APES Unit 4 Study Guide

Describe two ways geography can influence climate around the globe?

1. Large bodies of water stabilize local temperatures. 2. Ocean currents/sea breezes influence land temperatures. 3. A rain shadow is a region of land that has become drier because a higher elevation area blocks precipitation from reaching the land.

Describe the composition of the atmosphere and include appropriate percentages.

78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% other (0.9% Argon and 0.037% Carbon Dioxide)

Which of the following would be most helpful to determine the soil texture of a sample?

A density gradient tube and a soil triangle

The Atlantic Ocean is expanding as a result of plate tectonics. Which of the following explanations best identifies the type of plate boundary and processes occurring at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, as shown in the diagram below?

A divergent plate boundary exists at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where plates move away from one another, leading to seafloor spreading.

The Chesapeake Bay is a watershed that is located in six states and the District of Columbia. Which of the following can cause an increase in water pollution in the watershed?

An increase in stormwater runoff in urban areas

Based on the diagram, which of the following describes why the summer solstice in Australia occurs in December and not in June?

At this time of year, the tilt of Earth causes Australia to receive highly concentrated solar radiation.

How do the global wind patterns cause deserts at latitudes around 30 degrees?

Cool air sinks around 30 degrees North and South which creates high pressure systems.

Explain the most common results for each type of plate boundary.

Divergent boundaries result in rift valleys and mid-ocean ridges. Convergent boundaries result in deep ocean trenches, island arcs, mountains, and volcanoes. Transform Fault boundaries result in earthquakes.

List the layers of the atmosphere in respect to their density, from least dense to most dense.

Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, and Troposphere (Note: the closer you are to the ground, the more dense the atmosphere is)

The diagram below represents how solar radiation strikes the surface of Earth differently, depending on location, during the June solstice. Which of the following combinations correctly identifies and explains the effects of the differences in the distribution of solar radiation on Earth as seen in the diagram above?

Global wind patterns are created because uneven solar radiation results in warm air at low altitudes and cool air at high altitudes, resulting in density differences between the air masses.

What's so special about the stratosphere?

Heat is trapped by the ozone layer which makes it warmer.

During a La Niña event, what environmental changes would the tropical Pacific Ocean and its surrounding landmasses most likely experience?

Increased upwelling off the coast of South America resulting in increased productivity of fisheries

The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. It is the oldest, most consistently arid place in the world. Based on the map above, which of the following best explains why the Atacama Desert has a consistently arid climate?

It is in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains.

Based on the diagram, which of the following days in Earth's yearly orbit would have the longest period of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere?

June solstice

Peru's commercial anchovy industry would most likely be harmed during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the decline in anchovy during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event?

Less nutrient-rich water reaches surface waters, disrupting the food web.

The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. It is the oldest, most consistently arid place in the world. Based on the map, which of the following best explains the area of the Andes Mountains that would have the greatest number of rivers?

More rivers would be located on the east side of the Andes Mountains because the trade winds are coming from the east.

Draw a diagram of a soil sample, label its soil horizons and describe the composition of each layer.

O Horizon- Organic matter and surface litter A Horizon- Top soil and rich with humus B Horizon- Sub soil and less fertile C Horizon- Weathered bedrock Bedrock

Explain the process of subduction.

One plate will be pushed below the other.

Students want to determine how vegetation affects soil erosion. They collect four soil samples of equal starting mass with different types of vegetative cover, as seen in the table below. Each sample is placed in a three-sided plastic dish that can drain into a beaker and is exposed to the same amount of consistent, steady rainfall for ten minutes. The water and soil runoff are collected in the beaker and separated. The average values for each sample are provided below. Which of the following is a dependent variable in the experiment?

Percent change in mass of the soil sample

A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. Which of the following describes the dependent variable in this investigation?

Percentage of each particle size in each soil sample

The Mississippi watershed is the largest in North America, draining all or part of thirty-two states in the United States and two Canadian provinces. A new apartment complex is being built on a steep slope near the source of the Mississippi River outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Which of the following measures should be taken to best reduce erosion at the construction site to protect the Mississippi watershed?

Plant grass and shrubs on the slope.

A developer wants to develop a large tract of land near a watershed, which will require the removal of several large trees. Which of the following statements best describes the impact that the development would have on the watershed?

Removing large trees would cause an increase in temperature and keep the surrounding water and soil warmer.

List the soil particles in order from largest to smallest and describe their water holding capacity.

Sand is the largest particle size, and clay is the smallest particle size. Sand allows water to pass through while clay does not allow water to pass through.

How does El Nino impact oceanic ecosystems?

Since El Nino is the reversal of normal wind patterns, it results in a reduction in fish populations.

A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. Which of the following describes the independent variable in this investigation?

Soil sample taken from different locations

Students want to determine how vegetation affects soil erosion. They collect four soil samples of equal starting mass with different types of vegetative cover, as seen in the table below. Each sample is placed in a three-sided plastic dish that can drain into a beaker and is exposed to the same amount of consistent, steady rainfall for ten minutes. The water and soil runoff are collected in the beaker and separated. The average values for each sample are provided below. Which of the following is the control group for this experiment?

Soil with no grass

The vast majority of ozone (O3) is found in a thin layer due to a lack of circulation in which of the following atmospheric layers?

Stratosphere

Which of the following abiotic factors, when graphed on the x-axis, leads to the curved line in the graph due to variation in the different layers of the atmosphere?

Temperature gradients

The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. It is the oldest, most consistently arid place in the world. Based on the map above, which of the following best identifies and explains the region of South America that would have a more moderate climate?

The east coast would have a more moderate climate because of the Brazil Current.

The map above shows the locations of known volcanoes and earthquakes. Which of the following explains what is being illustrated in the enclosed area in the northwest portion of the map?

The enclosed area shows a hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate in the Hawaiian Islands.

Which of the following statements best describes the boundary between the two tectonic plates seen in the map?

The map illustrates a transform boundary, where tectonic plates slide past each other as the Pacific Plate moves northwest and the North American Plate moves southeast.

Which statement is best illustrated in the diagram above regarding how the Sun's energy affects the Earth's surface from June through September in the Northern Hemisphere?

The season changes from summer to autumn, daylight hours decrease, and infrared radiation is the strongest during the June solstice.

A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. A student claims that soil sample B would be classified as a loam. Which of the following best describes the method used by the student to reach this conclusion?

The student uses a soil triangle to determine where the lines intersect for sand, silt, and clay for the soil sample.

Which of the following is the best explanation for the formation of Hadley cells in the tropics, as seen in the diagram, between 30°Nand 30°S latitude?

The sun warms the moist air at the equator and causes it to rise because of its lower density. As the warm air moves away from the equator, it cools, becomes denser, and then sinks.

How does Earth's axis influence the seasons?

The tilt of Earth's axis causes the seasons and the number of hours of daylight in a particular location. The solar radiation received at a location on the Earth's surface varies seasonally, with the most radiation during the location's longest summer day and the least on the shortest winter day.

Which of the following is the best explanation for the deflection of the trade winds in both hemispheres, as seen in the diagram above?

The wind is deflected west because of Earth's rotation.

Which of the following layers of the atmosphere contains charged gas molecules that glow and produce light when hit by solar energy, leading to glowing gases such as the northern lights, found over 90 kilometers above Earth's surface?

Thermosphere

During an El Niño event, farmers in the southwestern United Stated often benefit from which of the following climatic changes?

Wetter and warmer weather that increases soil moisture

Where does wind come from?

Wind originates from the sun. The energy that comes from the sun heats the Earth unevenly, and it creates warm spots and cool spots. For example, sea breezes occur when inland areas heat up, and it warms the air, causing it to rise.

What happens to insolation at areas of solar radiation with an angle of incidence of 90 degrees? Angles of incidence less than 90 degrees?

With an angle of 90 degrees, insolation increases. As you get closer to the poles, insolation decreases.