Final test Flashcards

1
Q

A star in which light cannot escape because of the immense gravitational pull at its surface is called a

A

black hole

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2
Q

Which of these is the largest moon in the solar system

A

ganymede

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3
Q

What is the primary component of Venus’ atmosphere

A

CO2

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4
Q

Which of the jovian planets have rings

A

Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune

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5
Q

Which planet has the highest average surface temperature, and why?

A

Venus, because of its dense carbon dioxide atmosphere

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6
Q

Where did Saturn’s rings likely come from

A

Either a moon that never formed, or a moon destroyed by tidal forces

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7
Q

Cosmic background radiation refers to

A

uniformly distributed residual radiation that resulted from the Big Bang

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8
Q

Between planets is the asteroid belt found?

A

Between mars and Jupiter

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9
Q

A star’s color tells us

A

its surface temperature

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10
Q

The measure of a star’s brightness as it is measured form Earth is called its _____

A

apparent magnitude

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11
Q

According to calculations made by modern astronomers, the age of the universe is close to

A

14 billion years

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12
Q

Why do comet’s tails always point away from the Sun?

A

Because of the solar wind

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13
Q

Which of the following is furthest from the Sun?

A

a comet in the Oort cloud

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14
Q

Astronomers have decided that, rather than being a planet, Pluto is really just a large member of

A

the Kuiper belt

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15
Q

Dark energy

A

Would be considered to be the opposite of gravity, is energy that exerts an outward pressure, causing space time to expand, and is the phenomenon responsible for the acceleration of the universe

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16
Q

The star nearest the Earth is

A

the Sun

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17
Q

If one object has a large redshift and another object has a small redshift, what can we conclude about these two objects

A

The one with the large redshift is moving away from us faster than the one with the small redshift

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18
Q

Most meteors seen as shooting stars are about the size of

A

grains of sand

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19
Q

Which explanation best describes why Earth observers always see the always see the same face of the moon

A

The moon’s rate of spin matches the rate at which the Moon revolves around Earth

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20
Q

How do asteroids differ from comets

A

Asteroids are rocky bodies and are denser than the comets, which are made of icy material

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21
Q

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the outer plants?

A

They have very few, if any satellites

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22
Q

Supernovae are one of the most extreme events in the know universe. They are caused by

A

the implosion of a white dwarf, which has run out of all its fuel

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23
Q

When the Sun passes between the Moon and the Earth, we have

A

met our end

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24
Q

What is the likely cause of the 98 degree tilt of Uranus ‘a axis?

A

a collision with a large body early in the solar system’s evolution

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25
Q

Dark-Matter is matter that

A

cannot be seen or felt, but can be measured through its gravitational effects

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26
Q

Luminosity is

A

the total amount of light energy that star emits into space

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27
Q

What is the most abundant component (82%) of Jupiter’s atmosphere?

A

Hydrogen

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28
Q

The Big Bang

A

marked the beginning of space and time

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29
Q

The “Big Bang” refers to the

A

point in time in which the known (and perhaps knowable) universe came into being.

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30
Q

Cosmology is the study of the overall structure and evolution of

A

the universe

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31
Q

_____ has the Great Red spot on its surface

A

Jupiter

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32
Q

The reason we don’t have eclipses monthly is because of the

A

different orbital planes for Earth and the moon

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33
Q

Nebular theory pertains to the formation of

A

the solar system

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34
Q

Which body in the solar system has the highest level of volcanic activity?

A

Io

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35
Q

In a museum collection you can likely see a

A

meteorite but not a meteoroid

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36
Q

What makes the North Star, Polaris, special?

A

It appears very near the north celestial pole

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37
Q

Edwin Hubble discovered that the farther away a galaxy is the

A

faster it is receding from us

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38
Q

Rank the five terrestrial worlds in order of size from smallest to largest

A

Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth

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39
Q

What are Saturn’s rings composed of

A

Chunks of ice and rock

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40
Q

The planet with a mass most like Earth’s is

A

Venus

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41
Q

Explain why it is so rare for someone to see a solar eclipse, yet fairly common to have witnessed a lunar eclipse

A

It is rare for someone to see a solar eclipse because it happens during the daytime, there is a small window of time to see it, have a very small shadow, and you have to been on the right place on earth when the Sun, moon and Earth are in line to see it.

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42
Q

List the planets in order, starting with the Sun and moving outward

A

Sun, mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

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43
Q

Describe the current theory for the formation of Earth’s moon

A

Current theory of how the moon was form is from a collision of a Mars sized object hitting Earth. The moon is deb re from that collision. Te moon is slowly moving farther away from earth causing the Earth to slow down making our days longer because we are losing gravitational forces

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44
Q

We see the constellation as distinct groups of stars. Discuss why they would look entirely different from some either location in the universe, far distant from Earth

A

The group of constellation we see from Earth look different from other location in the universe because you have moved the point that you are looking from. The Stars stay in the same place, your change you angle that they are being seen makes then look different.

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45
Q

Compare and contrast the properties of the inner planets versus the outer planets.

A

Inner planets are smaller, made up of rock, and are closer together with less moons than outer planets. Outer planets are made up of gases, much larger and have rings around them and have many moons. All of these planets orbit the same direction and are on the same orbital plane

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46
Q

A _____ cross-valley profile is typical of canyons and valleys eroded and deepened by alpine or alley glaciers

A

U-shaped

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47
Q

The capacity a material has for transmitting fluids is known as its

A

permeability

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48
Q

If you were to examine the profile of a typical river, you would produced in the water table. Such a depression is an

A

cone of depression

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49
Q

The Mohorovicic discontinuity marks the change in rock density elasticity between the

A

mantle and the crustal surface

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50
Q

In the meandering river, erosion is most notable

A

on the outer side of the meander

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51
Q

When rock is subjected to compressive force, it may fault. If rocks int the hanging wall are pushed up over rocks in the footwall, it is called a

A

reverse fault

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52
Q

The formations of rock hanging from the roofs of caves are called

A

stalactites

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53
Q

The water table is found at the

A

top of the zone of saturation

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54
Q

Divergent boundaries are areas of

A

tensional forces that stretch the crust and generate a spreading center

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55
Q

The founder of the theory of continental drift is credited to

A

Alfred Wegener

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56
Q

The Core of the Earth is probably composed of

A

an iron-nickel alloy

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57
Q

A good example of present-day passive continental margin is the

A

east coast of North America

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58
Q

The release of water vapor to the atmosphere by plants is called

A

transpiration

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59
Q

Isostasy is

A

crustal equilibrium relative to the mantle

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60
Q

Because S-wave do not travel through Earth’s outer core, scientists inferred that the outer core is

A

Molten liquid

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61
Q

Deep-oceanic trenches are most abundant around the rim of the _____ ocean basin

A

Pacific

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62
Q

Of the three agents of erosion-water,wind, and ice-the one with ability to move only the smallest particles

A

wind

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63
Q

When an earthquake occurs, energy radiates in all direction from its source. The source is also referred to as the

A

focus

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64
Q

The former late Paleozoic super continent is known as

A

Pangaea

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65
Q

A syncline is

A

a fold in which the layers dip toward the axis

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66
Q

The ocean crust

A

becomes progressively older away from the mid-ocean ridges

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67
Q

Streams transport great quantities of sediment. The most effective transport of sediment occurs in

A

turbulent flow

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68
Q

The Earth’s lithosphere

A

consist is of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle

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69
Q

Two boundaries associated with seafloor spreading centers are

A

Divergent and transform fault boundaries

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70
Q

The position on Earth’s surface directly above the earthquake source is called

A

epicenter

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71
Q

Which of the following energy sources is thought to drive the lateral motions of Earth’s lithosphere plates?

A

Export of heat from deep in the mantle to the top of the asthenosphere

72
Q

Compressive force cause the crust to

A

buckle and fold, thereby shortening the crustal surface

73
Q

The most Powerful agent of erosion is

A

glacial action

74
Q

Seismic waves are classified as body waves and surface waves. An example of a body eave is a

A

Primary wave (P wave)

75
Q

Approximately how much more energy is released in a 6.5 richer magnitude earthquake than in one with magnitude 5.5?

A

30 times

76
Q

The Earth’s magnetic field is attributed to the

A

flow of molten fluid in Earth’s outer core

77
Q

______ is the volume of voids or open space in a rock or unconsolidated material

A

Porosity

78
Q

Most of the Earth’s seismic activity, volcanism and mountain building occur along

A

plate boundaries

79
Q

When a perched water table intersects the surface on a hillside, result is

A

a spring

80
Q

Which on of the following is an example of an isostatic movement

A

Numerous after socks associated with deep-focus earthquake

81
Q

According to plate tectonic theory, the San Andreas fault is a

A

transform fault

82
Q

Magnetic surveys of the ocean floors reveal

A

alternating strips of normal and reversed polarity paralleling the mid Atlantic ridge

83
Q

According to theory of seafloor spreading, molten rock is rising up along

A

the mid-ocean ridges

84
Q

Cooler, older, oceanic lithosphere sinks into the mantle at

A

subduction zones along convergent plate boundaries

85
Q

Briefly describe the different types of plate boundaries

A

Convergent plate boundaries are two plate colliding (oceanic to oceanic, oceanic to continental, continental to continental)
Divergent Plate are plates that are being pulled apart and molten fills the space
Transform plate are plates sliding pass one another

86
Q

Describe the properties of P-waves and S-waves

A

Both P and S waves are body waves. P waves travel faster and through liquid. P waves are like a bell compressing and expanding . S waves are slower not able to pass trough the outer core (Liquid) they move side to side

87
Q

Discuss the various lines of evidence used to support the early hypothesis of Continental Drift

A

Fossil evidence and climate evidence on Africa and South America. The way the land masses fit together like a puzzle. Same rock types and features.

88
Q

What factors determine whether precipitation will become running water or infiltrate?

A
Ground type
Slope of the surface
How much vegetation
Where the water table is located - above or below the lakes and streams 
rainfall rate
89
Q

Describe or draw the layering of the Earth based on two ways we define the layers by behavior and by composition

A
Crust-surface
mantle 
Lithosphere is rigid plates move on this layer
astenosphere  solid but plastic
outer core -liquid
inner core solid iron
90
Q

The two most abundant elements on Earth’s crust are

A

silicon and oxygen

91
Q

Color is not a reliable means for mineral identification because

A

minerals come is a variety of colors, and chemicals impurities in the mineral can affect color

92
Q

The property of a mineral to break along plates of weakness is referred to as

A

cleavage

93
Q

Mineral that have the same combination of elements but with different atomic arrangement are called

A

poly-morphs

94
Q

Mohs scale is defined on the basis of minerals that have different

A

hardness

95
Q

Similar to the crystallization of silicate minerals, the crystallization of evaporate minerals occurs in a step-by-step process. The evaporate minerals that are the most difficult to dissolve

A

precipitate first followed by the mineral that disolve more easily

96
Q

Chemical sedimentary rocks are formed from

A

precipitation of minerals from a water solution

97
Q

The first minerals to crystallize are those with the

A

higher melting point

98
Q

What mineral is the hardest known substance in nature?

A

Diamond

99
Q

The resistance of a mineral to abrasion is known as

A

Hardness

100
Q

All silicate minerals contain which two elements

A

silicon oxygen

101
Q

The ion at the center of a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron is surrounded by

A

four oxygen

102
Q

The faster that magma cools, the size of the crystal that form

A

decrease

103
Q

Intrusive rock

A

none of above

104
Q

Rocks that contain crystal are roughly equal in size and can be identified worth the unaided eye are said to exhibit ______ texture

A

coarse-grained

105
Q

Igneous rock is formed

A

by crystallization of molten rock

106
Q

Chemical weathering would be most effective ____

A

in a warm, humid climate

107
Q

Which one of the following is NOT related to chemical weathering?

A

Hydrolysis

108
Q

Sedimentary rocks

A

all the above (may be economically important, may contain fossils, hold important clues to Earth history)

109
Q

Clastic sedimentary rocks are classified (named) primarily on the basis of

A

Particle size

110
Q

Coal beds originate in

A

freshwater coastal swamps and bogs

111
Q

_____ is a strong, parallel alignment of different mineral bands in a metamorphic rock

A

Foliation

112
Q

The primary agent of contact metamorphism is

A

heat

113
Q

An nonconformity is a buried _____

A

surface of erosion separating younger strata above from older strata below

114
Q

Consider the names of the ears in the geologic time scale. What is meant by “Zoic”?

A

life, living things

115
Q

The ____ is the idea or concept that ancient life forms succeeded each other in a definite, evolutionary pattern and that the contained assemblage of fossils can determine geologic ages of strata

A

Principle of faunal succession

116
Q

The ear of “ancient life” is the ____ era

A

Paleozoic

117
Q

What is the age of the Earth accepted by most scientists today?

A

4.5 billion years

118
Q

Radiometric dating is based on

A

proportions of radioactive isotopes and their decay products

119
Q

The process wherein an element changes spontaneously into a different element by changes in the nucleus of an atom is called

A

radioactive decay

120
Q

Granitic pebbles with a radiometric age of 300 million years are embedded in a sedimentary rock. A dike, dated at 200 million years, intrudes into the sedimentary rock. With all this information we can estimate the age of the sedimentary rock to be

A

between 200 and 300 million years old

121
Q

Life forms in the Precambrian include

A

stromatolites and certain primitive blue green algae

122
Q

Which of the following events did not occur during the Paleozoic era?

A

evolution of mammals

123
Q

The high concentration of iridium at the end the Mesozoic Era is most likely attributed to

A

meteorite impact

124
Q

Dinosaurs were abundant during the

A

Mesozoic era

125
Q

The Cenozoic Era is known as the

A

age of the mammals

126
Q

By the close of the Paleozoic, all the continents had fused into the single super continent of

A

Pangaea

127
Q

The beginning of the _____ era is marked by the appearance of the first life forms with hard parts.

A

Paleozoic

128
Q

Which one of the following represents the most recent expanse of geological time?

A

Cenozoic

129
Q

What is the definition of a mineral?

A

Natural occurring, a solid, definite chemical make up, inorganic

130
Q

What is the difference between intrusive and extrusive rocks?

A

Intrusive igneous rock is formed inside the from molten. An Extrusive igneous rock form on the surface from cooling lava. They have a different in crystal size due to the rate of cooling.

131
Q

On the back of the page draw or describe the rock cycle

A

Molten cools to form igneous rock, then weathering/erosion form sediment then is compaction and cementation to form sedimentary rocks. Heat and Pressure form metamorphic rocks. Metamorphic and sedimentary rock form igneous.

132
Q

The earths earliest atmosphere was lacking in

A

free oxygen

133
Q

Most of Earth’s water is in the

A

ocean

134
Q

Fresh water enters the ocean by

A

runoff from streams and rivers, precipitation, and melting of glacial ice.

135
Q

Going from continental land toward the deep ocean basin, the continental margin consists of

A

the shelf, the slope, and the rise

136
Q

Ocean waves and currents generally form as a result of

A

wind

137
Q

As a water approaches a shoreline, wave speed

A

decreases

138
Q

At what water depth is an ocean wave affected by the ocean floor

A

at the depth equal to one half the wave’s wavelength

139
Q

Which pulls on the oceans of Earth wit the greater force

A

The Sun

140
Q

Which is most responsible for the ocean tides?

A

The moon

141
Q

Tidal forces in general are the result of

A

unequal forces acting on different parts of a body

142
Q

Which produces a greater tidal effect in our body, an overhead Moon or a grapefruit sitting on your head

A

Grapefruit

143
Q

The atmosphere is divided onto several layers. Troposphere is the

A

Lowest layer and the thinnest layer, where the Earth’s weather’s occur

144
Q

your ears pop when you ascend to higher altitudes because

A

air pressure is lower at higher altitudes

145
Q

The lower atmosphere is directly

A

by the emission

146
Q

Daylight and nighttime hours are equal

A

during equinoxes

147
Q

Almost all of the Earth’s supply of energy comes from

A

the sun

148
Q

If the Earth is closest to the Sun in January, why is much of the Northern Hemisphere cold in January?

A

Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in January

149
Q

The Coriolis force greatly affect the path of air circulation, and is the result of

A

the Earth’s rotation

150
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, air rushing into a low-pressure region

A

spirals in a counter clockwise direction

151
Q

The Coriolis force causes all free-moving objects in the air to curve instead of traveling in a straight line path. In the Northern Hemisphere, object curve

A

to the right of their intended path

152
Q

Air currents are sensitive to change in pressure and temperature. In general, air moves from regions of

A

High pressure to regions of low pressure

153
Q

Most surface ocean currents are due to

A

winds

154
Q

Amarillo lies in that portion of the earth where the winds are called the

A

westerlies

155
Q

The amount of water vapor the air can hold depends on air temperature. At higher temperatures the air

A

can hold more water vapor

156
Q

The Temperature to which air must be cooled for saturation to occur is called

A

dew point

157
Q

As air temperature decrease, relative humidity

A

increases

158
Q

As air rises, it

A

expands and cools

159
Q

Clouds that begin to develop at the highest altitudes above the ground are generally

A

cirrus and cirro-stratus type clouds

160
Q

When an air mass is pushed upward over an obstacle, in undergoes

A

orographic lifting

161
Q

Atmospheric lifting resulting from the convergence of two different air masses is called

A

frontal lifting

162
Q

When a warm air mass moves into a region occupied by a cold air mass, the contact zone is called

A

warm front

163
Q

When a funnel cloud touches the ground, it becomes a

A

tornado

164
Q

Although tornadoes occur in many parts of the world, they are very common

A

in the Central Plains

165
Q

On a weather map, ______ fronts are shown by a line with blue, triangular points on one side

A

Cold

166
Q

Usually _____ fronts produce several hours of moderate to gentle precipitation over a large region

A

Cold

167
Q

A steep pressure gradient _____

A

Produces strong winds

168
Q

A sea breeze usually originates during the

A

day and flows toward the land

169
Q

The cloud from that consists of globular cloud masses that takes n a billowy or “cauliflower-like “ structure is called

A

cumulus

170
Q

Which one of the following is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

A

Nitrogen

171
Q

The spring equinox is the Northern Hemisphere occurs

A

March 21

172
Q

The two most important heat absorbing gases in the lower atmosphere are

A

water vapor and carbon dioxide

173
Q

The height, length, and period of a wave depend upon _____

A

fetch, wind speed , and the length of time the wind has blown

174
Q

Describe 3 main mechanisms by which air get lifted

A

-frontal lifting- is when warm and cold air meet causing the warm air to rise
-orographic lifting- is warm air going over a mountain range causing precipitation on the front side and dry warm air on the other
Adiabtic lift- is a vertical lifting of warm air expanding

175
Q

Explain what is meant by “neap tide and spring tide”. What are the differences between them, when do they occur and What is the cause behind each one ?

A

Spring tide are wen the tides are the highest of the high and tide are the lowest of the low because the the moon, earth, and Sun are all in alinement
Neap tides are when the tides are the lowest of the high and when the highest of the lows because the moon is not in alinement wit the Earth and Sun.

176
Q

Explain what causes the seasons we see here on Earth

A

Seasons are based on the tilt of the earth. When the tilt of the Northern Hemisphere is closer to the sun it is Summer and Winter for the South Hemisphere because of the direct sun light to the Northern Hemisphere. The southern Hemisphere is receiving sun light at an angle causing to be colder

177
Q

If water vapor constant as air temperature decreases, does relative humidity increase, decrease, or stay the same? Explain

A

Relative humidity increases when temperature decreases because the colder air contracts. The space becomes smaller so the water vapor fill up the space causing an increase in Relative humidity