Earth System

How is latent heat transferred from surface water to the atmosphere? a. Absorption b. Advection c. Precipitation d. Evaporation

Evaporation

A theory is NOT as well tested as a hypothesis.

False

All radiation has the same amount of energy regardless of wavelength.

False

An ozone layer within Earth's stratosphere was already well-developed by 3.5 billion years ago.

False

Insolation at Earth's surface is higher near the poles than along the equator. True False

False

The intensity of the solar wind reaching Earth is thought to increase during times of decreased sunspot activity.

False

Earth's internal heat comes largely from.

Fission of radioactive elements like uranium

What anthropogenic pollutant is released into the atmosphere by vehicle emissions due to incomplete combustion of fuel?

For incomplete combustions: Carbon Monoxide Volatile Organic Compounds For Complete Combustions: Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide

Which of the following has the highest albedo? a. Asphalt (black top) b. Grass c. Water bodies d. Fresh snow

Fresh Snow

Which of the following is an example of force?

Gravitational pull on the Earth by the Moon and Sun

Which of the following can result in warming of Earth's surface? a. Clearing skies (less cloud cover) at night b. Greater cloud cover at night c. Reduction in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere d. Greater cloud cover during daylight 5 points

Greater cloud cover at night

Collision of the Earth with a Mars-sized object 4.5 billion years ago, followed by ejection of Earth material into space, is thought to have been responsible for formation of the _________

Moon

Which of the following steps in the scientific method is out of sequence? Preliminary collection of data Analysis of data Development of a theory Development of a hypothesis Testing the hypothesis by collecting more data

Preliminary Collection of data Analysis of Data Development of a hypothesis Testing the hypothesis by collecting more data Development of a theory

Photons and electromagnetic waves are two ways of describing heat transfer via _____________.

Radiation

Which of the following statements regarding solar radiation is TRUE?

Radiation emitted by Earth is of longer wavelength than radiation received from the Sun

Dark lines within the Sun's spectrum, known as Fraunhofer lines, are thought to...

Represents wavelength within the Sun's spectrum that are absorbed by elements like hydrogen on the Sun

Changing direction of light's movement within the atmosphere without altering its wavelengths is known as ________. a. Transmission b. Insolation c. Absorption d. Scattering

Scattering

Why does temperature increase from the lower to upper stratosphere?

Temperature increases at higher altitudes because the stratosphere absorbs uv light from the Sun to produce ozone

The D, E, and F layers of the atmosphere occur within the _____________

The Ionosphere

Which of the following statements regarding the figure below is TRUE?

The greatest intensity of solar radiation occurs within the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum

Conduction is the principle way of transferring sensible heat... a. in boiling water b. through soil and rock c. in the atmosphere d. in outer space

Through soil and rock

On land, the highest annual values for latent heat of evaporation occur in ________ and the highest values for sensible heat occur in ________. a. Highest values for both the latent heat of evaporation and sensible heat occur in polar regions b. Subtropical deserts/tropical rain forests c. Subtropical deserts/polar regions d. Tropical rain forests/subtropical deserts

Tropical rain forests/subtropical deserts

Different map layers can be overlain and compared within a geographic information system.

True

The ozone layer within the stratosphere is useful in that it protects us from incoming UV radiation from the Sun.

True

Which of the following correlates the effects of air temperature on the human body with wind speed? a. Wind chill b. Relative humidity c. Heat index d. Net radiation

Wind chill

What is the following figure telling us?

Yearly variation in the height of the ozone column over Antarctica

Which of the following is an example of a system exceeding its threshold?

any event where there is a large response in the ecosystem

The _______ force keeps a planet in orbit around the Sun.

gravity

The daily net radiation received by Earth is greatest along the equator but decreases towards the poles because of Earth's _____________

i believe because of the curvature

Arctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate, which is causing the arctic region to warm three to four times faster than the rest of the planet because of

positive feedback

Which of the following cycles is mostly powered by Earth's internal heat?

rock cycle

Industrial aerosols can reflect incoming solar radiation. Higher concentrations of aerosols in the atmosphere can result in... a. lower atmospheric albedo b. less atmospheric pollution c. warmer ground surface d. warmer atmosphere

warmer atmosphere

In which of the following cases would latent heat be absorbed?

water turn to water vapor water turn to ice

Approximately what percent of incoming solar radiation reaches and is absorbed at Earth's surface? a. 15% b. 100% c. 45% d. 31%

45

Within a 24 hour period, when would we expect the value of Net Radiation (NR) to be lowest? NR = (shortwave radiation received) - (shortwave radiation reflected) + (longwave radiation received) - (longwave radiation radiated) a. 5 AM b. Midnight c. Noon d. 3 PM

5 am

A radar transmitter on a satellite orbiting Earth can emit short bursts of energy towards Earth's surface in order to study the atmosphere, oceans, and landforms. This is an example of _______

Active remote sensing

Which of the following statements does NOT apply to the Kuiper Belt?

Also known as a asteroid belt

With regard to principle temperature controls, which of the following statements is FALSE? a. Higher altitudes (e.g. mountains) have greater temperature ranges compared to lower altitudes (coastal areas) b. Annual temperature ranges are lower near the coast and higher within continental interiors c. Low, thick cloud cover moderates temperature (cooler days and warmer nights) d. Annual temperature ranges are hightest near the equator and decrease towards higher latitudes

Annual temperature ranges are highest near the equator and decrease towards higher latitudes

Charged particles that are aligned with Earth's magnetic field interact with nitrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere to produce fingers of light called _____________

Aurora

The following are steps in the formation of our solar system from an initial gas cloud called the solar nebula: (a) Smaller planetesimals accrete into larger bodies; (b) Nebular dust and gases undergo gravitational collapse; (c) Formation of the proto-sun; (d) Larger bodies accrete into protoplanets; (e) Earth's interior differentiates to form a core, mantle, and crust. Which of the following is the correct order of events from earliest to latest?

B - C - A - D - E

What anthropogenic pollutant is mainly responsible for the destruction of stratospheric ozone?

CFC's(chlorine fluorine carbon compounds)

Which of the following scenerios would require the absorption of latent heat? a. Raising the temperature of one gram of water from 20oC to 30oC b. Converting 1 gram of water at 100oC to water vapor c. Condensing 1 gram of water vapor at 100oC to liquid water at the same temperature d. Cooling 1 gram of water from 30oC to 20oC

Converting 1 gram of water at 100oC to water vapor

Why is Earth's geoid distorted relative to a perfect spheroid?

Density/mass (gravitational attraction) distribution affects the gravitational field

The bending of sunlight via refraction through the atmosphere is responsible for.... a. red skies at sunset b. hazy skies at sunrise c. a double image of the Sun in the horizon at sunset d. blue skies during the day

Double image of the sun in the horizon at sun set

On a sunny summer afternoon, at which of the following locations would temperatures be highest? a. Memorial Park b. Galveston Bay c. Downtown Houston d. Rural farmland

Downtown houston

Photochemical and other reactions in Earth's early atmosphere of methane, ammonia, and water vapor included...

Early atmosphere contained abundant methane, ammonia and water vapor This early atmosphere was exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun No ozone layer back then, so ultraviolet light reached the surface of the early earth

For the following figure, note that the white dots on top of the various images of Earth represent the North Pole. Which image of Earth, relative to the Sun, corresponds to the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21) ?

Earth Position to the right of the sun

How do greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and water vapor warm the atmosphere? a. Greenhouse gases induce greater precipitation that warms the atmosphere b. Greenhouse gases reflect incoming shortwave radiation back into space c. Greenhouse gases promote plant growth, which in turn releases more heat into the atmosphere d. Greenhouse gases delay the transfer of longwave radiation from Earth into space

Greenhouse gases delay the transfer of longwave radiation from Earth into space

Which of the following statements more likely applies to land than water? a. Heat energy from the Sun is distributed over much greater depth and volume b. Able to mix cooler and warmer regions more effectively c. Heats up faster during the day and cools down faster at night d. Higher specific heat

Heats up faster during the day and cools down faster at night

The solar nebula, the giant cloud of gas and dust that condensed to form our solar system, was composed mainly of __________ and ________________.

Hydrogen and Helium

Earth's primary (first) atmosphere immediately after Earth accretion 4.57 billion years ago was mainly composed of _______________

Hydrogen by gravity

Which of the following statements about elemental abundances is TRUE?

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe

Which of the following images will result in the trapping of ground level ozone? Note that for the two graphs on the left, the horizontal axis shows decreasing temperature towards the left while the vertical axis shows increasing altitude towards the top.

Image B

What type of reasoning involves the collection and direct analysis of data without making predictions?

Induction

While much of the incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere, which part of the electromagnetic spectrum is most likely to reach Earth's surface?

Infrared Light/Sunlight/Solar radiation

Net albedo forcing occurs when... a. low, thick clouds at night inhibit the escape of longwave radiation, thus warming the lower atmosphere b. Low, thick clouds during the day reflect incoming insolation and leads to cooling of Earth's surface c. High, thin clouds during the day absorb and reradiate longwave radiation, leading to atmospheric warming d. High, thin clouds at night allow longwave radiation to escape into space, thus cooling the lower atmosphere

Low, thick clouds during the day reflect incoming insolation and leads to cooling of earth's surface

The largest volcanoes discovered in our solar system to date are found on __________

Mars

Among the terrestrial planets other than Earth, what two solar system bodies have recently been found by spacecraft to contain water?

Mars and Moon

_______ is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object and usually expressed as grams and kilograms.

Mass

Which of the following statements about comets is FALSE?

Most comets have elliptical orbits with periods around one hundred years what is true is: Dirty snowballs of frozen gases and rocky/metallic minerals Some may contain organic material Millions may orbit the Sun beyond the Kuiper Belt Thought to be relicts of the early Solar Nebula swept to the far reaches of the solar system by solar wind after the formation of the Sun

Earth's modern atmosphere consists of 78% _________ and 21% __________ along with other gases in much smaller amounts.

Nitrogen and oxygen

Which of the following map projections perfectly represents Earth's surface without any distortion?

No Map because of curved surface

Energy enters and leaves planet Earth whereas matter does not. Earth is therefore a(n) _________ system with respect to energy and __________ with respect to matter.

Open/Closed

The World Health Organization recently established a link between poor health and __________

Particulate matter

Which of the following are considered aerosols?

Particulates and aerosols: small particles of dust, soot and suspended pollution - Combustion of fossil fuels - Power and industrial plants - Photochemical smog resulting from interaction between sunlight and combustion products - Industrial Smog

What two processes were responsible for accumulation of free oxygen (O2) in Earth's early atmosphere beginning around 3.6 billion years ago?

Photosynthetic cyanobacteria and photochemical dissociation of water vapor

What two anthropogenic gases contribute most to acid rain?

Sulfur Dioxide and nitrogen oxides Nitrogen dioxide (interacts with water vapor to produce nitric acid)

The Tropic of Cancer is the most northerly latitude at which the Sun appears directly overhead at noon. This occurs during the ___________.

Summer/june Solstice

Which of the following statements best describes Earth's geoid?

Surface representation of sea level that is distorted relative to a perfect ellipsoid

Which of the following statements regarding Earth's atmospheric layers is TRUE?

Temperature decreases with height within both troposphere and mesosphere

Which of the following statements about the Sun is TRUE?

Thermonuclear reaction within the Sun's core involve the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium

Which of the following planets rotates on its sides?

Uranus

Which of the following would we LEAST expect to find on the surface of the Sun?

Warm sector

Which of the following substances requires the greatest amount of heat to raise it's temperature by one degree Celsius? a. Dry air b. Granitic rock c. Water d. Wet mud

Water

Which of the following is NOT considered Anthropogenic pollution?

Water Vapor

The figure below shows yearly temperature profiles for a marine city along the coast and a continental city located within the interior of a continent. Both cities are near the same latitude. Which profile is more likely to represent the continental city? a. Left profile b. Right profile

b. Right profile

____________ is when a steady-state system exhibits a changing trend over time such as in the case of global warming.

dynamic-equillibrium

Each of the following mainly occurs in the troposphere EXCEPT for...

everything that does apply to the troposphere: Extends from Earth's surface up to the tropopause Expands in thickness from 8 km at the poles to 18 km at the equator Temperature decreases at higher altitudes Contains 80 to 90 % of the mass of the atmosphere - Heated at the bottom - Rising air cools - It rains or snows and blows These features of the troposphere cause our weather

How do the giant gaseous planets Jupiter and Saturn differ from the terrestrial planets?

much larger and less dense with hydrogen and helium as the primary elements

Ionization of the atmosphere due to interactions with the solar wind occurs primarily within the _______________

sunlight/daytime