NATS-101 Make-Believe Quiz 3

FOR M/C SELECT SINGLE BEST ANSWER AMONG CHOICES

The quiz will cover lecture material from Feb. 17 through Mar. 3 inclusive (and associated material from texts from approximately Feb. 10 through start of March 1) plus Eilperin reading.

 

        1. The process whereby nutrient-rich deep waters rise to the surface and support a flourishing shallow-water food web along the west coast of South America is known as           .

A. Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)                               C. El Niño                              E. tides

B. . thermohaline circulation                                             D. upwelling                          F. Gulf Stream     

 

        2. The base of food webs (chains) are composed of (1)______ that capture solar energy by (2)                     .

A.  (1) herbivores, (2) eating                              C. (1) plants, (2) albedo                      E. (1) plants, (2) photosynthesis      

B.  (1) carnivores, (2) eating                              D. (1) plants, (2) upwelling

 

        3. During the Younger Dryas event, thermohaline circulation may have been shut down by which of these mechanisms?

A. increased ocean biomass                                                              C. input of glacial meltwater from North America

B. massive biomass extinction in the N. Atlantic          D. accelerated activity of the inter-tropical convergence zone

 

        4. The chemical composition of ocean water is dominated by         .

A. sodium and chloride                      C. argon and carbon dioxide

B. nitrogen and oxygen                      D. potassium and nitrate                                                                   

 

        5. Surface ocean currents are driven by (1)________ and commonly move in a circular pattern called (2)________.

A.  (1) density, (2) downwelling                         C. (1) wind, (2) gyres                           E. (1) gravity, (2) tides       

B.  (1) wind, (2) horse latitudes                         D. (1) density, (2) upwelling                                              

 

        6. At the same temperature, which of these waters would have the highest density?

A. rain water                         B. sea water                          C. river water                        D. distilled water 

 

        7. The densest ocean water in the world is generated               .

A. in the Indian Ocean                       C. at the tropics                                    E. near the poles

B. near the Bahamas                          D. at the Equator                                                                               

 

        8. Which of the following would  NOT be associated with Big El Niño events?

A. warm water along West coast of S. America            C. record high anchovy catches off the Peru coast

B. high rainfall in southwestern U.S.                                                D. westerly (west to east) winds in tropical Pacific       

 

        9.  In order to reconstruct annual amount of water that was carried by a stream before the availability of instrumental records of annual stream discharge (flow), which of the following would usually be the best climate proxy?

A. ice cores            B. speleothems     C. sediment           D. pollen                E. packrat middens             F. tree rings

 

        10. A teleconnection would best be described as which of the following?

A. conference phone call of global change researchers                               C. phone solicitation of $ for global change research

B. long-distance linkage of climate events                                     D. Earth monitoring with satellite telescopes

 

        11. Given initial warming by greenhouse gases, an example of a positive feedback would be ________________.

A. melting of ice caps and decreased albedo => warming           C. melting of ice caps and decreased albedo => cooling

B. melting of ice caps and increased albedo => warming            D. melting of ice caps and increased albedo => cooling

 

        12. From about 1977 to now, the Pacific Ocean has been in the positive (+) phase of _______, which is characterized as having a higher frequency of El Niño events than occur during its negative (-) phase.

A. thermohaline circulation                                               C. the Coriolis effect                           E. ENSO

B. upwelling                                                          D. the PDO                                            F. the Younger Dryas

 

         13.  A cubic meter of air with 50% relative humidity at ______ will have the most water.

A. 0°C                    B. 25°C                  C. 40°C                  D. none of the above, they would all have the same amount

 

         14. The process transferring water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere could best be described as_______.

A. sublimation                      B. precipitation                    C. evapotranspiration                         D. runoff

 

15. By what mechanisms does ocean water in the Arctic and Antarctic get very dense (and sink downward)?

16. Modeling of future climate suggests what will happen to precipitation at low latitudes and at high latitudes?

17. What is "thermohaline" circulation, and what is being transported by it?  How might its disturbance lead to future global change?  How might it be disturbed?

18. Where around the world might you expect to find substantially reduced precipitation (drought) associated with El Niño events?  What about increased precipitation?

19. What is(are) cause(s) of sea-level rise?

20. What is the justification for the South Pole being very dry (little precipitation)?

21. Give a local and a global problem associated with melting of Arctic permafrost?

22. What are the 2 main reasons for current sea-level rise into the 21st Century?

23. What is a “tipping point” in regard to global climate change? (hint: see Eilperin reading)

24. How is it that rubber bath-tub ducks tell us something about surface ocean circulation?