CSET Science: Earth and Space Sciences Flashcards

Which layer of Earth's atmosphere contains the ozone layer?

Answer: Stratosphere

The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere, approximately 15–35 km above Earth's surface, where it absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation.

What primarily drives the formation of trade winds in the tropics?

Answer: The Coriolis effect combined with equator-to-pole temperature differences

Trade winds result from the Coriolis effect deflecting air that flows from subtropical high-pressure zones toward the low-pressure equatorial belt.

Which greenhouse gas has increased most dramatically due to human activities since the Industrial Revolution?

Answer: Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide levels have risen from approximately 280 ppm pre-industrial to over 420 ppm today, primarily from burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

What causes Earth to have seasons?

Answer: The 23.5° tilt of Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane

Earth's 23.5° axial tilt causes each hemisphere to receive more direct sunlight during its summer and less during its winter, creating the seasons.

A cold front is best described as which of the following?

Answer: A cold, dense air mass that advances and displaces a warm air mass

A cold front forms when a cold, dense air mass advances and forces the warmer, less dense air mass it encounters to rise rapidly, often producing storms.

Which factors most strongly determine the long-term climate of a region?

Answer: Latitude and proximity to large bodies of water

Latitude determines the angle and intensity of incoming solar radiation, while proximity to large water bodies moderates temperature extremes, together shaping regional climate.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by which of the following?

Answer: Weakening of trade winds and anomalous warming of central and eastern Pacific waters

El Niño involves weakened trade winds and anomalous warming of central and eastern Pacific sea surface temperatures, disrupting precipitation and weather patterns globally.