geography chapter 2
Topography can affect weather and climate in what way?
It can create varied precipitation patterns in higher elevations.
Which of the following statements about greenhouse gases is most accurate?
Greenhouse gases were fairly stable throughout most of human history, but have increased dramatically in the past 130 years.
Climographs do NOT contain information about
average relative humidity.
The natural process of the Earth's atmosphere heating through the trapping of reradiated infrared radiation is known as
the greenhouse effect.
Which of the following is a fossil fuel?
petroleum
In which parts of the world has desertification been the most serious problem?
Africa, Australia, and South Asia and North America
A standard scheme, called the ________, devised in the early twentieth century, is used to describe the world's diverse climates.
Köppen system
250 million years ago the world's land masses were all part of a supercontinent called
Pangaea.
In the ________ climate regions, where precipitation exceeds 10 inches, a prolonged summer-season drought of three or four months produces a unique array of grasses, shrubs, and trees.
Mediterranean
What region of the world experiences the highest water stress?
Northern Africa`
The circum-Pacific zone of activity, from the western Americas (both North and South) to East Asia, is particularly active and is often referred to as the
Pacific Rim of Fire.
Which of the following is an example of the possible effects of climate change?
Sea level will rise.
What world region is experiencing the highest rate of tropical deforestation?
Southeast Asia
This bioregion is associated with the widespread temperate C climate, where precipitation falls year-round in amounts of 30-60 inches, summers are warm, and winters are cold, yet no month averages below freezing.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Why is there special concern about timber firms in Japan and China purchasing logs from North American evergreen forests?
These trees are often cut from public forests in the United States and Canada.
What pair of countries contributes the most greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere?
United States and China
The amount of tropical forest that is lost each year is equivalent to the size of what U.S. state?
Wisconsin
The world's growing appetite for what food product is a leading cause of tropical deforestation?
beef
An assemblage of local plants, animals, and insects covering a large area such as a tropical rainforest or a grassland is called a
bioregion.
In Canada and Alaska, evergreen, needleleaf forests are called ________ referring to their near arctic location.
boreal forests
What is the major source of carbon dioxide?
burning fossil fuels
The production of what agricultural product is a major factor in the destruction of African rainforests?
cacao
Which substance is of great concern to scientists studying human-generated greenhouse gases, and is thought to increase such that the earth's climate will be irrevocably changed by 2020?
carbon dioxide
Graphic representations of monthly average temperatures and precipitation are called
climographs.
The Himalaya Mountains were formed by
converging plates.
Seasonal rainforest trees are ________, meaning they shed their leaves during the harsh dry season in order to slow or completely halt growth.
deciduous
Rift valleys are examples of
divergent plate boundaries.
In what type of bioregion is desertification most likely to occur?
grasslands
With what bioregion is the term "steppe" associated?
grasslands
Which of the following is NOT one of the natural greenhouse gases?
helium
Incoming short-wave solar energy is called
insolation.
Chile is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because
it is in a major subduction zone.
Which of the following is NOT a form of renewable energy?
natural gas
Anthropogenic emissions are caused by
people.
The geophysical theory that Earth is comprised of large geologic platforms that move slowly across its surface is referred to as
plate tectonics.
What did countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol agree to do?
reduce their emissions of major greenhouse gases below 1990 levels
As a general rule, the atmosphere cools by 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet gained in elevation. This is called
the environmental lapse rate
The increase in greenhouse gases during the last 130 years is primarily a result of
the excessive burning of fossil fuels by humans.
What is weather?
the short-term day-to-day expression of atmospheric processes
What wind or global pressure system borders the equator?
trade winds
The San Andreas Fault is an example of
transform faulting.
What bioregion consists of plants and animals that adapt to differing levels of sunlight through layers of vegetation?
tropical rainforest
This bioregion has two versions: the expansive arctic version of the far northern hemisphere and, sharing many similar traits, the alpine version found at high elevations in mountainous areas worldwide.
tundra