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GC 170A1 INTRO TO GLOBAL CHANGE
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The MIDTERM EXAM is THURSDAY OCT 17th in our classroom
NEWS FLASH:
The preceptors for our class will be holding a
FORMAT
OF THE EXAM:
The exam is worth 200 points and will consist of
questions in a variety of formats: multiple choice
questions (about 30-35 four or five point questions), fill-in-the-blank,
figure or graph interpretation, make-a-sketch,
short answer, and essay.
· For the multiple-choice part of the test you will answer on the IF/AT form which allows partial credit:
· To answer the other questions on the exam, you will sketch or write on the test itself. · You may bring a calculator to the exam to assist you with any simple computations that may be on the test (computations will be minimal, if any.) · No other electronic devices (smartphones, tablets, cell phones, or laptops, etc.) may be used during the exam unless you have obtained permission in advance from Dr H. WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR:
The best ways to focus your study:
·
Focus on the key things listed on the "TOP TEN THINGS TO
STUDY" for In-Class Tests #1 & 2 (The TOP TEN lists
are a succinct summary of most of the key concepts from the
course that you should know and understand. If you haven't
done so already, print out the Top Ten’s and go through each one
to structure your studying.)
·
Do a quick review of all the CLASS FOLLOW-UP PAGES thus far
to be sure you haven't missed any key topics or assignments
SOME GENERAL POINTERS ON HOW TO STUDY:
(1)
FIGURES
and GRAPHS in Class Notes, on your assignments and in
your textbooks are usually important “synthesizers” of
information (“a picture is worth a thousand words”).
· You should be able to understand, interpret, and explain the
figures in your reading material and class notes packet.
· In addition to word questions, you will be given some FIGURES
or GRAPHS to interpret on the exam. (These will be
taken directly from your textbooks or class notes packet, or
will be very similar to graphs and figures you’ve seen in
class.)
· You may receive a figure with some of the information on it "whited
out" or without any labels and asked to fill in some missing
information.
Examples of questions that might involve a figure or a graph:
·
Could you sketch in what happens to an electron when a photon is
emitted (e.g. leaps to a higher or lower energy level)?
[Hint: see pp 25-26 in CLASS NOTES]
· Could you answer questions about a figure of the electromagnetic
spectrum or label the areas of x-rays, UV, visible, and IR, and
microwave radiation if they were “whited out” in Fig 3-3
p. 38 in SGC-E-text?
· Could you sketch in a theoretical ABSORPTION CURVE (see p 32 in Class Notes and the G-1 activity) (for the answer, see Topic # 6 Part II on The Radiation Laws in CLASS FOLLOW UP)
(2)
Reviewing the Self Checks and the “Top Ten” things
to study listed for Test #1 & # 2 is a good place to begin your
studying to be sure you recall what you read in the textbook.
The exam questions, however, will be more demanding than the
Readiness Quiz-type questions. In particular, they will
emphasize the application and synthesis of the knowledge
you’ve gained since the beginning of the semester, not
just the memorization of facts, ideas, and concepts.
(3)
An important part of your studying should be to TIE TOGETHER
different topics that we’ve covered and to make connections
between how the same topic is addressed in Class Notes, lecture
notes, and the SGC E-text. This is also the point in
the semester when you should be able to start tying the concepts
together into "a big picture." Questions will be asked that
require you to link up different parts of the course. As
you read over the material and study it, be constantly asking
yourself questions (and answering them) to test your own
understanding.
Examples of questions that tie concepts from different parts of
the semester together:
· How does knowing that ozone in the stratosphere absorbs incoming
shortwave radiation help you explain why the atmospheric
temperature heats up in the stratosphere?
· On an absorption curve of the whole atmosphere (see bottom of p 34 in Class Notes and Topic #6 Part II) where are the two "atmospheric windows" mentioned in class (i.e., wavelength ranges where radiation moves through the atmosphere relatively unimpeded)? Why are they called windows? What is the difference between the UV/Visible "atmospheric window" and the "outgoing IR" atmospheric window? (4) The EXAM will NOT cover the following reading: Pages 9-17 in SGC-E-Text Chapter 1.
THE
MAIN TOPICS THE EXAM WILL COVER
Topics # 1, # 2, and #3 Global Change Science and
Issues, On Being a
Scientist, & Quantifying
Global Change
-- go over the notes on this in Class Notes and
review the key themes about science, hypotheses, theories, laws
etc, that we went over in class and discussed with the
Science Cartoons & Quotes Activity --CLICK
HERE to review this activity & the answers). Review the
concepts of sustainability ( p 7 in Class Notes) and
Ecological Footprints (I-1 assignment and p 18
in Class Notes ; be familiar with the
Powers of Ten and scientific notation (pp 14 in Class
Notes); know how to describe different types of time
series plots (pp 15-16 in Class Notes).
·
Can you describe what matter is and what it is made up
of?
· Can you explain the basis for how elements are arranged in the Periodic Table? Could you arrange an element in its proper row or column if you were given a way to figure out the number of protons in the element and the number of electrons in its outermost shell? (We did this in class -- and you can review it again on your own in the Periodic Table Background activity in Class Notes pp 111 - 115. · Can you describe or sketch the unique way that electrons behave and how photons of electromagnetic energy are emitted or absorbed when electrons make quantum leaps between energy levels in their orbit around an atomic nucleus? (Remember, electrons are matter and they do the quantum “leaping” while photons are energy which is emitted or absorbed – see pp 25-26 in Class Notes) · Can you describe the quantum behavior of molecules (not atoms) when certain molecules rotate and vibrate at specific frequencies and why this explains why some gases are greenhouse gases and some are not? (Remember, atoms, & molecules are matter and they do the quantum rotating/vibrating, while photons are energy which is emitted or absorbed – see pp 48-50 in SGC-E-text
Topic #5 Electromagnetic Radiation & the
Electromagnetic Spectrum
· Can you explain how electromagnetic energy behaves (wave
& photons, wavelength & frequency)?
· Do you understand the electromagnetic spectrum, know its
order, and the wavelength ranges of UV, visible, and IR
radiation? By "order" I mean the relative
wavelength from short to
long: of gamma, x-rays, UV, visible, IR, microwaves & radio
waves? Which wavelengths tend to be harmful to life on
Earth? · Do you know what the typical sources of the different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are? ( see p 28 in Class Notes and the additional reading on The Electromagnetic Spectrum ) UV, visible light and IR radiation, can you link this back to the discussion of matter (Topic #4) and the quantum behavior of electrons and molecules -- i.e. Do you know which wavelengths of the Electromagnetic Spectrum involve quantum leaps in atoms and which involve vibrational and rotational behavior in molecules?
Topic # 6 The Radiation Laws
· Do you understand the radiation laws (e.g. Wien’s Law,
Stefan-Boltzmann Law, inverse-square law, concept of a blackbody
and why these concepts are keys to understanding many global
change concepts?
· Do you know the peak wavelengths of transmission of
solar energy ( 0. 5 μm) and terrestrial energy
(10. 0 μm)? [memorize this – note how it looks in a
figure as well (Fig 3-8 on p 42 of SGC-E-text)
· Do you understand what absorption curves are (including
how to read them and draw a simple, hypothetical one as on p 32
in Class Notes and in G-1 )? Do you understand what they reveal about
the greenhouse effect, atmospheric transmissivity and absorption
by different gases, and the interaction of atmospheric gases
with solar (shortwave) and terrestrial (longwave, IR) radiation?
ç
a TIE-TOGETHER concept!
· Can you succinctly explain
what greenhouse gases
are and what the natural greenhouse effect is?
Here’s are some definitions – be sure you understand
these and be able to re-state these in your OWN words:
Greenhouse gases (GHG’s) (def): Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor that warm a planet’s surface by absorbing infrared radiation and reradiating some of it back toward the surface.
IMPORTANT:
reradiating is NOT “reflecting” or “bouncing” !!
Terrestrial
infrared radiation (IR) is absorbed by the GHG’s, then emitted
(radiated back out) by
the GHG’s. The IR
does not “bounce off” or “reflect off” the GHG’s or the
atmosphere!
Greenhouse effect (GHE) (def):
The natural mechanism by which a
planet’s surface is warmed by infrared –absorbing gases in its
atmosphere.
(NOTE:
we use the term
"anthropogenically
enhanced greenhouse effect”
to describe the increase
of the GHE due to the accumulation of
additional GHG’s contributed by human activities such as the
burning of fossil fuels).
REMEMBER:
the
GHE involves longwave
(LW) infrared (IR)
radiation ONLY – the parts of the cartoon
diagram showing shortwave (SW)
solar radiation are NOT part of the GHE and should not be
used in an explanation of the GHE!!
· Can you explain how the atmosphere's
structure and temperature
varies with altitude, and what causes these variations?.
(See Fig. 3-9 and 3-11 in SGC-E-text
and pp 37-38 in Class
Notes. ) · Can you reason out and answer the Q's about the Transfer & Absorption of Solar Radiation figure on p 38 of Class Notes?
· Do you know what
gases are the most abundant
in the atmosphere and which gases are
considered GREENHOUSE GASES
(Table 3-2 in SGC-E-text & p 39-40 in Class Notes). Do you
understand that nearly all of the major GH gases come from
both
natural and anthropogenic sources, but that their concentration
began to increase rapidly in the 20th century, primarily due to
the anthropogenic sources (be familiar with some of the these
sources). Know which type of GH gases are human-made only.
· Review the KEY
CONCEPTS on p 41 in Class Notes --
it's a good summary of some important points! Topic #8 Laws of Thermodynamics & Motion
· Do you understand the what specific heat is and how to
interpret the table on p 45 in Class Notes?
· Can you describe the differences between the energy transfer
processes of: conduction, convection, and
radiation?
· If the 1st & 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics were stated for you, could you match them with a real-world application (e.g. direction of heat energy flow from hotter to colder body) (You don’t have to memorize the Laws, just be know what they mean if they are stated for you.) · Do you know how to read and interpret an energy flow diagram like those you drew for the light bulbs in class? Can you depict the energy flow in a diagram for a very inefficient lightbulb vs a very efficient lightbulb · Do you understand how the Law of Inertia (Newton's 1st Law) and a body's mass (as in Newton's 2nd Law) determine the amount of force (and the energy needed to apply the force) to get a big, heavy vehicle accelerating from a stop vs. a small, light vehicle? Topic #9 Intro to Tree Rings & Dendrochronology
· Do you know what sensitive and complacent tree rings series
are and why they are important? Could you recognize a
sensitive tree-ring pattern vs. a complacent tree-ring pattern
in a figure, like those on p52 in Class Notes?
· Do you know which type of pattern (sensitive or complacent) is
important for accurate cross-dating? Could you decide if a
wood sample was useful
or not useful for dendrochronology (Kit's lecture on Oct 8th and G-3 Wood Kit
Assignment) Synthesis and Tying Topics Together
Click here for: PRACTICE QUESTIONS
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