Geography Final
The maximum surface relief on earth from the top of the tallest mountain to the bottom of the deepest trench is approximately ____kilometers
20
What is the noon-sun angle at the Arctic Circle on the March Equinox?
23.5 degrees
At the 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington D.C. standard time zones were established, each extending over degrees of longitude
24; 15
If the actual water vapor content of the air is 10 grams per cubic meter and the water vapor capacity is 40 grams per cubic meter, what is the relative humidity of the air?
25 percent
As air temperatures cool during overnight hours, what is the general pattern that happens to relative humidity?
Relative humidity increases.
The Earth's surface area is 71% land and 29% ocean.
False The opposite is true: 71% oceans and 29% land area.
On a weather map showing isobars, the spacing of the isobars is very close. Based on this pattern you can expect the wind speed to be slow.
False When isobars are spaced closely together it indicates strong or fast wind speeds. When isobars are spaced widely apart this indicates more gentle, slow winds.
Of all the climate types defined in the Koppen system, which is not controlled by latitude?
Highland
What are the general conditions necessary for the formation of a glacier?
Three conditions are necessary to form a glacier: (1) Cold local climate (polar latitudes or high elevation). (2) snow must be abundant; more snow must fall than melts, and (3) snow must not be removed by avalanches or wind.
Lava tube caves are found in Hawaii and Lava Beds National Park in California.
True
Salt water does not dissolve limestone.
True
The lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost mantle.
True
The reason why the sky is blue is because the wavelength of blue light is short compared with the wavelength of red light and when those short blue wavelengths interact with molecules in the atmosphere they get scattered. What we see is the scattered blue light.
True
Why are California's coastal mountains highly susceptible to mass wasting events?
a combination of steep topography, young rock age of the mountains, this area is prone to earthquakes, the rainy season is often preceded by wildfires that strip vegetation leaving slopes susceptible to water saturation.
Photochemical smog tends to form under which geographic conditions?
all of the answers listed for this question combine to create the geographic conditions necessary to the formation of photochemical smog dense urban or industrial settings high atmospheric pressure basins surrounded by mountains temperature inversions
Which phase change of the water molecule releases the most heat into the surrounding environment?
condensation
In order for clouds to form, must be present in the atmosphere so that water molecules have something to collect around/onto.
condensation nuclei
Contour Lines are
joins points of equal elevation (height) above a given level, such as mean sea level. A contour map is a map illustrated with contour lines
At which point in the day is relatively humidity usually at it's highest level?
just before sunrise
The portion of water on Earth that is frozen/in the solid state is termed the:
cryosphere
Surface water runoff within the drainage basins around caves causes:
decreased nutrient availability in the cave ecosystem increased pollutant levels in the cave ecosystem
In the USGS video about the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, what are the 4 major types of ground behavior triggered by earthquakes?
ground rupturing, landslide, liquefication
The richest assemblage of flora and fauna outside the tropics are in the ________ biome.
midlatitude deciduous forest
Which statement about monsoons is correct?
monsoon refers to a seasonal reversal of winds D. monsoon patterns are prominent in India and Bangladesh B. summer conditions are associated with heavy rains
Of the four kinds of fog, which type commonly forms in California"s Central Valley?
radiation
Downwind of large mountain ranges there is less precipitation; this drier zone is called the ________.
rain shadow
During the afternoon in Santa Cruz in the summertime, if you are at the beach you are likely to experience a
sea breeze
An alternate term for tropical rainforest biomes is ________.
selva
Presently, along the southern and central California coast, the North American and Pacific Plates are:
sliding past each other in opposite directions
cirque glaciers
small, semicircular to triangular glaciers that form on the sides of mountains and don't typically travel further
The Köppen system of climate classification is based on ________.
temperature and precipitation
Which of the following statements about longitude is FALSE?
the 0 degree longitude line passes through the Pacific Ocean
Chemical solution of rocks is most likely to occur in which type of climate?
warm with high humidity and rainfall
What is a benefit of urban stream/river restoration? (must select all answers that apply)
the return of riparian birds, fish, and other wildlife increased recreational use of the riparian corridor increased tourism to the city's river zone reduction in summertime temperatures along the resorted river
If a sailing vessel's location is 42° S latitude, which major wind belt is it likely to encounter?
westerlies
Which of the following is NOT one of the major effects associated with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?
wetter-than-normal conditions in Australia
The "present is the key to the past" is a summarization of the concept of:
uniforitarianism
Which type of fog is created by adiabatic cooling?
upslope fog
The fact that there are biologically rich coastal ocean waters along the west coast of the U.S. can be explained by:
upwelling
On the March equinox the Sun's rays are vertically overhead at the .
Equator
The temperature is -40 degrees Celsius. In Fahrenheit the temperature is:
-40
What percentage of Earth's land surface is currently covered in ice today? Where does that majority of that ice reside geographically?
10%, typically at the poles, but specifically around Alaska.
Of all the water on our planet, approximately % is fresh water (include liquid fresh water at surface, underground, in atmosphere, in biosphere, and frozen fresh water).
3
If given the geographic coordinates 37°, 122° without any associated directions of North, South, East, or West, how many different locations on Earth could this be
4
The approximate age of Earth is
4.6 billion years old
If the time is 6:00 PM on Saturday in New Orleans, Louisiana with a longitude of 90 degrees west, what time is it in Kabul, Afghanistan with a longitude of 75 degrees east
5:00 AM on Sunday
Using the average environmental lapse rate of the troposphere, if you began a hike at an elevation of 5000 feet with an air temperature of 62 degrees F and descended down to 2000 feet of elevation, what would the expected temperature be at the ending elevation? (approximate to the closest whole degree)
73 degrees F
In order for a hurricane to form, sea surface water temperature must be at least degrees F, to a depth of feet below the sea surface.
80; 50
The Earth's magnetic north pole is currently located at 81° N. How far in units of kilometers is this location from the true north pole? HINT: To determine the answer to this question you must know the latitude of the true north pole and the number of kilometers in each 1° of latitude.
999
What is glacial till? Where is it mainly found?
A glacial till is when sediment is deposited by a glacier. It is deposited at the terminal moraine and is found in all glacial forms.
Describe the processes of glacial deposition and the specific features created as a result
A glacier's weight, combined with its gradual movement, can drastically reshape the landscape over hundreds or even thousands of years. The ice erodes the land surface and carries the broken rocks and soil debris far from their original places U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, cirques, horns, and aretes are features sculpted by ice. The eroded material is later deposited as large glacial erratic, in moraines, stratified drift, outwash plains, and drumlins. Varves are a very useful yearly deposit that forms in glacial lakes.
What features form from deposition by wind in deserts?
Alluvial fans form as the stream flow does not carry sediment too far from the mountain's front.
What is an exotic stream?
An exotic stream is one that is full from a humid area with rainfall, but flows through a desert, such as the Nile River.
In the "three-legged stool" model, which environmental sphere is supported by all of the others?
Biosphere
Which statement best describes adiabatic processes?
Both C & D As air descends (sinks) it compresses causing warming of air without the addition of heat. As air rises it cools because heat is removed from the air molecules.
In the video about caves from National Geographic, what is the most important contribution bats make to cave ecosystems?
Bringing nutrients into caves which are normally nutrient-poor environments
Which statement about cyclones and anticyclones is TRUE?
C. Anticyclones cause winds to flow in a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere. A. Cyclones are associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. B. Anticyclones are associated with clear skies and lack of clouds.
In the United States, winter precipitation exceeds summer precipitation in ________.
California
The most recent geologic era, which began approximately 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs and many other species became extinct, is known as the:
Cenozoic
What happens to the locations of climate zones and biomes as the Earth's climate warms?
Climate zones and biomes migrate to higher latitudes where cooler temperatures will exist. Climate zones and biomes migrate to higher elevations such as up mountain slopes where cooler temperatures exist.
What is desertification? What causes desertification and which region of the world is already experiencing this? Other than the Sahel, what regions with large population centers are particularly vulnerable to desertification?
Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. Human causes of desertification include overgrazing, the buildup of salt in irrigated soils, and topsoil erosion. Permanent changes in climate, particularly rainfall, are responsible for natural desertification. Extended droughts may mimic desertification, but vegetation may recover when seasonal rains return. A recently published JRC study identified the following geographic regions as prone to desertification: north-eastern Brazil, south-western Argentina, the southern Sahel, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Sub-Himalayan India, and north-eastern China
What defines a desert? What are the primary tools of weathering in deserts?
Deserts are typically stark and abrupt that is unsoftened because of the lack of soil, regolith, and/or vegetation. Mechanical weathering is dominant such as salt wedging.
What is an ephemeral stream?
Ephemeral streams are dry stream beds that flow after periods of rainfall. They are most common in desert regions with little rainfall, so that the beds will be dry in between.
Why has so much salt accumulated in the bottom of Death Valley, CA?
Evaporation of water sources leaving behind a salt pan or salt flat.
______involves the peeling of thin layers of stone off of rock and is usually caused by the removal of an overlying weight from the landscape such as the melting of glacial ice or removal of overlying earth materials.
Exfoliation
Describe the processes of glacial erosion and the kinds of specific features created as a result.
Glaciers erode the underlying rock by abrasion and plucking. Glacial meltwater seeps into cracks of the underlying rock, the water freezes and pushes pieces of rock outward. The rock is then plucked out and carried away by the flowing ice of the moving glacier arêtes: sharp ridges between U-shaped glacial valleys; cols: low points along arêtes that constitute passes between glacial valleys; horns: steep peaks that have been glacially and freeze-thaw eroded on three or more sides; cirques: bowl-shaped basins that form at the head of a glacial valley; hanging valleys: U-shaped valleys of tributary glaciers that hang above the main valley because the larger main-valley glacier eroded more deeply into the terrain; and truncated spurs (a.k.a. "spurs"): the ends of arêtes that have been eroded into steep triangle-shaped cliffs by the glacier in the corresponding main valley.
The Hawaiian Islands are located at which type of tectonic setting?
Hot Spot
_____data has provided scientists with a detailed record of atmospheric conditions over the past_____years.
Ice core; over 650,000
The rotational speed of Earth,.....
Is slightly more than 1000 miles per hour at the equator. Is slightly more than 1000 miles per hour at the equator. Is approximately 900 miles per hour at 30-degrees north and south latitudes. Is 0 miles per hour at the poles.
Why are there no moraines on the west side of the Sierra Nevada?
It is estimated that this is because the glaciers did not last long enough to build bulky moraines.
How can we explain the high level of biodiversity in the tropics (particularly the tropical rain forests)?
Lots of sunlight and photosynthesis means more species. Tropical areas are large. Long-term climate change does not effect tropical areas to the degree that higher latitude climates are effected. Topical climates are not as harsh (with respect to season temperature changes) as other climates. a combination of all the factors listed above
Explain why there are waterfalls that cascade into Yosemite Valley.
Many waterfalls have been created by glaciation where valleys have been over-deepened by ice and tributary valleys have been left high up on steep valley sides. In the glacially gouged Yosemite Valley in California, the Yosemite Upper Falls tumble 436 m (1,430 feet) from such a hanging valley.
Which of the following greenhouse gases retains the highest amount of heat per molecule of gas?
Methane (CH4)
Which of the following statements about the atmosphere is TRUE?
Most of its mass is relatively close to the Earth's surface.
North pole: Equator Tropic of cancer Tropic of Capricorn Arctic Circle Antarctic circle South Pole
North pole: 90 N Equator 0 Tropic of cancer 23.5 N Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 S Arctic Circle 66.5 N Antarctic circle 66.5 S South Pole 90 S
Under what conditions does an oxbow lake form?
One meandering loop of a stream cuts into another meandering loop and leaves a section of the old channel cut off from the new course of the stream.
Cabrillo College is located on the ____Plate; San Francisco is located on the ______Plate.
Pacific and North American (not necessarily in order here)
Describe Pleistocene glaciation. What is the time span of the Pleistocene epoch? About how many glacial episodes took place during the Pleistocene?
Pleistocene glaciation is described by two revolving process: during glacial periods, glaciers and ice expanded and during interglacial periods, it contracted. the Pleistocene epoch spanned 2.58 mil years ago to just about 9,000 years ago. About 17 glacial episodes.
___caves form as a result of chemical dissolution of rock; ___caves are created by piles of fallen rock debris.
Solution; talus
In the video about caves (from National Geographic), which area of the U.S. has the highest concentration of caves?
Southeastern U.S.
Which U.S. states, with extensive karst features, were underwater as part of a shallow sea about 350 million years ago? Select all states that apply.
Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama
Continental crust and rock types; what is soil composed of
The continental crust is the layer of granitic, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks which form the continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves Soil is a material composed of five ingredients — minerals, soil organic matter, living organisms, gas, and water. Soil minerals are divided into three size classes — clay, silt, and sand
Describe the four indirect effects of Pleistocene glaciations as outlined in the textbook. Are we still in an ice age? What is the name of the epoch we are currently in?
The periglacial process is areas affected by melt off from ice causing things like frost weathering. Sea-Level changes happen when ice freezes up run off before it enters the ocean, lowering level, or when it is melting, rising the levels. Pluvial developments occur when there is meltwater run off, increased precipitation, and decreased evaporation which forms lakes. Lastly, crustal depression is when the weight of glaciers cause earth's crust to sink and when the glaciers are gone the earth can rebound. We are in the Holocene Epoch, which is an interglacial series but still in an ice age.
Describe the nature of fluvial processes in deserts and the kinds of landforms that they create.
The three fluvial processes are erosion, transportation and deposition. Erosion is the process in which materials are removed by an agent. Transportation is the process in which eroded materials are carried away. Deposition is the process in which materials are 'dumped'. Fluvial landforms are those generated by running water, mainly rivers.
Explain the process of creep.
The topsoil layer gradually moves downslope.
How do lichens weather rock?
They draw minerals from the rock through ion exchange.
Sources of atmospheric moisture; % fresh water on Earth; % frozen fresh water on Earth; aquifers and causes of salt-water intrusion and subsidence;
Through evaporation, mostly from the oceans 14% from land through evapotranspiration and 86% from evaporation from oceans Oceans: 71% earth's surface Salt water: 97% Fresh: 3% mostly frozen Ice: 10% Generally, saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers is caused by two mechanisms: Lateral encroachment from the ocean due to excessive water withdrawals from coastal aquifers, or. Upward movement from deeper saline zones due to upconing near coastal discharge/pumping wells.
Which geographic factor causes the Santa Ana Winds to be so strong and intense?
Topography
Topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area could refer to the surface forms and features themselves, or a description Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area could refer to the surface forms and features themselves, or a description
The San Andreas Fault in California is located at which type of plate tectonic boundary?
Transform
Rivers down-cutting into a land surface in the absence of other factors tend to erode a ____ shaped form
V shape
Describe ventifacts and desert pavement and how they form.
Ventifacts are flattened rocks that have been faceted by "sand blasting". Desert pavements can be formed by deflation and is when a surface of gravel can't be moved by wind, but the finer pieces are.
What causes salt wedging to occur?
When water in rock cracks evaporates, salt crystals grow and pry apart the rock.
Difference between eustatic & relative sea level change?
While eustasy is global by definition, relative sea level changes are regional or local in nature Eustatic sea-level changes are global sea-level changes related either to changes in the volume of glacial ice on land or to changes in the shape of the sea floor caused by plate tectonic processes. Relative sea level change is how the height of the ocean rises or falls relative to the land at a particular location. In contrast, absolute sea level change refers to the height of the ocean surface above the center of the earth, without regard to whether nearby land is rising or falling.
The fact that California does not usually experience precipitation from about May through October can be explained by:
a subtropical high pressure zone in the atmosphere that dominates during those months of the year
What is a yazoo stream (yazoo tributary)?
a tributary stream that cannot join the main stream on a floodplain because it is blocked by the main stream's large natural levees
Both steppe and tundra vegetation zones have ________ in common.
absence of trees
Groundwater is a weak _____because it absorbs _____from the air and soil.
acid; CO2
Cooling of air because of expansion and heating of air due to compression are examples of ________.
adiabatic processes
Of the four kinds of fog development, which is responsible for producing fog in San Francisco?
advection fog
The maximum distance between Earth and Sun is called and occurs in the month of .
aphelion; July
When plant roots grow into rock crevices and cracks, prying apart the rock, this is an example of
biological weathering
Earth's seasons are a result of
both the tilt of the Earth's axis AND the polarity of Earth
This stream channel pattern has many interconnected shallow channels, a very flat gradient and is common in glaciated landscapes.
braided
With the exception of water vapor, ________ is the most plentiful of the variable gases in the atmosphere.
carbon dioxide
Karst landscapes tend to evolve in all of the following rock types except .
chert
Which of the following substances is associated with the breakdown of the ozone layer?
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Among cloud types, those that occur at the highest altitudes are the ________.
cirrus
High atmospheric pressure is associated with which of the following conitions?
clear, sunny skies
If a region of Earth is experiencing low atmospheric pressure, which weather condition is most likely to be occurring?
cloudy
Soils develop slowest under which climatic conditions?
cold and dry
Speleothems are formed
during the decoration stage of cave development
California's Santa Ana Winds flow from to .
east to west
Which weathering process likely produced the large crack in the boulder below?
frost wedging
Along the east coast of the U.S. coastal ocean water temperatures are:
generally warmer than those along the west coast
alpine glaciers
glaciers formed high in mountainous areas usually at the head of valleys
Which form of precipitation can be described as rain that turns to ice the instant it collides with a solid object?
glaze
what chemical changes occur to groundwater when it absorbs CO2? How does this influence the formation and decoration of solution caves?
groundwater is a weak acid because it absorbs CO2 from the air and soil. The first stage is characterized by erosion and occurs as groundwater absorbs high concentrations of carbon dioxide as it moves through the rock, resulting in the creation of carbonic acid. The acid dissolves away the cavaties
Seepage from underground gasoline tanks, agricultural pesticide runoff, hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), and leaking industrial waste storage sites are all potential sources of:
groundwater pollution
What are some of the major deserts of the world and where are they found?
he Antarctic Polar Desert covers the continent of Antarctica. The second-largest desert is the Arctic Polar Desert. It extends over parts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. the Sahara Desert, a subtropical desert in northern Africa. The Arabian in the Arabian Peninsula.
Higher latitudes regions of Earth receive much less intense insolation than tropical zones because of differences in ________.
he Sun angles throughout the year at these locations
What data do scientists use to gather information about Earth's climate history?
ice cores ocean sediments pollen fossils tree rings all of the above
Air movement around a high or low atmospheric pressure zone blows
in a curved path
Why did Florida experience a significant rise in the number and size of sinkholes in the 1980s? (A rate of approximately 1 sinkhole per day).
increased population growth and increased groundwater pumping
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the Ogallala Aquifer
it provides the main water supply to farms in Iowa
What function does the Mississippi delta plain/wetlands play with respect to hurricane damage along the Louisiana Gulf Coast?
it reduces storm surge onto the land
The difference between a fumarole and a geyser
is based on steam versus water eruptions
highland ice fields
largely unconfined ice sheet in high mountain area
Which of the following controls weather and climate?
latitude ; the general circulation of the ocean currents ; topographic barriers; the distribution of land and water
Caves are found in most parts of the world where there are thick deposits under the surface.
limestone
Which of the following ground behaviors triggered by earthquakes causes baymud, alluvium or landfilled regions to turn into a muddy slurry during an earthquake?
liquefaction
valley glaciers
long narrow glaciers confined by mountains that usually move downhill through valleys already cut by rivers
Tornadoes, although erratic in their pathways, are always characterized by ________ pressure.
low
continental ice sheets
mass of ice that covers large land areas
Which of the following is an example of an internal geologic process?
massive crustal rearrangment and vulcanism/volcanism
Identify the stream channel pattern above:
meandering
Of the main nutrients in the biosphere, the one that is "fixed" inside nodules in certain plant roots is
nitrogen
The most abundant permanent gas in the atmosphere is
nitrogen
Which of the following best describes the location of North America?
northern and western hemispheres
The most accurate shape of earth is a
oblate spheroid
When winds encounter a topographic barrier such as a mountain slope, lifting and precipitation is most likely to occur.
orographic
A main absorber of ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere is ________.
ozone
Ice, when it is frozen year-round in the ground, is termed ________.
permafrost
Which of the following is NOT a primary air pollutant?
photochemical smog
Which of the following igneous rocks is intrusively formed?
plutonic and coarse grained
The weathered layer of loose inorganic material overlaying unfragmented rock below is ________.
regolith
The large landslide associated with the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was in part caused by:
rising magma within the volcano that caused bulging, over-steepening, and weakening of the north slope of the volcano.
A cave obligate species
spends it's entire life-cycle underground/inside of a dark cave environment and never enters the outside world. are an example of convergent evolution all came from surface ancestors originally
The American states with the highest average annual incidence of fog are located on ________.
the Pacific Coast
The driving force behind all life cycles in the entire biosphere is
the Sun.
According to the information in the video "Anatomy of a Hurricane",
the eye of a hurricane can be anywhere from 4 to 40 miles across. the minimum wind speed for a tropical storm to be categorized as a hurricane is 74 m.p.h. category 5 hurricanes can have wind speeds over 155 m.p.h. Correct! All of the above hurricanes rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere due to the Coriolis Effect.
Which is a danger of increased ultraviolet exposure at the Earth's surface?
the killing of microorganisms on the ocean surface the suppression of the human immune system the increase of skin cancer in humans the diminishing of yields in many crops
Mediterranean climates experience dry summers because of ________.
the position of subtropical high pressure
Variation(s) in Earth-Sun relations (aka Milankovitch cycles) are the result of:
the shape of Earth's orbit around the Sun precession (wobble) of Earth's axis the tilt of Earth's axis all of the above
Uniformitarianism
the theory that changes in the earth's crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes.
The conditions that form the hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park include all of the following EXCEPT:
thick limestone deposits at the Earth's surface
The difference between swamps and marshes is mainly one of ________.
trees versus grassland
Of the three tropical humid (A) climate types, ____has the longest dry-season.
tropical savanna
Layers of Atmosphere
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
In which climate type is the vegetation devoid of trees.
tundra
What is the parent material of Andisols mainly composed of?
volcanic ash
The Pacific "ring of fire" refers to the:
volcanoes around the edges of the Pacific Ocean
Shield volcanoes are than composite (strato) volcanoes.
wider