Earth Science Regents Climate

Which current has a cooling effect on the climate of the west coast of South America?

• Falkland Current

• Peru Current

• Benguela Current

• Brazil Current 

Which diagram best illustrates how air rising over a mountain produces precipitation?

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

Land surfaces of Earth heat more rapidly than water surfaces because

• more energy from the Sun falls on land than on water

• land has a lower specific heat than water

• sunlight penetrates to greater depths in land than in water

• less of Earth’s surface is covered by land than by water

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NGSS.MS-PS3-4

The planetary surface winds and air currents near Earth’s equator are usually

• converging and sinking

• diverging and sinking

• converging and rising

• diverging and rising

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

In addition to carbon dioxide, two other major greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are

• oxygen and nitrogen

• oxygen and methane

• water vapor and nitrogen

• water vapor and methane

Earth’s polar regions have cold, dry climates because the Sun’s rays are at a

• low angle, and upper atmospheric air is sinking

• low angle, and upper atmospheric air is rising

• high angle, and lower atmospheric air is sinking

• high angle, and lower atmospheric air is rising

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in eastern Africa at 3° S. Which climate factor best explains the presence of permanent snow on its peak?

• latitude

• elevation

• prevailing winds

• ocean currents

In which cross section do the arrows represent the most probable direction of air movement over land and water surfaces at an ocean coast on a hot, sunny, summer afternoon?

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

Ocean gyres in the Northern Hemisphere consist of a number of surface ocean currents that, together, generally flow clockwise in a roughly circular pattern. Which list contains three warm surface ocean currents that make up most of the North Atlantic Ocean gyre?

• Kuroshio Current, North Pacific Current, and California Current

• Canary Current, North Equatorial Current,

  and Equatorial Countercurrent

• Labrador Current, North Atlantic Current, and East Greenland Current

• North Equatorial Current, Gulf Stream Current, and North Atlantic Current

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which of the following factors is most responsible for the seasonal changes in climate experienced in the mid-latitudes?

• The tilt of Earth's axis

• The distance of Earth from the Sun

• The rotation of Earth on its axis

• The gravitational pull of the Moon

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1