Unit 4 study science AP

Use Figure 4-2. Use the graph above to determine how much water would fall (in grams/m3) as precipitation if the temperature of the air saturated with water vapor fell from 30o C to 10o C.

20 g

What is the overall direction of global air currents at the equator?

Air sinks at the equator

Which of the following statements about patterns of temperature and precipitation is correct?

Along Earth's surface, the air of a Hadley cell moves towards the equator.

Where is upwelling most likely to occur?

Along the west coasts of continents

Which of the following statements about rain shadows is correct?

As air rises over a mountain range, water vapor condenses into precipitation.

Use Figure 4-2. Using the graph above, what conclusion can be drawn about the relationship between temperature and saturation point?

As temperature increases, saturation point increases exponentially

Which information is not found in climate diagrams?

Average annual humidity

What factors are used to classify a biome?

Average temperature, average precipitation, and distinctive plants adapted to area

Which of the following statements about the boreal forest and tundra is correct?

Boreal forests have larger dominant plant growth forms than tundras.

Explain the consequences such a temperature change might have for agriculture in western Europe.

Colder temperatures in western Europe would cause shorter growing seasons and reduced crop production.

Which of the following is the Earth's most diverse biome?

Coral Reefs

Which of the following processes is not characteristic of oceanic circulation?

Counterclockwise gyres in the Northern Hemisphere

Use Figure 4-1. Using the diagram above, indicate which of the following has the highest albedo

Fresh snow

Which of the following statements about aquatic biomes is correct?

Freshwater wetlands have emergent plants in their deepest areas, whereas ponds and lakes do not.

Which of the following statements about the Coriolis Effect is incorrect?

Global winds are not affected by the Coriolis effect

What best describes the temperature of the atmosphere?

It decreases as you increase in altitude in the troposphere

A plane leaves the North Pole. Initially, it flies directly south towards point B on the diagram below. Which is the most likely landing site for the plane if it maintains a straight path to the south?

Left of it

Boreal forests tend to have a thick layer of organic material but the soil is poor in nutrients. explanation for this?

Low precipitation rates and cold temperatures slow decomposition

Which of the following best explains why polar regions are colder than tropical regions?

Polar regions receive less solar energy per unit of surface area.

In which zone does most photosynthesis occur?

Right at the edge of the water

As water freezes or evaporates, what happens to the salinity of the remaining ocean water?

Salinity increases

Explain how shutting down thermohaline circulation would affect the transport of nutrients among the oceans of the world.

Shutting down the thermohaline circulation would reduce the amount of nutrient flow among the world's oceans.

Explain how shutting down thermohaline circulation would affect the temperature of western Europe

Shutting down the thermohaline circulation would reduce the amount of warm surface water flowing from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe and this would cause western Europe to experience colder temperatures.

Why do scientists use dominant plant growth forms to categorize terrestrial biomes?

Similar plant growth forms are found in climates with similar temperatures and amounts of precipitation.

How are the Northern Lights created?

Solar radiation hitting charged gas molecules in which layer?

Which level of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?

Stratosphere

Explain why there would be large populations of fish along the west coasts of most continents

Surface currents separate from one another, causing deeper waters to rise and replace the water that has moved away. These deep waters bring with them nutrients from the ocean bottom that support large populations of producers. The producers then support large populations of fish.

Which of the following statements about temperate biomes is not correct?

Temperate biomes have average annual temperatures above 20°C.

Which of the following is the best description of a region's climate?

The average temperature and precipitation over several decades

Describe the role that the movement of the ITCZ over the year plays in creating seasonal forests in tropical regions.

The intertropical zone is typified by dense clouds and intense thunderstorm activity. In tropical regions that are north and south of the equator, the ITCZ passes overhead twice each year, producing two seasons of high rainfall and two seasons of low rainfall.

Explain why the regions of the world that receive the most direct sunlight contain tropical rainforests.

The most direct sunlight produces the warmest temperatures. The most direct sunlight is also the driving force behind the primary Hadley cells, which release large amounts of precipitation at the intertropical convergence. Thus, these locations have both very warm temperatures and very high precipitation, and these two conditions favor the growth of tropical rain forests.

What happens to air as it rises?

The pressure decreases and it expands in volume

Identify the mechanisms by which albedo and the angle of the Sun's rays cause colder temperatures to occur on Earth near the North and South Poles.

The sun's angle is the least direct near the poles and this causes the least amount of solar energy per unit area and this causes lower temperatures. The high albedo effect near the poles, largely due to the high reflectance of snow, allows little absorption of solar energy and further reinforces the cold temperatures that favor the growth of tundra and boreal plants.

Which of the following is not true about the sun's energy heating the Earth?

The sun's rays are more strongly reflected in the lower latitude regions

What biome has warm temperatures, high precipitation, and little seasonal variation due to its location near the equator?

Tropical Rainforest

Which of the following statements about tropical biomes is correct?

Tropical rainforests have the highest precipitation due to the proximity of the ITCZ.

In which layer of Earth's atmosphere does most weather occur?

Troposphere

In which level of the atmosphere does weather occur?

Troposphere

Which of the zones is the benthic zone?

Under the sunlight above the bottom

Which of the following is true about El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?

Upwelling is suppressed off the coast of South America------- The tradewinds weaken, allowing warm water to move eastward

In which of the zones would you be most likely to find bacteria engaged in chemosynthesis?

Very bottom of the ocean

If Northern glaciers melt near location 2, what consequence may occur?

Water would become less salty, preventing sinking

What will happen if thermohaline circulation stops?

climate would change drastically in many places including greenlands cooling...(more)

What causes thermohaline circulation?

sinking of cold, salty water at the poles (due to increases salnity by: formation of sea ice, or evaporation) and movement of dense water on the ocean floor. also the heating of the ocean near the equator and cooling of water at the poles(mixes surface and deep water)

Which of the following are examples of wetlands?

swamps, marshes, bogs

Where does thermohaline circulation bring water?

the circulation pattern moves warm surface water from the southern hemisphere toward the North Pole. Between Greenland and Norway, the water cools, sinks into the deep ocean, and begins flowing back to the south.

Which way does the earth rotate?

to the right