question

what is the difference between weather and climate

answer

weather happens on time scales from seconds to days. Climate on the other hand, is the average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period

question

what effect does Earth's rotation have on atmospheric circulation and ocean currents

answer

the rotation causes water to flow east to west

question

in what ways are atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns similar? how are they different

answer

They are similar because they both move by the Earth's rotation and heating causes currents in both patterns. They are different because in the atmosphere there are winds and cells and in the ocean there are hot/cold currents and upwellings.

question

what characteristics are used to identify terrestrial biomes

answer

Characteristics include dominant plant growth forms, precipitation, latitude and longitude, climate, and temperature.

question

what are some of the ways that humans use different terrestrial biomes

answer

Humans have adapted to live in different biomes and get different resources from these places.

question

what characteristics of a terrestrial biome determine its productivity

answer

Its productivity is determined by amount of precipitation and temperature.

question

How are aquatic biomes categorized? Why are they categorized differently than terrestrial biomes?

answer

They are categorized by salinity, depth, and water flow. They are categorized differently because they deal with aquatic environments vs. terrestrial (land).

question

What are the different zones of lakes and the open ocean, and what defines them?

answer

The different zones include-- in lakes: littoral zone-shallow, limnetic zone- open water, profundal zone- water below limnetic zone where sunlight doesn't reach, benthic zone- muddy bottom of a lake. In open oceans: photic zone-upper layer with sunlight for photosynthesis, aphotic zone- deeper, insufficient sunlight, benthic zone- ocean floor.

question

How does water depth or flow influence the organisms that live in an aquatic biome?

answer

Water depth influences the organisms because in deep water there is less sunlight, meaning less photosynthesis performing plants. This would mean that in this area there are more carnivorous animals. In areas with fast flowing water, dead terrestrial matter like leaves may create the base of the food web.

question

in which layer of Earth's atmosphere does most weather occur

answer

(a) troposphere

question

which of the following best explains why polar regions are colder than tropical regions

answer

(b) polar regions receive less solar energy per unit of surface area

question

which of the following statements about patterns of temperature and precipitation is not correct

answer

(e) along Earth's surface, the air of a Hadley cell moves away from the equator

question

which of the following processes is not characteristic of oceanic circulation

answer

(a) counterclockwise gyres in the Northern Hemisphere

question

which of the following statements about rain shadows is correct

answer

(c) as air rises over a mountain range, water vapor condenses into precipitation

question

why do scientists use dominant plant growth forms to categorize terrestrial biomes

answer

(d) similar plant growth forms are found in climates with similar temperatures and amounts of precipitation

question

which information is not found in climate diagrams

answer

(c) average annual humidity

question

which of the following statements about tundras and boreal forests is correct

answer

(e) boreal forests have larger dominant plant growth forms than tundras

question

which of the following statements about temperate biomes is not correct

answer

(a) temperate biomes have average annual temperatures above 20 C

question

which of the following statements about tropical biomes is correct

answer

(b) tropical rainforests have the highest precipitation due to the proximity of the ITCZ

question

which of the following statements about aquatic biomes is correct

answer

(d) freshwater wetlands have emergent plants in their deepest areas, whereas ponds and lakes do not

question

FREE-RESPONSE QUESTION NUMBER 1 as the greenhouse effect continues to warm the planet slowly, the glaciers of Greenland are melting at a rapid rate. Scientists are concerned that this melting may dilute the salt water in that region of the ocean enough to shut down thermohaline circulation. use what you know about climate to answer the following questions. (a) explain how shutting down thermohaline circulation would affect the temperature of western Europe (b) explain the consequences such a temperature change might have for agriculture in western Europe (c) explain why there would be large populations of fish along the west coasts of most continents (d) explain how shutting down thermohaline circulation would affect the transport of nutrients among the oceans of the world

answer

(a) ****because thermohaline circulation drives the mixing of surface water and deep water, scientists believe this process is crucial for moving heat and nutrients around the globe. If thermohaline circulation shut down then the temperatures of western Europe would drop drastically (b) for agriculture, there would be no arable land for a growing season because the temperature would be dry and cold with no moisture to help grow the crops (c) there would be large populations of fish along the west coasts of most continents because the currents would bring them in the western direction from the circulation of currents (d) there would be no transportation of nutrients because the nutrients are at the bottom and are mixed with the other layers to mix them into the water through upwelling and thermohaline so if there was no thermohaline then there would not be any mixing of nutrients

question

A number of Earth's features determine the locations of biomes around the world (a) explain why the regions of the world that receive the most direct sunlight contain tropical rain forests (b) describe the role that the movement of the ITCZ over the year plays in creating seasonal forests in tropical regions (c) identify the mechanisms by which Albedo and the angle of the suns rays cause older temperatures to occur on Earth near the north and south poles.

answer

(a) the tropical rainforests are located in the tropics and thus are heated by the ITCZ which follows the sun's most direct rays and also includes a lot of thunderstorm and precipitation activity and thus creates a very warm and wet biome in the tropics (b) the ITCZ moves just north and south of the equator to follow the sun's most direct rays. this creates the seasons for the biomes around and on the equator because their climates and weather change when the ITCZ comes and leaves (c) the perpendicular angle at the equator causes hotter temperatures while the oblique angle at the poles and mid-latitudes causes less sun and also the Earth's Albedo average is 30% but it is around 85-90% at the poles and 10% on green foliage **ITZC= International convergence zone**

question

which of the following is the best description of a region's climate

answer

the average temperature and precipitation over several decades

question

in which level of the atmosphere does weather occur

answer

troposphere

question

which level of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer

answer

stratosphere

question

what best describes the temperature of the atmosphere

answer

it decreases as you increase in altitude in the troposphere

question

which of the following is not true about the sun's energy heating the Earth

answer

the sun's rays are more strongly reflected in the lower latitude regions

question

Use figure 4-1. using the diagram above, indicated which of the following has the highest albedo

answer

fresh snow

question

what happens to air as it rises

answer

the pressure decreases and it expands in volume

question

use figure 4-2. use the graph about to determine how much water would fall (in grams/m^3) as precipitation if the temperature of the air saturated with water vapor fell from 30 C to 10 C

answer

20 g

question

use figure 4-2. using the graph above, what conclusion can be drawn about the relationship between temperature and saturation point

answer

as temperature increases, saturation point increases exponentially

question

what is the overall direction of global air currents at the equator

answer

air rises at the equator

question

which of the following statements about the Coriolis Effect is incorrect

answer

global winds are not affected by the Coriolis effect

question

use figure 4-3. a plane leaves the north pole. initially, it flies directly south towards point B on the diagram below. Which is the most likely landing site for the plane if it maintains a straight path to the south

answer

site A

question

use figure 4-4. using the diagram above, which position would correspond with Spring in the Northern Hemisphere

answer

B

question

where is upwelling most likely to occur

answer

along the west coasts of continents

question

as water freezes or evaporates, what happens to the salinity of the remaining ocean water

answer

salinity increases

question

use figure 4-5. in the diagram above, at what locations is water sinking I) 1 II) 2 III) 4

answer

2 (II only)

question

use figure 4-5. in the diagram above, if Northern glaciers melt near location 2, what consequence may occur

answer

water would become less salty, preventing sinking

question

which of the following is true about El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) i) upwelling is suppressed off the coast of South America ii) this phenomenon is human caused and related to global warming iii) the tradewinds weaken, allowing warm water to move eastward

answer

upwelling is suppressed off the coast of South America and the trade winds weaken, allowing warm water to move eastward (I and III)

question

use figure 4-6. what phenomenon does the above figure represent

answer

rain shadow effect

question

use figure 4-7. according to the graph above, what biome would you expect to find in an area with an average temperature of 10 C and 100 cm of precipitation annually

answer

temperate seasonal forest

question

what factors are used to classify a biome i) average temperature ii) average precipitation iii) distinctive plants adapted to area

answer

average temperature and precipitation, and distinctive plants adapted to area (i, ii, iii)

question

boreal forests tend to have a thick layer of organic material but the soil is poor in nutrients. what is the best explanation for this

answer

low precipitation rates and cold temperatures slow decomposition

question

which of the following are examples of wetlands

answer

swamps, marshes, and bogs (i, ii, and iii)

question

which of the following is the Earth's most diverse biome

answer

coral reefs

question

use figure 4-8. which of the zones in the diagram above is the stratosphere

answer

B

question

use figure 4-8. the northern lights are caused by solar radiation hitting charged gas molecules in which layer

answer

D

question

what biome has warm temperatures, high precipitation, and little seasonal variation due to its location near the equator

answer

tropical rainforest

question

use figure 4-9 in which of the zones in the diagram above would you be most likely to find bacteria engaged in chemosynthesis

answer

E

question

use figure 4-9. in the diagram, which of the zones is the benthic zones

answer

D

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