Air, Climate, and Weather
1. Climatic boundaries, especially microclimatic boundaries, often (p. 364)
A. influence ecosystem boundaries.
B. are related to the position of the troposphere.
C. shift quickly and with little warning.
D. require small scale instrumentation to observe.
E. all of the above.
2. The Gaia hypothesis, advanced by James Lovelock, suggests that the balance between which of the following is necessary to maintain the environmental characteristics that makes life possible? (p. 365)
A. nitrogen and carbon dioxide
B. oxygen and carbon dioxide
C. nitrogen and oxygen
D. nitrogen and argon
E. nitrogen and methane
3. The most common component of dry, clean air in the lower atmosphere is (p. 365)
A. oxygen.
B. carbon dioxide.
C. neon.
D. argon.
E. nitrogen.
4. The layer of the earth's atmosphere where almost all of the world's weather occurs is (p. 366)
A. the stratosphere.
B. the troposphere.
C. the mesosphere.
D. the bathosphere.
E. none of the above.
5. Depletion of ozone in this layer is linked to increased risk of skin cancer and genetic mutations: (p. 366)
A. the mesosphere
B. the troposphere
C. the stratosphere
D. the bathosphere
E. none of the above
6. Which of the following spectra of light is primarily absorbed by carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere? (p. 366)
A. visible
B. infrared
C. ultraviolet
D. albedo
E. none of the above
7. Much of the solar energy absorbed by the earth is used to (p. 367)
A. produce sugars in plants through the process of photosynthesis.
B. trap ozone.
C. combat the albedo effect.
D. evaporate water.
E. none of the above.
8. One result of the uneven distribution of solar energy that strikes the earth's surface is the creation of (p. 368)
A. hurricanes.
B. cells of circulating air; e.g. Hadley cells.
C. tornadoes.
D. A and C.
E. all of the above.
9. Surface winds like the prevailing westerly winds are caused by a combination of (pp. 368-369)
A. Ferrel cells and the jet stream.
B. Hadley cells and the jet stream.
C. Ferrel cells and the Coriolis effect.
D. the Coriolis effect and the jet stream.
E. none of the above.
10. Approaching cold fronts can produce (p. 370)
A. violent surface winds.
B. a relatively narrow band of precipitation and cloud formation.
C. a relatively wide band of precipitation and cloud formation.
D. many layers of clouds at different levels, the first layers appearing up to 48 hours before the arrival of the front.
E. A and B.
F. C and D.
11. Low pressure is caused by (p. 368)
A. rising cold air.
B. rising warm air.
C. sinking warm air.
D. sinking cold air.
E. none of the above.
12. Especially strong areas of low pressure over tropical seas can produce (p. 370)
A. tornadoes.
B. the Coriolis effect.
C. hurricanes.
D. cold fronts.
E. warm fronts.
13. Over time, global climate change (p. 373)
A. has not occurred, thereby adding to our current biodiversity.
B. occurs very gradually, allowing species to adapt to changes.
C. usually occurs very rapidly with the extinction of many species.
D. has occurred both rapidly, with the extinction of many species, and slowly.
E. none of the above.
14. Milankovitch cycles, used to help explain long term climate changes like the ice ages, are characterized by (p. 374)
A. changes in the occupancy of the earth's orbit around the sun.
B. shifting tilt of the earth's axis.
C. changes in the wobble of the earth.
D. A and B.
E. all of the above.
15. A core cause of the El Niņo and El Niņa phenomena is (p. 374)
A. an increase in hurricanes.
B. an increase in rain in the Midwestern United States.
C. a huge pool of warm water that sloshes back and forth between Indonesia and South America.
D. Milankovitch cycles.
E. all of the above.
16. El Nina years are characterized by (p. 375)
A. a strong upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water off the coast of South America.
B. a long term low pressure area off the coast of Indonesia.
C. strong surface and deep ocean currents.
D. A and C.
E. all of the above.
17. Which of the following is NOT an anthropogenic gas linked to global warming? (p. 376)
A. carbon dioxide
B. methane
C. chlorofluorocarbons
D. nitrous oxide
E. volcanic ash particles
18. Which of the following human activities contributes the most to global warming? (p. 376)
A. industrial processes
B. deforestation
C. agriculture
D. burning fossil fuels
E. natural gas exploration
19. As a result of recent global warming, since the 1950s (p. 377)
A. the frost free growing season is, on average, 11 days longer across much of the United States and Canada.
B. nighttime temperatures have increased more than daytime temperatures.
C. the global mean surface temperature has increased by 0.5 degrees C.
D. A and C.
E. all of the above.
20. The 1992 Earth Summit and the follow-up 1997 Kyoto Protocol revealed which of the following difficulties in reaching a global political agreement? (p. 379)
A. industrialized countries wanted lower carbon dioxide standards for themselves and developing countries wanted higher standards for everyone
B. Pacific Island nations wanted lower carbon dioxide standards for everyone
C. poorer nations argued that richer nations had caused the problem and, therefore, should bear the burden of its solution
D. the United States took a hard line against buying and selling carbon dioxide emissions as commodities to be bought and sold by countries
E. all of the above