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