--> DUE in class on Wednesday, November 17 at 10:30 am These problems are designed to provide you with a study guide for Midterm 2 on the material that has been covered by November 9. The first 8 problems will be graded. 1. How
do we know that the continents are drifting? 2. (a) Describe the carbonate weathering of rocks on land and the recreation of carbonate rocks through carbonate precipitation in shells. (b) Where are ocean sediments rich in carbonate and why are they concentrated there? 3. (a) How does the carbonate weathering cycle influence atmospheric carbon dioxide levels? (b) Explain how silicate weathering is unique compared to carbonate weathering. 4. What evidence indicates that oxygen levels started rising about 2 billion years ago? 5. Describe the special ability of cyanobacteria and describe its probable role in Earth's evolution of life. 6. By what mechanism did Earth follow periods of complete glaciation with periods of extreme warmth? What evidence indicates this occurred? 7. What is the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and how does it influence climate in western Washington? 8. (a) What causes seasons? (b) How are seasons influenced by the ellipticity of our orbit? Practice questions that will not be graded Describe the marine biological pump. How does it influence the vertical distribution of oxygen in the ocean? How would the marine biological pump change in the absence the thermohaline circulation? What does the term "Cambrian explosion" refer to? What happened and why? |
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assignments Last Updated: 10/9/2004 |