GEO 302C EXAM 1 Spring 2009 Name UID You may not refer to any other materials during the exam. For each question (except otherwise explicitly stated), select the best answer for that question. Read all choices before selecting an answer and make sure your choice answers the question asked. Match (one-to-one) the following (1 5) from the list (A E) below. C1. ENSO A. Computer models that can be used to study climate change D2. NAO B. A low-pressure belt near the equator where air converges E3. PDO C. A climatic pattern that recurs at intervals of 2 to 7 years over the tropical Pacific Ocean B4. ITCZ D. Atmospheric pressure oscillations in the north Atlantic that influence climate in Europe and the United States A5. GCMs E. A decadal-scale air-sea phenomenon in the north Pacific Ocean that affects regional to global climates Match (one-to-one) the following names (6 10) from the list (A E) below. C6. Coriolis Effect A. a north-south giant convection cell in the tropics E7. Ekman Spiral B. an east-west giant convection cell in the tropics A8. Hadley Circulation C. moving air and water on Earth is subject to deflection B9. Walker Circulation D. a hypothesis that life itself has been responsible for modulating Earth s climate D10. Gaia Hypothesis E. the moving subsurface seawater is turned with depth, progressively farther to the right in the northern hemisphere. E11. Which of the following is true about tropical deforestation? a. Tropical deforestation decreases the amount of solar radiation absorbed at Earth s surface. b. Tropical deforestation can significantly decrease biodiversity. c. Tropical deforestation increases the buildup of atmospheric CO 2. d. Tropical deforestation changes the local and regional hydrological cycle. e. All of the above. E12. Deserts can form a. within zones of high atmospheric pressure associated with the subtropics and centered near 30 latitude. b. near the west coasts of continents between 20 and 30 latitudes. c. because of rainshadows of high mountain ranges. d. over the interiors of continents. e. all of the above. B13. Which of the following is correct in describing the Earth s terrestrial biomes? a. Tundra typically forms where ITCZ lies. b. Tropical rainforests are located in the tropics where plenty of rainfall occurs year round. c. Boreal forests are most common in subtropics. d. a and b only. e. a and c only. 1
A14. Which of the following is true in describing Earth s climate? a. Earth s climate involves interactions between air, water, ice, vegetation, and land surfaces. b. Climate determines the distribution of biomes, but changes in vegetation do not influence climate. c. Earth s average surface temperature today is at the freezing point. d. I have not seen climate changing in my entire life, so climate does not change at all. e. All of the above. E15. Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas? A. Water vapor B. Methane C. Ozone D. Carbon dioxide E. Nitrogen C16. The fact that the concentration of the atmospheric carbon dioxide is higher in winter than in summer is because a. plants stop photosynthesis in winter. b. plants stop respiration in summer. c. The amount of carbon dioxide released by respiration is greater than the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by photosynthesis in winter, while the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by photosynthesis is greater than the amount of carbon dioxide released by respiration in summer. d. all of the above. e. none of the above. A17. The water vapor-temperature rise feedback is a positive feedback because the initial in temperature is by the addition of more water vapor to the atmosphere. a. increase, reinforced b. decrease, unaltered c. increase, weakened d. decrease, reinforced e. none of the above C18. Below are two feedback processes that occur in the atmosphere. (a) temperature rises cloud cover increases clouds emit more downward infrared radiation surface warming. (b) temperature rises cloud cover increases clouds reflect more solar radiation back to space surface cooling. Which of the following is correct? A. (a) is negative feedback and (b) is positive feedback B. (a) is positive feedback and (b) is positive feedback C. (a) is positive feedback and (b) is negative feedback D. (a) is negative feedback and (b) is negative feedback A19. After hurricanes form in the tropical oceans, a. usually they first move from east to west and once they reach some higher latitude, they can move from west to east. b. they always move from east to west. c. they always move from west to east. d. usually they first move from west to east and once they reach some higher latitude, they can move from east to west. 2
A20. All of the following are true about ozone EXCEPT: a. it is a gas that cannot be affected by human activities b. it is an efficient absorber of ultraviolet (UV) radiation c. it is a greenhouse gas d. it is a pollutant causing smog in big cities e. it is most abundant in the stratosphere, also known as the ozone layer, where harmful untraviolet radiation is blocked. B21. The atmosphere is warmed from while the oceans are warmed from. a. above, below b. below, above c. the sun, the moon d. the moon, the sun C22. The amount of radiation emitted by an object is determined primarily by its. a. size b. speed c. temperature d. color e. smell E23. Which of the following variables always decreases with altitude in the atmosphere? a. clouds b. wind speed c. temperature d. ozone e. pressure E24. The two main gases in Earth s atmosphere are. a. ozone and carbon dioxide b. water vapor and methane c. methane and ozone d. chlorofluorocarbons and carbon dioxide e. nitrogen and oxygen A25. The wind direction is: a. the direction from which the wind is blowing b. the direction to which the wind is blowing c. always directly from high toward low pressure d. always directly from low toward high pressure e. the same as the pressure gradient force A26. Which of the following best describes the fate of solar radiation entering into the atmosphere? a. Approximately 30% is reflected and scattered back to space b. Approximately 100% is absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds c. Approximately 100% is absorbed at the earth s surface d. All of the above 3
C27. Which of the following statements is not correct in describing weather or climate? a. The summers in Austin are hot and humid Climate. b. It is 75 F right now, partly sunny, and south winds 10 to 20 miles per hour Weather. c. September 2001 was the 2nd coolest September of record for Austin/Bergstrom International Airport Weather. d. Although winters in Austin are on the average mild by U.S. standards, cold outbreaks sometimes come, in some years more frequent than in others. These cold outbreaks are sometimes preceded or followed by periods of summerlike weather Climate. e. The pressure now is 29.75 inches and steady, and humidity is 84% Weather. A28. The prevailing surface wind patterns between the equator and 30 north are a. the northeast trades b. the southeast trades c. westerlies d. northerlies e. southerlies E29. Which of the following can be represented in Global Climate Models? a. Shortwave radiation, longwave radiation, convection, conduction and latent heat b. Coriolis force, pressure gradient force, and frictional force c. Atmosphere, land, oceans, ice, and vegetation d. ITCZ, clouds, and greenhouse effects e. All of the above C30. For a latitude band ranging from Austin, Texas northward to Canada, it is much more common to experience winds blowing out of the than from the. [Hint: think about wind patterns in typical midlatitudes] a. north, south b. east, west c. west, east d. none of the above D31. Which of the following does not act on the winds near the surface? a. Coriolis force. b. Frictional force. c. Pressure gradient force. d. Greenhouse force. e. None of the above. B32. Once the air is set in motion, the Coriolis force bends the moving air to the of its intended path in the Northern Hemisphere and to the in the Southern Hemisphere. a. left, right. b. right, left. c. east, west. d. west, east e. none of the above. 4
B33. The above satellite image shows a tropical cyclonic system developed in the. A. Northern Hemisphere. B. Southern Hemisphere. A34. Which of the following is a cold current? A. California current B. Gulf Stream C. North Atlantic Drift D. All of the above E. None of the above E35. Which of the following increases salinity? A. Precipitation B. Evaporation C. River flow D. Formation of sea ice E. B and D C36. What would happen to sea level if the two current continental ice sheets melted? A. it would rise by several inches B. it would rise by several feet C. it would rise by tens of meters D. it would rise by several meters E. it would not change A37. The three reservoirs of carbon in the earth s climate system in decreasing order of mass are: a. Sedimentary rocks, deep ocean, and soil b. Atmosphere, vegetation, and deep ocean c. Deep ocean, atmosphere, and soil d. Atmosphere, vegetation, and soil e. Soil, vegetation, and deep ocean A38. During carbon dioxide and water vapor are chemically converted into organic tissue. During oxygen is reacted with organic matter to release CO 2 to the atmosphere. a. photosynthesis, respiration b. precipitation, evaporation c. photosynthesis, transpiration d. transpiration, respiration e. transpiration, photosynthesis 5
B39. The earth's weather and climate is ultimately driven by the energy from a. the earth s interior b. the sun c. erupting volcanoes d. lightning discharges associated with thunderstorms e. latent heat released during the formation of hurricanes B40. The earth's atmosphere is divided into layers based on the vertical profile of: a. air pressure b. air temperature c. air density d. wind speed D41. Almost all of the earth's weather occurs in the: a. stratosphere b. mesosphere c. thermosphere d. troposphere B42. Which of the following statements is correct about Biosphere 2? a. It was designed to mimic the biosphere outside our planet Earth. b. It was designed to model Biosphere 1, i.e. Earth s biosphere. c. It is located in Boulder, Colorado. d. It has been successful in its missions and objectives. B43. Current conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean indicate they are. a. El Niño b. La Niña c. normal d. sometimes El Niño, sometimes La Niña e. neither El Niño, nor La Niña A44. Which radiation is visible to the human eyes? a. radiation emitted from the Sun b. radiation emitted from the clouds c. radiation emitted from the greenhouse gases d. radiation emitted from the earth C45. The earth's radiation is often referred to as radiation, while the sun's radiation is often referred to as radiation. a. shortwave, longwave b. shortwave, shortwave c. longwave, shortwave d. longwave, longwave A46. As the air temperature increases, the air can hold water vapor. a. more b. less c. the same amount of 6
E47. Which of the following best describes the reason why we need climate models? a. Climate models help understand climatic causes and effects. b. Climate models can provide rigorous tests of the validity of proposed hypotheses. c. Climate models represent all aspects of reality, so they are perfect and do not need to be evaluated with real data. d. Climate models put numbers on ideas. e. All of the above except c). B48. During a major El Niño event: a. Peruvian fishermen harvest a record amount of fish b. extensive ocean warming occurs over the central and eastern tropical Pacific c. the Northeast trade winds increase in strength d. Texas experiences normal climate conditions e. climatic abnormalities are limited only to the tropical Pacific areas For Questions 49 50, answer true (a) or false (b). A49. The drier-than-normal and warmer-than-normal climate in central Texas in the past several months is what we would expect from a La Niña event. B50. Global warming is nonsense because it is freezing cold today! 7