APES Unit 4 Questions

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

At which of the following sites does seafloor spreading result in rifts and possible volcanoes?

A

Students want to determine the impact of soil erosion from the development of new housing. They plan to measure the density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of a river that flows through their town. The town is built in a heavily forested area, but a large area of trees along the river was recently clear-cut to allow for the construction of a new housing development, which has caused exposed soil to wash into the river. The river flows north to south through the town and is still forested both up- and downstream of the town. Which of the following would be the best control sample for the study?

A sample of water collected just downstream of the northern forest

At which of the following sites would activity result in volcanoes, island arcs, and mountains?

B

At which of the following sites is an earthquake most likely to occur as two plates slide sideways past each other?

C

Which of the following is a biome found at 30°30° NN and 30°30° SS as seen in the diagram?

Deserts

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

Which of the following correctly characterizes one of Earth's atmospheric layers?

Layer D is the thermosphere, where auroras are found.

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.

Which of the following is the source of energy driving the circulation pattern labeled C in the diagram?

Solar radiation

Students sampled several different gardens near their school and measured the percentages of silt, sand, clay, and humus content present in each sample. Their results are shown in the table below. Based on the data in the table above, which of the following samples would be the most prone to becoming waterlogged?

Sample D

Which of the following best describes why the engineer chose to calculate the permeability of the soil sample in the experimental design in order to evaluate a natural containment system to protect groundwater?

Soils that have low permeability would best help protect groundwater because the soil traps pollutants so that chemical and biological breakdown can occur.

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.

The axis of Earth in relation to the Sun is tilted at a 23.5 degree slant, as illustrated in the diagram below. Use the diagram below to answer the next three questions.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.

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.

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.

Which of the following is the dependent variable in the study?

The density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of the river

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

Based on the diagram, which of the following identifies a characteristic of the atmosphere between the stratopause and the tropopause?

The ozone layer is in the stratosphere.

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.

An environmental engineer wants to examine the permeability of different soils to determine the best natural containment system to protect groundwater from pollutants. The engineer tests four different soil samples, places them into a wet column, and pours 50mL50mL of water over each sample. The engineer records the total amount of water that moves through the column as well as the total amount of time for the water to fully percolate through the soil. The data from the study are shown below. Which of the following best describes the independent variable in this research design?

The sample of material chosen as the potential container material is the variable being tested, so it is the independent variable.

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.

Based on the data in the diagrams, in which layer of the atmosphere would short wave radio signals be reflected?

Thermosphere

Which of the following explains the variable that would be the best for students to measure to determine the direct impact of soil erosion caused by the construction project on the river?

Turbidity, because a decrease in water clarity would indicate an increase in soil erosion.

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