Science Essentials

The image below shows the International Space Station which orbits at about 420 km above the Earth. There are currently 6 crew living on board carrying out scientific experiments and maintaining the station. In the image below, is the station acting as an open, closed, or isolated system?

• open

• closed

• isolated

Below is an example of a feedback loop taking place on Earth today:

In a world with higher carbon dioxide concentrations it is easier for plants to take in that carbon dioxide for use in photosynthesis. Therefore as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increase we get more plant growth. However that extra plant growth will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and lock it away in the form of organic matter (e.g. leaves, stems, roots, branches).

Using the notation we learned in Lecture 2, identify which of the diagrams (A, B, C or D) is the correct representation of the feedback loop described above.

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Is the feedback loop in question 2 positive or negative?

• Positive

• Negative

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Calculate the residence time of a molecule of oxygen (O₂) in the atmosphere using the following information:

Mass of oxygen in atmosphere = 1,500,000 gigatons

Oxygen produced by photosynthesis on land and ocean = 300 gigatons per year

Oxygen consumed by life = 281 gigatons per year

Oxygen used in burning of fossil fuels = 12 gigatons per year

Other losses of oxygen from atmosphere = 7 gigatons per year

• 20,000 days

• 2500 years

• 5000 years

• 500,000 years

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

What was the MAIN reason that Wegener's Continental Drift Hypothesis was not accepted by other scientists at the time?

• Because the matching shape of the continents could just be a conincidence and coastlines are constantly changing anyway.

• Because animals and plants could possibly have travelled between continents resulting in matching fossils on either side of oceans.

• Because Earth's climate may have changed through time so we don't necessarily need to move continents around for the rocks to record different climate conditions at different times

• Because we had not discovered the mid-ocean ridges or subduction zones at the bottom of our oceans and so had no mechanism to explain how the continents could move around.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Which locations (A, B, C, D, or E) are convergent plate margins?

(Remember that you can use the map from Lecture 4 to see where plate boundaries are.)

• B, C

• A, B, D

• A, D, E

• C, E

• D, E

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The diagrams below show a convergent boundary between ocean crust and continental crust viewed from above. Which diagram shows the most likely geographic distribution of shallow and deep earthquakes that we would see at this plate boundary?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

There are several plate boundaries marked on the map below. Continents are shown in green and the ocean is shown in blue. Which of the diagrams best represents a cross section of the plate boundaries along the thick black line from X to Y?

(Note - the faint dotted line in the answer diagrams represents sea level.)

• 
• 
• 
• 

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A tectonic plate composed of oceanic crust is moving to the northeast over a hotspot. Which of the diagrams below shows the correct pattern of islands that would result from this movement?

(The red triangle represents the active volcanic island and the black circles represent older islands.)

• A

• B

• C

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

The map below shows several plates and plate boundaries from above. Choose the locations where you would find volcanoes.

• A, B, C, and D

• A and C

• B, C, and D

• B and C

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2