The quiz have 30 question and it will take 80 minute. Most are multiple choice question. I attached the study guide and sample in the field.
ESS 1: Study Guide for Exam 3 2020
Your primary sources of information are the lecture videos and questions, weekly quizzes, and
discussion worksheets with the textbook used only for additional background on an optional
basis. If a term or topic is in the textbook but we did not mention it at all in the lectures then
you will not need to know it for the midterm.
Below is a list of the important topics we have covered so far – concentrate on understanding
and applying your new knowledge rather than memorizing. I will give you formulae and I will not
ask you to write out definitions (although they may come up in multiple choice questions). You
also do not need to memorize things such as the geological timescale.
We will be using Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor to proctor the exam online – you
will therefore need a working webcam and microphone. The exam will consist of a mixture of
short answer and multiple choice questions within Canvas Quizzes. During the exam you can use
as many paper notes as you like but you will not be allowed to use calculators, any other
electronic devices, and you are not allowed to communicate with anyone else.
Some topics from Exams 1 and 2 which I would expect you to be aware of:
– What are the 4 major reservoirs
– Be able to identify/explain/analyse positive and negative feedbacks
– That plate tectonics has resulted in the occurrence and positions of our continents,
mountain ranges, and ocean basins (i.e. it created land-sea contrasts, mountain ranges
etc.)
– Weathering – chemical (definition, example) and physical (definition, examples)
– Erosion – definition
– Temperature patterns on Earth: Be able to:
o explain why the poles are colder than the Equator
o explain how the mechanics of Earth’s orbit causes seasons
– Know that winds move from HIGH pressure areas to LOW pressure areas
– Be able to explain how wind speed and/or direction are affected by:
o Pressure gradient
o Coriolis force
– Be able to explain/draw diagrams to show why you get clear skies in high pressure areas
and clouds/rain in low pressure areas
– Be aware of the reservoirs and fluxes that make up the hydrologic cycle
– Be able to describe/explain sensible heat flux vs latent heat flux
– Be able to predict how changing temperature or actual vapor pressure will affect
relative humidity
– Be able to explain how we can change air temperature
From Lecture 13 – Global circulation patterns
– Be able to understand/draw/explain the 3-cell conceptual model
– Be able to use the 3-cell model to explain:
o ITCZ
o Subtropical high pressure belt and desert distribution
o Patterns of surface winds across the Earth
–
Be able to describe which atmospheric circulation features the model cannot explain
and why:
o Seasonal variations
o Circulation patterns in the upper troposphere – be able to explain why the polar
jet stream forms between the Ferrel and Polar cells
o Smaller scale wind systems driven by land-sea contrasts (land/sea breezes and
monsoons) and topography (Santa Ana winds) – be able to explain/draw
diagrams to show why each of these occurs
From Lecture 14 and Lecture 15 – The Oceans
– Be able to explain why oceans are important to the Earth system and to humans
– Know the names and locations of the 5 oceans
– Be able to explain the spatial pattern of surface ocean temperatures and how ocean
temperatures influence climate
– Ocean salinity:
o Be able to identify and explain the sources and sinks of dissolved ions making up
ocean salinity
o Be able to identify and explain the processes that control salinity in the surface
ocean by adding/removing freshwater
o Be able to explain the spatial pattern of surface ocean salinity
– Life in the oceans
o Understand that organic matter is produced in surface ocean by photosynthesis
o Be able to explain what limits photosynthesis in the surface oceans
o Be able to explain why deeper waters have more nutrients and how those
nutrients can return to the surface due to upwelling
– Surface ocean circulation (wind driven)
o Be able to explain/draw diagrams of the Ekman spiral and Ekman transport
o Upwelling and downwelling
▪ Be able to draw diagrams to explain why they occur
▪ Be able to explain how and why they affect the nutrient content of the
surface water and therefore the amount of ocean life at a location
▪ Be able to make predictions about wind direction, surface water
direction, upwelling/downwelling, amount of life at a particular
coastline based on information provided
o Gyres
▪ Be able to explain/draw how they form in different oceans
▪ Be able to identify from a map whether a coastline will be
warmer/cooler and more/less humid based on surface ocean currents
– Deep ocean (thermohaline) circulation (density driven)
o Be able to explain why and where water sinks to start the thermohaline
circulation
o Be able to explain why the strength of the thermohaline circulation is thought to
have varied in the past and why it may vary in the future
– Understand that our oceans are under threat from human activities. Be able to explain
how humans are affecting life in the oceans by:
o Overfishing
o Pollution by fertilizers
o Ocean acidification (due to rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere)
From Lecture 16 – Freshwater: Streams
– Hydrologic cycle (again!)
– Be able to explain the difference between infiltration and runoff
– Know what a drainage basin is and be able to explain what controls the distribution of
drainage basins
– Be able to describe/draw graphs showing how width, depth, gradient, velocity,
discharge co-vary
– Be able to explain how streams carry sediment
– Be able to name and identify landscape features that form due to stream deposition:
o natural levees and floodplains
o alluvial fans
o deltas
– Be able to explain how and why climate change might affect the intensity and frequency
of floods
From Lecture 17 – Freshwater: Groundwater
– Be able to describe/explain and predict/identify implications of:
o porosity and permeability of different types of rock
o how groundwater recharges, discharges, and moves through rock
o the factors which control the depth of the water table
– Be able to explain how we can use satellites to measure groundwater
– Be able to describe/explain the consequences of overuse of groundwater (drying up of
wells, subsidence, saltwater intrusion)
– Be able to list the sources of our water in Orange County and predict how these might
change over the next 100 years
– Be able to explain what potential new sources of water might be available to us and
their advantages and disadvantages
From Lecture 18 – Freshwater: Cryosphere
– Be able to give examples of the importance of the cryosphere to the Earth system and
to people
– Snow – be able to predict/draw diagrams to explain how temperature and precipitation
affects the elevation of the snowline
– Permafrost – what it is and be able to draw/explain the temperature-permafrostmethane feedback
– Sea ice – be able to explain:
o why it is important to earth system
o what has been happening to the extent of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean
o how the disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic will affect life and human
activities there
– Glaciers – be able to:
o explain how glacial ice forms and how it is different from sea ice
o predict whether the front of a glacier would advance or retreat based on its
“mass balance”
o explain why people will be affected if mountain glaciers disappear
o name and identify landscape features that form due to glacial erosion (u-shaped
valleys, lakes) and deposition (moraines, erratic boulders)
o explain how changes to the cryosphere affect sea level
Sample questions for ESS 1 Exam 3 Answer Key
Part A: Questions are worth 1 point each.
1. Which of the following wind systems is NOT due to the different specific heat of land and water?
a. santa ana winds
b. land/sea breezes
c monsoons
2. Why does the polar jet stream form at high altitude where the Polar cell meets the Ferrel cell?
a. Because there are very fast winds blowing from 60 oN towards the pole at Earth’s surface
b. Because there is the least friction at this location on Earth and so very fast winds
c. Because there is a large temperature difference and so a large pressure gradient at high altitude
at that location
3. Which of the following statements about the cryosphere is FALSE?
a. The thawing of permafrost in the Arctic will release carbon dioxide and methane to the
atmosphere, worsening climate change.
b. The disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will open up new economic
opportunities such as new shipping routes and access to oil and gas reserves.
c. As glaciers in the Andes and Himalayas disappear, local populations may lose their summer
water supply.
d. The melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean will raise sea level worldwide.
4. Ekman spirals result when wind blows across the surface of the ocean. The top diagram shows what
happens in the top 10m of the ocean in the SOUTHERN hemisphere. Which diagram (A, B, or C)
shows what would happen in the layer of water beneath? B
Note: The “driving force” arrow shows either the direction of the wind or overlying water.
5. Which of the following would cause an INCREASE in ocean water salinity?
a. Reduced evaporation rates across the world
b. More sea spray at the coastlines
c. Faster melting of ice on Greenland and Antarctica
d. An increase in the amount of chemical weathering
6. The thermohaline circulation is driven by surface water becoming dense enough to sink. Which
letter on the map shows a location where that might happen? C
7. The salinity of water from the Salton Sea is about 80 ‰. How much salt would be left if 2kg of water
evaporated?
a. 16 g
b. 40g
c. 160 g
d. 320g
e. 400 g
8. Which problem in the ocean results from greater carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere?
a. Ocean acidification
b. Dead zones
c. Reduction in the size and number of fish
9. Which of the following statements related to groundwater is TRUE?
a. As we extract groundwater, the amount of gravitational force at that location would increase.
b. The water table will become lower during the wet season when there is more recharge.
c. The best place to drill a well would be at the top of a hill where the water table is closest to the
surface.
d. To be a useful source of groundwater, the rock should have high porosity and high permeability.
10. Which of these photos show features that formed due to glaciers rather than due to streams?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
A and B
C and D
A and D
B and C
A and C
11. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. Climate change is going to reduce the likelihood of large floods.
b. Sediment is deposited when stream velocity decreases.
c. The dissolved load is unaffected by stream velocity.
d. Plate tectonics creates mountains and basins and so controls the formation of drainage
basins.
12. The map below shows the surface ocean temperatures in the Northern hemisphere. Which side of
our continents is usually warmer and more humid as a result of the gyres?
a. West
b. East
c. Both would be the same
PART B: Answer the following short questions on this exam paper. The value of each question is in
brackets.
1. 3-cell model and surface ocean circulation (6)
a) On the map above, draw the 3 cells in the Northern hemisphere only. (1.5)
b) In the Northern hemisphere only:
i.
Label the location of the subtropical high (and therefore the location of deserts). (0.5)
ii.
Label the location of the ITCZ (and therefore the location of tropical rainforest). (0.5)
iii.
Draw the surface winds you’d see between 30 N and the Equator. (0.5)
c) Draw in the position and direction of the South Pacific gyre. (1)
d) The coastline below is in the NORTHERN hemisphere. The arrow shows the average direction of
water movement at the surface.
i.
Draw an arrow to show the direction that the wind would be blowing. (1)
ii.
The UPWELLING / DOWNWELLING at this coastline would lead to ABUNDANT / LITTLE life. (1)
2. Earth System diagrams (2)
a) Plot a graph of stream width vs stream gradient. (1)
b) Snowlines: Location X and Y are the same temperature but Location Y receives more snowfall each
year. Draw the position of the snowline you would expect to see on the mountain at location Y. (1)
3. Freshwater in Southern California (2)
a) Describe ONE consequence of our unsustainable use of groundwater (other than it running out). (1)
Answers included seawater intrusion that makes our groundwater unusable near the coast or
subsidence that causes damage to infrastructure.
b) Name a potential new source of freshwater in Southern California and explain ONE disadvantage of
expanding the use of this source. (1)
New source: E.g. recycling or desalination
Disadvantage For recycling answers include greater expense, high energy use that can cause more
carbon emissions, public perception and willingness to accept it. For desalination answers include
greater expense, high energy use that can cause more carbon emissions, only works near the coast,
must dispose of the leftover salt and this can damage ocean ecosystems