(9 March 2005)

NATS101 Intro. to Global Change Sample Mid-Term Exam Name____________________

Select the SINGLE BEST answer among the choices and place letter of correct answer in blank to the left.

(Study your lecture notes from 1/12 through 3/7; readings in chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7; examine “classnotes” link on web page; study sample quizzes and Q1, Q2, and Q3; don’t make writing mistakes discussed in class)

1. The age of the Earth is .

A. 10,000 years C. 10-15 billion years

B. 6000 years D. 4.6 billion years

2. The layered structure of the inside of the Earth is primarily the result of .

A. gyres C. the Big Bang E. the red shift

B. supernova D. melting and gravity separation F. the Doppler effect

3. The process of nuclear fusion takes place in the sun, which .

A reacts H+H to H₂ C. burns pure carbon to CO₂

B. reacts H+H to He D. burns pure H to H₂O

4. The first nebulas that formed in the universe were composed of only hydrogen and helium (Big Bang residue). Which of the following is evidence that the nebula from which our solar system formed was at least in part derived from the remnants of earlier stars?

A. the Hubble constant C. helium balloons on your birthday E. Hubba-bubba bubble gum

B. the red shift D. the lead weights used to balance your tires

5. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that .

A. gravity can hurt your head C. for a given force, a nerf ball will move faster than a bowling ball

B. energy is always conserved D. transfer of energy from one form to another is not 100% efficient

6. Without the addition of energy to hold things together (such as the organic molecules in our bodies), systems tend to become more dispersed, disordered, and random. This is known as .

A. entropy C. convection E. the Coriolis Effect

B. the red shift D. potential energy F. centrifugal “force”

7. ²₁H represents .

A. hydrogen with 2 neutrons & 1 proton C. hydrogen with 1 neutron and 1 proton

B. hydrogen with 2 electrons & 1 proton D. helium with 2 protons and 1 neutron

8. The rate of lithospheric plate movement is typically .

A. several feet per day C. several centimeters per year

B. several kilometers per year D. several miles per hour

9. Earthquakes in Southern California are predominantly related to .

A. a transform plate boundary C. a divergent plate boundary

B. heavy winter storms D. a convergent plate boundary

10. The most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is .

A. krypton C. oxygen E. nitrogen

B. argon D. carbon dioxide F. hydrogen

11. The freezing temperature of water (32^oF, 0^oC) would be degrees on the Kelvin scale.

A. 0 C. 273 E. 500

B. 212 D. 100 F. 4.6 billion

12. The “ozone layer” is in the .

A. troposphere C. mesosphere and mantle E. ionosphere

B. lithosphere D. tropospause F. stratosphere

13. The layer of the atmosphere characterized by major vertical motion as well as horizontal motion is the .

A. asthenosphere C. thermosphere E. ecosphere

B. troposphere D. stratosphere F. lithosphere

14. The 2 most important greenhouse gases on our planet are .

A. ozone and CFC's C. nitrogen and oxygen

B. water and carbon dioxide D. methane and aerosols

15. The peak wavelength emitted by the Earth is in what part of the electromagnetic spectrum?

A. in the infrared C. in the visible

B. as ultraviolet D. as microwaves

16. An object at 600K will emit times as much electromagnetic radiation as an object at 300K.

A. 2 C. 8 E. 0.5

B. 4 D. 16 F. 1

17. Seasons are caused by .

A. distance between Earth and sun C. tilt of the Earth's axis

B. changes in solar energy output D. absorption of radiation by atmospheric gases

18. In the hydrologic cycle, water is transferred from the atmospheric "reservoir" to the oceanic "reservoir" by which flux?

A. evaporation C. runoff E. outgassing

B. precipitation (rain & snow) D. groundwater flow F. pH

19. Very dense ocean water is generated (made) by .

A. river inflow and rainfall C. warming and increasing salinity

B. wind and surface currents D. cooling and increasing salinity

20. Algae would be an example of a .

A. heterotroph C. primary producer E. decomposer

B. primary consumer D. secondary consumer F. A & B

21. The mass (weight) of living organisms in a biome is called .

A. productivity C. consumption E. box models

B. biomass D. population F. basalt

22. Which of the following is not an abiotic component of biosystems (ecosystems)?

A. water B. decomposers C. solar energy D. climate E. nutrients

23. During La Niña years, you might expect increased forest fires in _______?

A. the US Southwest B. the US Northwest C. Indonesia D. Australia E. A and C

24. The ocean is characterized as having (1) total biomass compared to the amount of biomass on continents, but the primary productivity of the ocean is (2) the primary productivity of the continents.

A. 1-the same; 2-about 1/1000 C. 1-very high; 2-about 1/1000 E. 1-about 1/2; 2-the same as

B. 1-the same; 2-also the same as D. 1-very low; 2-about 1/2

25. Today, most biomass in any given biome resides in .

A. abiotic components C. secondary consumers E. decomposers

B. primary consumers D. producers

___26. The compartments or pools in box models are known as

A. biomass C. reservoirs

B. productivity D. fluxes

___27. The general form/compound in which carbon is most abundantly present in the biosphere is _____.

A. CH₄ C. CO₂ E. HCO₃-

B. kerogen D. CH₂O

___28. A process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere (a flux of carbon out of the atmosphere) is

A. precipitation C. photosynthesis E. volcanoes

B. respiration D. fossil-fuel combustion

___29. In the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases are fairly transparent to incoming (1)____electromagnetic radiation but strongly absorb outgoing (2)____ radiation.

A. 1- infrared; 2- visible C. 1- ultraviolet; 2- visible

B. 1- visible; 2- ultraviolet D. 1- visible; 2- infrared

There will probably be about 50 M/C questions- See your quizzes and samples Qs for more.

30. SENTENCES NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS QUESTION

a. Write an approximate equation for PHOTOSYNTHESIS (show the raw materials (reactants) on one side of the arrow and the products on the other). If other materials/circumstances are needed for this process/reaction, list them as well.

b. What general types of organisms (for example the trophic level or other descriptive terms) carry out this process/reaction? Name a very specific organism (a biological species) that does.

c. Can the reaction go in the opposite direction of your arrow? What 3 process(es) would that opposite reaction represent?

d. Describe a way in which one of the reactions in #a or #c has (or could) influence global change.

31. THIS ANSWER REQUIRES SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS; WRITING WILL COUNT!

Precisely describe how the greenhouse effect works. (A good answer will specify the varieties of "energy" that are involved, the location where this effect takes place, the "material or chemical species" (ie, compounds or chemicals) that produce this effect, the (beneficial) importance of this effect to Earth, and why there is concern about potential dangers of the effect.

32. Water is a magnificent fluid, in large part because of the polarity of its molecules. Briefly explain the following properties of water (sentences are not necessary, but in brief and concise wording equivalent to about 1 sentence each, convey the meaning or importance of these with respect to water): A. specific heat

B. latent heat C. adhesion D. cohesion E. solvent

33. Earth's biological systems are driven by energy (and in the context of ecosystems we often talk about matter and energy interchangeably). In well-written paragraph(s), explain (a) the ultimate source of this energy, (b) how the energy is first captured in biological systems, and (c) how the energy is transferred throughout biological systems (and how it can be lost during transfer). (HINT: the answers to these questions would be the same, no matter what biological system you are talking about, ie, whether it is tropical rainforest, or grassland, or marine biome off the coast of S. America, or etc.) .