UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
January 2015 Examination Period
School of Earth Sciences
YEAR 1 Progress Examination
EXAM PAPER CODE EASC10002 & EASC10004(J)
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE 1 and ENVIRONMENT EARTH
Time allowed:
1 hour
This paper contains 40 questions.
All students must answer all questions.
All questions carry equal weight.
OTHER INSTRUCTIONS
Please read and follow the instructions for filling in the OMR sheet very carefully.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Non-programmable and non-graphing calculators are permitted in this examination.
TURN OVER ONLY WHEN TOLD TO START WRITING
1. In which of the following situations does the Coriolis effect have no influence?
A. an air mass moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure.
B. Ekman transport.
C. conduction of heat energy from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere.
D. surface water transport in the North Atlantic gyre.
E. the easterly trade winds.
F. a ball thrown across a spinning merry-go-round.
2. Which statement is correct in reference to this illustrated concentration profile of a
hypothetical element in seawater (Figure 1):
Figure 1
A. An element with this profile typically has a shorter residence time in the oceans than
ocean mixing time.
B. The concentration of this element will affect seawater salinity.
C. An element with this profile will have a higher concentration below 1km water depth
in the North Pacific than at the same depth in the North Atlantic.
D. This could be the profile of an element like Al.
E. This is the profile of a conservative element.
F. This profile is characteristic of an element that is ‘scavenged’ by negatively-charged
particles.
3. The largest reservoir of carbon on Earth is:
A. the deep ocean
B. organic fossil fuels
C. the atmosphere
D. chemical weathering
E. carbonates
F. organic matter in the biosphere
4. Which is the most complete answer to finish this sentence: ‘The chemical weathering
rate of a rock will be increased…’
A. if temperatures increase.
B. if the rock is an evaporite.
C. if particle size is reduced by glacial processes.
D. if mass wasting is occurring in the environment.
E. by 3 of the above factors.
F. by all of the factors described in A to D.
5. The downward Equator to Pole slope of the tropopause causes which of these
features of atmospheric circulation?
A. The Jet Stream
B. sub-polar low pressure systems
C. The ITCZ
D. sub-tropical high pressure systems
E. Hadley cells
F. B and D
6. Which of the following statements about heat transport on the Earth is not true?
A. Atmospheric circulation transports more heat than ocean circulation.
B. Warmer fluids have higher densities than cold ones.
C. Intense heating of the tropical ocean leads to an unstable air column.
D. The incoming solar energy absorbed at high latitudes is lower than the energy
emitted as long wave radiation.
E. Latent heat transport is on average equatorward between 10°N and 10°S.
F. Tropical cyclones transport sensible and latent heat energy.
7. Aside from the oceans, the largest reservoir of water on the Earth is:
A. rivers and lakes
B. the cryosphere
C. evaporation
D. the atmosphere
E. groundwater
F. precipitation
8. In the systems diagram of the carbonate-silicate weathering feedback loop shown in
Figure 2, which coupling (labelled A-F) represents this series of chemical reactions:
2H2O + 2CO2  2H2CO3
CaSiO3 + 2H2CO3  Ca2+ + 2HCO3- + H2SiO3
Ca2+ + 2HCO3-  CaCO3 + H2O + CO2
Figure 2
9. Which feature of the cryosphere contributes to the ocean thermohaline circulation?
A. Polynyas
B. Cryconite holes
C. sea ice cover reducing heat exchange with the atmosphere
D. Ice sheets
E. Albedo changes
F. the snowline
10. The average concentration of Si in the oceans is 0.16x10-3 mol/kg. The amount of
water in the oceans is 1.4x1021 kg. The input of Si supplied to the ocean from
hydrothermal systems is 6x1012 mol/yr and from rivers 3x1012 mol/yr. What is the
residence time of Si in the oceans?
A. 25 million years
B. 2.24x1017 years
C. 24889 years
D. 248888 years
E. 37333 years
F. 3x1012 years
11. Which of the following statements about Pleistocene glacial periods is false?
A. the main expansion of ice during glacial periods was in the Northern Hemisphere.
B. glaciation was triggered by variations in winter insolation.
C. atmospheric CO2 was lower during glacial periods than the interglacial periods.
D. cycling of CO2 between the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere is relevant on the
timescale of glacial-interglacial cycles.
E. the climate response to the 100 kyr insolation cycle was amplified by feedbacks.
12. Which of the following does not provide evidence of the past climate on Earth?
A. erratics
B. ice-rafted debris in marine sediments
C. pollen in sediment cores from bogs and lakes
D. cap carbonates
E. oxygen isotope records from foraminifera in marine sediments
F. detrital pyrite and uraninite
G. morraines
13. Which of the following statements regarding oxygen isotopes is false?
A. The δ18O of the oceans increased on average through the Cenozoic.
B. Water molecules containing 16O evaporate more readily than those containing 18O.
C. When ice melts on Earth, the δ18O of the oceans becomes more positive.
D. δ 18Oforam records both glacial ice volume and water temperature.
E. Water molecules containing 18O condense more readily than those containing 16O.
14. What are the ‘saw-tooth’-shaped 1.5-2 kyr cycles in temperature recorded in
Greenland ice cores called?
A. Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles
B. Milankovitch cycles
C. Bolling-Allerod cycles
D. The Younger Dryas
E. Eccentricity cycles
F. Heinrich cycles
15. The Henry's Law constant for O2 is 1.19x10-3 mol kg-1 atm-1 at 15°C. What is the
seawater concentration of O2 in equilibrium with present day atmospheric O2 levels
predicted by Henry's Law?
A. 2.5×10-4 mol kg-1
B. 0.25 mol kg-1
C. 24.99 mol kg-1
D. 2.5 mmol kg-1
E. 0.025 mol kg-1
16. Which of the following is considered the dominant source of Earth’s early
atmosphere?
A. biology, specifically photosynthesis
B. primoidal gases and dust of the solar nebula
C. volcanic outgassing from the Earth’s interior
D. impact degassing from asteroids and comets
E. ionized gas from the Sun’s upper atmosphere
F. None of the above.
17. Keystone species:
A. Are the most abundant species in an ecosystem
B. Are species at the top of the food chain in an ecosystem
C. Are the first species in an ecosystem to go extinct when the environment is stressed
D. Have a large effect on their communities or ecosystems
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
18. What is a biotic province?
A. A region inhabited by a characteristic set of taxa, bounded by barriers that prevent
emigration and immigration
B. A broad kind of ecosystem which occurs in multiple parts of the world
C. A plant-centric categorisation
D. An environmental category in which similar environments provide similar
opportunities and similar constraints
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
19. The 5-6 ppm annual fluctuation in atmospheric CO2 concentrations measured at
Mauna Loa is caused by:
A. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions
B. Respiration of northern hemisphere forests
C. Burning of home heating oil during the winter
D. Seasonal changes in marine productivity
E. Seasonal changes in volcanic activity
20. Which of the following is not an example of an ecosystem service?
A. Nutrient cycling
B. Food production
C. Recreation
D. Filtration of waste and pollutants
E. Eutrophication
21. Which of the following gases contributes both to greenhouse warming and to ozone
depletion?
A. CO2
B. CH4
C. Freon-11
D. O2
E. O3
F. Propane
22. What is ocean acidification?
A. The increase in ocean acidity due to acid mine drainage
B. The increase in ocean acidity due to acid rain
C. The increase in ocean acidity due to reduced silicate weathering fluxes
D. The increase in ocean acidity due to rising atmospheric CO2 levels
E. The increase in ocean acidity due to rising cation exchange capacities
23. Which of the following is not a way that agroecosystems and natural ecosystems
differ?
A. Crops are harvested, which removes oxygen from agroecosystems.
B. Crops are early-successional plants, which would be replaced by later-successional
plants in a natural ecosystem.
C. Agroecosystems are monoculture environments.
D. Plowing can promote erosion of soil in agroecosystems.
E. Nutrients are recycled in natural ecosystems as vegetation is allowed to decompose
in place.
24. Biofuel production is also known as:
A. Eutrophication
B. Indirect land use change
C. Agricultural runoff
D. Sustainable agriculture
E. The food-water-energy nexus
F. Fracking
25. Dense non-aqueous phase liquids:
A. Include many hydrocarbons such as petrol, benzene and toluene
B. Include many chlorinated solvents such as perchloroethylene and polyvinyl chloride
C. Are easier and less expensive to clean up than light non-aqueous phase liquids
D. Can be remediated by dilution with saltwater injections into aquifers
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
26. Why does acid mine drainage pose an environmental hazard?
A. It mobilises toxic metals.
B. It produces sulfuric acid from the oxidative dissolution of pyrite.
C. It can seep into groundwater.
D. It can lower the pH in streams, killing aquatic plants and animals.
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
27. Globally, the most significant water pollutant in terms of volume and mass is:
A. Nitrate
B. CO2
C. Freon-11
D. Heat
E. Bacteria
F. Sediment
28. Which of the following statements relating to acid rain is true?
A. The primary source of atmospheric NOx is the burning of fossil fuels.
B. The primary source of atmospheric SOx is H2S that reacts with ozone in the
atmosphere.
C. Acid rain is a primary component of acid mine drainage.
D. Emissions of SOx are expected to increase dramatically by 2020 due to fracking in
North America.
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
29. Sea level is predicted to rise in response to elevated greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere:
A. Due to thermal expansion of the oceans
B. Due to melting of Arctic ice
C. Due to ocean acidification
D. Due to increased precipitation
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
30. Threats to water security include which of the following?
A. Over-pumping of groundwater aquifers in European cities
B. Natural disasters
C. Sea level rise due to climate change
D. Lack of hydrogeologists and water engineers in many areas
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
31. Tropical cyclone Mandy follows a path that is normal to the west coast of Florida
(USA). Mandy travels at a speed of 25 km/h. The wind speed on the southern side of
the storm system is 135 km/h and directed towards the East. Calculate the net wind
speed and direction at the northern side of the system.
A. 125 km/h and West
B. 65 km/h and West
C. 85 km/h and West
D. 65 km/h and North
E. 95 km/h and South
F. none of the above
32. The passage of a low pressure system results in a temporal
A. decrease in surface loading
B. shift of the system’s centre of gravity
C. increase in surface loading
D. generation of a wall cloud
E. None of the above
33. Wind shear caused by the collision of warm and cold fronts is a prerequisite to form
a tornado by creating
A. spiralling vertical vertices
B. a vortex tube
C. heavy lateral downdrafts
D. a microcyclone
E. a storm eye
34. The principle compressive stress acting on a slope is 30 MPa, while the least
compressive stress is 10 MPa.
What is the angle of the slope in degrees with the horizontal if the shear stress is 13
MPa.
A. 34
B. 12
C. 18
D. 40
E. 20
35. The weather forecast states that there is a 20% chance of rain tomorrow. Should it
rain, the chance for light rain is 40%, while the chance for heavy rain is 60%. What
is the overall chance for heavy rain tomorrow?
A. 12%
B. 8%
C. 80%
D. 15%
E. 60%
36. The realisation of an event resulting in the interaction, in space and time, between a
physical exposure to a hazardous process and a vulnerable human population is a
definition for
A. hazard
B. risk
C. disaster
D. resilience
E. vulnerability
37. Your neighbour’s property is insured against flooding risk to the amount of £10000.
Given that the probability of occurrence of a flood next year with the potential to
completely destroy her property is 0.2%, what is the estimated value (in £) of her
property?
A. Cannot be calculated with information available.
B. 250,000
C. 50,000
D. 5,000,000
E. 3,000,000
38. The international news channel ERC reports an unknown freak natural event in
England with estimated damages of £15,000,000. You suspect that a tornado is to
blame and you have prior information that tornadoes account for 5% of all natural
hazards in the UK. You also know that 20% of all tornadoes occurring in the UK
cause damages in excess of £10,000,000. However, 35% of other natural hazards
also cause damages in excess of £10,000,000. Applying Bayes’ theorem what is the
probability that the freak event was indeed a tornado?
A. 1.5%
B. 3%
C. 22%
D. 5%
E. 80%
39. Extreme event analysis has several limitations regarding its applicability:
1) data covering only limited time periods
2) data with specific geographically focus
3) uncertainty in the smallest magnitude of events
4) it assumes no change in factors causing events
Which are the most important issues?
A. 1,3
B. 3,4
C. 1,3,4
D. 1,2,4
E. 2,3,4
40. Acceptable risk can be expressed by
A. a very high probability of occurrence (e.g., >0.8) and a small extent of consequences
B. a low probability of occurrence and a great extent of consequences
C. a low probability of occurrence and a low extent of consequences
D. a high probability of occurrence and a great extent of consequences
E. None of the above