Earth's Energy Sources PDF

Earth derives energy from two sources: Geothermal energy created from within, and from the Sun’s radiant energy – the former of which supplies the great majority of Earth’s total energy at any instant. Answer: b. False Dynamic equilibrium, which describes the ability of certain Earth prop...

Earth derives energy from two sources: Geothermal energy created from within, and from the Sun’s radiant energy – the former of which supplies the great majority of Earth’s total energy at any instant. Answer: b. False Dynamic equilibrium, which describes the ability of certain Earth properties (such as climate) to self-regulate, requires negative feedback loops to maintain steady-state conditions. Answer: a. True Given the definition of “remote sensor”, infrared goggles that reveal a campfire hidden from view in a dense forest, can be thought of as a type of remote sensor. Answer: a. True Plate tectonics is thought to be a driver of: Answer: e. All of the above The true shape of the Earth is closer to that of a slight ellipsoid, rather than a perfect sphere, due primarily to which property? Answer: b. Spin of the planet Which of the following is NOT true about the trace gases? Answer: d. All of the trace gases are most concentrated close to the Earth’s surface Which of the following is true about ozone, O3? Answer: e. All of the above The atmosphere is not heated directly by sunlight, rather, it is heated largely from below, by contact with the heated surface. Answer: a. True The lapse rate describes the rate of air temperature change with increasing altitude. Answer: a. True Which of the following is NOT true about the stratosphere? Answer: d. Water vapor content is very high  Incoming meteors burn up in the troposphere. Answer: a. True Which of the following is NOT true about Earth’s ozone hole? Answer: d. International protocols put into place have been ineffective in curbing ozone’s destruction Shortwave radiation is another name for Earth’s infrared emission, while the Sun emits primarily longwave radiation (visible light). Answer: b. False Earth’s natural greenhouse effect has warmed the surface and lower atmosphere by approximately 33°C beyond what can be achieved by solar radiation alone. Answer: a. True St. Louis, Missouri and San Diego, California are located at comparable latitudes and land elevations, but St. Louis experiences much colder winters and hotter summers. This is due to: Answer: b. Continental effect A hot charcoal grill cools slowly through the night. What process of heat transfer is involved in the cooling? Answer: d. All of the above Which of the following laws govern the quantity and nature of the Sun’s energy received by the Earth? Answer: d. All of the above The Sun at 5800 K emits primarily in the infrared (shortwave radiation) while the Earth at 288 K emits mainly in the visible (longwave radiation) portions of the spectrum. Answer: b. False Which of the following is NOT true about Earth’s greenhouse effect? Answer: d. The basic process involves greenhouse gasses that selectively absorb reflected visible light  Because the Earth is a sphere and receives parallel rays of solar radiation everywhere, radiation IN vs. radiation OUT is imbalanced depending on latitude, necessitating fluid transfers of heat across the planet. Answer: a. True Perihelion and aphelion are the true causes of seasons on Earth. Answer: b. False At the equator, length of daylight is always 12 hours through the year; poleward of the Arctic Circles, 24 hours of daylight will persist for 6 months during the summer. Answer: a. True A commercial airliner traveling at 40,000 feet experiences a sudden and severe cabin depressurization, due to a small crack in the airframe. In addition to severe ear pain and debris flying in a powerful cabin wind, survivors report the formation of a cold, white fog that instantly filled the cabin. What would have caused this? Answer: b. Adiabatic cooling as the air expanded You tell your friend that even on the hottest summer day in Baltimore, during a thunderstorm, it is actually snowing heavily some distance directly overhead. She thinks this is nonsense. Is it? Answer: a. Yes Which of the following is NOT true about atmospheric stability? Answer: d. The dry adiabatic lapse rate, used in the stability analysis, is -6°C/km Which of the following is true about a saturated atmosphere just above the ground? Answer: e. All of the above Which of the following describes a unique property of water on Earth? Answer: e. All of the above In transitioning from solid (ice) to vapor, which of the following is NOT true about water? Answer: b. Each phase change involves liberation of latent heat into environment In what manner do extratropical cyclones form?  Answer: c. Air rising after exiting a trough in the jet stream An upper level weather map shows isobars spaced closely together. The wind will blow: Answer: b. Rapidly, crossing isobars from high toward low pressure In an extratropical cyclone, and in the northern hemisphere, air will blow in a clockwise, inward spiral around low pressure. Answer: b. False An extratropical cyclone derives its energy from cold air rising and warm air sinking. Answer: b. False Westerly jet streams are strongest and contain the most highly amplified Rossby waves during the summer season. Answer: b. False Which of the following is NOT true about the Asian summer monsoon? Answer: b. The wet season across India occurs during the winter months El Niño locally occurs around Christmastime off Peru, when warm waters temporarily replace cold water; but every few years, El Niño becomes a long-lasting phenomenon that shifts weather patterns around the globe. Answer: a. True Based on your knowledge of jet streams, the famous Breitling Orbiter balloon traveled in which direction around the globe? Answer: b. Counterclockwise A cold front is characterized by: Answer: d. Choices a and b A hurricane by definition requires a minimum sustained wind of 74 mph. Answer: a. True Fewer than 1% of all tornadoes are rated EF-5, but EF-5 tornadoes account for the majority of all tornado fatalities.  Answer: a. True Hailstorms require the following ingredients/processes: Answer: d. All of the above Which of the following is NOT true about hurricanes? Answer: c. They are able to form along Earth’s equator A period of global cooling often ensues for several years after a major volcanic eruption, caused by which of the following chemicals in the volcanic plume? Answer: c. SO2 In natural systems such as the Earth’s climosphere, NEGATIVE feedbacks are important for maintaining system stability, restoring the system to an initial state following changes to the system. Answer: a. True We are presently experiencing a warming trend within a long, stable interglacial, and this interglacial is taking place within a planetary Ice Age. Answer: a. True Ice ages can be triggered by tectonic uplift of massive mountain ranges, and/or the tectonic positioning of a large landmass over one or both poles. Answer: a. True Earth’s long history is one that is predominantly a hot house, punctuated by a few ice age interludes. Answer: a. True The rock weathering cycle acts as a long-term planetary thermostat. Which of the following components of this cycle operates most slowly? Answer: b. Chemical breakdown of silicate rocks What characteristics are NOT true about the Keeling Curve of atmospheric CO2? Answer: d. CO2 levels have largely been stable over the past several decades  A climograph showing a pronounced minimum in temperature during June-August, and abundant rainfall year-round, at sea level, would most likely be located in what latitude zone of Earth? Answer: b. Equator While the average planetary temperature rise has been about 1.5°F over the past 100 or so years, the greatest rates of warming are concentrated in high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Answer: a. True o The majority of species on Earth are Answer a. Bacteria We describe a biome as Answer d. All of the above T/F. In a food pyramid, 50% of the energy is available to the next higher trophic level. b. False T/F. North America is home to at least a dozen different biomes. a. True Which terrestrial biome contains the greatest biodiversity on Earth? a. Tropical rainforest In which region are biomes found to change rapidly over a very short distance? d. Highlands/mountains  What factor is responsible for the current loss of biodiversity and ongoing mass extinction? d. All of the above In a food web or pyramid, every trophic level is associated with d. All of the above In a food web or pyramid, primary producers are also called c. Autotrophs T/F. The thermocline separates the deep ocean, which is just a few degrees above freezing, from a shallow, Sun-heated surface water layer. a. True T/F. The average depth of the oceans is around 4 km, and the deepest known location is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. a. True The major elemental constituent dissolved in ocean water is d. Chloride T/F. A fast-flowing, warm water current called the Gulf Stream develops along the eastern margin of the US, while cold California Current is located along our western margin. a. True T/F. The deep ocean’s global conveyor is generated by sinking of cold, salty, dense water in the polar regions. a. True  T/F. The average salinity (salt content) of Earth’s oceans is 20 ppt. b. False Which of the following is NOT true about horizontal currents near the ocean surface? b. They circulate cold water to the south along the western margin of the Atlantic The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is found where? d. In the center of the North Pacific Gyre, where winds are weak Which of the following is NOT true about hydrothermal vent communities? b. At the base of their food webs are found photosynthesizing algae Which of the following is true about the global ocean conveyor belt? e. All of the above Which of the following is NOT true about wind-driven, surface ocean waves? d. Swell generated by large storms dies off quickly with distance The most abundant element in all of Earth a. iron The semi-solid, hot layer inside Earth, which undergoes slow convection (overturning) due to core heating and is composed of magma, is termed the d. mantle Which of the following Earth layers has the highest density? b. inner core How does solid Earth dissipate geothermal heat energy? d. All of the above  T/F. The Earth’s magnetic field is fundamentally driven by hot, liquid core metal that circulates and spins. a. True Which of the following is NOT true about Earth’s magnetosphere? c. Its sudden collapse would have no major impacts on Earth’s habitability An era in which Earth’s magnetic field undergoes a polarity reversal is called an d. Isochron Which of the following is true about Earth’s mantle? e. All of the above Which type of crustal material is denser – oceanic or continental crust? Oceanic T/F. Mantle plumes are sometimes also known as “extinction plumes”. b. False Which of the following components are NOT part of ocean basins? e. Rift valley T/F. Chemosynthesis provides the source of energy, derived from the Sun, for deep ocean hydrothermal vent systems. b. False An example of a continental, tectonic spreading center is c. Great Rift Valley, Africa Explosive volcanism and intense earthquakes are associated with c. Plate subduction zones  An example of an island arc formed along a subduction zone would be e. Choices a and b The Andes and Cascades are created by b. Ocean plate – continental plate collision and subduction Locations of active (ongoing) mountain building on Earth include all of the following EXCEPT the a. Appalachians T/F. India is a rogue continental fragment that once broke away from Antarctica and slammed into the Asian continent. a. True T/F. The Earth’s “Third Pole” is often considered to be the Tibetan Plateau. a. True T/F. The San Andreas fault zone is an extensive system of north-south trending faults formed along a transform boundary between two tectonic plates. a. True Which continent has an unusually large number of hot spots concentrated within and nearby? b. Africa T/F. A rising mantle plume from Earth’s core, leading to a surface hot spot, typically starts with a long-lived flood basalt eruption, followed by the formation of a volcanic trail (island chain). a. True  Thick deposits of extensive basalt lava erupting from hot spots, on continents and seafloor, are called b. Large Igneous Provinces T/F. Continents have typically grown in size from the process of accreted terranes welding onto the margins of ancient cratons. a. True T/F. The last giant supercontinent to form on Earth was called Rodinia. b. False What ancient mountain range developed during the assembly of the supercontinent Pangea, part of which was left behind in North America during the breakup of the supercontinent? d. Appalachians What mountain range in North America is thought to be generated by a process called flat plate subduction? d. Appalachians The Appalachians of Pennsylvania feature the Ridge and Valley Province created by what type of geological process? b. Synclines and anticlines T/F. Erosion and elimination of great mountain chains are delayed by the process of isostasy, which causes their roots to rise up as tops are worn away. a. True  Crust and mantle slowly rebound upward after melting of thick continental ice sheets, by the process called c. Isostasy The Cascadia Fault Zone e. all of the above (Located along the U.S. Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, involves plate subduction, has a history of violent earthquakes and tsunamis, and created the Cascade volcanic chain) The San Andreas Fault Zone d. is a transform-type fault This type of magma leads to explosive styles of volcanism b. high silica, high viscosity, high dissolved gas (water) concentration This type of volcano underlies the Hawaiian Islands b. shield volcano Which of these volcanic hazards involves a flow of water-ash mixture, and can lead to deep burial of towns? c. lahar  Which of the following volcanic hazards involves a rapid, hot, suffocating cloud that behaves like a blast wave? d. pyroclastic flow Climate change (cooling) of the planet often ensues for several years after a major volcanic eruption, caused by which of the following chemicals in the volcanic plume? c. SO2 This type of extreme volcanic eruption issues forth from a massive, fissure-like structure – causing massive amounts of lava to extrude, forming deep plateaus and basalt plains – and likely triggering mass extinction events on Earth: c. flood basalt (large igneous province or LIP) Which of the following is NOT true about the propagation of earthquake energy: d. most of the quake’s energy is carried by the P waves Which of the following statements is NOT true about earthquakes: d. most structures are survivable in an earthquake and rarely cause fatalities Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of The Ring of Fire? b. the ring is riddled with numerous hot spots Along which tectonic setting do earthquakes tend to be weak and shallow (not deep- seated)? d. Mid-Atlantic Seafloor Ridge Which of the following is a secondary hazard of some major earthquakes? d. all of the above (Tsunami, landslides, and large fires)  The deadliest earthquake we know of occurred in Shaanxi, China in 1556 and is estimated to have killed 830,000. a. True Accurate location of the earthquake epicenter is predicated on detecting the arrival of seismic waves at a minimum of FOUR separate seismic detection sites. a. True The three-dimensional location of an earthquake genesis location is called the focus. a. True Which of the following is NOT an explosive stratovolcano? d. Kilauea, Hawaii The greatest single volcanic eruption we know of was the Toba eruption of 74,000 years ago, labeled a VEI 8. a. True VEI 7 and 8 volcanic eruptions, which release the largest volumes of ash explosively into the atmosphere, are termed supervolcanoes. a. True When a magma chamber collapses and a large lake (or series of lakes) fills the depression, we call this feature a: b. caldera An igneous rock that is extrusive and mafic (rich in metals, black colored), formed from seafloor volcanism, is termed c. basalt  An igneous rock that is intrusive and felsic (rich in silicates, light colored), formed from slowly cooling magma in continents, is termed d. granite Quartzite – a very hard and erosion-resistant, metamorphic rock – derives from which type of parent rock? b. sandstone Marble – a metamorphic rock often used for architectural structures – derives from which type of parent rock? a. limestone Basalt is a denser rock type than granite, causing seafloors to “ride low” on the mantle, forming deep ocean basins. a. True A very ubiquitous mineral in Earth’s crust is one of numerous types built on silicate chemistry. a. True The major category of rocks called igneous, derive from the chemical reworking of other rock types under conditions of high pressure, high temperature and long periods of time. b. False Sandstones, shales, and limestones are all characteristic sedimentary rocks that form offshore, on the seafloor. a. True  What rock type can evolve from the metamorphism of mudstone? d. all of the above (Slate, schist, and gneiss) This major rock category develops from cooling of magma brought to the surface, from within the Earth’s mantle. c. igneous The number one source of energy in North America is presently c. natural gas Coal was formed from dead ocean plankton that accumulated on the ocean floor and escaped decomposition. b. False Oil and natural gas formed from dead terrestrial plant matter that became deeply buried and escaped decomposition. b. False The ranking of North American energy sources, in terms of percentage accounting for total energy consumption (from most to least), is d. oil, gas, coal, nuclear Of all the North American sources we use for energy, a little more than 50% of the energy is considered “lost” in the process of generation. a. True Unconventional hydrocarbon fuels include d. all of the above (Tar sands, oil shales, methane hydrates)  A type of rock made out of metamorphized coal is called a. anthracite The “heart” of a solar panel, which is a wafer of material that converts sunlight to electricity, is called a b. photovoltaic cell The fission of what element occurs in nuclear reactors? c. uranium The principle of a nuclear reactor is as follows: The controlled fission of nuclear fuel heats water to high temperature, which turns into high pressure steam, which rotates a generator and creates electricity. a. True