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Earth Science Exam 1 & 2
Earth Science Exam 1 & 2
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1
The source of dissolved cations and anions in the ocean is from...
trees washed into the ocean
hydrothermal vents at mid-ocean ridges
weathering of the continents
plankton shells
2
The Earth's atmosphere circulates because...
of the ITCZ
of the Earth's rotation on its axis
of the uneven distribution of incoming solar energy on Earth surface
the Earth's internal heat warms the surface
3
What is responsible for the circulation of the ocean's surface currents?
ocean temperature gradients
atmospheric circulation
wobble of the axis of rotation
variation in solar energy
4
The moon formed as a consequence of...
collision of a Mars sized planet with Earth
capture of a Pluto sized object
the asteroid collision that killed the dinosaurs
condensation of debris in the solar nebula
5
What would happen if temperature shifted +15°C from the white dot
the daisy feedback loop would reign in most of the change
the system would change states to a positive feedback loop
nothing would happen
6
_______ rocks record information about past conditions at the Earth's surface.
metamorphic
igneous
sedimentary
7
The Earth is often called the "blue planet" because ____ of its surface is covered by water.
30%
50%
90%
70%
8
In the labeled diagram, A corresponds to...
mantle
crust
inner core
outer core
9
At 3,000 km depth, why does the velocity of G suddenly drop?
because C is liquid and B is solid
because temperature at the boundary between B and C drops drastically
because S-waves slow down in liquid
because layer B is liquid
10
Which GHG absorbs radiation at 10 micrometers wavelength
methane (CH4)
ozone (O3)
water vapor (H2O)
nitrous oxide (NO2)
11
The tropopause is highest
in the mid-latitudes
at the poles
is equal in height everywhere
in the tropics
12
Of the following parts of the cryosphere, which one will have the greatest impact on sea level?
ice sheets
sea ice
frozen ground
river and lake ice
13
An increase in temperature that is equivalent to 10°C in a daisy-less world is ___ degrees cooler in Daisyworld
12°C
6°C
2°C
0°C
14
Which material has the lowest albedo?
water
grass
sand
snow
15
What is the potential for global sea level rise if the Antarctic ice sheet melts completely ?
57.9 m
157 m
17.9 m
7.9 m
16
What is the definition of a monsoon?
15 days of rain
a seasonal reversal of winds
7 months of clouds
a la Niña event
17
Where does the North Atlantic Deep Water develop?
Bellingshausen Sea
Hudson Bay
offshore of Portugal
Norwegian Sea
18
Which global water reservoir has the most rapid turnover rate?
groundwater
oceans
atmosphere
lakes
19
At a divergent boundary earthquakes can have...
small magnitudes and occur at great depths
small magnitudes and occur at shallow depths
large magnitudes and occur at a wide range of depths
large magnitudes and occur at shallow depths
20
What is the coupling between 1.) sea ice melt and albedo and 2.) albedo and surface temperature
1.) negative, 2.) positive
Both are positive
1.) positive, 2.) negative
Both are negative
21
The Earth absorbs ____ radiation from the sun and emits ____ radiation back to space
infrared, visible
ultraviolet, visible light
visible, infrared
infrared, infrared
22
If we consider Earth as a system, the meteorite impact at the K/T boundary would be considered a...
feedback
forcing
positive coupling
perturbation
23
What is the focal mechanism for an earthquake that occurs on a reverse fault?
right focal mechanism
left focal mechanism
middle focal mechanism
24
Because of the Coriolis effect, the jet stream travels...
perpendicular to the pressure gradient
towards the poles
towards areas of high pressure
parallel to the pressure gradient
25
This president created the U.S. EPA in 1970:
Jimmy Carter
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
26
Where is the evolution of the Earth, including its biota, archived in nature?
in ocean water
in atmospheric chemistry
in organisms
in rocks
27
What is the biggest concern regarding the thawing of permafrost?
earthworm die-off
massive GHG absorption
massive GHG release
less land for arctic adapted animals
28
What are the two major mechanisms by which glacier and ice sheets lose mass?
snowfall accumulation and meltwater runoff
meltwater runoff and sublimation
meltwater runoff and calving icebergs
snow compaction and metamorphism
29
Integrating over the depth of the Ekman Spiral results in a flow of water that is...
downwards into the ocean
20°-40° off the wind direction
opposite the wind direction
orthogonal (90°) to the wind direction
30
The ____ results in the pile up of water in the middle of the ocean basins.
Sverdup Quantile
Ekman Transport
Ekman Spiral
Geostrophic current
31
An example of a successful climate policy where the agreed upon regulations were enacted and proven effective is...
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 1992
The Montreal Protocol of 1989
The Paris Climate Agreement
The Kyoto Protocol of 1997
32
Life on Earth most likely began...
after the rise of oxygen on the planet
at hyrdothermal vents in the deep ocean
in the early Earth's surface oceans
in pools of water at the Earth's surface
33
The amount of outgoing radiation at the poles is...
dependent on landmass area
balanced with the incoming radiation
greater than the incoming radiation
less than the incoming radiation
34
Mafic rocks are typical of...
continental crust
oceanic crust
basalt
oceanic crust and basalt
35
Stratus clouds are like a blanket because they _____ incoming solar radiation, but trap and reradiate _____ radiation.
trap, visible
reflect, ultraviolet
are transparent to, trap
reflect, infrared
36
Which of the following years are the hottest on record with respect to global temperature?
2016, 2023, 2024
1945, 1975, 2020
1993, 2007, 2017
1975, 1993, 2023
37
The Earth System consists of the following components:
atmosphere, biota, solid Earth, incoming solar radiation, continents
continents, hydrosphere, atmosphere, plants, incoming solar radiation
hydrosphere, atmosphere, biota, solid Earth, incoming solar radiation
incoming solar radiation, hydrosphere, humans, clouds, solid Earth
38
A spike in the concentration of iridium 65 million years ago and the synchronous mass extinction likely forms...
shifting continents
a global glaciation
an asteroid impact
volcanic eruptions
39
Which gas is not a GHG?
O2
CO2
O3
CFCs
40
Based on the table, which years were NOT ENSO years?
only during year 6
years 1, 2, 4, and 5
years 3 and 6
only year 1
41
The Equilibrium Line Altitude of a glacier is the place where...
where erosion is concentrated
the glacier gains mass
it is neither gaining nor losing mass
the amount of ice and water is equal
42
Name the basic building blocks of silicates.
iron pyramid
the phosphate dodecahedron
silica rhombus
silica tetrahedron
43
Oxygen became a major part of the Earth's atmosphere around 2.5 Ga because...
plate tectonics initiated
volcanoes erupted less
photosynthetic organisms proliferated
cosmic storms diminished
44
GHGs absorb _____ radiation and emit _____ radiation.
visible, infrared
infrared, infrared
infrared, ultraviolet
ultraviolet, ultraviolet
45
What is the function of ice cores in climate science?
Air bubbles trapped within ice provide historical records of climate change
they can measure current atmospheric pressure
they are used solely for predicting future weather patterns
they record old ice that had a different crystal structure 100000 years ago
46
Which waves travel the fastest?
S-waves
P-waves
Love waves
Rayleigh waves
47
Which GHG is most abundant in Earth's atmosphere
water vapor (H2O)
nitrous oxide (NO2)
methane (CH4)
carbon dioxide (CO2)
48
Permafrost occupies how much area relative to modern ice sheets?
The same area as modern ice sheets
1.5x the area of modern ice sheets
2x the area of modern ice sheets
50% the area of modern ice sheets
49
Glacial flow can be described as the balance of which two processes?
deformation and sliding
expansion and contraction
melting and freezing
erosion and deposition
50
The lithosphere comprises...
the uppermost mantle and crust
the asthenosphere and crust
only the crust
the uppermost mantle only
51
The common root of all organisms on Earth today are:
viruses
fungus
bacteria
archaea
52
What is special about Earth's atmospheric pressure and temperature conditions with respect to water?
they create more frequent rainstorms
they help keep water clean
it moves energy around the Earth
it is stable in all three phases
53
In the oceans, upwelling occurs at zones...
near polar latitudes
of convergence
near the ITCZ
of divergence
54
The solar flux from a planet twice the distance from the sun than the Earth receives...
1/8 the energy
1/2 the energy
1/6 the energy
1/4 the energy
55
Which component of the cryosphere is currently contributing the most to sea level rise
global mountain glaciers
permafrost
the Greenland ice sheet
the Antarctic ice sheet
56
Considering the whole Earth, which elements are the most abundant?
iron and nickel
oxygen, silica, iron, magnesium
iron, sodium, oxygen, silica
aluminum, silica, potassium, oxygen
57
The halocline describes...
the gradual change in density from 1 to 5 km depth in the ocean
the abrupt change in temperature with depth
the abrupt change in salinity with depth
the abrupt change in density with depth
58
What are the principal constituents of the atmosphere in correct order and percent
nitrogen > oxygen > argon > water vapor > carbon dioxide
methane > nitrogen > oxygen > water > carbon dioxide
water > nitrogen > oxygen > hydrogen > carbon monoxide
nitrogen > oxygen > argon > carbon dioxide > water vapor
59
The gulf stream moves warm water
south
west
towards Africa
poleward
60
The world deserts are concentrated at...
60°N and 60°S
45°N and 45°S
the equator
30°N and 30°S
61
Which line on the graph represents the relationship between number of events and earthquake magnitude
A
C
B
62
An unconformity in a sequence of strata represents...
a profound change in fossils
a change between terrestrial and marine environments
a gap in time where no strata are deposited/preserved
a period of high deposition rates
63
The boundaries between the different layers in the atmosphere are defined by local minima and maxima in...
water content
argon concentration
pressure
temperature
64
As a system, ENSO constitutes...
a forcing
a negative feedback loop
a positive feedback loop
a positive coupling between ocean and atmospheric temperature
65
The world ocean mixes on a timescale of...
10,000 years
250 years
50 years
1,500 years
66
Considering the Coriolis effect, what is the direction of the winds between the equator and 30°N and S
westerly
southerly
northerly
easterly
67
Water is most dense in the...
liquid phase
vapor phase
solid phase
plasma phase
68
The acronym ENSO stands for...
Elemental Nomenclature System for Oceans
El Niño Subsystem for Oceans
Extra-Normal Southern Oscillation
El Niño Southern Oscillation
69
The Coriolis effect occurs because of...
Earth's rotation
the tilt of Earth's axis
Earth's internal heat
Earth's equator
70
Which body wave does velocity profile F correspond to in the diagram?
surface waves
S waves
P waves
deep waves
71
What is the main mechanism that drives plate tectonics?
magmatism
mantle convection
the moon's gravity
outer core convection
72
Of the 3000 kJ/kg of energy needed for solid water to become vapor, which part of the process uses the most energy
warming water from 0°C to 100°C
the transition from liquid to vapor
each change of state requires the same amount of energy
the solid to liquid transition
73
Reconstruction of the continents' past position relies on accurate determinations of paleolatitudes using...
measurement of the inclination of Earth's magnetic field
measurement of the paleo-declination
fossil remains to link continents together
the pattern of reversals in the magnetic field
74
R&D spending by share of world total has increased by 15% from 2002 - 2012 in which country?
USA
China
European Union
Russia
75
Besides the Sun, which two things in the solar system are important to the Earth System?
the moon and Jupiter
Saturn and Jupiter
Jupiter and the asteroid belt
Venus and Saturn
76
What are the two most common ions dissolved in the oceans?
sulfate and chloride
calcium and magnesium
sodium and chloride
magnesium and carbonate
77
Over the last 250 years the max concentration of CO
2
in the atmosphere has risen from 280 ppmv to over...
200%
300 ppmv
300%
400 ppmv
78
In the labeled diagram E corresponds to the:
Moho
lithosphere
the ocean
core-mantle boundary
79
The Earth's magnetic field...
experiences random events on the seafloor, but regular ones on land
experiences reversal events that are random in duration
is not measurable in rocks
experiences reversals at 16 Ma intervals
80
What process is critical to deep water and bottom water formation?
freshwater inflow
sea ice formation
evaporation
cloud cover
