Chapter 2 Quiz
All of the following statements are true
-A horizon: mixture of organic and mineral materials -B horizon: deposition of clay and humus -C horizon: weathered parent material -O horizon: organic layer
Atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns are influenced by which of the following?
-Rising and sinking of warm and cool air masses -Uneven heating of the earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun -Differential ability of cool and warm air masses to hold water vapor -Coriolis effect
What is true of the Palmer Drought Severity Index?
-it uses temperature and precipitation to calculate moisture conditions relative to long-term averages -negative values reflect drought conditions -values near zero reflect average rainfall conditions -it can be used to show both temporal and spatial climatic variation
Earth's climatic variation is due to
-the spherical shape of the earth -earth's axial rotation as it orbits the sun -uneven heating of the earth's surface
Tropical dry forests are located between
10° and 25° north and south latitudes
There are(is) _______ convective air cell(s) per hemisphere, _______ total for the earth.
3;6
The __ is a depositional horizon that contains clays, humus, and other materials which may form distinct banding patterns
B horizon
Why has the view of tundra shifted recently from an isolated and pristine biome to one that is experiencing detrimental human influence?
Because agriculture has increased as climate change lengthened the growing season within tundra
T/F As altitude increases, temperatures decrease, likewise, as latitude decreases, temperature decrease
False
T/F Biomes are defined by climate and vegetation. One reason for this is that the climate of a particular environment is greatly influenced by the dominant plant types in the environment
False
T/F Mycorrhizae are parasitic fungi are depleting tropical trees of nutrients
False
What statement about rain shadows is accurate?
In the western United States, you would expect the rain shadow effect to produce heavier rainfall on the western-facing shapes of mountains than on the eastern-facing shapes
What situations would lead to a drought having occurred?
Lower than normal rainfall for several months leads to irrigation restrictions in the region, resulting in crop failures
All of the following are biomes except
Mediterranean rain forest, Boreal grassland, Mountains
Coriolis effect causes winds in the
Northern Hemisphere to deflect to the right
Which soil horizon is most influenced by climate?
O horizon
Which of the following soil horizon profiles is ordered correctly?
O,A,B,C
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the boreal forest?
Sparse plant cover
All of the following statements are true except
Taigas have moderate temperatures with occasional droughts
Which of the following terrestrial biomes are maintained by fires?
Tropical savannas and temperate grasslands
T/F In general, warm air can hold more moisture than cool air and therefore has a stronger evaporative effect
True
T/F In the region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, seasonal variations in temperature and day length at low elevation are sight
True
T/F Proximity to large bodies of water moderates terrestrial temperatures
True
T/F The precipitation in moist temperate regions is caused by the meeting of cool polar air and warm subtropical air
True
T/F Trade winds move toward the equator
True
Climatic diagrams provide all of the following information except
Wind patterns
All of the following components influence soil structures except
age, parent material, climate, organisms
The Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive approximately equal amounts of solar radiation on the
both spring equinox and autumnal equinox
Which of the following biomes have fertile soils that contain large quantities of organic matter?
both temperate forest and temperate grassland
A biome is characterized primarily by
climate and predominate plant types
Warm tropical air
cools as it ascends
Desert soils are often termed
lithosols
Most of the earth's deserts are
located at 30 degrees north and south latitudes
All of the following statements concerning wind are true except
northeast trade winds blow toward the poles
Warm air over the equator
rises and moves toward the poles
Heating of the earth's surface causes
warm air to rise and cool air to sink