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APES - Earth Systems
APES - Earth Systems
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AP Environmental Science review covering Earth Systems.
Flashcards
60 cards
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Practice quiz
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Questions
60
Answers
1
What is a watershed?
Rough measure of volume of water we use to support ourselves
Upper surface of the zone of saturation.
Land area that delivers water & sediment to a major stream.
The saturation of soil with water, flooding the water table.
2
What is the atmosphere?
Blanket of gases that increases in pressure with altitude.
A thin blanket of gases surround earth, divided into layers.
A blanket of gases with a homogeneous density of molecules.
A thick blanket of gases constantly decreasing in temperature
3
Please list the layers of the atmosphere in order (starting from layer nearest to surface).
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
Stratosphere, Troposphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere
Thermosphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Troposphere
Troposp., Stratosp., Mesosphere, Thermosp., Exosphere
4
What is a tributary?
A smaller river/stream flowing into a larger river or lake.
Areas nearest the river's course that are often flooded.
A smaller river flowing into a smaller one.
A smaller stream flowing into a
5
What is the Coriolis effect? (Choose all that may apply).
Occurs due to the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
It is the weakest at the poles, strongest at equator.
The effect is strongest at the poles, nonexistent at equator
The apparent curvature of global winds and ocean currents.
6
What are Hadley cells? (Choose all that apply).
Large scale atmospheric convection cells
Where air rises at equator and sinks at medium latitudes.
They involve the prevailing westerlies.
Convection currents that cycle N & S of the poles.
7
Which of the following describe an El Niño effect (see image below)?
I, II, III only.
I and II only.
I, II, IV only
I, II, III, and IV.
8
Which of the following is NOT a benefit of floods?
Kill thousands of people and cause much property damage.
Recharge groundwater & help refill wetlands.
Support biodiversity & aquatic ecological services.
Create and deposit nutrient-rich silt in floodplains.
9
What is salinity?
The measure of dissolved salt in oceanic water.
The measure of dissolved salt in water in general.
The measure of turbidity and salt averaged together.
The measure of salinity and its impact on turbidity.
10
What is the lithosphere?
The combination of both the crust and the outer mantle.
It is the outermost and thinnest zone of the earth.
It consists only of the layer above the asthenosphere.
It includes only the continental and oceanic crusts.
11
What type of boundary forms when oceanic plates slide & grind past one another along fractures?
A transform fault
A trench boundary
Oceanic ridges
A subduction zone
12
Soil horizons in deserts are ___ than soil horizons in wetter climates
thicker
more fertile
thinner
darker
13
What is weathering?
Internal processes that build up the earth's surface.
When acid deposition quickly breaks down monuments.
The different processes that break down rocks into soil.
The climactic changes in weather.
14
The hottest layer of the atmosphere.
mesosphere
thermosphere
ionosphere
exosphere
15
A crown fire recently broke out in Bastrop, destroying many trees. What is a valid projection?
Another fire will break out soon.
Soil erosion will decrease due to new plants after the fire.
Soil erosion will increase b/c of the lack of trees.
It will start raining more in the area for compensation
16
What are estuaries?
Unproductive ecosystems with low nutrient levels.
Harsh coastal ecosystems with only occasional water changes
When rivers meet the sea, keeping fresh and saltwater seperate
Coastal land areas covered with water all/part of the year.
17
What is the focus of an earthquake?
Located above the surface.
Located where an earthquake ends.
Place where an earthquake begins, below surface.
Located directly above epicenter
18
Which of the following describe the Ring of Fire?
All of preceding options are correct.
It is where about 90% of all earthquakes occur.
Located at edges of Pacific Ocean, at plate boundaries.
String of volcanoes and seismic activity sites
19
What are trade winds? (Choose all that apply).
Surface winds that blow East to West
In N. Hemisphere: N to E; in S. Hemisphere: S. to E
They form the Ferrel cells
Pattern of easterly surface winds in the tropics
20
soil physical properties include:
weathering, soil quality, fertility, gravity, nutrients.
permeability, porosity, texture, structure, compaction
21
What is a convection current?
The movement of denser, cold particles downwards
The movement of less dense, warm particles upwards
All of the above
A method of heat transfer in fluids (liquids and gasses)
22
Why does climate vary in different parts of the earth?
Ocean currents distribute heat and precipitation unevenly.
Uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun.
Global air circulation patterns distribution
All of the options are correct reasons.
23
Surface Currents
driven by precipitation levels
driven by wind along the ocean surface
driven by changes in salinity
driven by changes in temperature
24
Two examples of igneous rock include:
Limestone and lignite
Marble and slate
Sandstone and shale
Lava rock and granite
25
Where do you find the rainshadow in mountain areas?
At the coastal side of mountains
on both sides of the mountain
At the inland side of mountains
at the coast
26
What is climate? (Click all that apply).
Weather patterns of the last week averaged together.
An area's general pattern of atmospheric conditions
Long term general patterns
Short-term atmospheric conditions that change often
27
Which of the following correctly lists, by (%), the present-day composition of the atmosphere?
78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Other
78% Oxygen, 21% Nitrogen, 1% Other
100% Oxygen
78% Hydrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Other
28
soil drainage is?
the removal of excess water from the soil.
the removal of excess grass from the soil.
the removal of excess soil & water from the soil.
the removal of excess dirt from the soil.
29
Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
mesosphere
troposphere
thermosphere
stratosphere
30
A soil with 30% clay, 50% sand, and 20% silt is called:
Sandy Clay
Sandy Loam
Loamy Sand
Sandy Clay Loam
31
What is the A horizon of soil called?
topsoil
loam
subsoil
bedrock
32
All of the following describe internal geologic processes except:
Processes that may form mountains and volcanoes.
Processes driven directly or indirectly by solar energy.
Processes generated by heat from the earth's interior
Processes that build up the earth's surface
33
When does desertification occur? (Choose all that apply).
When forest fires prevent erosion from occurring.
When overgrazing and deforestation reduce/degrade topsoil.
When productive potential of topsoil falls
When deforestation allows for more annual plants to grow.
34
What natural services do inland wetlands provide? (Choose all that may apply).
Filtering and degrading toxic wastes and pollutants.
Maintaining biodiversity by providing habitats.
Reducing flooding, erosion, and overflows.
Natural recharge of groundwater aquifers.
35
How is soil classified?
By how many horizons it has.
Agronomic use
By how many minerals are in the ground.
By its drainage.
36
All of the following are ways in which metamorphic rock forms except:
When animal and plant remains are deposited in layers.
When chemically active fluids reform preexisting rocks.
When rock is subjected to high temperatures
When preexisting rock is subjected to high pressures
37
Which of the following is NOT a true statement regarding earth's water composition?
The atmosphere contains 3% of the surface freshwater.
Groundwater makes up 30.1% of earth's freshwater.
Glaciers and ice caps make up 68.7% of the freshwater.
Ground ice & permafrost hold only 30% of surface freshwater
38
Which of the following are characteristics of the rock cycle?
It involves, in order: erosion, weathering, transportation.
It is the slowest of the earth's cyclic processes.
It plays a major role in forming concentrated deposits
Rocks are broken down, melted, fused together and heated.
39
Mechanical/Physical or Chemical Weathering
Mechanical-Physical
Chemical
Neither
40
Describe the process that forms oceanic ridges.
When two oceanic plates collide.
When plates slide and grind past one another.
When oceanic plates move apart, magma flows through cracks.
When continental plates move apart, causing magma to rise.
41
What are tectonic plates?
A zone of hot, melted rock that flows like plastic.
The outermost and thinnest zone of the earth.
Areas of the lithosphere that move slowly around the mantle.
The flows of energy and heated material in convection cells.
42
The roots of most plants and the majority of a soil's organic matter are concentrated in:
The A horizon and E horizon
The O horizon only.
The O horizon and A horizon
The A horizon and B horizon
43
Which soil horizon(s) contain(s) most of a soil's organic matter? (Choose all that may apply)
A Horizon
C Horizon
O Horizon
R Horizon
44
Mechanical/Physical or Chemical Weathering
Neither
Mechanical-Physical
Chemical
45
Which of the following are characteristics of atmospheric pressure? (Check all that apply)
It is the force, or mass, per unit area of a column of air.
Would be weakest at sea level.
It is directly proportional to solar radiation
Decreases with altitude.
46
What is weather? (Click all that may apply).
A set of physical conditions of the lower atmosphere
Includes several factors in a given area over a short period
The general pattern of atmospheric conditions over time.
The averaged conditions of a given area over much time.
47
All of the following describe air circulation cells except:
They are caused by the Coriolis effect.
Global air circulation patterns caused by uneven heating.
They are also known as ENSO.
They include, from equator to poles: Hadley, Ferrel, Polar.
48
Which one of the following does NOT describe characteristics of the earth's core?
It is extremely hot and has a solid inner part.
It is the earth's innermost zone.
It is the zone of hot, partly-melted rock that flows.
It is surrounded by a liquid core of molten/semisolid matter
49
Which of the following describe La Niña?
Usually causes with warm ocean temperatures in Pacific Ocean
Climate pattern that describes cooling of surface waters
Occurs along the tropical west coast of South America.
Usually causes cooler than normal temperatures.
50
Which of the following statements regarding freshwater is NOT true?
1/6 people do not have sufficient access to clean water
Only about 0.024% of all water is readily available to us.
Water is a well-managed & appreciated resource.
It is one of the most important forms of natural capital.
51
Which of the following regarding tectonic plates is true?
They do not cause/form mountains, volcanoes, or earthquakes.
Continental plates usually ride below oceanic plates.
Tectonic plates' boundaries are not active at the surface.
Much geologic activity at the surface occurs at boundaries
52
What are the largest particles of soil?
Silt
Clay
Humus
Sand
53
Which of the following does NOT describe the process of upwelling?
Movement of nutrient-rich bottom water to ocean's surface.
Usually takes place along certain steep coastal areas.
During El Nino, it is reduced along the Peruvian coast.
Occurs when cold water is pushed away & warm water rises.
54
What are the Soil Horizons
O, A, E, B, C
t, f, s, h, w, d
A, B, c, d, e
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
55
The tilt of the Earth
gives the Earth night and day
has a 23 degree tilt on its axis
gives the weather seasonal changes
All of the above
56
What is sedimentary rock?
Forms when rock undergoes high temperatures or pressures.
Examples include sandstone, shale, slate, and marble.
Forms below or on earth's surface when lava cools.
Made of dead plant and animal remains and weathered rocks.
57
El Nino...
Occurs when strong trade winds blowing E to W reduce temps
Strong wind high in the atmosphere
A warm air mass rising up from Earth
Occurs when weak trade winds blowing E to W, increasing water temps in E
58
Please list the different concentric zones of the earth, starting from the inner-most layer.
Crust, asthenosphere, mantle, core
Core, mantle, asthenosphere, crust
Core, asthenosphere, mantle, crust
Asthenosphere, crust, mantle, core
59
Why do we get seasons?
The sun gets closer and farther
The sun's axis going the same direction in space
because the stars explode
the sun gets hotter and colder
60
What is an earthquake?
Shaking caused by fracturing of divergent plate boundary
When energy suddenly forms and causes underground vibrations
Shaking caused by formation of convergent plates
Shaking of ground caused by fracturing/displacement of rock
