Anthropocene Midterm 1 (Multiple Choice)

The study of the of the spatial relationships of human, biological, and physical phenomena on the earth’s surface and their causes is a possible definition of"

geography

The location(s) of geographical phenomena on the earth’s surface, such as the location of the world's deserts, is described by:

Spatial distribution

The arrangement of geographical phenomena, such as tropical storm tracks, is described by: 

Spatial pattern

The identifiable relationship between phenomena occurring at different locations on the Earth's surface is described by:

Spatial interaction

A system in which both matter and energy can enter and leave is known as a(n) ______________ system.

open

Negative feedback is often consdered to be good because

it can keep Earth systems in balance

The release of greenhouse gases, notably methane, from permafrost as the planet warms up is an example of:

Positive Feedback

What components of Earth's climate system usually responds the slowest to a change in heating?

Volume of mountain glaciers

The point at which an earthquake occurs following the gradual build-up of stress along a fault line is an example of (a)

threshold

The point at which as system changes suddenly and dramatically is known as:

threshold

Cooling tends to lead to an decrease in the formation of low clouds, which allows more solar radiation to reach the Earth's surface, leading a reduction in the initial cooling. This process is known as:

negative feedback

Cooling tends to lead to an increase in the amount of ice and snow, which reflects solar radiation, leading to more cooling. This process is known as:

positive feedback

A process that tends to facilitate dynamic equilibrium is:

negative feedback

A state in which a system experiences short term changes around an average but remains in long-term equilibrium is called:

dynamic equilibrium

A state in which a system experiences no change at all over time is called:

static equilibrium

Perhaps the simplest relationship between variables in a system, such as sunlight causing the Earth's surface to heat up, is known as:

process-response

A system into which energy can enter and leave but matter cannot is known as a(n) _____________ system.

closed

Technically the Earth is a(n) _____________ system, but because exchanges of matter with outer space are minimal, it is often treated as a(n) ______________ system.

open, closed

Any set of interacting components constitutes a(n):

system

The general sequence of steps scientists follow to test hypotheses and generate theories and laws is known as:

The Scientific Method

One of science's great strengths is that:

It is self-regulating because explanations that are incorrect can be changed based on new evidence

Science and the scientific methods are capable of providing:

The best explanations based on available data

Science is:

all of the above

• a body of knowledge

• a standardized method for studying the universe

• a philosophy that is based on the idea that the universe is understandable

The storage and transfer of heat energy that occurs when water changes state is known as:

Latent Heat

When water freezes:

All of these

• It expands

• It becomes less dense

• It becomes a solid that floats on liquid water

If the Earth did not have water,

the climate would likely be characterized by a much larger temperature range both geographically and over time.

Trace gases in the Earth's atmosphere occur at very low concentrations,

but can be very important for life on Earth

Greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere:

all of these

• cause the planet to warm through absorption of longwave radiation

• include carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor

• can vary in concentration over time as a result of human activity and natural processes

The ozone layer:

Protects life on the Earth’s surface by blocking harmful UV radiation

The dried weight of biomass produced in a given area over a specific period of time:

is know as primary productivity

Plants that colonize an area after a severe ecosystem disturbance are considered:

pioneer species

What term is used to describe the sequence of steps beginning with the formation of the Gaian Biosphere and culminating in sustainable human society?  

The Anthropocene Narrative

The sphere dealing with the interaction of human technology and the biosphere is called:

The Technobiosphere

The sphere of the mind (human thought) is called:

The Noösphere

Biodiversity is important because it usually causes ecosystems to be more:

all of these

• resilient

• stable

• productive

What ecosystem characteristics would likely be most important in predicting whether it could survive an unspecified environmental disturbance:

Biodiversity

The variation of DNA within a particular species is known as:

genetic biodiversity

A change in dominant species in an area from grasses and brush to pine trees, to an oak-hickory forest is an example of:

ecological succession

The number and distribution of species in an area is known as:

species biodiversity

The subsystem of the Earth system that includes all life is known as the:

biosphere

A community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment is called a(n):

ecosystem

What is true of the Earth's hydrosphere?

Most of Earth’s freshwater is in ice caps and glaciers

Tiny solid particles and liquid emulsions in the atmosphere:

are called aerosols

The most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is:

Nitrogen

What can account for anywhere between 0 and 4% of Earth's atmosphere:

Water Vapor

Forces that tend to "roughen" the Earth's surface, leading to greater changes in elevation:

include volcanism, folding, and faulting

Forces that tend to flatten the Earth's surface:

include processes of degradation and aggradation

The Earth:

is the only known planet to have water in all three states of matter

The rate of carbon emission to the the atmosphere as a result of fossil fuel combustion:

is much faster than volcanism, but slower than decay and respiration

Methane clathrates:

are a form of partially frozen methane that becomes unstable as temperature increases

Carbon is incorporated into the lithosphere/rock by:

chemical weathering, cementation, and subduction

Burial of organic matter and formation of fossil fuels:

is considered a non-cyclical/episodic exchange of carbon

Chemical weathering of silicate rocks:

all of these

• removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

• is affected by Earth’s climate

• is part of a negative feedback loop

• is sometimes considered “Earth’s Thermostat” over geologic time

The fast carbon cycle includes:

photosynthesis and respiration

Exchanges of carbon between the lithosphere/rock and the other spheres:

constitute the slow carbon cycle

The slow carbon cycle includes:

chemical weathering

Burning of fossil fuels, land use change, and cement production":

add about 3-4 Gigatons of carbon to the atmosphere every year

Atmospheric nitrogen:

can be used by plants if it is first “fixed” by bacteria or lightning

Most of the Earth's carbon is found in:

rocks

What is NOT part of the Earth's natural nitrogen cycle?

The Haber Process

On land, the amount of _____________ exceeds the amount of _______________.

evaporation and transportation, precipitation

Longwave radiation reaching the Earth's surface:

all of these

• largely comes from the Earth’s atmosphere itself

• exceeds the total amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface

• increases as the greenhouse effect increases

Which of the following correctly ranks the locations of water on Earth, from largest to smallest quantity?

oceans, ice, groundwater, lakes, atmosphere, biosphere

Modern human activity:

has caused the Earth’s energy to become positive

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere:

changes seasonally

Earth's energy budget:

has been positive for at least the past three decades

The absorption and re-radiation of longwave radiation by the Earth's atmosphere is known as:

the greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect:

is a naturally-occurring phenomenon on Earth

Gases in the atmosphere largely allow ____________ to pass through

visible light

Gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor absorb a high proportion of: 

longwave radiation from the Earth

The proportion of solar radiation reflected by asphalt is approximately:

0.1 (10%)

What would cause the Earth's albedo to increase?

increased low cloud cover

The proportion of solar radiation reflected by the Earth is approximately:

0.3 (30%)

Energy from the Earth is emitted primarily as:

longwave radiation

The proportion of solar radiation reflected by snow and ice is  approximately:

0.9 (90%)

Energy from the Sun reaches the Earth primarily as

shortwave radiation

The idea that microbial life can modify the environment in drastic ways that are damaging to multicellular life is most closely associated with:

the Medea Hypothesis

The idea that life on Earth regulates its own environment is most closely associated with:

the Gaia Hypothesis

A mass extinctions resulting from a long term stress, like climate change, combined with a sudden, destructive event is known as:

the press-pulse model

Volcanism/flood basalts, extraterrestrial impacts, climate change, hydrogen sulfide emission, methane (clathrate gun), sea level fall, anoxia or other oceanic changes, and gamma ray bursts are all mechanisms that have been used to explain:

mass extinctions

The Ordivician-Silurian, the Late Devonian, the Permian-Triassic, the Triassic-Jurassic, and the Cretaceous-Paleogene refer to:

the five main mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic

According to the biological explanation of speciation and extinction, periods of low biological diversity may lead to:

an increased rate of speciation

The idea that dramatic events such as asteroid impacts, massive volcanic eruptions, or even gamma ray bursts are the primary cause of mass extinctions is known as:

neo-catastrophism

The "background rate" of extinction is:

about one species per million per year

Long periods of minimal change interrupted by short intervals of rapid change is an evolutionary concept called:

punctuated equilibrium

The traditional view of evolution involving almost imperceptible changes over hundreds of generations is known as:

gradualism

Ice Ages on Earth tend to occur when:

none of the above

Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere:

has been decreasing overall throughout most of the past 540 million years

Which of the following periods on Earth are classified as Ice Ages:

all of the above

• 420 million years ago

• 300 million years ago

• Now

The Phanerozoic:

all of these

• refers to the past 540 million years

• has been characterized by an alternation of greenhouse and icehouse climate

• has included at least five major extinctions

The Cambrian Explosion:

occurred approximately 540 million years ago

Archaea, bacteria, and protista are _____________ forms of life.

single-celled

Archaea, bacteria, protista, anamalia, plantae, and fungi are the six _____________ of life.

kingdoms

The greatest change the atmosphere has undergone in the last 3 billion years was the result of:

photosynthesis

The process early organisms used to generate energy, which is now mainly restricted to organisms living in hostile environments, such as the deep ocean, is called:

chemosynthesis

The Earth's second atmosphere:

exerted a strong greenhouse effect as a result of abundant water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane

The Earth's third (and modern) atmosphere,:

formed largely as a result of plant photosynthesis

The Earth's atmosphere and oceans formed as a result of collisions with comets and meteorites as well as:

outgassing

The Precambrian Eon:

included at least three intervals of sustained glaciation