Niño event on the weather patterns in the United States?
Wetter weather and cooler than average temperatures in the southeastern states and warmer temperatures in the Pacific Northwest
The primary cause of Earth's seasons is the
constant tilt of Earth's rotational axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun
Most of the Earth's deserts are at approximately 30° latitude, north and south, because these latitudes are characterized by
descending dry air currents
The most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere is
nitrogen
The Sun's radiation provides the energy for all of the following EXCEPT
plate tectonics
The low anchovy catch in 1998 was most likely the result of
reduced ocean upwelling along the coast
Most deserts on Earth are located near the 30° north and 30° south latitudes because humidity is lower at 30°. The best explanation for the lower humidity is that
warm air rises at the equator, cools, and sinks at 30° latitude
