Unit 4 APES Test
Wetter and warmer weather that increases soil moisture
During an El Niño event, farmers in the southwestern United Stated often benefit from which of the following climatic changes?
Partially-decomposed organic matter is called humus, and is very productive for plant life
what is humus
Soil with an even mixture of each particle is called loam.
what is loam
The troposphere is the bottom layer containing the air we breathe and our weather.
what is the troposphere
Climate, organisms, topography, parent material, time
what is weathering influenced by
Pacific North American Eurasian African Antarctic Indo-Australian Plate South American Plate
what the 7 major plates
The wind is deflected west because of Earth's rotation.
Which of the following is the best explanation for the deflection of the trade winds in both hemispheres, as seen in the diagram above?
The Sun warms the moist air at the equator and causes it to rise because of its lower density. As the warm air moves away from the equator, it cools, becomes denser, and then sinks.
Which of the following is the best explanation for the formation of Hadley cells in the tropics, as seen in the diagram, between 30°N30°N and 30°S30°S latitude?
Near the equator, solar radiation sets in motion a pair of convective cells called Hadley cells.
what are Hadley cells
Clay often has high porosity but almost no permeability meaning it is essentially a barrier which water cannot flow through and the water within it is trapped
what are clays porosity and permeability
Increased evaporation causes air near the Earth's surface to be warmer and more moist
what are convective currents
Minerals dissolved or suspended in water can be transported downward in a process called leaching.
what is leaching
Parent material is the base geologic material in a particular location
what is parent material
the state or quality of a material or membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it
what is permeability
Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material
what is porosity
Soil is a system consisting of disintegrated rock, organic matter, water, gases, nutrients, and microorganisms
what is soil
The independent variable is the variable that is changed
What is the independent variable?
North
Which hemisphere has more land? North or South
Temperature gradients
Which of the following abiotic factors, when graphed on the x-axis, leads to the curved line in the graph due to variation in the different layers of the atmosphere?
Plates move apart New lithosphere created on BOTH plates as magma rises from the spreading. Plate Area Increases
what happens during a diverging boundary
Atmospheric pressure measures the force per unit area produced by a column of air, and at higher altitudes due to the lower number of air molecules
what is Atmospheric pressure
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation in the tropical Pacific Ocean
what is ENSO
Relative humidity is the ratio of water vapor within air at a given temperature to the maximum amount it could hold.
what is Relative humidity
The group that does not receive the experimental treatment in an experiment.
what is a control group
The entire cross-section of soil is the soil profile
what is a soil profile
Also called an archipelago. Chain or cluster of islands.
what is an island arc
The movement and sorting of soil particles creates distinct layers called soil horizons.
what is soil horizons
The A horizon is topsoil; a mixture of inorganic mineral components with humus mixed in from above
what is the A zone
The B horizon contains the minerals leached from above.
what is the B zone
The C horizon is partially-weathered parent material.
what is the C zone
The R horizon is bedrock.
what is the R zone
space
what is the exosphere
it has meteors
what is the mesosphere
topsoil
what is the most nutritive part of soil for plants and is vital for agriculture
The stratosphere is much drier and less dense than the troposphere, with very little vertical mixing (has ozone)
what is the stratosphere
it has the aurora borealis
what is the thermosphere
Trade winds blow from east to west between the equator and 30° latitude.
where are the trade winds
Between 30° and 60° latitude, westerlies blow from west to east.
where are the westerlies
South The latent heat of water keeps climate more stable with less variations in temperature. Since land heats faster and loses heat faster as well, the Northern Hemisphere has more variations.
So which hemisphere is going to be slightly milder in terms of climate? North or South Why?
Stratosphere
The vast majority of ozone (O3)(O3) is found in a thin layer due to a lack of circulation in which of the following atmospheric layers?
Percentage of each particle size in each soil sample
A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. Which of the following describes the dependent variable in this investigation?
Less nutrient-rich water reaches surface waters, disrupting the food web.
Peru's commercial anchovy industry would most likely be harmed during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the decline in anchovy during an El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event?
Ferrel cells and polar cells lift air and create precipitation around 60 degrees latitude north and south, causing air to descend at 30 degrees latitude and at the poles.
what do Ferrel cells and polar cells do?
The Hadley, Ferrel, and polar cells interact with Earth's rotation to produce bands of wind patterns that alternate directions.
what do Hadley, Ferrel, and polar cells interact with
Latitude, Elevation, topography, bodies of water, atmospheric circulation, & vegetation
what factors affect climate
El Niño conditions are triggered when air pressure decreases in the eastern Pacific and increases in the western Pacific, weakening the equatorial winds, allowing warm water to flow eastward, and suppressing upwelling along the Pacific coast of the Americas. This can create storm activity in normally arid regions like California and drier conditions in Indonesia.
what happens during El Nino
La Niña events are the opposite of El Niño events; unusually cold waters rise to the surface and extend westward, causing winds blowing to the west to strengthen.
what happens during La Nina
Under normal conditions, prevailing winds blow from east to west along the equator, forming a large convective loop in the atmosphere. This causes a "pile-up" of warm water to form near Indonesia, fueling storms in that region.
what happens under normal conditions
Climate describes patterns of atmospheric conditions in a location over long periods of time (years or longer).
what is climate
Cool air blowing across large bodies of water can cause the air to pick up moisture and heat up. The air will rise and therefore cool dumping all of its moisture as rain or snow down-wind of the lakes.
what is the lake-effect snow
a dry area on the leeward side of a mountainous area (away from the wind). The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness behind them. The air, without much moisture left, advances across the mountains creating a drier side called the "rain shadow"
what is the rain shadow effect
Weather specifies atmospheric conditions in a location over short time periods (weeks or shorter).
what is weather
The doldrums lies near the equator, and receives few winds.
where are the doldrums
Removing large trees would cause an increase in temperature and keep the surrounding water and soil warmer.
A developer wants to develop a large tract of land near a watershed, which will require the removal of several large trees. Which of the following statements best describes the impact that the development would have on the watershed?
Topography: Hills and valleys affect exposure to sun, wind, water, and influence soil movement
how does topography influence weathering
Soil renews at such a slow rate it is it considered nonrenewable .
is soil renewable or nonrenewable
continental plate is less dense than the oceanic plate (denser plate is pushed down)
is the oceanic plate or continental plate less dense
Increased upwelling off the coast of South America resulting in increased productivity of fisheries
During a La Niña event, what environmental changes would the tropical Pacific Ocean and its surrounding landmasses most likely experience?
Global wind patterns are created because uneven solar radiation results in warm air at low latitudes and cool air at high latitudes, resulting in density differences between the air masses.
The diagram below represents how solar radiation strikes the surface of Earth differently, depending on location, during the June solstice. Which of the following combinations correctly identifies and explains the effects of the differences in the distribution of solar radiation on Earth as seen in the diagram above?
Thermosphere
Which of the following layers of the atmosphere contains charged gas molecules that glow and produce light when hit by solar energy, leading to glowing gases such as the northern lights, found over 90 kilometers above Earth's surface?
The map illustrates a transform boundary, where tectonic plates slide past each other as the Pacific Plate moves northwest and the North American Plate moves southeast
Which of the following statements best describes the boundary between the two tectonic plates seen in the map?
A density gradient tube and a soil triangle
Which of the following would be most helpful to determine the soil texture of a sample?
The season changes from summer to autumn, daylight hours decrease, and infrared radiation is the strongest during the June solstice.
Which statement is best illustrated in the diagram above regarding how the Sun's energy affects the Earth's surface from June through September in the Northern Hemisphere?
provide critical services, such as clean drinking water, productive fisheries, and outdoor recreation, that support our economies, environment and quality of life.
Why are watersheds important?
crust, lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core
what are the layers of the earth (top to bottom)
organic (O zone), topsoil (A zone), eluviated (E zone), subsoil (B zone), weathered parent material (C zone), and rock (R zone)
what are the levels of the soil horizon
Forms mountain ranges
what does a Continental-Continental boundary form
A divergent plate boundary exists at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where plates move away from one another, leading to seafloor spreading.
The Atlantic Ocean is expanding as a result of plate tectonics. Which of the following explanations best identifies the type of plate boundary and processes occurring at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, as shown in the diagram below?
When the to plates contain oceanic crust. One will plate is pushed downward and descends into the mantle. Process called Subduction.
what happens during a ocean-ocean convergent boundary
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
what are the layers of the atmosphere
Hot region in the mantle melts through lithosphere to form islands as plate passes over.
what are hot spots
Sandy soils are known to have high permeability, which results in high infiltration rates and good drainage also has high porosity
what are sands porosity and permeability
silt also has high porosity and permeability
what are silts porosity and permeability
Clay soils have few pore spaces and are sticky, making it difficult for air and water to pass through.
what are the characteristics of clay
The Coriolis effect deflects objects to the right in the northern hemisphere and the left in the southern, resulting in curving wind patterns
what is the coriolis effect
The student used a soil triangle to determine where the lines intersect for sand, silt, and clay for the soil sample.
A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. A student claims that soil sample BB would be classified as a loam. Which of the following best describes the method used by the student to reach this conclusion?
Soil samples taken from different locations
A group of students wanted to determine if soil texture can vary by location. Several students brought in a sample of soil from their backyards. Each student added their soil sample of equal mass to a jar with exactly the same amount of water, shook the contents so that all soil particles were suspended in the water, and left the jars covered overnight. The next morning, the soil particles had settled out into layers and students could determine the percentage of each type of particle. The results of their soil test are shown below. Which of the following describes the independent variable in this investigation?
June solstice
Based on the diagram, which of the following days in Earth's yearly orbit would have the longest period of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere?
At this time of year, the tilt of Earth causes Australia to receive highly concentrated solar radiation.
Based on the diagram, which of the following describes why the summer solstice in Australia occurs in December and not in June?
Soil with no grass
Students want to determine how vegetation affects soil erosion. They collect four soil samples of equal starting mass with different types of vegetative cover, as seen in the table below. Each sample is placed in a three-sided plastic dish that can drain into a beaker and is exposed to the same amount of consistent, steady rainfall for ten minutes. The water and soil runoff are collected in the beaker and separated. The average values for each sample are provided below Which of the following is the control group for this experiment?
Percent change in mass of the soil sample
Students want to determine how vegetation affects soil erosion. They collect four soil samples of equal starting mass with different types of vegetative cover, as seen in the table below. Each sample is placed in a three-sided plastic dish that can drain into a beaker and is exposed to the same amount of consistent, steady rainfall for ten minutes. The water and soil runoff are collected in the beaker and separated. The average values for each sample are provided below. Which of the following is a dependent variable in the experiment?
It is in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains.
The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. It is the oldest, most consistently arid place in the world. Based on the map above, which of the following best explains why the Atacama Desert has a consistently arid climate?
The east coast would have a more moderate climate because of the Brazil Current.
The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. It is the oldest, most consistently arid place in the world. Based on the map above, which of the following best identifies and explains the region of South America that would have a more moderate climate?
More rivers would be located on the east side of the Andes Mountains because the trade winds are coming from the east.
The Atacama Desert lies to the west of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. It is the oldest, most consistently arid place in the world. Based on the map, which of the following best explains the area of the Andes Mountains that would have the greatest number of rivers?
An increase in stormwater runoff in urban areas
The Chesapeake Bay is a watershed that is located in six states and the District of Columbia. Which of the following can cause an increase in water pollution in the watershed?
Plant grass and shrubs on the slope.
The Mississippi watershed is the largest in North America, draining all or part of thirty-two states in the United States and two Canadian provinces. A new apartment complex is being built on a steep slope near the source of the Mississippi River outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Which of the following measures should be taken to best reduce erosion at the construction site to protect the Mississippi watershed?
The enclosed area shows a hot spot in the middle of the Pacific Plate in the Hawaiian Islands.
The map above shows the locations of known volcanoes and earthquakes. Which of the following explains what is being illustrated in the enclosed area in the northwest portion of the map?
Ocean-Ocean Ocean-Continent Continent-Continent
What are the three types of convergent boundaries?
The dependent variable is the variable that is measured
What is a dependent variable?
A watershed is an area of land that drains into local waterways (like rivers, creeks, streams).
What is a watershed?
the group that receives the treatment
What is the experimental group?
Climate: Warm, moist climates accelerate most weathering processes
how does climate influence weathering
Organisms: Plants and decomposers add organic material
how does organisms influence weathering
Parent material: Its composition influences soil formation
how does parent material influence weathering
Time: Soil formation can take centuries, decades, or millennia
how does time influence weathering
Loam soils with medium-sized pores are considered the best for agriculture.
what are the characteristics of loam
Sandy soils allow water to pass through too quickly, requiring frequent irrigation.
what are the characteristics of sand
Nazca Philippine Sea Arabian Caribbean Cocos Caroline Scotia Burma New Hebrides
what are the minor plates
Oceanic Spreading Center (Ridge) Continental Rift Zone
what are the two types of diverging plates
plant vegetation that can absorb runoff of any sorts
what are ways to protect waterways and watersheds
Creates a long narrow deep trench. Creates an island arc.
what does a ocean-ocean convergent boundary create
Physical weathering results from wind, rain, freezing, and thawing
what does physical weathering result from
Black or dark brown soils are rich in organic matter. A pale color indicates low organic matter.
what does the color of soil mean
Continental crust collides and subducts at a low angle under another continental crust
what happens during a Continental-Continental boundary
Occurs when two plates collide. Lithosphere is recycled into the mantle. Plate Area Decreases
what happens during a converging plate boundary
Occur when plates slide past each other. Lithosphere is not created or destroyed
what happens during a transform boundary
Warm air, being less dense, rises and creates vertical currents. As air rises, it cools, causing moisture to condense and fall down as rain. The cooler, denser air sinks, and the cycle repeats
what happens to warm and cool air during convective currents
Biological weathering involves living things such as lichens producing acid or tree roots rubbing against rock.
what is biological weathering
Chemical weathering occurs as water or gases chemically alter rock
what is chemical weathering
Forms mountains by crumpling the continental edge Very deep sea trench parallel to the mountains. GREAT EARTHQUAKES
what is created during a Oceanic-Continental plate boundary
The Earth is tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees, resulting in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres being tilted toward the sun for half of each year. This creates seasonal differences in temperature and amount of daylight in areas away from the equator.
what is earths tilt at and what does result in
Also called faults. Results in lots of Earthquakes
what is formed by a transform boundary
The E horizon tends to be the most heavily leached, losing minerals like iron, aluminum, and silicate clay.
what is the E zone
The O horizon contains organic matter deposited by organisms
what is the O zone
Clay particles are the smallest, less than 0.002 mm in diameter.
what is the size of clay
Sand is the largest, between 0.05-2 mm in diameter.
what is the size of sand
Silt particles fall in-between clay and sand
what is the size of silt
Sunlight is most intense when it meets the planet's surface at a perpendicular angle
when is sunlight more intense