geography chapter 2

Topography can affect weather and climate in what way?

It can create varied precipitation patterns in higher elevations.

Which of the following statements about greenhouse gases is most accurate?

Greenhouse gases were fairly stable throughout most of human history, but have increased dramatically in the past 130 years.

Climographs do NOT contain information about

average relative humidity.

The natural process of the Earth's atmosphere heating through the trapping of reradiated infrared radiation is known as

the greenhouse effect.

Which of the following is a fossil fuel?

petroleum

In which parts of the world has desertification been the most serious problem?

Africa, Australia, and South Asia and North America

A standard scheme, called the ________, devised in the early twentieth century, is used to describe the world's diverse climates.

Köppen system

250 million years ago the world's land masses were all part of a supercontinent called

Pangaea.

In the ________ climate regions, where precipitation exceeds 10 inches, a prolonged summer-season drought of three or four months produces a unique array of grasses, shrubs, and trees.

Mediterranean

What region of the world experiences the highest water stress?

Northern Africa`

The circum-Pacific zone of activity, from the western Americas (both North and South) to East Asia, is particularly active and is often referred to as the

Pacific Rim of Fire.

Which of the following is an example of the possible effects of climate change?

Sea level will rise.

What world region is experiencing the highest rate of tropical deforestation?

Southeast Asia

This bioregion is associated with the widespread temperate C climate, where precipitation falls year-round in amounts of 30-60 inches, summers are warm, and winters are cold, yet no month averages below freezing.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Why is there special concern about timber firms in Japan and China purchasing logs from North American evergreen forests?

These trees are often cut from public forests in the United States and Canada.

What pair of countries contributes the most greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere?

United States and China

The amount of tropical forest that is lost each year is equivalent to the size of what U.S. state?

Wisconsin

The world's growing appetite for what food product is a leading cause of tropical deforestation?

beef

An assemblage of local plants, animals, and insects covering a large area such as a tropical rainforest or a grassland is called a

bioregion.

In Canada and Alaska, evergreen, needleleaf forests are called ________ referring to their near arctic location.

boreal forests

What is the major source of carbon dioxide?

burning fossil fuels

The production of what agricultural product is a major factor in the destruction of African rainforests?

cacao

Which substance is of great concern to scientists studying human-generated greenhouse gases, and is thought to increase such that the earth's climate will be irrevocably changed by 2020?

carbon dioxide

Graphic representations of monthly average temperatures and precipitation are called

climographs.

The Himalaya Mountains were formed by

converging plates.

Seasonal rainforest trees are ________, meaning they shed their leaves during the harsh dry season in order to slow or completely halt growth.

deciduous

Rift valleys are examples of

divergent plate boundaries.

In what type of bioregion is desertification most likely to occur?

grasslands

With what bioregion is the term "steppe" associated?

grasslands

Which of the following is NOT one of the natural greenhouse gases?

helium

Incoming short-wave solar energy is called

insolation.

Chile is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because

it is in a major subduction zone.

Which of the following is NOT a form of renewable energy?

natural gas

Anthropogenic emissions are caused by

people.

The geophysical theory that Earth is comprised of large geologic platforms that move slowly across its surface is referred to as

plate tectonics.

What did countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol agree to do?

reduce their emissions of major greenhouse gases below 1990 levels

As a general rule, the atmosphere cools by 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet gained in elevation. This is called

the environmental lapse rate

The increase in greenhouse gases during the last 130 years is primarily a result of

the excessive burning of fossil fuels by humans.

What is weather?

the short-term day-to-day expression of atmospheric processes

What wind or global pressure system borders the equator?

trade winds

The San Andreas Fault is an example of

transform faulting.

What bioregion consists of plants and animals that adapt to differing levels of sunlight through layers of vegetation?

tropical rainforest

This bioregion has two versions: the expansive arctic version of the far northern hemisphere and, sharing many similar traits, the alpine version found at high elevations in mountainous areas worldwide.

tundra