Self-Check 4.6 - 4.9
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
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 = high; Rainfall = high
Which of the following is the source of energy driving the circulation pattern labeled C in the diagram?
Solar radiation
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 less than twelve hours per day.
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.
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
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 factors is fundamentally responsible for seasons on Earth?
The tilt of Earth's axis of rotation
In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, daily high and low temperatures will frequently fluctuate by 40°F (33°C) 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.
El Niño, a periodic warming of ocean surface waters, occurs in which of the following regions?
Tropical East Pacific
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
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 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
Which latitude shown on the diagram above experiences 24 hours of daylight on December 21?
Antarctic Circle
Which of the following is a biome found at 30° N and 30° S as seen in the diagram?
Deserts
The high sea surface temperature in 1998 was most likely due to
El Niño
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
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
Reasons that human populations historically have settled in floodplains include which of the following? I. The soil in floodplains is usually fertile. II. The terrain in floodplains tend to be flat. III. Floodplains are close to rivers for transportation.
I, II, and III
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.
If the diagram illustrates Earth's relative position on December 21 of a given year, which of the following statements would be correct?
The Tropic of Cancer has a shorter day and lower solar radiation intensity because there is a direct relationship between day length and radiation intensity.
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.
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.
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
