4.8 & 4.9 Earth's Geography & El Nino/La Nina

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

For the following questions, use the picture to identify the feature and explain how it will change in an El Nino event.

	1.	Feature A is _____________  ______________during an El Nino
a.	an ocean current,  It moves to the east.	
b.	the thermocline.  It occurs deeper in the estern Pacific Ocean.	
c.	upwelling,  It may get shut off by the layer of warm water above it.	
d.	the warm pool.  It starts to spread eastward when the trade winds slacken.	

	2.	Feature B is _____________   ___________________during an El Nino.
a.	the thermocline.  It occurs deeper in the eastern Pacific Ocean.	
b.	upwelling.  It may get shut off by the layer of warm water above it.	
c.	normal circulation.  The surface winds (trade winds) may reverse.	
d.	the warm pool.  It starts to spread eastward when the trade winds slacken.	

	3.	Feature C is _______________  ___________________during an El Nino
a.	an ocean current .  It moves to the east.	
b.	the thermocline.  It occurs deeper in the eastern Pacific Ocean.	
c.	upwelling.  It may get shut off by the layer of warm water above it.	
d.	the warm pool.  It starts to spread eastward when the trade winds slacken.  	

	4.	Feature D is ________________  _________________________ during an El Nino
a.	an ocean current.  It moves to the east.	
b.	the thermocline.  It occurs deeper in the eastern Pacific Ocean.	
c.	upwelling.  It may get shut off by the layer of warm water above it.	
d.	the warm pool.  It starts to spread eastward when the trade winds slacken.	

	5.	Feature E is ________________  _________________________ during an El Nino
a.	an ocean current.  It moves to the east.	
b.	the thermocline.  It occurs deeper in the eastern Pacific Ocean.	
c.	upwelling.  It may get shut off by the layer of warm water above it.	
d.	the warm pool.  It starts to spread eastward when the trade winds slacken.	

	6.	Feature F is ________________  _________________________ during an El Nino
a.	an ocean current.  It moves to the east.	
b.	convection.  It forms further east.	
c.	upwelling.  It may get shut off by the layer of warm water above it.	
d.	the warm pool.  It starts to spread eastward when the trade winds slacken.	

	7.	What relationship is there between El Nino and North Atlantic hurricanes?  La Nino and North Atlantic hurricanes?
a.	More hurricanes during a La Nina and less during an El Nino.	
b.	El Nino and La Nina are twins.  Darth Hurricane is their father.	
c.	Less hurricanes during a La Nina, and more during an El Nino.	
d.	They are both exclusively weather phenomena.	

	8.	The impacts of ENSO will most strongly impact countries that border which body of water?
a.	Indian Ocean	
b.	Arctic Ocean	
c.	Atlantic Ocean	
d.	Pacific Ocean	

	9.	Where is the majority of fresh water found on Earth?
a.	Groundwater	
b.	Lakes	
c.	Oceans	
d.	Ice caps and glaciers	

	10.	What does El Nino involve?
a.	warmer water moves eastward along the equator	
b.	a slackening in the trade winds	
c.	a little boy making waves in a pool	
d.	first two choices only	

	11.	The El Nino phase of ENSO is associated with:
a.	cooler sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific and higher rainfall in the western Pacific	
b.	warmer sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific and higher rainfall in the central Pacific	
c.	increased rainfall in South America	
d.	strong upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water in the eastern Pacific	

	12.	What does ENSO stand for?
a.	El Nino Surface Oscillation	
b.	El Nino Southern Oscillation	
c.	El Nino Southern Ocean	
d.	El Nino Surfing Organization	

	13.	Scientists calculated the net primary productivity at two different forest sites.  Both forests have the same gross primary productivity.  Forest A has a net primary productivity of 1,650 kcal/m2/year, and forest B has a net primary productivity of 1,110 kcal.m2/year.

Which of the following statements is best supported by the data?
a.	Forest A has a higher rate of decomposition oby bacteria than forest B.	
b.	Forest A has more biodiversity than forest B.	
c.	Forest A producers have lower rate of cellular respiration than forest B producers.	
d.	Forest a producers have more biomass than forest B producers	

	14.	Climates are classified according to two major factors:
a.	elevation and precipitation	
b.	latitude and temperature	
c.	precipitation and temperature	
d.	elevation and latitude	

	15.	This biome contains plants that are adapted to prevent water loss due to the low average rainfall and high temperatures year-round.
a.	Savanna	
b.	Boreal forest	
c.	Tropical rain forest	
d.	Desert	

	16.	Which of the following biomes is best characterized as an area that forms the narrow band along the coast that experiences a range of environmental conditions (including daily changes in sunlight, temperature, and water)?
a.	Open ocean	
b.	Lakes	
c.	Coral Reefs	
d.	Intertidal zones	

	17.	Which of the following is a possible condition during an El Nino event?
a.	more rain during the dry season in Florida	
b.	drought in Australia and warmer ocean water near the Galapagos Islands	
c.	trade winds weaken	
d.	all of the above	

	18.	How often does El Nino occur?
a.	Every three years (periodic)	
b.	Every two to seven years (quasi-periodic)	
c.	Every fifteen to twenty years (quasi-periodic)	
d.	Right before the US presidential elections (political)	

	19.	Which of the following statements is true of aquatic biomes?
a.	Freshwater and marine biomes are evenly distributed on Earth	
b.	Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water	
c.	Freshwater biomes supply a greater portion of Earth’s oxygen than marine biomes	
d.	Marine biomes include streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. 	

	20.	What are some differences between El Nino and La Nina?
a.	Sea level rises at Easter Island during an El Nino	
b.	 The warm pool is shifted to the west during La Nina	
c.	In La Nina, the trade winds strengthen, and in El Nino, they slacken or reverse	
d.	All of the above	

	21.	In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, daily high and low temperatures will frequently fluctuate by 40oF 33oC) or more.  Which statement below best explains the large variation in temperature?

a.	The nearby Rocky Mountains range provides a rain shadow effect in the evenings to the west.	
b.	There are no bordering oceans or large bodies of water to provide a stabilizing humidity to the air	
c.	The flat. light-colored sand formation typical in deserts reflect light from the Sun during the day, but not at night.  	
d.	Desert plants have long tap roots that pull water from deep in the soil, cooling the desert at night.  	

	22.	Large bodies of water affect climate because
a.	water heats up and cools more slowly than land	
b.	water and land cool at the same time	
c.	water hears up and cools faster than land	
d.	water and land heat a the same rate	

	23.	Which of the following best explains why the shaded area receives more snowfall than the other parts of New York, Pennsylvannia, and Ohio?

a.	Moisture-laden storms from the Gulf of Mexico release precipitation here because of the cool temperatures in the region	
b.	Air pollutants from power plants and industrial emissions in the Midwest increase snowfall rates	
c.	Moisture picked up from the warmer water in the Great Lakes is deposited as snow downwind.	
d.	Sea spray from the Atlantic Ocean is carried westward by prevailing winds.  	

	24.	The land on the ________ side of the mountain range is in the rain shadow.
a.	cold	
b.	westward	
c.	cloud covered	
d.	leeward	

	25.	El Nino and La Nina are natural phenomena associated with changing water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.  The occurence of these events can resut in changes in global weather and ocean circulation patterns.   

Which of the following is a positive effect likely to result from an El Nino event?
a.	Increased droughts in Central and South America	
b.	Fewer hurricanes forming the Central Atlantic basin	
c.	Reduced chance of winter floods in California and the Pacific Northwest	
d.	Fewer heat waves in Australia	

4.8 & 4.9 Earth's Geography & El Nino/La Nina
Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

	1.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	2.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	3.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	4.	ANS:	A	PTS:	1

	5.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	6.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	7.	ANS:	A	PTS:	1

	8.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	9.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	10.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	11.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	12.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	13.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	14.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	15.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	16.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	17.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	18.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	19.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	20.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	21.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1

	22.	ANS:	A	PTS:	1

	23.	ANS:	C	PTS:	1

	24.	ANS:	D	PTS:	1

	25.	ANS:	B	PTS:	1