Physical Geography exam1
The Prime Meridian (longitude) is located at
0
Clouds are good absorbers of radiation at a wavelength of about
10 micrometers
Earth's maximum wavelength of emission is about
10 micrometers
If there is a water supply less than____years, it may be reported on real estate documents as a way of disclosing that information to buyers
100
The International Dateline (longitude) is located at
180
There are a series of maps with the following scales. Which ones is the small scaled one?
1:100,00
A calculator will help on this one! Use the one on your phone or computer if you don't have a physical one near you. You measured 5.5 inches between two points on a 1:24000 scale map. The actual distance in miles is:
2.08
At the time these articles were written, we were off to a slow start at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains where the snow water equivalent measured in at _____ of the normal 11.3 inch average that has been measured there since 1964.
3%
According to the Tour of the Cryosphere video (NASA), snowmelt provides____of the water resources used in the American West
3/4
From the Soil Chemistry section, water has a neutral pH of 7. Some plants survive better in acidic environments and some in more alkaline (or basic) environments. Which of the following is an example of an acidic pH?
5
The North Pole Latitude is located at
90N
Which of the following soil orders is most associated with broadleaf deciduous temperate forests?
Alfisol
Which of the following U.S. states can be affected by monsoonal thunderstorms?
Arizona
When Santa Ana winds move from the Great Basin region towards the city of Santa Ana, California, what happens to the relative humidity of the air?
As the air warms, the relative humidity falls
The zone of illuviation is commonly the
B horizon
Based on the scenarios put forth by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the chart featured in Chapter Three, which of the following scenarios is likely to lead to the lowest concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at the end of the 21st Century?
B1 (population peaks and declines, reduction in material intensity, etc.)
Which of the following soil forming processes is likely occurring at letter L
Calcification
Why does relative humidity drop as Santa Ana winds flow over the mountain ranges in Southern California?
Compression of the sinking air causes an increase in temperature.
which scale will show the most detail on a map?
Correct! 1:24,000; 1:62,500; 1:100,00
What type of cloud (pictured below) forms during the day, reaches high into the sky (possibly up to the stratosphere), and may produce thunderstorms?
Cumulonimbus
Which type of cloud forms vertically (when air rises and condensation occurs) typically during pleasant "fair weather"?
Cumulus
Based on the map, which is the most likely location to find desert conditions that are too hot and dry to attract the development of large cities?
D
Xerophytic vegetation is most likely found at
D
The sun is directly overhead of 23.5 S at noon on
Dec. 22nd
Which climate borders the Mediterranean Sea?
Dry Summer Subtropical
A temperate rain forest is most likely found at
E
Which of the following is created by endogenic forces?
Faulting
"Energy cannot be created or destroyed" is a statement of the
First Law of Thermodynamics
The most likely location to find a tall grass prairie is
G
Which of the following climates is dominated by mTu through much of the year?
Humid subtropical
Which of the following biogeographical realms is dominated nearly exclusively by tropical forest?
Indomalayan
Which of the following biogeographical realms is dominated nearly exclusively by tropical rainforest?
Indomalayan
Which of the following was pulled inward to create the Earth's core during the later accretion phase?
Iron
Earth is closest to the sun on about
January 4th
A mediterranean woodland is most likely located at
K
______ are mudflows due to rapid melting of snow packs along the sides of snow covered mountains
Lahars
Which 2 fast-growing American cities in the Peak Water video (Wired Science) pull their water from the Colorado Water?
Las Vegas, NV and Phoenix, AZ
Match the components of the Earth System with their descriptions.
Lithosphere The solid Earth; Biosphere The realm where we find all living organisms; this is where the other three components of the earth system come together; Atmosphere The gaseous envelope surrounding Earth; Hydrosphere Literally, the "water sphere"
Which of the following statements is false?
Maximum outgoing radiation and maximum incoming solar radiation generally occur at the same time.
Which of the following would I most likely find at location H
Midlatitude Steppe
Is sinking air conducive to cloud formation?
No
Taiga is found on the poleward(northern) limits of the
Northern Coniferous Forest
Which date marks the start of a new water year?
October 1
Which type of uplift is responsible for Palm Springs being dryer than Riverside
Orographic
According to the Peak Water video (Wired Science), how many people move to Las Vegas every day?
Over 160
A lava that has a glistening, ropy-like appearance associated with effusive eruptions is known as
Pahoehoe
The original "super continent" was called
Pangea
Which of the following soil structures would impede the infiltration of water the most?
Platy
which factors can contribute to landslides?
Radical alteration of landscapes; steep slopes; other natural disasters; all of the above
which of the following serves as a parent material for soil
Regolith
Which local winds are represented in this graphic from the LA Times?
Santa Ana Winds
Which biome can be thought of as a "global-scale" ecotone?
Savanna
Which of the following is not a soil forming factor?
Season
Which soil would I most likely find at location C
Spodosol
Volcanism in Iceland is due to which of the following plate boundaries?
Spreading
Volcanism on the Hawaiian Islands is due to which of the following plate boundaries?
Spreading; Convergent; Transform; None of the above
Clouds that form a layer of dark-gray over most or all of the sky( as seen below), are called
Stratus
The largest temperature range is found in the
Subarctic climate
What impact do the Santa Ana winds have on local vegetation?
The dry, hot winds carry moisture away from plants.
. Which of the following layers are, we think, composed of solid nickel and iron?
The inner core
Which of the following patterns of wind belts will you experience traveling from the equator to the north pole?
Tradewinds, Westerlies, Easterlies
Which of the following boundaries characterize the San Andreas Fault?
Transform
Which of the following soil horizon processes creates the acidification of soils by the break down of organic matter?
Transformation
Which of the following climates lacks seasonal precipitation?
Tropical rain forest
Constant gases exist in the atmosphere in concentrations that have remained almost exactly the same for much of Earth's recent history.
True
Through the hydrologic cycle, groundwater can go back into the air or flow into a water body.
True
Which of the following would I most likely find at location I
Tundra
Which soil would I most likely find at location E
Ultisol
volcano built by alternating flows of lava and accumulation of pyroclastics is called
a composite volcano (stratovolcano)
A caldera
a huge crater at the top of the volcano
According to he video Water, Water Everywhere(NASA), water is the only compound that can be found naturally as ________
a liquid, a gas, and a solid
The function of a life-form within a community is called
a niche
Quartzite is
a nonfoliated metamorphic rock
When underground limestone is slowly dissolved by water, what may form?
a sinkhole
Volcanoes are found
along the midocean ridge; near subduction zone; shot spots (mantle plumes); all of the above
A fog that forms when warm, moist air comes in contact with a cool surface is called
an advection fog
Granite is
an extrusive igneous rock; a clastic sedimentary rock; a nonfoliated metamorphic rock; none of the above
Granite is
an intrusive igneous rock
Climate and topographic barriers are more of an impediment to ___ than ____.
animals; plants
The ice crystal growth model
applies to cold clouds; applies to mid and high latitude situations; requires the presence of super-cooled water; Correct! all the above
Shield volcanoes
are associated with effusive eruptions
Desert climates
are typically found in rain shadow locations; dominated by high pressure; have large daily temperature ranges; all the above
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a source region
areas dominated by low pressure
the______is the soft, easily deformed layer of Earth that is susceptible to slow convection caused by pockets of increased heat from the decay of radioactive elements
asthenosphere
Soil profiles are likely to be the least developed
at the middle of a hill slope
The Columbia River Plateau is was built from
basalt
The sima is primarily composed of
basaltic-type rocks
Which of the following air masses is the coldest during the winter?
cP
Which of the following is not true about cP air?
cP air is generally unstable air
Which of the following air masses are colder than the surface over which it is traveling?
cPk
Which of the following is considered a "permanent gas"?
carbon dioxide; methane; ozone; Correct! None of the above
Thin, wispy high clouds composed of ice crystals are
cirrus clouds
Which of the following soil particles is the smallest?
clay
A soil texture with 30% Clay, 30 % silt, and 40% Sand is classified as a
clay loam
Waves of seismic energy propagated as a back-and-forth motion are called
compressional waves
In these photos, can you observe a level at which rising air has cooled enough so that water vapor can experience condensation and form liquid droplets? These clouds are classified as cumuliform; they are clouds that form when warm, moist air rises. As air rises and cools, humidity increases. Eventually, air becomes saturated (when relative humidity is equal to 100% based on air temperature). We call this observable level in the sky the lifting condensation level or LCL. What is the opposite of evaporation?
condensation
Lines connecting points of equal elevation are called
contour lines
Latent heat is transferred into the air by
convection
In the late 1920's until the present, the movement of plates is thought to be due to
convection currents in the mantle
Curved tree trunks, fractured retaining walls, curved roots are typical features of
creep
The precipitation that falls in the marine west coast climate of North America is primarily caused by
cyclones and orographic uplift
______ is fundamentally responsible for the creation of midlatitude cyclones.
cyclonic shear
Another term that describes chemical weathering is
decomposition
If the temperature of the air increases without additional water vapor being added to the air the relative humidity will likely
decrease
Desert plants have adapted to drought by having
deep tap roots; extensive near-surface root systems; thick fleshy leaves; all the above
Plant transpiration
depends on the amount of water held in the soil; cools the plant; depends on the humidity of the air; All of the above
Frost is a product of
deposition
An intrusive igneous rock body formed by the cooling of magma in a nearly vertical fracture is called a
dike
As air begins to rise on the western side, it cools at the ____ adiabatic lapse rate.
dry
Sclerophyll forests and Chaparral vegetation is closely associated with the
dry summer subtropical (Mediterranean) climate .
Most of the western side of California is classified as
dry summer subtropical(Mediterranean Climate)
slopes can be said to exist in a state of _________ _____________, where constant adjustments are made for processes that raise the surface and wear it down
dynamic equilibrium
Along the Midocean ridge
earthquakes occur; sea floor spreading occurs; volcanism occurs; all the above occurs
Earthquakes are generated by _________ sources of energy.
endogenic
In soil moisture budgeting, potential evapotranspiration is largely dependent on
energy input
The cold sector of a midlatitude cyclone
experiences southerly winds; generates nimbostratus clouds; experiences light precipitation of long duration; Correct! none of the above
The mature stage of thunderstorm formation
experiences updrafts and downdrafts
sheet erosion is perceived immediately when it happens because it removes layers of soil
false
The wind direction ahead of a warm front is generally
from the east
The largest store of fresh water in the hydrosphere is
glaciers
The zone of saturation is the
ground water zone
A ______ is the natural environment in which an organism lives
habitat
--------- is the total energy associated with random atomic and molecular motions of a substance
heat
Deserts generally have ___ potential evapotranspiration and ___ moisture index.
high; low
Given equal energy input to both surfaces, I would expect to find
higher pressure over land and lower pressure over water during the day; air flowing from land toward water during the day; lower pressure over water and higher pressure over land during the day; Correct! none of the above
Over the last seven years, maximum temperatures during the fall have gotten ______ and there has been ____ rain.
hotter; less
The polar front dominates the _____ climate during most of the year.
humid continental
The water held that is "bound" the tightest to soil particles is
hydroscopic water
Wind blows __________In the Northern Hemisphere
in a counterclockwise direction into the center of a low pressure system.
Though the atmosphere's temperature has varied throughout geologic history, much of the time it has been considered to be
in a state of dynamic equilibrium
Sheet erosion
in some cases is nearly imperceptible
The annual temperature range is greatest
in the interior of the continent (Kansas City, KS, for example)
Based on the Tour of the Cryosphere video (NASA), the Arctic region could be ice free______
in the summer by the end of the century
Temperatures tend to ________ through much of the stratosphere.
increase with an increase in elevation
Physical weathering
increases surface area
A front
is a boundary between contrasting masses of air; is a zone of lower pressure; is a boundary between opposing centers of high pressure; Correct! can have all the above characteristics
Latent heat
is converted to sensible heat when water vapor condenses
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
is generally higher during the winter; has increased in the last 100 years; is a greenhouse gas; Correct! all of the above
The seasonal lag of temperature
is greater for places located on the coast
Infiltration of water into the soil
is higher for coarse textured soil; is higher when the soil is dry; is higher for vegetated surfaces; is affected by all the above
Radiation fog
is more likely to form at night
The coldest temperature over the course of the day normally occurs
just after sunrise
The highest monthly temperature occurs ______ in the tropical monsoon climate.
just before the wet season
compared to tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests:
lack biodiversity
Karst landscapes develop over _________ bedrock
limestone
Which of the following soil texture classes would have the largest available water?
loam
Clouds are good absorbers of
longwave radiation emitted by the earth
Over pumping of ground water could lead to
lowered water tables; land subsidence; decreased aquifer permeability; all the above
which layer of Earth comprises the most volume(about 80%) of the planet's total volume
mantle
What is another name for physical weathering?
mechanical weathering
Termites are thought to be a source of
methane.
A ___________ is formed where tectonic plates are splitting apart and magma rises up through the spreading crust
mid-ocean ridge
A small scale map:
might have a representative fraction of 1:24000, shows a small portion of the Earth's surface, makes a feature look large, Correct! none of the above
The air temperature of a large body of water does not change as much as nearby land because
most of the net radiation is used for latent heat transfer rather than sensible heat.; mixing of the water occurs; the specific heat of land is lower than that of water; Correct! all the above are true
Which volcano's eruption killed approximately 20,000 island residents, but spared one prisoner who was being held in an underground cell?
mt. Pelee
Qualitative map data typically includes which of the following?
names
Why are people in east Africa switching from cattle to native grazers?
native animals are more efficient at converting grass into meat
The oldest island in the Hawaiian chain is located towards the ______ end of the chain
northwest
Subduction zones are mostly likely found where
ocean crust collides with continental crust
The "Ring of Fire" is due to
ocean crust colliding with continental crust
The longest continuous chain of mountains formed by tectonic processes is found
on the ocean floor
The multi-layered canoopy of the rain forest creates a(n) ____ forest structure.
open
which process causes metallic elements in silicate minerals to rust and turns soil red or brown
oxidation
What do the Rocky Mountains have that is unusual in the midlatitudes
patches of frozen ground called permafrost that never thaw
The process of converting solar energy, water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen is called
photosynthesis
______is the word for all water that falls from the sky as rain, snow, hail or another form of liquid or solid water
precipitation
According to the second LA Times article, a red flag warning:
raises concerns for rapid fire growth
When a soil forming material like calcium carbonate is removed from a soil profile due to a rainy climate, this is an example of a(n)______ in the soil horizon development process
removal
_______ erosion occurs when water is confined to small channels.
rill
Talus is a deposit associated with
rock fall
Which of the following is not a soil forming factor?
seasons
The Himalaya Mountains are a _____ relief feature of the Earth
second
The Himalaya Mountains are a _____relief feature of Earth
second
Metamorphic rocks form from
sedimentary rocks; igneous rocks; other metamorphic rocks; all the above
Which of the following energy balance components has the most significant impact on the temperature of the air above the surface?
sensible heat transfer
Particulates
serve as condensation nuclei.; can cause atmospheric cooling. can cause; atmospheric warming.; Correct! can do all of the above.
which of the following is both a measure of the resistance of earth materials against movement and increased when plant roots help hold soil particles together
shear strength
Hawaii's Mauna Loa is a ______
shield volcano
The volcanoes that comprise the Hawaiian Islands are
shield volcanoes
The most abundant mineral family is the
silicates
the most abundant mineral family is
silicates
Backward rotation of a mass of earth material when mobilized is typical of
slumps
If PE is greater than AE and P, and the soil is dry, then
soil water deficit is likely to occur
Most of the ozone found in the atmosphere is found in the
stratosphere.
Volcanoes are most likely to occur along the margins of tectonic plates, especially in ________ where oceanic plates dive under continental plates
subduction zones
The precipitation along the equatorward margins of the humid subtropical climate
tends to be evenly distributed throughout the year
According to the second LA Times article, Santa Ana winds are fueled by air moving from ________________________ to ___________________.
the Great Basin area of Utah and Idaho; lower pressure zones along the Southern California coastline
On a day in mid-June a parcel of air and the air that surrounds it at ground level are found to have the same temperature. You also find that the ELR is greater than the DAR on that day. If the parcel is given an upward push
the air would be unstable
The equatorial bulge is due to
the centrifugal force of Earth rotation.
Wegener proposed that continental crust "plowed" through _____ as it moved from one place to the next
the mantle
The weight of water vapor per unit weight of dry air is
the mixing ratio
If my latitude was 20 N I will be under the influence of
the northeast trade winds
Which of the following tells us more about the temperature extremes of a climate?
the range of annual temperature
The hotter the emitting body
the shorter wavelength of maximum emission
The vast majority of human activity takes place in just one atmospheric layer. Which one?
the troposphere
Solifluction is a mass movement process in
the tundra
The process whereby water drips from leaf-to-leaf finally making it to the ground is called
through fall
Santa Ana winds flow the fastest:
through mountain passes and canyons
When leaves falling on the soil surface and plant roots dying beneath it decompose into a dark brown, nutrient-rich material called humus, this is an example of a(n)______ in the soil horizon development process
transformation
If location's annual potential evapotranspiration is greater than half the annual precipitation you would classify the climate as a
tropical desert
Lianas and epiphytes are nonparasitic plants (they don't cause the death of their host trees). typically found in
tropical rain forest.
streams can "disappear" into the ground, flow underground, and reemerge on the surface at a lower elevation
true
Conditions favorable for mudflows include
unconsolidated surface materials; steep slopes abundant but intermittent precipitation; sparse cover of vegetation; all the above
Devil's Tower is a
volcanic neck
at a warm front
warm air replaces cold air; a trough of lower pressure is found; stratus-type clouds are found; Correct! all the above
Which of the following is not associated with a cold front
warm air replacing cold air
this question is based on the Crater lake video. Crater Lake is an example of a ________
water filled caldera that formed when a mountain's magma chambers drained and the mountain collapsed
Water in the air (in gas form) is known as:
water vapor
which of the following trends tends to come first?
weathering
Santa Ana winds start out:
when a high-pressure system forms over the deserts of the Great Basin
The daily range of temperature is greatest
when skies remain cloudless during the day and night
Heat transfer into the air is most efficient
when there is turbulent mixing
The point at which plants can no longer extract water from the soil is called the
wilting point
According to the Desert and Soil Erosion (BBC) video, what is the major source of erosion in the desert?
wind
During the summer over monsoon Asia
winds blow from water toward land creating a wet season
On the video "A Toy Train in Space", at what height did the weather balloon pop?
In the tropopause, at approximately 18 miles up
Air that is forced to rise will cool adiabatically and air that is forced to sink will heat adiabatically. The temperature changes because the pressure changes, not because of an exchange of heat. As the air rises, external pressure from the atmosphere decreases and the air expands which lowers the temperature of the parcel of air. You may remember from the textbook that when molecules are able to spread out, kinetic energy drops and temperature is just a measure of average kinetic energy. As air sinks, the external pressure increases and air is compressed which causes warming (a rise in the average kinetic energy of the molecules as they come under increased atmospheric pressure). What is most correct about what happens when air heats up and begins to rise?
Air will rise, expand, and cool down.
In the video "A Toy Train in Space", what color is the sky when the weather balloon bursts?
Black or very dark blue
What do you call the altitude corresponding to the dew point temperature?
The lifting condensation level
A warm, dry wind that descends the lee side of mountains is called
a chinook
The Earth system is considered
a closed system
Which of the following is not a model?
a globe, a physical equation, a weather forecasting program, Correct! all of the above are models
Which of the following types of maps is used to show the distribution of world soils?
a thematic map
Isotherms
in the Northern Hemisphere bend towards the north when passing over passing over the Gulf Stream current during the winter.; tend to be linear in form in the Southern Hemisphere; .are more closely spaced over the North American continent in winter than summer.; Correct! exhibit all the above.
The highest relative humidity for the day
is usually around sunrise when the air temperature is coolest
Live vegetation appears " " on a false-color infra-red image
red
Live vegetation appears _______ on a false-color infra red image.
red
Above the level mentioned in the previous problem, air will begin to cool at the ___ adiabatic lapse rate because latent heat that was stored when water evaporated is released back into the air and slows the rate of cooling for the rising air parcel
saturated
True or False: Temperature and heat are the same thing
False
Rank the following surface types from highest albedo to lowest albedo
Fresh snow-highest albedo; New concrete-high albedo; Green grass-Low albedo; Fresh asphalt-Lowest albedo
On what scale can the El Nino phenomenon affect weather patterns
Global
On the western side of the mountain air is rising. When the air is at sea level (0 meters), is the air fully saturated?
No
Winds the Southern California commonly blow from west to east across the region. Why is the wind moving out to sea in the satellite photo featured below?
Santa Ana Winds
Once the water boils, why does the temperature stay the same?
We can assume that heat is still going into the water, but heat is escaping with the steam.
Which of the following would act to keep a system in a state of equilibrium?
a negative feedback
A change in a system property that encourages further system change is called
a positive feedback
The shortest distance between two points on a sphere is
an arc of a great circle
Earth's shape is described as
an oblate ellipsoid.
The hydrosphere is an example of
an open system
Greenhouse gases
are good absorbers of longwave radiation emitted by Earth.
Lines of latitude
are parallel to each other
Lines of longitude
converge at the poles
Air _____ at the surface and ______ above a low pressure system
converges; diverges
What is the general term for the clouds shown in the previous question?
cumuliform clouds
An inversion
is where temperatures increase with increasing altitude.
Which of the following patterns of pressure will you experience traveling from the equator to the north pole?
low - high - low - high
According to the weather station model below, the wind direction is
northeast
A valley breeze
occurs when wind is blowing in the down slope direction; occurs when higher pressure is found near the top of the mountain; occurs at night; Correct! occurs when none of the above are true
The highest amount of net radiation is found
over tropical oceans
Free ________ is a product of plant photosynthesis
oxygen
What is the likely cause of the flooding seen in this photo?
The Summer Monsoon
Which place likely receives the most insolation at noon(barring any effect of clouds)?
23.5 N on June 22nd
If you were halfway between the equator and the North Pole and one quarter of the way around the Earth west of the Prime Meridian, you will be at:
45 N; 90 W
If you were halfway btw the equator and the north pole, and one quarter of the way around the earth west of the prime meridian, you will be at:
45N;90W
If you were halfway btw the equator and the south pole, and halfway around the earth west of the prime meridian, you will be at
45S;180
On the September (Autumnal) Equinox, which latitude is receiving the vertical (direct) rays of the sun? This will be the latitude that has direct sunlight overhead at noon.
The Equator (0 degrees)
No matter where you are on Earth, the day and night are split evenly (12 hours each) on these days
The Equinoxes
On what day do the Sun's direct rays hit the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees North)? Hint: This is also the longest day of the year for us in the Northern Hemisphere.
The June (Summer) Solstice
Which of the following best describes geography?
The Study of the distributions and interrelationships of earth phenomena
Where would I expect to find the largest amount of latent heat transfer into the air?
The east coast of the U.S. near New York