Precipitation distribution over land masses depends on all of the following factors EXCEPT A) surface-water temperatures of nearby bodies of water B) direction of winds C) distance from bodies of water D) moisture content of air E) longitudinal location ‘The Gobi Desert, along with many of the world's deserts, falls within the climate zone known as the A) Ferrel cell C) Polar cell E) none of the above Effects of El Nifio in the eastern Pacific include all of the following EXCEPT B) Hadley cell D) Koppen climate C A) increased ocean surface temperatures B) reversal of ocean currents C) upswells along the coast D) decline in marine populations along the coast E) unusually dry weather in coastal areas ‘The steadiest winds that blow continually on the Earth's surface are A) doldrums ©) polar winds E) westerlies According to the Coriolis effect, the rotation of the earth ‘would cause a Southem Hemisphere wind originally moving south to actually move B) northerlies D) trade winds A) east B) north-east C) north-west D) south-east E) south-west 3 molecules are primarily found in the A) exosphere ©) mesosphere E) troposphere B) ionosphere D) stratosphere Most absorption of ultraviolet radiation from the sun occurs in the A) exosphere ©) stratosphere E) troposphere B) mesosphere D) thermosphere 8. The rain shadow effect that occurs along the mountain ranges through California are characterized by A) clouds and rain on the leeward side of the mountain, range B) winds carrying moisture out towards the Pacific Ocean C) lack of precipitation and semiarid conditions on the leeward side of the mountain range D) cold air masses, latlen with moisture moving inland E) cold moist air moving down the mountain range on the leeward side 9. The energy that is stored in water vapor 1. is called latent heat IL. isreleased upon condensation IIL is lost to the upper atmosphere A) Tonly B) Ionly ©) Monly D) Tand Il only E) I and [1 only 10. The Hadley Cell is located A) in the Antarctic polar region B) in both the northern and southern hemispheres C) in the northem tropical region only D) in the southem tropical region only E) at the equator only 11. What forms on the leeward side of a mountain range as amoist air mass moves over it? A) A tropical sain forest B) A bumid subtropical forest C) Arain shadow desert D) A temperate rain forest E) None of the above 12. Besides oxygen and hydrogen, the most abundant element in seawater is A) carbon ©) sodium E) potassium B) calcium D) chlorine13 14 15 16 17 ‘Which of the following is FALSE about wetlands? A) Wetlands are currently considered as wastelands and are destroyed to provide land for agriculture and development. B) Wetlands are among the richest of biomes. C) Wetlands can range from marshes to swamps to bogs. D) Wetlands provide water-storage basins to reduce the intensity of flooding E) Wetlands support a diverse community of invertebrates, which support a wide variety of birds A lake that is deep and nutrient poor often naturally changes through time to become shallower and high in, nutrient content. Which is the correct order of the stages of classification of the lake? A) Oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic B) Eutrophic, oligotrophic, mesotrophic C) Eutrophic, mesotrophic, oligotroph D) Mesotrophic, eutrophic, oligotrophi: E) Oligotrophic, eutrophic, mesotrophic Coral reefs are formed by massive colonies of tiny animals called A) nanoplankton C) zooxanthellae E) polyps ‘Which zone contains 90% of all marine species in the ocean? B) algae D) phytoplankton A) Euphotic B) Estuarine C) Bathyal D) Coastal E) Abyssal ‘Which two life zones in oceans are usually considered below the continental shelé? A) Bathyal and Euphotic B) Bathyal and Abyssal C) Coastal and Abyssal D) Euphotic and Abyssal E) Euphotic and Coastal 18, Tropical rain forests tend to promote great biodiversity and are habitats for most of the Earth's terrestrial species. Which of the following most completely and accurately accounts for this biodiversity? A) Differences in sunlight creates. variety of specialized niches in distinct layers. B) A densely populated ecosystem results in high competition, accelerating evolution. C) Dense vegetation allows for little wind, forcing plants to evolve in unique ways D) Differences in rainfall creates a variety of specialized niches in distinct layers. E) None of the above 19. Grassland is considered a transitional biome. For which two biomes would grassland be considered a transition? A) Desert and forest B) Desert and savannah C) Prairies and savannah D) Forest and tundra E) Forest and savannah 20. Along with soil type, which two factors are the most important in DIRECTLY determining whether a land areais tropical, temperate, grassland, desert, or forest? A) Topography and average annual precipitation B) Temperature and average annual precipitation C) Temperature and ecological system D) Latitude and topography E) Latitude and altitude 21, Destroying which of the following would result in increased flooding? 1 Swamps IL, Floodplains IIL Ripanan zones A) only C) Land only E) I, Wand 111 22. Which of the following is a characteristic of an oligotrophic lake? B) Ionly D) Iand I only A) Relatively long age B) Wide littoral zone C) Dense fish population D) Silt, sand, anBase your answers to questions 23 through 25 on the below zones of a freshwater lake. (A) Littoral zone (B) Pelagic zone (© Limnetic zone (D) Benthic zone © Profundal zone Zone of lowest oxygen conc penetration AA BB OC DD HE Zone of greatest food and oxygen production tration and light AA BB QC DD HE Zone of greatest biological diversity AA BB OC DD HE ‘Which of the following is TRUE about coral reefs? L. The actual reef on which organism live is formed by the skeletons of coral IL Millions of zooxanthellae live within coral tissue in a symbiotic relationship UL Most of the corals in coral reefs are in medusa form A) Tonly ©) Tand II only E) 1,11, and Ill ‘What type of vegetation would most likely be found in a coniferous forest? B) Ionly D) Iand I only ‘A) Climbing vines and philodendrons B) Orchids and bromeliads C) Maple trees and poplar trees D) Spruce trees and fir trees E) Oak trees and hickory trees Much of the animal life, particularly insects, bats, and birds live in which sunny layer of tropical rain forests? B) Canopy layer D) Shrub layer A) Emergent layer C) Understory layer E) Ground layer 29. Scientists have found recently that hurricanes actually have a positive effect on areas that they have passed over recently. Which of the following most likely occurs? ‘A) The hurricane winds serve as a form of natural selection, killing off aquatic life forms that are not as fit B) The hurricane winds mix up the water column, bringing nutrients to the top and enhancing productivity. C) The hurricane winds destroy all the commercial fishing vessels in the area, allowing the biota to recuperate D) The hurricane winds mix up large amount of dissolved oxygen into the water, leading to large increases in productivity. E) The hurricane winds cause the difference aquatic species of fish to become more evenly spread out, helping the resource distribution of the ecosystem. 30. Which type of forest has the tallest average tree height? A) Coniferous forest B) Tropical rain forest C) Deciduous forest D) Thom forest E) All forests have approximately the same average tree height. 31. Around the waters of which country would coral reefs most likely NOT be found? A) Saudi Arabia B) Japan C) Australia D) Greenland E) Cuba 32. Which of the following aquatic life zones is not considered marine and does not have saltwater? A) Estuaries C) Coral reefs E) Inland wetlands B) Mangrove swamps D) Coastal marshes 33, When water is stratified in deep temperate zone lakes during the summer, organisms tend to migrate A) In the upper warm layer of water B) In the upper cold layer of water C) Underground D) In the bottom cold layer of water E) In the bottom warm layer of water34. In what season is the water in deep temperate zone lakes tends to be most diverse in temperature across water depth? A) Fall B) Summer C) Spring D) Winter E) Itis equally diverse in all four seasons. Base your answers to questions 38 and 36 on the following countries. (A) China (©) Brazil (©) United States of America (©) Spain ®© Russia 35. Country with the largest area of taiga AA BB OC DD HE 36. Country with the largest area of chaparral AJA B)B oc D)D E)E 37. Base your answer to the following question on the map below. ‘The patterned region of the map above represents which major biome? A) Tropical rain forests B) Deserts C) Grasslands D) Tropical savannahs E) Temperate forests 38 39 40 41 43 44 45 Base your answers to questions 38 through 44 on the list of natural areas below. (A) Ant (®) Benthos (©) Coral Reefs (D) Deserts (© Freshwater © Grasslands (G) Oceans (H) Savannas © Tundra Covers approximately 75% of the Earth's surface AE BF OG DH #51 ‘Are quickly disappearing due to pollution, dredging and sedimentation AA B) B oc D)D Includes bogs, swamps, marshes, and ponds AB BC OD DE F Descending air currents, can be cold or hot, few large mammals E)E AC BD OE DF HG Seasonal rainfall with moderate temperatures AB BC OD DE HF Surrounds the South Pole AA BB OC DD HE Rich soil, warm temperatures year-round, dry and rainy seasons, large herds of grazing animals AA BC QE DH #1 ‘The thermal stratification of a lake takes place through 1 aprocess of spring tumover IL aprocess of fall tumover IIL density and depth changes A) Tonly B) Monly ©) I only D) I and Il only E) |, and Ill46 41. 48. Rainforests are found in all of the following EXCEPT A) the Pacific Northwest B) South America C) Equatorial Africa D) Southeast Asia E) Korea Organisms commonly found in the pelagic region include A) voles and muskrats B) polar bears and penguins C) algae and sharks D) maple trees and deer E) kangaroo rats and c: i ‘Which of the following continents receives the most precipitation annually? A) South America —_B) North America C) Europe D) Antarctica E) Africa 49 50 51 Wetlands are a valuable ecological resource b they A) purify polluted waters B) contral bird populations C) contain large amounts of fossil fuels D) contain a large coral population E) have low annual rainfall ‘An ecosystem contains 1 biotic factors IL. abiotic factors IIL climactic factors A) Tonly B) Ul only ©) Tand II only D) I and Il only E) I, Mand III ‘Which of the following organisms is a type of nekton? A) Algae B) Whale C) Jellyfish D) Bacteria E) BamacleAnswer Key Climate2015 of | =| +| <| 4] o| fel {|| ol <| arn en aw | ol <| <| 9] =| 46. 47. 48. 49 50 51 =] 2] =| <| <| =| 9] =| <| <] =] =| 4] | of <| of >| =| =| =] 9] | <| =| of >] 10. u a2 BK a a