Unit 4 Progress Check: FRQ (APES)question n answers rated A+ 2023/2024

Unit 4 Progress Check: FRQ (APES)(a) A period of precipitation is one of the short-term conditions in the atmosphere referred to as weather. (i) Identify the layer of Earth's atmosphere where the circulation and mixing of liquids and gases produce weather. - correct answer (i): the troposphere (ii) An area receives significantly less precipitation over a period of time than it typically does. Describe one negative environmental effect in the area as a result of the decrease in precipitation. - correct answer (ii): Any of these answers are correct ⬇️ • drought leads to prolonged shortages in the water supply. • there is less surface water, especially in shallow streams and lakes, where water evaporates more quickly. • aquifers are not recharged/replenished by precipitation. • organisms can die/dry out (dessocate) from a lack of water, which decreases biodiversity. • there are increased chances of wildfires as a result of dry conditions. • desertification can occur if drought conditions persist for long periods. (b) The model below represents a watershed in a mountainous area. (i) Describe how the geology in a watershed affects the groundwater recharge. - correct answer (i): Any of these answers are correct ⬇️ • geologic formations with high permeability allow water to move through the rock quickly, so groundwater recharge occurs more quickly. • geologic formations with well connected internal voids/fractions allow water to move through the rock more quickly, so groundwater recharge occurs more quickly. • geologic formations with low permeability prevent water from moving through the rock quickly, so groundwater recharge occurs more slowly. • geologic formations with poorly connected internal voids/fractions prevent water from moving through the rock quickly, so groundwater recharge occurs more slowly. • sedimentary rock such as limestone or sandstone is highly permeable and is a good aquifer because water enters quickly. • igneous rock such as granite or metamorphic rock such as quartzite have low porosity and generally make poor aquifers because water does not move through quickly. • a watershed over sedimentary rock such as limestone or dolomite is more likely to be contaminated by pollutants from the land because it's rock is very porous. (ii) The lake at point A in the diagram is one of the primary points of recharge for the aquifer. Assuming the maximum rate of recharge is occurring in the aquifer, identify the particle type that would most likely make up the majority of the soil. - correct answer (ii): sand (ii) Describe one characteristic of soil that would allow for maximum rate of recharge of the aquifer. - correct answer (ii): Any of these answers are correct ⬇️ • the soil should have high porosity because it would have a large number of pore spaces for water. • the soil should have high permeability because it would transport water easily/have greater seepage. • the soil should have a high percentage of sand because sand is very permeable. (c) Local officials are concerned that agricultural fields at site B are increasing sedimentation in the river because of soil eroding from the fields. They hire an environmental consulting company to perform a study to determine if this is true. The company marks out two one hectare plots at point B and point C in the diagram. The characteristics of the land in both plots are identical except that plot B is covered by agricultural fields and plot C is covered by undisturbed forest. Rain gauges are set up at the up-slope edge of the plots, and devices that collect eroded soil are set up along the down slope edge of the plots. The environmental consultants hypothesize that more soil will be eroded from plot B then from plot C. Data are collected at the rain gauges and soil collection devices at the end of each month for a year. (i) identify the dependent variable in the study. - correct answer (i): the amount of soil collected in devices (at the end of each month) (ii) Describe how plot C serves as the control in the study. - correct answer (ii): the response should describe plot C as native/undisturbed forest used as a comparison. (iii) Both plots received a total of 116 cm of rainfall by the end of the year as measured by the rain gauges. By the end of the year, a total of 200 kg of soil was collected from the plot B soil-collection devices and a total of 200 kg of soil was collected from the plot C devices. Describe a practice or