GEO 302C - Final study - Exams 1-3 questions

ENSO

A climatic pattern that recurs at intervals of 2 to 7 years over the tropical Pacific Ocean

NAO

Atmospheric pressure oscillations in the north Atlantic that influence climate in Europe and the United States

PDO

A decadal-scale air-sea phenomenon in the north Pacific Ocean that affects regional to global climates

ITCZ

A low-pressure belt near the equator where air converges

GCMs

Computer models that can be used to study climate change

Coriolis Effect

moving air and water on Earth is subject to deflection

Ekman Spiral

the moving subsurface seawater is turned with depth, progressively farther to the right in the northern hemisphere.

Hadley Circulation

a north-south giant convection cell in the tropics

Walker Circulation

an east-west giant convection cell in the tropics

Gaia Hypothesis

a hypothesis that life itself has been responsible for modulating Earth's climate

In Honolulu, Hawaii (latitude 21oN), you would most likely experience winds blowing from the

a. northeast

b. south

c. southwest

d. northwest

e. none of the above

a. northeast

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.

e. all of the above.

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.

b. Tropical rainforests are located in the tropics where plenty of rainfall occurs year round.

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 is colder than Mars but warmer than Venus.

d. I have not seen climate changing in my entire life, so climate does not change at all.

e. All of the above.

b. Climate determines the distribution of biomes, but changes in vegetation do not influence climate.

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

A. Water vapor

B. Methane

C. Ozone

D. Carbon dioxide

E. Nitrogen

E. Nitrogen

Which of the following statements is true?

a. Water vapor has a longer residence time in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide does.

b. Water vapor is more abundant in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

c. Both water vapor and carbon dioxide are involved in photosynthesis.

d. all of the above.

e. b and c only.

e. b and c only.

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

a. increase, reinforced

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

C. (a) is positive feedback and (b) is negative feedback

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

a. usually they first move from east to west and once they reach some higher latitude, they can

move from west to east.

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.

a. it is a gas that cannot be affected by human activities

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

e. nowhere, nowhere

b. below, above

The strength of radiation emitted by an object is determined primarily by its _______.

a. size

b. speed

c. temperature

d. color

e. smell

c. temperature

Which of the following variables always decreases with altitude in the atmosphere?

a. clouds

b. wind speed

c. temperature

d. ozone

e. pressure

e. pressure

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

e. nitrogen and oxygen

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

a. the direction from which the wind is blowing

Which of the following best describes the fate of solar radiation entering into the atmosphere?

a. Some are reflected and scattered back to space, some are absorbed by the atmosphere, and most are absorbed by the earth's surface.

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

a. Some are reflected and scattered back to space, some are absorbed by the atmosphere, and most are absorbed by the earth's surface.

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.

c. "September 2001 was the 2nd coolest September of record for Austin/Bergstrom International Airport" - Weather.

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

a. the northeast trades

Which of the following is true about UT-Austin?

a. UT Pickle campus houses the Texas Advanced Computer Center (TACC), which owns one of the fastest supercomputers that can be used for climate research.

b. The Jackson Geological Sciences Building does not emit longwave radiation.

c. Ginny Catania is one of the leading geoscientists in the Jackson School studying glaciers and ice sheets.

d. Both a and c

e. All of the above

d. Both a and c

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

c. west, east

. Which of the following controls the winds near the surface?

a. Coriolis force

b. Frictional force

c. Pressure gradient force

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

d. All of the above

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.

b. right, left.

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

A. California current

Which of the following increases salinity?

A. Precipitation

B. Evaporation

C. River flow

D. Formation of sea ice

E. B and D

E. B and D

What would happen to sea level if the entire Arctic sea ice melted?

A. it would rise by several inches

B. it would rise by several feet

C. it would rise by hundreds of feet

D. it would rise by tens of miles

E. it would not change

E. it would not change

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

a. Sedimentary rocks, deep ocean, and soil

During _________ carbon dioxide and water vapor are chemically converted into organic tissue.

a. photosynthesis

b. precipitation

c. respiration

d. transpiration,

e. evaporation

a. photosynthesis

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

b. the sun

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

b. air temperature

Almost all of the earth's weather occurs in the:

a. stratosphere

b. mesosphere

c. thermosphere

d. troposphere

d. troposphere

"Biosphere 2", designed to model "Biosphere 1" (i.e. Earth's biosphere) is located near Tucson, Arizona.

a. True

b. False

c. Dr. Yang did not mention this in class, so I have no clue.

d. Its mission has nothing to do geoscience education and research.

a. True

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

e. radiation emitted from the aerosols

a. radiation emitted from the Sun

As the air temperature increases, the air can hold _________________ water vapor.

a. more

b. less

c. the same amount of

a. more

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. solar, terrestrial

c. longwave, shortwave

d. visible, infrared

c. longwave, shortwave

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 can help quantify the magnitude of feedback loops

d. Climate models put numbers on ideas.

e. All of the above except c).

e. All of the above except c).

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

climatic abnormalities are limited only to the tropical Pacific areas

Which of the conditions below would most likely produce warming at the earth's surface?

a. increase the amount of low-level global cloudiness

b. increase the number of La Niña events

c. decrease the energy output of the sun

d. increase the amount of global snow cover

e. decrease the amount of global cryosphere coverage

e. decrease the amount of global cryosphere coverage

How does the permanent snowline change with latitude?

A. Higher at higher latitudes.

B. Lower at lower latitudes.

C. Lower at higher latitudes

D. Higher at lower latitude.

E. It does not change with latitude.

C. Lower at higher latitudes [Note D is also correct.]

Obliquity

The tilt of Earth's axis

Eccentricity

The degree of departure from a perfectly circular orbit

Precession

The shift of the positions of the solstices and equinoxes with respect to Earth's eccentric orbit

Solstices

The longest or shortest days of the year

Laurentide ice sheet

The ice sheet centered on east-central Canada

Cordilleran ice sheet

The ice sheet over the Rockies in the American West

Scandinavian ice sheet

The ice sheet in northern Europe

Equilibrium line

The boundary between the upper area of positive ice mass balance and the lower area of net loss of ice mass

Permafrost

The deep frozen ground caused by the harsh winter cold and sparse snow cover

Understanding the past climate and climate change is important because

A. past variability can show climatic extremes not experienced during recorded history

B. in order to understand the effects of human activity on climate, we must establish what the planet's

atmosphere and climate was like before human perturbations

C. this will help test and improve climate models to predict the future

D. Both A and B

E. All A, B, and C

E. All A, B, and C

Which of the following is true about proxy climate data?

a. They can tell us about what Earth's climate was prior to the invention of instruments.

b. They include sediments, ice, corals, and trees.

c. They are as precise as the modern instruments in measuring climate variables.

d. All of the above.

e. a and b only.

e. a and b only.

Tree rings

a. can reveal how climate varied over the last few tens, hundreds, or (in exceptional cases) thousands of

years.

b. are best developed in the tropics where it is pleasantly warm and wet.

c. can tell us about a wide range of past climate conditions including rainbow, salinity, wind direction,

and atmospheric pressure.

d. are a good indicator of how fast the ocean-floor is spreading.

e. are a good indicator of past variations of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

a. can reveal how climate varied over the last few tens, hundreds, or (in exceptional cases) thousands of years.

Which of the following is true in describing ocean sediments?

a. Ocean sediments have the best resolution to describe how El Niño has evolved over tens of millions of

years.

b. Ocean sediments contain key indicators of past glaciations: ice-rafted debris, δ18O records, and δ13C

records.

c. Ocean sediments are available in the northern Atlantic Ocean only.

d. All of the above.

e. None of the above.

b. Ocean sediments contain key indicators of past glaciations: ice-rafted debris, δ18O records, and δ13C records.

Which of the following is true in describing ice cores?

a. Ice cores contain important greenhouse gases signals unavailable from other proxy sources.

b. Ice cores can resolve ENSO events in the past.

c. Cores from present-day ice sheets date back tens to hundreds of thousands of years.

d. Ice core measurements of carbon dioxide and methane over the last few centuries merge well with

instrumental measurements made since the late 20th century.

e. All of the above.

e. All of the above.

In climate research, the direct measurement of air temperature is made by placing a thermometer under sunlight.

A. True

B. False

B. False

What two greenhouse gases do ice cores contain that indicate glacial and interglacial cycles?

a. Water vapor and methane

b. CFCs and Carbon Dioxide

c. Methane and Carbon Dioxide

d. Methane and CFCs

c. Methane and Carbon Dioxide

The Milankovitch theory explains glacial and interglacial cycles during the current Icehouse era. Which of the following is NOT true about these cycles?

a. In the northern hemisphere the ice sheet cycles respond to and lag the summer insolation cycles.

b. One part of the cycle is the change in the tilt of the Earth about every 41,000 years.

c. One part of the cycle is the change in the positions of solstices and equinoxes in relation to

Earth's orbit over time scales of 23,000 years.

d. The cycles have been supported by the trends of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 as recorded in the

Antarctic ice core.

e. One part of the cycle is the wobbling of the spin axis about every 100,000 years.

e. One part of the cycle is the wobbling of the spin axis about every 100,000 years.

During the Last Glacial Maximum,

A. the atmospheric CO2 and CH4 values were higher than present

B. continental ice sheets existed in northern United States, Canada, and northern Europe

C. forests in Europe and Asia covered larger areas than today

D. the sea level was higher than present

E. all of the above

B. continental ice sheets existed in northern United States, Canada, and northern Europe

D20. Which of the following statement is not true about the ice ages?

A. During ice ages it was globally windier as shown by the increased accumulation of dust in ocean

sediments.

B. Earth's climate tends to drift slowly into ice ages which are rapidly terminated by sudden warming.

C. Each time the Earth's continents were locked in ice, the level of the oceans dropped from their

present levels by more than 100 meters.

D. At the peak of ice ages, the forest-covered areas increased in size and the tundra biome was smaller

in area.

E. The size of ice sheets has a delayed response to summer insolation by thousands of years

D. At the peak of ice ages, the forest-covered areas increased in size and the tundra biome was smaller in area.

The evidence that the world was warmer 100 Myr ago than today includes:

a. fossils of broad-leafed evergreen trees that were found poleward of the Arctic and Antarctic circles

b. fossils of warm-adapted animals (dinosaurs) that were found at high-latitudes

c. isotopes from ocean sediments

d. extension of coral reefs to higher latitudes

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

Which of the following is not correct in describing the world by 100 Myr ago:

a. sea level was 100-200 meters higher than today because of no polar ice caps

b. temperatures were warmer than they are today at all latitudes, but especially in polar regions

c. the positions and sizes of land/oceans were different from today

d. atmospheric CO2 concentration was similar to today's values

e. Texas was mostly under water

d. atmospheric CO2 concentration was similar to today's values

The temperature trends in the last 50 Myr can be estimated from:

a. the outline shapes of fossil leaves

b. measurement of δ18O in ocean sediments

c. both a and b

c. both a and b

The possible causes of Earth's cooling in the last 50 Myr are

a. decrease in ocean-floor spreading rate

b. uplift weathering

c. ocean heat transport through gateways

d. ice-albedo feedbacks

e. all of the above

e. all of the above

What controls the size of ice sheets?

a. summer insolation

b. winter insolation

a. summer insolation

Oxygen isotopic ratios (δ18O) from ocean water recorded in foraminifera shells can tell us

a. the volume of continental ice sheets

b. the temperature of ocean water in which the shells form

c. wind directions

d. the ozone layer

e. both a and b

e. both a and b

Which of the following is in the correct sequence from long to short term effects on climate?

A. ENSO - mountain building - eccentricity - obliquity - precession - monsoon circulation

B. mountain building - eccentricity - precession - obliquity - ENSO - monsoon circulation

C. mountain building - monsoon circulation - eccentricity - obliquity - precession - ENSO

D. mountain building - eccentricity - obliquity - precession - ENSO - monsoon circulation

E. mountain building - obliquity - eccentricity - precession - monsoon circulation - ENSO

D. mountain building - eccentricity - obliquity - precession - ENSO - monsoon circulation

Which of the following values best describes today's level of CO2 in the atmosphere?

a. 500 ppm

b. 400 ppm

c. 300 ppm

d. 200 ppm

b. 400 ppm

If measurements of δ18O from ocean sediments show a long-term trend toward more positive values (or 16O-depleted), this tells us a long-term ______ trend.

a. cooling

b. warming

a. cooling

The earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5o with respect to the plane of its orbit around the sun. If the

amount of tilt were increased to 40o , we would expect in middle latitudes:

a. hotter summers and colder winters than at present

b. cooler summers and milder winters than at present

c. hotter summers and milder winters than at present

d. cooler summers and colder winters than at present

e. no appreciable change from present conditions

a. hotter summers and colder winters than at present

Which of the following is true (from the examples Dr. Yang gave in class)?

a. The ratio of the egg shell thickness to the egg radius is about equal to the ratio of the lithosphere thickness to the Earth radius.

b. The ocean floor spreading rate approximates the rate of human fingernail growth.

c. Only one of the above is correct.

d. Both a and b are correct.

e. None of the above is correct.

d. Both a and b are correct.

Which parameter of the Earth's orbit has a movement on a geological time scale that could be demonstrated using the analogy of playing with a top?

A. eccentricity

B. obliquity

C. precession

C. precession

The Milankovitch Theory proposes that climatic changes are due to:

a. variations in the earth's orbit as it travels through space

b. volcanic eruptions

c. changing levels of CO2 in the earth's atmosphere

d. particles suspended in the earth's atmosphere

e. all of the above

a. variations in the earth's orbit as it travels through space

Earth has seasons primarily because of

A. latitude

B. tilt

C. longitude

D. ice sheets

E. oceans

B. tilt

When is Earth closest to the Sun in its present orbit?

a. During the northern hemisphere's winter

b. During the southern hemisphere's winter

c. During the southern hemisphere's summer

d. During the northern hemisphere's summer

e. A and C only

e. A and C only

When is Earth closest to the Sun in its present-day orbit?

A. January 3

B. July 4

C. March 20

D. September 22

A. January 3

The earth's tilt is at 23.5 degrees right now. It would become ____ in the next thousands of years. This would indicate a _________ summer in the high northern latitudes.

a. smaller, cooler

b. greater, warmer

a. smaller, cooler

What features of the ice core CH4 signal suggest a link to tropical monsoons?

a. cycles of 100,000 years

b. cycles of 41,000 years

c. cycles of 23,000 years

c. cycles of 23,000 years

In this course, when Dr. Yang mentions the term ppm, he means ________.

a. prediction by partial matching

b. Peter, Paul, and Mary

c. pulse-position modulation

d. parts per million

e. peak program meter

d. parts per million

A higher count of pollen from prairie grasses and herbs in lake sediments indicates a _____

climate, while a higher count of pollen from trees suggests a _______ climate.

a. wetter, drier

b. drier, wetter

b. drier, wetter

A higher count of spruce pollen in lake sediments indicates a _____ climate, while a higher

count of oak pollen suggests a ______ climate.

a. colder, warmer

b. warmer, colder

a. colder, warmer

During the Last Glacial Maximum, summer insolation is not significantly different from that

today.

a. True

b. False

a. True

We know the atmospheric CO2 level in 2006 was 381 ppm by volume. Now we are in 2018. Which of the following is a more accurate estimation of this year's CO2 level compared to that in 2006?

a. It will be tens of ppm lower.

b. It will be hundreds of ppm lower.

c. It will be tens of ppm higher.

d. It will be hundreds of pp

e. It remains the same.

c. It will be tens of ppm higher.

Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles

Climatic oscillations occurred at intervals of a few thousand years during glacial periods as recorded in Greenland ice

Heinrich event

An interval of rapid flow of icebergs into the North Atlantic, causing deposition of debris eroded from land

Younger Dryas

A period of sudden big drop in temperature during the middle of the last deglaciation in the North Atlantic region

Maunder minimum

A period of very few sunspots during 1645-1715 A.D.

Little Ice Age

A period between 1400-1900 A.D. when Europe was colder than today

Carbon dioxide

A greenhouse gas

Anomaly

Departure from a long-term average

Aerosols

Suspended fine particles in the atmosphere

Sunspot

A cool, dark spot on the Sun

The last deglaciation was mainly caused by

A. volcanic eruptions

B. stronger winter insolation

C. stronger summer insolation

D. lower greenhouse gases

E. all of the above

C. stronger summer insolation