ERTH 1000E MODULE E QUIZZES

Of all the meteorites found on Earth's surface, where did most of them originate from? Mercury Mars Oort cloud Asteroid belt Kuiper belt Venus Interstellar space

Asteriod belt

As is mentioned at the bottom of section 21c of the Coursebook, the NASA jet propulsion laboratory monitors "Near Earth Objects" with the potential for an Earth impact. They have compiled information about these NEOs on this website: https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ When you open it, the table shows you every Near Earth Object (asteroids, comets, etc.) with an impact probability of "1 e-6" or higher, which means it has one in a million or better odds of hitting Earth in the next 100 years. The Palermo Scale is a measure of the hazard a Near Earth Object might pose to Earth, combining probability of impact as well as the potential energy the Near Earth Object has. Change the dropdown menu for the Palermo scale to ">=-2". This should leave you with only 2 Near Earth Objects. Click on the one that's called 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36). What is the chance that Bennu will hit Earth in the next 100 years? about 99.94% about 60% about 40% about 94% about 6% about 0.06%

about 0.06%

Just like with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, there is a negative correlation between the size of an asteroid or meteorite impact and the frequency with which they happen. Below is a graph that shows that correlation. Note that the bottom axis shows the same metric we used before "energy released" measured in megatons of TNT. Using this graph, 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s impact would release the energy equivalent of _____ megatons of TNT, which _____ represent a "Global Catastrophe". about 100, would about 100, would not about 10,000, would not about 10,000,000, would not about 10,000,000, would about 10,000, would

about 10,000, would not

"Vimpact" indicates the speed at which 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) would be traveling as it entered our atmosphere, in other words, the its speed relative to Earth right before impact. Let's put this speed into context. 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s impact speed is approximately ___________. covering the distance between UConn and Providence in one second covering the distance between the Gampel Pavillion and Beach Hall on the UConn campus in one second covering the distance between UConn and New York City in one second covering the distance between UConn and Tolland in one second

covering the distance between UConn and Tolland in one second

This question refers to the figure in Question 3. What climate modelers do is generate scenarios in which radiative forcings are changed. More energy at the Earth's surface means that the Earth warms up, whereas less energy at the Earth's surface means that the Earth cools down. Can you for example predict which of the following changes in radiative forcings would warm the Earth's surface up? (select all that apply) increased evapotranspiration decreased reflectivity (albedo) of the Earth's surface increased solar radiation decreased Greenhouse Gases increased aerosols

decreased reflectivity (albedo) of the Earth's surface increased solar radiation

The last volcanic eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 7 was the Mount Tambora eruption of 1815. Eruptions with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 6 or higher have the capability of impacting global climate, because of the sheer amount of ash that they eject into the atmosphere, and the height that the ash reaches. What are some of the consequences associated with the Mount Tambora eruption of 1815? (you should select four of the following options) global temperature decrease earthquakes epidemics crop/harvest failure global temperature increase disruption of monsoon systems

global temperature decrease epidemics crop/harvest failure disruption of monsoon systems

Based on the information in the graph above and what you learned last week about supervolcanoes, what has a higher likelihood (or recurrence rate): a catastrophic supervolcano eruption, or a catastrophic meteorite impact? they have the same recurrence rate, which is why they're both considered catastrophic Meteorite Supervolcano

supervolcano

The volcanic eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano in January 2022 was extremely explosive and violent. Based on the table below, which of the following do you think was also associated with this volcanic eruption? You should select three of the following options. there was a relatively high amount of water dissolved into the magma there was a relatively low amount of water dissolved into the magma the rock that formed from this eruption was rich in Silicates and was light colored the lava was not very viscous (it flowed easily) the rock that formed from this eruption had a low Silicate content and was dark colored the lava was very viscous (it had trouble flowing)

there was a relatively high amount of water dissolved into the magma the rock that formed from this eruption was rich in Silicates and was light colored the lava was very viscous (it had trouble flowing)

Climate modelers are then capable of looking back in time at known changes in radiative forcings and see how the climate responded to these changes. For example, below is the evolution of radiative forcings since 1750. Above the dark line means that these forcings increase effective radiative forcing, whereas below the dark line means that they decrease effective radiative forcing. Note that the two dotted lines represent actual changes in radiative forcing (black, total) and all anthropogenic radiative forcings combined (red). (ERF = effective radiative forcing, WMGHG = well-mixed greenhouse gases, int. = interaction) Before the Great Acceleration, what is the forcing that seems to have been able to change global climate the most on a year by year basis? carbon dioxide land-use change volcanic eruptions solar radiation

volcanic eruptions

What type of substrate is the most prone to shaking and liquefaction (and therefore destruction) during an Earthquake? poorly consolidated sediment water-saturated sand & mud solid bedrock dry sand and mud

water-saturated sand & mud

Interestingly, while the near future climate is so dependent on politics and culture that is hard to predict, many climatic trends in the distant future are easier to predict, because they rely on predictable astronomical or geological trends. Have a look at the Timeline of the Far Future. Note that for each "event" there are different mechanisms associated with it and therefore different levels of certainty. For example, Earth's orbital variation is cyclical and entirely predictable, whereas the recurrence rate of a supervolcano eruption is simply based on previous rates of eruptions and is therefore not cyclical. Let's look at a few examples. In 15,000 years, the Sahara desert is expected to be much ______ compared to now, because of _________. wetter and more vegetated, geological forces drier and even less vegetated, cyclical variation in Earth's orbit drier and even less vegetated, geological forces wetter and more vegetated, cyclical variation in Earth's orbit

wetter and more vegetated, cyclical variation in Earth's orbit

Which of the following volcano types do we only know from geologic evidence, but have no observations of in modern times? Caldera Stratovolcano Cinder cone Flood basalt volcano Shield volcano

Flood basalt volcano

The surface area of Connecticut is about 15 billion square meters (5543 square miles). How thick a layer of ejecta could you cover Connecticut in with all the ejecta that came out of a volcanic eruption with a volcanic explosivity index of 5, like the Hunga Tonga eruption? between 7 and 70 centimeters of ejecta between 70 and 700 meters of ejecta between 70 and 700 centimeters of ejecta between 7 and 70 meters of ejecta

NOT between 70 & 700 centimeters of ejecta

A supervolcano eruption is an eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8. Where did the last Supervolcano eruption occur? Alaska Chile Philippines Guatemala Japan Yellowstone, USA New Zealand

New Zealand

This website has a map with observed meteorite impacts for the last 500 years. The meteorites are sorted by mass (in grams). Has a meteorite impact the size of 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) (or larger) been observed in the last 500 years? No Yes

No

According to the graph in the previous question, how often is an impact with the energy of 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) expected to happen? Roughly every million years Roughly every 10,000 years Roughly every century Roughly every year

Roughly every 10,000 years

The UN does not predict this global population change to happen equally around the world. According to the table below, where in the world is the population growth expected to be the largest in the 21st century? (both in sheer numbers as well as percentage)

Sub-Saharan Africa

Megathrust Earthquakes can only happen at what type of tectonic setting? Continental collisions Continental rifts Mid-oceanic ridges Subduction zones Transform plate boundaries

Subduction zones

Energy released by a meteorite often gets measured in "megatons of TNT equivalent", meaning the mass of TNT that you'd have to explode to get the same amount of energy release. 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s potential energy is "1.4e+3 Mt", which means 1,400 Megatons of TNT equivalent (a Megaton is a million tons). That sounds like a lot, but still quite hard to conceptualize. Below you see a table in which energy released by Earthquakes is represented in the same way, with other explosive comparisons added as examples. 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s potential energy is approximately equivalent to __________. a magnitude 2 earthquake, about the energy of an explosion used in mining a magnitude 9 earthquake, about the same as the largest earthquake on record a magnitude 7 earthquake, about the energy of the largest thermonuclear weapon a magnitude 8 earthquake, larger than the largest thermonuclear weapon a magnitude 4.5 earthquake, about the energy of the energy released by a tornado

a magnitude 8 earthquake, larger than the largest thermonuclear weapon

As the Coursebook points out, population overshoot is a problem, both for living in equilibrium with our environment, as well as being able to sustain ourselves in our environment. The United Nations (UN) is particularly concerned with this latter aspect and therefore attempts to model the world's population growth and investigate nuances thereof. To try and predict the world's population, they incorporate changes in birth rates, mortality rates, economic prospects, etc. especially as these three are known to relate to eachother. Let's look at some of their data. Below is a graph that shows the main results of their predictive model. Note that it was published in 2019. Which of the following is TRUE about their predictions? (select all that apply... there should be two options selected).

- By the year 2100, world population growth rate is expected to be near or at 0% - By the year 2100, world population is expected to exceed 10 billion people

Go back to the same timeline of the far future. In the far far future of Earth, the ultimate "solar futures" are also entirely predictable, which involves the life cycle of the Sun and the resulting effects on the Earth. Match the following to the correct time in Earth's future when it's predicted to happen.

- the Sun's increasing brightness increases weathering on Earth and paradoxically draws down Carbon Dioxide to a point where most photosynthetic activity is no longer possible= B. about half a billion years from now - the Sun's increasing brightness leads to runaway evaporation of the oceans and the end of plate tectonics= A. about a billion years from now - any chance of life on Earth, even in the most protected environments, is extinct because of the Sun's increasing size and brightness= D. about 3 billion years from now - the Sun reaches it's -largest volume and the Earth and Moon are (very likely) swallowed up= C. about seven and a half billion years from now

The Solar System contains potentially billions (!!!) of non planetary objects (e.g., comets, meteoroids) that generally can be found in three orbital regions: the Kuiper belt, the Asteroid belt and the Oort cloud. What is the correct order, from close (1) to far (3) from the Sun?

1. Asteriod belt 2. Kuiper belt 3. Oort cloud

A famous landmark in Arizona is Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater (see picture below), which is also described in the Coursebook. How does the diameter of meteorite that formed Barringer crater (not the diameter of the crater itself!) compare to the diameter of 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)? The diameter of the meteorite that formed the crater is found in the Coursebook. 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is about two times larger 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is about ten times smaller 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is about ten times larger 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is about two times smaller

101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is about ten times larger

Just like with predictions of future climates and sea-levels, the UN predictions for population growth comes with uncertainties that are quantifiable, but can still lead to an enormous difference between possible outcomes. Have a look at the graph below that shows the projected population growth by geographic location, the dotted lines represent the median predicted change, whereas the shaded areas represent the uncertainty of outcomes. What's the difference in minimum and maximum projected population in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the UN?

2

Go back to the same timeline viewed for the previous question. Geological processes that are ultimately the result of climate can also be predicted, for example: erosion rate. Using average erosion rates and projecting that forward, it is possible to predict that the Grand Canyon has ceased to exist (meaning it becomes too wide to be considered a canyon) by about ________ years in the future. 200,000 20,000 20,000,000 2,000,000

2,000,000

How many years ago (convert from Ma to just a) was the last volcanic eruption with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8?

26600

After this, incorporating the uncertainty related to the effect of radiative forcings has actually less to do with how the climate responds to changes in radiative forcing, but more with what policies are adopted. See for example below the graph showing the global surface warming over the next century. The shaded area represents modeled uncertainty, whereas the different colored lines represent different policy scenarios. By the year 2100, what is the Global Surface Warming difference (in degrees C) between the most "optmistic" and the most "pessimistic" scenario?

3.5

The January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai eruption is estimated to have had a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5, and is (likely) the largest eruption thus far of the 21st century. (note that it takes a while for volcanologists to crunch the numbers and therefore the Volcanic Explosivity Index, as well as the exact ranking of size, is still being evaluated) Study the table below. What is the volume of ejecta associated with a volcanic eruption of that size? (ejecta in this context refer to particles such as ash and other pyroclastic material that a volcano spits up) A billion to 10 billion cubic meters over 1 trillion cubic meters 100 million to a billion cubic meters A million to 10 million cubic meters

A billion to 10 billion cubic meters

To understand the impact of anthropogenic (human-made) emissions, and be able to predict how changing anthropogenic emissions will affect the climate in the future, climate modelers must first understand the net effect of individual radiative forcings. Below, you see a diagram that constrains the effect of different radiative forcings. Note the error bars associated with each of the forcings. Which of the following forcings have a net warming effect on the Earth's surface? (select all that apply) Carbon dioxide (CO2) Land-use change Methane (CH4) Changes in clouds due to aerosols Aerosols

Carbon dioxide (CO2) Methane (CH4)

Why does humanity have little control over things like Earthquakes and Volcanoes? a. The geothermal energy that drive these forces are too great b. Humans don't live where these forces occur c. It's not worth paying attention to d. The cosmic energy that drive these forces are too great

a. The geothermal energy that drive these forces are too great

Let's return to a concept we first discussed in Unit 8 (Earth Systems Science): radiative forcing. Radiative forcing refers to components of the earth system that can change the amount of energy from the Sun that reaches the Earth's surface (measured it Watts per square meter). Understanding the different radiative forcings is key to making robust predictions about Earth's climate system. Earth has net positive radiative forcings, meaning that we have more energy in the climate system that we would have if our climate was only determined by solar radiation. This is a good thing too, because without those radiative forcings, Earth's average surface temperature would be about -15 degrees C, or 5 degrees F, whereas now it's closer to 15 degrees C, or 60 degrees F. Radiative forcings are displayed in the diagram below. Solar radiation comes in at the top of the atmosphere, but some of it is lost by being reflected, either by clouds or things at the Earth's surface (like snow). How much energy of incoming solar radiation is actually absorbed at the Earth's surface? about a quarter all of it about one eighth about half

about half

Much like with predicting climate change in the future, uncertainty of population predictions has a lot to do with how political situations and cultures change over time. This video focuses on the data derived from the UN and the uncertainties in population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa in the next century. What are some of the reasons that the video highlights that population growth has declined in many countries and are the source of uncertainty of projections in the 21st century?

access to health care access to education access to contraception

The 2010 Haiti Earthquake was _____, considering the geologic history of the location a. caused by landslides b. not without precedent c. human-induced d. unprecedented

b. not without precedent

The threat of near earth objects like asteroids and comets is due to a. blocking the sun b. physical impacts c. gravitational bulging d. disturbing earth's orbit

b. physical impacts

When a species "Overshoots" or exceeds it's population carrying capacity, is an example of?

b. unsustainability

What is the type of star that the Sun turns into as it gets older and starts to grow in size? a. Burned sun b. Supernova c. Red giant d. Red dwarf

c. Red giant

Which of the following statements is TRUE? i. Tsunamis can form when water is displaced by an undersea Earthquake ii. Tsunamis can form when water is displaced by an undersea volcanic eruption a. neither statement is true b. statement i is true c. both statements are true d. statement ii is true

c. both statements are true

Today the timing of peak snowmelt runoff in New England streams is happening _____ than it typically occured historically. a. at the same time b. later c. earlier d. significantly later

c. earlier

One form of apocalypse preventing nuclear was/is abbreviated MAD, short for

c. mutually assured destruction

Which of the following are the major drivers of global (eustatic) sea-level rise, both in modern day, as well in other parts of Earth history? melting of continental glaciers changes in oceanic circulation melting of sea-ice thermal expansion of seawater

melting of continental glaciers thermal expansion of seawater

The size of a volcanic eruption is in an inverse correlation with its frequency, meaning the bigger a volcanic eruption is, the rarer it is. Study the table below. What do we estimate the recurrence interval is (globally) of a volcanic eruption the size of the Hunga Tonga eruption in January 2022? once every century to once every millennium once every year to once every decade once every week to once every month once every decade to once every century

once every decade to once every century