Format

• The first hourly exam will be on Tuesday, September 25 during class time.
• Exam will consist of a mix of multiple choice questions, short answer, and longer essay-type questions.
• The exam will test material discussed in lecture up to and including Thursday, September 20.
• Exam will focus on lecture material, but will also include relevant material in all assigned readings and concepts developed in lab (including Stella exercises).

Here's a list of the numbers you are responsible for.

The following is a list of questions you should be familiar with. The list is not complete so you are responsible for all information presented in lecture whether it is on the list or not:

Introduction to ESS

1. What is Earth System Science?
2. What is a system?
3. What is cybernetics? How does it apply to the Earth system?
4. Know the characteristics of a system
5. Sources of energy for the earth system
6. What are the major components of the earth system?
7. How do components of the earth system interact (i.e., mass and energy transfer between components of the Earth system)
8. Composition of the Earth's atmosphere (major gases and CO2)
9. Structure of the Earth's atmosphere
10. Hydrosphere -- what are major reservoirs of water on earth (e.g., oceans, ice, etc.)
11. How is water transferred between reservoirs (the hydrologic cycle)?
12. What is the biosphere?
13. Relative sizes of terrestrial and marine biomass
14. Know the photosynthesis reaction.
15. Deforestation (how long will it take to deplete tropoical rainforest at 1990 rates?)
16. What is the anthrosphere?
17. How has human population grown?
18. What is the present population of Earth?
19. What were your Stella projections for growth in the future with different birth rates?
20. How did they compare with UN estimates?
21. What is the definition of carrying capacity and sustainability?
22. How is population linked to resource depletion?
23. How many years did you estimate until depletion of oil, coal, and gas reserves using your Stella model? 

Earth's place in the solar system

1. What are the differences between terrestrial and Jovian planets
2. What is mean temperature of Earth, Mars, and Venus?
3. What is the atmospheric composition of Earth, Mars, and Venus?
4. Why is the earth's atmospheric composition so different from neighboring planets (Mars and Venus)?
5. Why is there so little CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere?
6. Where is the CO2 on Earth if it is not in the atmosphere?
7. Why does the Earth have such a high concentration of oxygen in its atmosphere?
8. How does the Earth's temperature compare with the moon?
9. What would the Earth's temperature be without an atmosphere?

Earth's Energy

1. Composition of the Sun (by mass: 75% hydrogen, 25% helium)
2. How is the Sun's energy created? (know fusion reaction)
3. What is the solar constant and how much does it vary? (1370-1380 watts/m^2; varies by 0.1 to 0.2% over solar cycle)
4. What are sunspots and at what period do sunspot cycles regularly occur? (11 year sunspot cycle)
5. How does solar output affect the Earth's climate?
6. What is the temperature of the Sun's photosphere? (5780oC or 6053oK)

Laboratory/Stella

 You should understand the basics of system modeling including various components, perspectives provided by modeling, and how modeling can be used to understand systems. You should understand the concepts and be able to reproduce (i.e., the Stella diagram) for the population model and coupled population-energy reserve/resource model. You should be able to apply the model concept to estimate depletion of other natural resources.

Carbon Cycle

Be sure you understand the concept behind the carbon cycle. Know how carbon is stored in each reservoir (what form) and what processes (reactions) are responsible for transfer of carbon between each of the reservoirs? Be familiar with concept of residence time and how it applies to the carbon cycle.  How has man altered the carbon cycle?