Earth System Science
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Course Introduction
Earth System Science is an interdisciplinary course that explores the complex interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere that shape our planet. By examining natural processes such as climate regulation, biogeochemical cycles, plate tectonics, and ecosystem dynamics, students gain a holistic understanding of how Earth's components function as an integrated system. The course emphasizes the importance of feedback mechanisms, human impacts on global systems, and the use of scientific methods and models to analyze environmental change. Through case studies and practical investigations, students develop critical thinking skills necessary to address current and future challenges in global sustainability.
Recommended Textbook
Meteorology Today An Introduction to Weather Climate and the Environment 10th Edition by C.
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Chapter 1: Earth and Its Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) The earth's rotation has ____ to do with the behavior of atmospheric storms.
A) nothing
B) little
C) much
Answer: C
Q2) There is a lot of mixing and overturning of air in which of the following atmospheric layers?
A) stratosphere
B) troposphere
C) mesosphere
Answer: B
Q3) On a weather map,sharp changes in temperature,humidity,and wind direction are marked by
A) a front.
B) an anticyclone.
C) a ridge.
D) blowing dust.
Answer: A
Q4) Describe the relationship between gravity and weight.
Answer: no answer
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Chapter 2: Energy: Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) The cold feeling that you experience after leaving a swimming pool on a hot,dry,summer day represents heat transport by A) conduction.
B) convection.
C) radiation.
D) latent heat.
Answer: D
Q2) The amount of heat energy required to bring about a small change in temperature is called the
A) radiative equilibrium.
B) dead heat.
C) specific heat.
D) latent heat.
Answer: C
Q3) Many people will blow on a bowl of hot soup to try to cool it.In your view,what are the two most important heat transport processes being used to cool the soup?
Answer: no answer
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Chapter 3: Seasonal and Daily Temperatures
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Sample Questions
Q1) During the afternoon,the greatest temperature difference between the surface air and the air several meters above occurs on a
A) clear,calm afternoon.
B) clear,windy afternoon.
C) cloudy,calm afternoon.
D) cloudy,windy afternoon.
Answer: A
Q2) Using sprinklers to prevent crop damage from cold air works best when A) the air is fairly humid.
B) the air is fairly dry.
Answer: A
Q3) Although the polar regions radiate away more heat energy than they receive by insolation in the course of a year,they are prevented from becoming progressively colder each year by the
A) conduction of heat through the interior of the earth.
B) concentration of earth's magnetic field lines at the poles.
C) circulation of heat by the atmosphere and oceans.
D) the insulating properties of snow.
E) release of latent heat to the atmosphere when polar ice melts.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Atmospheric Humidity
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Sample Questions
Q1) If very cold air is brought indoors and warmed with no change in its moisture content,the saturation vapor pressure of this air will ____ and the relative humidity of this air will ____.
A) increase,increase
B) decrease,decrease
C) increase,decrease
D) decrease,increase
Q2) The dew point temperature is a measure of the total amount of water vapor in the air.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Explain why the dew point temperature provides a better indication of the actual amount of water vapor in the air than the relative humidity.
Q4) As the air temperature increases,with no addition of water vapor to the air,the dew point will A) remain the same.
B) increase.
C) decrease.
D) increase and become equal to the air temperature.
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Chapter 5: Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds
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Sample Questions
Q1) The cloud with the greatest vertical growth is
A) cumulus congestus.
B) cumulus humilis.
C) cumulonimbus.
D) cirrocumulus.
Q2) When viewed from the surface,the smallest individual cloud elements (puffs)are observed with which cloud?
A) stratocumulus
B) cumulus
C) cirrocumulus
D) altocumulus
E) cumulonimbus
Q3) Frost forms when
A) objects on the ground cool below the dew point temperature.
B) the dew point is 32 F or below.
C) water vapor changes into ice without first becoming a liquid.
D) all of the above
Q4) Would it be possible for rising air to remain cloud-free? If not,why not? If so,how?
Q5) Explain why clouds form in rising air.
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Chapter 6: Stability and Cloud Development
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Sample Questions
Q1) The dry adiabatic lapse rate is ____ greater than the moist adiabatic lapse rate.
A) never
B) sometimes
C) always
Q2) The rate at which the temperature changes inside a rising (or descending)parcel of saturated air is called the
A) environmental lapse rate.
B) dry adiabatic lapse rate.
C) moist adiabatic lapse rate.
D) latent heat release rate.
Q3) The environmental lapse rate is almost always the same as the adiabatic lapse rate. A)True
B)False
Q4) Does radiational cooling at the ground at night act to increase or decrease atmospheric stability?
Q5) Would you expect clear skies to accompany stable,unstable,or neutral stability conditions? Explain your answer.
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Chapter 7: Precipitation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Condensation onto hygroscopic nuclei is possible at relative humidities less than 100 percent due to the
A) curvature effect.
B) electrical charge on these nuclei.
C) solute effect.
D) crystalline structure of these nuclei.
Q2) The main difference between a cloud drop and a raindrop is its A) color.
B) size.
C) shape.
D) none of the above
Q3) Fall streaks usually ____ before reaching the ground.
A) evaporate
B) condense
C) sublimate
D) deposit
Q4) Design an automated device for measuring snowfall.How might it work?
Q5) Briefly describe the differences between snow,freezing rain,sleet and hail.
Q6) About how large can raindrops get? Why can't they get any larger?
Q7) What shape does a large raindrop have? What forces determine this shape?
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Chapter 8: Air Pressure and Winds
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Q1) The pressure announced on last night's television weather broadcast was 29.92.Explain how this was measured and give the units.Would this be considered an unusually large or low pressure value?
Q2) Lines connecting points of equal pressure are called A) isobars.
B) millibars.
C) contours. D) isotherms.
E) a coordinate grid.
Q3) If the earth stopped rotating,which of the following would not be true?
A) Surface winds would below from high toward low pressure.
B) There would still be a Coriolis force.
C) There would still be a pressure gradient force.
D) There would still be a gravitational force.
Q4) Suppose you stand outside and feel a fresh breeze blowing against your face.Could this be a geostrophic wind? Explain.
Q5) Briefly explain the principle of the mercury barometer.Mercury is relatively expensive and toxic.Why do you think mercury is used in barometers instead of another fluid such as water?
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Chapter 9: Wind: Small Scale and Local Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Clear Air Turbulence (CAT)can occur
A) near a jet stream.
B) in areas of mountain waves.
C) where strong wind shear exists.
D) all of the above
Q2) The slowing of the wind due to the random motion of air molecules is called A) eddy viscosity.
B) mechanical turbulence.
C) molecular viscosity.
D) convective turbulence.
Q3) The howling of wind on a blustery night is believed to be caused by A) variation in air temperature.
B) wind blowing around a frozen surface.
C) snowflakes striking one another but not sticking together.
D) eddies of higher air density.
E) wind lifting,then lowering small objects at the surface.
Q4) Areas along the shores of the Great Lakes often experience a lake breeze circulation.Are these winds different than those associated with a sea breeze circulation? Explain.
Q5) Explain how Florida's sea breezes can increase the potential for wildfires.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Wind: Global Systems
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Q1) As an air parcel aloft moves northward from the equator,it moves closer to the earth's axis of rotation.Because of the conservation of angular momentum,the air parcel's motion should
A) remain constant.
B) slow and eventually reverse direction.
C) slow but continue in the same direction.
D) increase in speed.
Q2) If the earth's surface was homogeneous (either all land or all water),
A) the semipermanent highs and lows would be stronger.
B) the semipermanent highs and lows would be weaker.
C) the semipermanent highs and lows would disappear altogether.
D) the semipermanent highs and lows wouldn't change in intensity.
Q3) Upwelling is
A) the lifting of air along the polar front.
B) the rising of cold water from below.
C) increasing heights in an upper-level ridge.
D) the rising air motion found in a low pressure center.
Q4) A jet stream transfers more heat across the globe when it is A) zonal.
B) meridional.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Air Masses and Fronts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain how,using no meteorological instruments other than your eyes,you could identify the passage of an occluded front.
Q2) Clear sunny days with very cold nights would be associated with what type of air mass?
A) mP
B) mT
C) cP
D) cT
Q3) What type of air mass would be responsible for persistent cold,damp weather with drizzle along the east coast of North America?
A) mP
B) mT
C) cP
D) cT
E) cA
Q4) What type of clouds,if any,would you expect to see form when a cP air mass moves across warm water? Would conditions be any different when mT air moves across a cold land surface? Which types of clouds would form in this latter case?
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Chapter 12: Middle-Latitude Cyclones
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Q1) According to the model of the life cycle of a wave cyclone,the storm system is normally most intense
A) as a frontal wave.
B) as a stable wave.
C) as an open wave.
D) as a stationary wave.
E) when the system first becomes occluded.
Q2) Temperature advection does not occur when the winds do not cross the isotherms.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The type of weather system known as a "mid-latitude cyclone" cannot form over the tropical ocean because:
A) surface temperature contrasts are not large.
B) the ocean surface has a lot of waves.
C) the Coriolis force is weak in the tropics.
D) both surface temperature contrasts are not large and the ocean surface has a lot of waves.
E) both surface temperature contrasts are not large and the Coriolis force is weak in the tropics.
Q4) Explain how cyclogenesis works.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Weather Forecasting
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Sample Questions
Q1) A weather warning indicates that
A) the atmospheric conditions are favorable for hazardous weather over a particular region.
B) hazardous weather is either imminent or occurring within the forecast area.
C) hazardous weather is likely to occur within the forecast area during the next 24 hours.
D) hazardous weather is frequently observed in a particular region.
Q2) An accurate forecast
A) always shows skill.
B) may or may not show skill.
C) never shows skill.
D) requires complex computer equipment.
Q3) When making a forecast,a meteorologist typically examines
A) surface charts.
B) upper-air charts.
C) radar displays.
D) satellite imagery.
E) all of the above
Q4) Describe the relationship between dew point and minimum temperatures.
Q5) Describe the difference between persistence and steady-state forecasts.
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Chapter 14: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The initial stage of an ordinary thunderstorm is the
A) mature stage.
B) dissipating stage.
C) cumulus stage.
D) multicell stage.
Q2) Thunder will not occur
A) without lightning.
B) in wintertime thunderstorms.
C) in thunderstorms over the ocean.
D) when a thunderstorm is producing precipitation.
Q3) An ordinary thunderstorm is most intense during the ____ stage.
A) mature
B) multicell
C) cumulus
D) dissipating
Q4) Lightning may occur
A) within a cloud.
B) from a cloud to the ground.
C) from one cloud to another cloud.
D) all of the above
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Chapter 15: Hurricanes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most costly hurricane ever to hit the United States was A) Hurricane Ivan.
B) Hurricane Katrina.
C) Hurricane Wilma.
Q2) List and describe some of the conditions that are favorable to hurricane development.What atmospheric conditions inhibit hurricane formation and growth?
Q3) Surface winds in hurricanes typically reach a maximum in the A) eye.
B) eyewall.
C) anvils.
Q4) As surface air rushes in toward the eye of a hurricane,the air expands and should cool.The main reason the surface air is not cooler around the eye is because A) the sinking air near the eye warms the air.
B) friction with the water adds heat to the air.
C) the warm water heats the air.
D) sunlight heats the air.
Q5) There is a limit to the intensity of hurricanes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: Earths Changing Climate
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Q1) Volcanoes that have the most impact on global climate seem to be those rich in A) nitrogen.
B) water vapor.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) sulfur.
E) oxygen.
Q2) Presently glaciers cover ____ of the earth's surface.
A) about 10 percent
B) less than 1 percent
C) approximately two thirds
D) none
Q3) During the next 100 years,the greatest surface warming is project to be in the A) tropics.
B) mid-latitudes.
C) polar regions.
Q4) The ocean's conveyor belt circulation is controlled by A) gradients in temperature.
B) gradients in salinity.
C) gradients in density.
D) all of the above
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Chapter 17: Global Climate
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Q1) Which of the following help explain why the lowest average temperatures in the world are found in Antarctica?
A) dry air
B) high altitude
C) surface reflects incident sunlight
D) all of the above
Q2) The tropical wet-and-dry climate is influenced mainly by the
A) polar front and the subtropical highs.
B) polar front and the ITCZ.
C) subtropical highs and polar front.
D) ITCZ and subtropical highs.
E) subtropical highs and polar lows.
Q3) Describe the differences in climate that would be experienced by cities located upwind and downwind of a large,north-south oriented mountain range.
Q4) In a tropical wet-and-dry climate,the dry season occurs with the A) high sun period (summer).
B) low sun period (winter).
C) close proximity of the ITCZ.
D) all of the above
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Chapter 18: Air Pollution
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Q1) The Los Angeles area has shown a steady decline in the number of unhealthful days due to ozone.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A looping smoke plume indicates relatively unstable atmospheric conditions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The ozone hole is found in this atmospheric layer:
A) thermosphere
B) troposphere
C) stratosphere
D) ionosphere
E) mesosphere
Q4) Describe some of the measures that are being taken to reduce the problem of acid precipitation.
Q5) List some of the ways that pollutants are removed from the atmosphere.Does this occur quickly or slowly?
Q6) Describe some of the ways an industrial facility that is constructed in or near a large urban area could attempt to reduce emissions of air pollutants.
Page 20
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Chapter 19: Light, Color, and Atmospheric Optics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The blue color of distant mountains is due primarily to A) diffraction of light.
B) scattering of light.
C) refraction of light.
D) emission of light.
E) absorption of light.
Q2) The sky is blue because air molecules selectively ____ blue light.
A) scatter
B) absorb
C) diffract
D) disperse
E) emit
Q3) When the sun is near the horizon,the intensity of visible radiation reaching the earth's surface appears to be less than when the sun is directly overhead.Actually,the intensity of the visible radiation reaching the earth's surface is always the same.
A)true
B)false
C)only at the equator
Q4) How does adding particles to the atmosphere affect visibility?
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