State Lab
Seasons
Carbon Cycle
Weather
Misc
100
Compare the porosity of the two images
Porosity will be the same for both because they are both sorted. This means that they should hold the same amount of water despite the difference in sediment size
100
Which letter is receiving the most direct sunlight?
C
Direct sunlight refers to the area with 90° angle of sunlight, which will be more condensed and intense, leading to more heat.
100
Identify one way that living organisms partake in the carbon cycle.
Photosynthesis, respiration, forming fossil fuels...
Living organisms are reservoirs of carbon
100
Which front(s) create heavy rain?
Cold front and occluded front (warm air is forced up and creates heavy rain/thunderstorms).
100
Why does the ocean cool slower than land?
Water has a high specific heat so it takes more energy and time to heat up and cool down.
200
Which of the following best represents chemical weathering?
a) Table salt dissolving in water
b) Limestone dissolving in acid rain
c) Outside of a stream breaking apart due to moving water
d) Limestone crushed and ground by animals
B)
Dissolving of limestone is a chemical reaction between a carbonate rock and an acid.
200
What evidence suggests that this is either the first day of Fall or the first day of Spring?
The Earth is NOT tilted toward the Sun or away from the Sun. This implies it is an equinox (12 hours of day and 12 hours of night).
200
Compare the time scale of carbon storage by plants and its change due to deforestation.
Plants take long time to grow.
Deforestation can quickly cut down trees that take decades to form.
200
What are the three additional indicators of wet weather on a station model?
Cloud cover (overcast) -> clouds -> rain
Temperature and dew point are close or similar = aka high relative humidity
Low pressure (Under 1000 mb) = low pressure leads to air rising which leads to clouds
200
Despite being closer to the Sun during winter, it is colder. Why?
Angles
High angles = more direct sunlight = more energy = more heat
Winter has low angles therefore less energy and less heat
300
Why does the second image have greater permeability?
Despite having the same porosity, the permeability of the second container is greater because pore spaces are larger and better connected.
300
Assume that this is the first day of a season. Based on the tilt, what season is it, and which latitude is receiving the most direct sunlight?
This is Summer because the Earth is tilted toward the Sun. Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N) is under the most direct sunlight.
300
Describe two ways that carbon is stored during the carbon cycle.
Absorption by living things, storage in rocks, storage in the ocean.
300
How does air move in a high pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere?
Outward and clockwise
Outward because air always moves from high to low pressures. Clockwise because in the Northern Hemisphere, things deflect to the right of its motion due to the Coriolis Effect.
300
A warm front moves in. Describe the weather at the front and the weather as the front passes
It is generally cloudy with light rain during the entirety of the warm front. Temperatures will slowly increase and pressure will decrease due to rising warm air.
400
A rain garden SHOULD allow water to pass through the surface but retain the water in the soil so it does not enter the water table. Assuming there are only two layers, which of the following would allow for the best rain garden?
a) Small sediments on top, large sediments on the bottom
b) Small sediments on top, small sediments on the bottom
c) Large sediments on top, small sediments on the bottom
d) Large sediments on top, large sediments on the bottom
C)
Large sediments on top allow for greater permeability (large spaces). Meanwhile, small sediments on the bottom decrease permeability which slows down and retains the water.
400
How many hours of sunlight does the South Pole get in this image?
Since the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun, the South Pole is tilted away from the Sun. Since the Earth rotates with the South Pole tilted away from the Sun, the South Pole will receive 0 hours of daylight.
400
Describe two ways that carbon is returned into the atmosphere as CO2.
Burning, volcanic eruptions, decomposition of materials - all release CO2 back into the atmosphere
400
Which air mass is most likely to cause a cold front to reach NYC?
A) mP from the Northern Pacific
B) cT from the southwest
C) mT from the Southern Atlantic
D) cP from Canada
D)
cP from Canada is the cold air mass that has a cold font and can move toward NY.
400
Compare the surface wind pattern for a low-pressure system in the Northern Hemisphere to a low-pressure system in the Southern Hemisphere.
Winds blow inward in both, but in the Northern Hemisphere they go counterclockwise while in the Southern Hemisphere - clockwise.
500
Explain one way that plants contribute to rain gardens
Plant roots absorb the water that would otherwise be held in the sediment layer, and release it into the atmosphere through transpiration.
500
Predict what would happen to the seasons in NY if the Earth were tilted at 30° instead of 23.5°.
Summer would be hotter and winter would be colder. On the first day of summer, the Earth's tilt would make it so that the greatest angles of sunlight would be at 30°N instead of 23.5°N, which is closer to NY. The reverse is true during winter. 30°S is farther away from NY latitude, so it would be colder.
500
Burning current biomass (wood) is a viable way to generate electricity. Why would this be considered better than burning of fossil fuels?
It takes less time for currently living things to grow than it does to create fossil fuels.
500
If you create a station model with the following weather conditions, what number would you place on the top right, and why is it likely to rain?
Temp: 60°F, Dewpoint: 58°F, Sea level pressure: 979.8mb, Overcast
On the top right goes 798 (last three digits only). It is likely to rain because temperature and dewpoint are close, the sky is cloudy, and the atmospheric pressure is low.
500
Using temperature and pressure, what is the expected path of air movement around the equator?
High temp = low pressure
Low temp = high pressure
Warm air rises around the equator creating a low pressure area.