Which of the following climate zones would be described as not extreme, with four seasons?
polar
tundra
temperate
tropical
rain forests
Which of the following is a local area's short-term temperature, precipitation, and humidity?
climate
weather
biomes
ecosystems
currents
Where does the largest input of solar energy occur?
north pole
south pole
30 degrees north
30 degrees south
equator
Prevailing winds are the result of what?
temperature
direction the sun strikes the earth
rotation of the earth on its axis
ocean currents
sun storms
Which of the following statements about oceans is not true?
ocean currents redistribute heat from the sun
most of the heat absorbed by the ocean air is absorbed in tropical waters
irregularly shaped continents cause currents to flow in circular patterns
differences in density of warm and cold seawater set up warm and cold currents
oceans currents flow counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere
Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?
carbon monoxide
water vapor
carbon dioxide
methane
nitrous oxide
The term greenhouse effect describes
occupational diseases of florists
the trapping of heat energy by molecules in the atmosphere
the effect climate change had on the economy
the efforts of the White House to support environmental legislation
mutations in DNA from UV radiation
Scientists expect human-enhanced global warming to do all of the following except
alter precipitation patterns
shift areas where we can grow crops
raise average sea levels
lower sea levels
shift areas where plants and animals can be found
The rain shadow effect refers to
more light on the windward side of mountain ranges
more moisture on the leeward side of mountain ranges
moister conditions on the windward side of mountain ranges
drier conditions on the windward side of mountain ranges
less light available on the leeward side of mountain ranges
Large terrestrial regions with similar characteristics are
communities
populations
habitats
The most important factor in determining which biome is found in a particular area is
soil type
topography
magnetic fields
tidal activity
Biomes are characterized by certain types of
light and temperature
climate and light
light and climate
climate and dominant plant life
dominant plant life and temperature
Which of the following is the primary limiting factor that controls the vegetative character of a biome?
light
precipitation
nutrients
predation
Which of the following is not an adaptation of desert plants for their environment?
toxins in their stems to discourage being eaten
spines to discourage animals from taking their water
opening their pores only at night to prevent evaporation
store water in expandable tissues
reduced or no leaves
Which type of desert would have high daytime temperatures in summer, low temperatures in winter, and moderate precipitation?
tropical deserts
cold deserts
Gobi desert
temperate deserts
Sahara desert
"Widely scattered clumps of trees, warm temperatures year-round, alternating dry and wet seasons, with herds of herbivores" are the characteristics of which of the following?
tall-grass prairie
short-grass prairie
temperate grasslan
savanna
Which of the following is not true of prairies?
wind blows almost continuously
evaporation is rapid
fires in summer and fall are common
prairies are typical of coastal regions of continents
tree growth is hindered by fires and wind
Treeless, bitterly cold most of the year, winters are long and dark, low-growing plants, and permafrost are the characteristics of which of the following?
tall-grass pairie
temperate grassland
On a visit to a Natural History museum you are shown a burrow-dwelling small animal with thick fur. You predict the animal came from the
temperate grasslands
desert
artic tundra
tropical forest
taiga
Thick, spongy mats of low-growing plants, primarily grasses, mosses, and lichens, are typical of the
coniferous forest
tall-grass prairies
tropical forests
Which of the following is the big disadvantage of living in a chaparral region?
too much rain
fire hazard
too little rain
too many venomous snakes
bothersome rodent populations
Tropical rain forests are not good for clearing to grow crops or animals, primarily because they are low in which of the following?
rainfall
soil nutrients
wind
Trees of the tropical rainforest are characterized by leaves that are
needlelike
broadleaf and fall seasonally
needlelike and fall seasonally
needlelike and evergreen
broadleaf and evergreen
Which of the following would not be true of a tropical rain forest?
low net primary productivity
little ground level vegetation
low levels of ground level sunlight
high biodiversity
high humidity
Which of the following about temperate deciduous forests is false?
average temperature change significantly with the seasons
they are predominantly a few broadleaf deciduous tree species
areas cleared of trees can return to forest in 100-200 years
they have nutrient-poor soil
precipitation often spreads relatively evenly throughout the year
Which of the following biomes has been most disturbed by human activities?
tropical rain forest
temperate deciduous forest
Which of the following would be described as having ample rainfall or moisture from fog, with large conifers such as Sitka spruce and Douglas fir?
temperate rain forest
tropical rainforest
chaparral
If you are walking through a forest dense with oak and hickory trees and thick with leaf litter underfoot, you would assume you are in a
tropical savanna
Which of the following best describes the earth's average surface temperature for the past 900,000 years?
a steady warming trend
fairly steady temperatures until recently
prolonged periods of cooling and warming
fairly steady with occasional cool spells
fairly steady with a recent cooling trend
The earth’s lower atmosphere is composed of all of the following greenhouse gases, except
ozone
Climate models predict that global warming will be most severe in which regions?
Australia
North America
Polar regions
Africa
Euro-Asia
The predicted rise in sea levels during the 21st Century will likely cause all of the following results, except
saltwater contamination of coastal freshwater aquifers
flooding of some of the world's largest coastal cities, including New York
flooding of low-lying barrier islands and gently sloping coastlines
replenishment of many coastal fisheries
destruction of many coastal estuaries, wetlands, and coral reefs
Following is a list of possible climate change tipping points, except for one. Choose the one that is not a tipping point.
atmospheric level of 450 ppm
collapse and melting of the Greenland ice sheet
expansion of Amazon rainforest
massive release of methane from Arctic permafrost
sharp drop in the ability of the oceans to absorb carbon dioxide
The atmospheric zone where most weather events occur is the
stratosphere
toposphere
mesosphere
stratopause
The ozone hole that causes concern among scientists and the public is an ozone depletion in the
thermosphere
straosphere
Albedo is a term describing the Earth’s
reflection of solar radiation
refraction of energy
production of radiant heat
outgoing infrared energy
The phenomenom causing the greehouse effect is that ________ in the lower atmosphere selectively absorbs reradiated _____________ radiation.
ozone; visible light
carbon dioxide; methane and other gases; infrared (heat)
carbon dioxide; ultraviolet
methane; insolation
Convection currents in the atmosphere are driven by
the jet stream dipping down into the troposphere
the different temperatures and densities of warm and cold air masses
bursts of energy emitted by the ionsphere
the surface winds, which in turn are influenced by the Coriolis effect
A band of deserts rings the Earth at about 30 degrees north and south latitude because these are regions of
ascending, colling air
rising hot air
the Earth's most intense solar energy
descending, warming air
As a cold front advances, the warm air is forced to
rise, become warmer and absorb more moisture
go under the mass of cold air
fall, condense and lose its moisture
rise, cool and release its moisture
Milankovitch cycles involve the periodic _____________ and could be responsible for ________climate changes.
convection currents in the lower atmosphere; drastic
summer/winter seasonality on the Earth; gradual
wobbling of the earth's axis and orbital shirts; cyclic
seasons; daily
When El Nino occurs every three to five years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by the trade winds
surges back eastward toward South America
Becomes much warmer than usual, strengthening trade winds
cools dramatically
surges northwards toward Japan
Why don’t storms over land have as much energy as storms over oceans?
convection currents are intensified by the latent energy of warm dry air
convection currents are intensified by the latent energy of condensation
high pressure cells are more common over oceans
there aren't as many low-pressure systems over land
Monsoons occur over India when air heated over the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean
is forced to rise because of convection
is forced to rise when it meets the Himalayas
begins to sink as summer approaches
is forced out over the Indian Ocean
Location of specific biomes can be predicted based on
the Coriolis effect
precipitation and temperature
seasonal variations in sunspots
large landforms in the area
The growth in the Taiga is limited by
the increased soil salt content from ocean tides
intense heat and dryness
the lack of large predators
extreme cold and short summers
The biome that has a short growing season and is summer feeding and breeding grounds for caribou and musk-oxen is the
boreal forests
arctic tundra
arctic deserts
Having needle-shaper leaves benefits plants because needles
reduce water loss and endure cold winters
are more efficient at photosynthesis because they are dark green
evaporate water more efficiently
are less resistant to strong winds
Decidous forests
are adapted to extremely cold cimates
have tress that bear seeds in cones
have trees that shed their leaves seasonally
are not found in the African continent
Humid tropical forests have extraordinary biological diversity
because of the very fertile tropical soils
because water is not a limiting factor
because rainfall dissolves soils nutrients and makes the available to plants
because the temperature is consistent at the equator allowing for specialization
