Montclair State University, College of Science and Mathematics

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies

Dr. Mark Chopping Course: GEOS107 Planet Earth, Semester: Spring 2011

Exam #4: Deserts, Winds, Water Cycle, Oceans (45 points)

Part I: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (50; 25 points):
INDICATE YOUR ANSWER ON THE SCANTRON SHEET.
Part II: TWO SHORT ESSAY QUESTIONS (2 x 10 = 20 points):
WRITE YOUR SHORT ANSWERS IN THE BLUE BOOK.

Part I. Multiple Choice Questions (50; 0.5 points each; total = 25 points).

1. Sea ice accounts for

(A) two-thirds (2/3) of the planet's permanent ice cover
(B) one half (1/2) of the planet's permanent ice cover
(C) three-quarters (3/4) of the planet's permanent ice cover
(D) one third (1/3) of the planet's permanent ice cover
2. Liquid fresh water accounts for this proportion of the planet's total water
(A) 50.0 %
(B) 25.0 %
(C) 2.5 %
(D) 10.0 %
3. One lake contains 20% (one fifth) of all the world's fresh water in liquid form:
(A) Lake Bratislava
(B) Lake Eyrie
(C) Lake Victoria
(D) Lake Baikal
4. Groundwater accounts for this percentage of unfrozen fresh water:
(A) 99 %
(B) 10 %
(C) 25%
(D) 50%
5. The major trends in ocean salinity in recent decades are:
(A) tropical waters are getting saltier and polar waters fresher
(B) tropical waters are getting fresher and polar waters saltier
(C) tropical waters are getting saltier and polar waters saltier
(D) tropical waters are getting fresher and polar waters fresher
6. The heart of the N. Atlantic thermohaline circulation pump is
(A) salt water warming and sinking
(B) salt water cooling and sinking
(C) fresh water warming and sinking
(D) fresh water cooling and sinking
7. Clouds are
(A) visible aggregations of small water droplets or ice crystals
(B) composed mainly of hot steam
(C) invisible aggregations of small water droplets or ice crystals
(D) located mostly in the stratosphere

GEOS107: Planet Earth, Spring 2011 Exam 2 Mallory Hall 155, March 22 10:00 am – 11:15 am 1
8. The US Army Corps of Engineers
(A) has tamed the Mississippi
(B) has not tamed the Mississippi
(C) is not the premier hydrologic engineering body in the world
(D) has tamed China’s Yellow River
9. Which is true?
(A) as warm air rises it expands and cools
(B) as cool air falls it is compressed and cools
(C) as warm air rises it is compressed and warms up
(D) as cool air falls it expands and cools
10. Fresh water incursion into the N. Atlantic became significant in the
(A) 1970’s
(B) 1990’s
(C) 1870’s
(D) 1770’s
11. The European Space Agency launched a satellite to measure ocean salinity
(A) In 2009 and NASA’s version will launch in 2014
(B) In 2000 and NASA’s version will launch in 2014
(C) In 1990 and NASA’s version will launch in 2014
(D) In 2009 and NASA’s version will launch in 2020
12. Water resources in the Western US are threatened by:
(A) declining snowmelt runoff
(B) declining snowmelt runoff and decreased rainfall (“drought”)
(C) declining snowmelt runoff, drought, and declining aquifer recharge
(D) A thru’ C, and increasing human demand from population growth
13. Seeding of clouds in attempts to produce rainfall is effected by
(A) using silver iodide flares from satellites
(B) using silver iodide flares from aircraft
(C) using huge water tanks from satellites
(D) using huge water tanks from aircraft
14. Of all fresh water (e.g. not saline) frozen water (i.e., snow and ice) accounts for
(A) 14% of the planet’s fresh water
(B) 54% of the planet’s fresh water
(C) 74% of the planet’s fresh water
(D) 24% of the planet’s fresh water
15. The oceans account for
(A) 97.5% of all of Earth's water
(B) 87.5% of all of Earth's water
(C) 77.5% of all of Earth's water
(D) 67.5% of all of Earth's water
16. Recent measurements in the North Atlantic show that CO2 uptake changed in this way
between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s:
(A) increased by 5%
(B) decreased by 5%
(C) doubled (increased by 50%)
(D) halved (decreased by 50%)
17. The anoxic “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico is approximately the size of
(A) Texas
(B) Rhode Island
(C) New Jersey
(D) Northern New Jersey

GEOS107: Planet Earth, Spring 2011 Exam 2 Mallory Hall 155, March 22 10:00 am – 11:15 am 2
18. The ocean's thermohaline circulation system is driven by
(A) salinity and temperature
(B) density and temperature
(C) density and salinity
(D) rainfall and salinity
19. Fresh water in the world's largest aquifer, the Ogallala, which supports 20% of US
agricultural output
(A) will likely be reduced by 25% by the year 2020
(B) will likely be reduced by 50% by the year 2020
(C) will likely be reduced by 1% by the year 2020
(D) likely be reduced by 100% by the year 2020
20. Continued global warming is expected to result in:
(A) seasonal patterns of rainfall remaining broadly the same
(B) more flooding
(C) more drought
(D) more flooding and more drought
21. This number of glaciers is being studied by scientists in Alaska:
(A) 100
(B) 1,000
(C) 10
(D) 2
22. Scientists in Alaska are using this technology to measure the thickness of glaciers:
(A) visible to near infra-red remote sensing
(B) passive microwave remote sensing
(C) laser altimeters (lidar: light detection and ranging)
(D) thermal remote sensing
23. From the 1950's to about 1990, Alaskan glaciers have thinned by about
(A) 1.5 meters per year, on average
(B) 1.8 meters per year, on average
(C) 0.5 meters per year, on average
(D) 2.5 meters per year, on average
24. From the early 1990's to about 2000, Alaskan glaciers have thinned by about
(A) 1.5 meters per year, on average
(B) 1.8 meters per year, on average
(C) 0.5 meters per year, on average
(D) 2.5 meters per year, on average
25. In the last 50 years, __ fresh water has flowed into the N. Atlantic from glacier melting
(A) 900 thousand gallons
(B) 900 million gallons
(C) 900 billion gallons
(D) 900 trillion gallons
26. The fresh water introduced to the North Atlantic from Alaskan glacier melting over the last
50 years is enough to raise sea level globally by
(A) 1/4 inch
(B) 1/2 inch
(C) 2 feet
(D) 1/16 inch
27. Abrupt changes to the N. Atlantic thermohaline circulation might be caused by
(A) breaking of an ice dam and/or breaking of a massive chunk of ice from Greenland
(B) breaking of an ice dam and/or of a massive chunk of ice from the Ross ice shelf
(C) a gradual reduction in glacier surface area and/or increase in rainfall runoff
(D) a gradual increase in river flow rates and/or melting of permafrost

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28. If the N. Atlantic thermohaline circulation is stopped or almost stopped,
(A) the climate of the E USA but not N Europe will experience a dramatic warming
(B) the climates of N Europe and the E USA will both experience a dramatic warming
(C) the climate of N Europe but not the E USA will experience a dramatic cooling
(D) the climates of N Europe and the E USA will both experience a dramatic cooling
29. Since the last Ice Age (~12,000 years ago) the North Atlantic has cooled abruptly
(A) twice
(B) 10 - 12 times
(C) 6 - 8 times
(D) once
30. Globally, "ice is on the move" because
(A) of increased rainfall
(B) of increasing temperatures (“global warming”)
(C) of decreased snowfall
(D) of increased snowfall
31. The St. Elias mountains in Alaska are
(A) 60 miles long
(B) 6000 miles long
(C) 600 miles long
(D) 900 miles long
32. Long-term past climate change in the N. Atlantic is examined using
(A) ocean sediments and ice cores
(B) ocean sediments only
(C) ice cores only
(D) satellite remote sensing observations
33. The average cooling in the “Little Ice Age” was
(A) around 30 degrees Celsius
(B) around 3 degrees Celsius
(C) around 0.3 degrees Celsius
(D) around 13 degrees Celsius
34. The Greenland ice sheet has more than
(A) 700 cubic miles of ice
(B) 7,000 cubic miles of ice
(C) 68,000 cubic miles of ice
(D) 680,000 cubic miles of ice
35. In the last few years, some
(A) 13 square miles of Antarctic sea ice has broken off the sheet and drifted away
(B) 130 square miles of Antarctic sea ice has broken off the sheet and drifted away
(C) 1,300 square miles of Antarctic sea ice has broken off the sheet and drifted away
(D) 13,000 square miles of Antarctic sea ice has broken off the sheet and drifted away
36. The Eurasian continent is responsible for
(A) two-thirds of fresh water runoff to Arctic seas
(B) one half of fresh water runoff to Arctic seas
(C) one-third of fresh water runoff to Arctic seas
(D) 100% of fresh water runoff to Arctic seas
37. Eurasian rivers carry fresh water from melting of glaciers and rivers to the Northern
seas; to track these different sources, scientists are using
(A) chemical fingerprints
(B) color dyes
(C) radioactive dyes
(D) pheromones

GEOS107: Planet Earth, Spring 2011 Exam 2 Mallory Hall 155, March 22 10:00 am – 11:15 am 4
38. When sediment cores or ice cores are collected
(A) the core is split lengthwise and one half is retained for archive
(B) the core is cut in the middle and one half is retained for archive
(C) the core is analyzed as soon as it is retrieved
(D) the core is heated to 1200 degrees F before analysis.
39. The fringes of the Greenland ice sheet are
(A) melting, with increasing glacier slippage
(B) melting, with decreasing glacier slippage
(C) accumulating ice, with increasing glacier slippage
(D) accumulating ice, with decreasing glacier slippage
40. Scientists are monitoring the thermohaline circulation in the Arctic Ocean using
(A) monitors attached to dolphins
(B) deep-moored buoys
(C) monitors attached to whales
(D) yellow plastic bathroom duckies
41. Satellite remote sensing can be used to monitor ocean currents by measuring
(A) ocean surface temperature
(B) ocean surface temperature, topography, salinity, and gravity anomalies
(C) ocean liner wash tracks
(D) ocean temperature at depth
42. The proportion of the Sun's energy that falls on the Atlantic brings
(A) one tenth of that energy up to the NE USA, Europe and Scandinavia
(B) all of that energy up to the NE USA, Europe and Scandinavia
(C) one third of that energy up to the NE USA, Europe and Scandinavia
(D) one half of that energy up to the NE USA, Europe and Scandinavia
43. If one portion of the atmosphere becomes warmer than surrounding air,
(A) the warm air contracts and falls.
(B) a high pressure system forms.
(C) clouds disappear.
(D) the warm air expands and rises.
44. Sinking air exerts a downward force to form a
(A) high-pressure region.
(B) low-pressure region.
(C) orographic region.
(D) hurricane.
45. If a large air pressure difference occurs over a short distance
(A) there is little wind.
(B) there is a lot of wind.
(C) it snows.
(D) it rains.
46. Antarctica…
(A) is not a desert
(B) is a desert because it gets so much snow
(C) is a desert because rainfall is less than 250 mm/year
47. Energy (heat) is transported to higher latitudes causing deserts to exist at 20-30 degrees N and
S of the equator by latitudinal flows of wind called
(A) Hadley cells
(B) Ferrel cells
(C) Polar cells

GEOS107: Planet Earth, Spring 2011 Exam 2 Mallory Hall 155, March 22 10:00 am – 11:15 am 5
48. The world’s desert belts are formed
(A) 20-30 degrees N and S of the equator by falling warm, dry air that originally rose as
warm, moist air near the equator
(B) 20-30 degrees N and S of the equator by falling cold, dry air that originally rose as warm,
moist air near the equator
(C) 20-30 degrees N and S of the equator by rising cold, dry air that ends up as warm, moist
air near the equator
(D) 40-50 degrees N and S of the equator by falling cold, dry air that originally rose as warm,
moist air near the equator
49. Single meteorological events (hurricanes, floods, droughts)
(A) are signs of changes in the global climate
(B) are not signs of changes in the global climate
(C) are only signs of changes in the global climate if their frequency changes
(D) are only signs of changes in the global climate if their frequency changes and the
resulting trend departs from the longer-term (multi-decadal) average
50. 97% of qualified scientists think that
(A) there is a human-enhanced 'greenhouse signal' in the climatological record
(B) there is no human-enhanced 'greenhouse signal' in the climatological record

Part II. Short Answer Questions: Answer TWO (10 points each = 20 points).
Please WRITE NEATLY.

1. In the film Hot Planet, Cold Comfort many of the changes scientists have been
seeing in the last few decades are related to global warming (human-caused rapid climate
change). Describe the main themes of the film. Say what the scientists were measuring
and how (i.e., describe the techniques that they used). Say what changes have been seen
in the water cycle and how glaciers have been contributing to freshening of northern
seas. Discuss the possibility of abrupt climate cooling in the climate of Great Britain in
the next 150 years with reference to the thermohaline circulation system.

2. Please try to answer all parts: (i) describe what factors determine planetary scale
flows of air (wind currents); (ii) describe the locations and characteristics of deserts
and the factors leading to the formation of deserts (why are they where they are?) (iii)
describe the process known as "desertification" and why we care about it (iv) say how
deserts can affect the biosphere (i.e., living things) in parts of the world far away from
them.

3. Please try to answer all parts: (i) Discuss the state of the world’s oceans, including the
causes and effects of ocean acidification and the implications for various marine life-
forms (including coral reefs) and fisheries (ii) What and where are the impacts of
agricultural fertilizer runoff from the states that drain into the Mississippi River? (iii)
Why has the US Army Corps of Engineers – the world’s top hydrologic modeling and
engineering body – been unable to tame the Mississippi River and is even less likely to
do so in the future?

GEOS107: Planet Earth, Spring 2011 Exam 2 Mallory Hall 155, March 22 10:00 am – 11:15 am 6