World Geography Questions

• Climatology – Moist air measures In atmospheric science, what is the term for the ratio of the mass (weight) of water vapour to the total mass (weight) of moist air, i.e., dry air plus the contained water vapour?
• Glacial Landforms – Pyramidal peaks What are the sharply pointed mountain summits called that form when three or more cirques erode a massif from different sides, carving a steep, pyramidal peak?
• Space Sciences – Mapping the universe Which discipline is primarily concerned with the description and mapping of the principal features of the universe (catalogues, structures, positions), rather than with their physical origins?
• Planetary Science – Natural satellites Which pair correctly lists the planets that, as currently reported, have no natural satellites (moons)?
• World Rivers – Middle East hydrography Into which water body does the River Jordan ultimately drain?
• Indian Settlements – Rural patterns Which of the following regions in India is noted for a typical dispersed (scattered) rural settlement pattern due to physical and socio-economic factors?
• World Rivers – International boundaries Which river runs along a significant stretch of the border between the United States of America and Mexico?
• Atmospheric Chemistry – Composition of the ozone layer At stratospheric heights where the ozone layer exists, which mixture of oxygen species is present due to photochemical reactions?
• European Rivers – River mouths Into which sea does the Rhine River of northern Europe ultimately empty after traversing western Germany and the Low Countries?
• Geological Time Scale – Structure of the Paleozoic How many named periods are included within the Paleozoic Era in standard geologic time charts used in earth science?
• Thermodynamics and Meteorology – Terminology In physical geography and atmospheric science, the term for the rate of change of temperature per unit distance (for example, with height or across a horizontal distance) is called:
• Hydrology of Vegetation – Pathways of Rainfall on Plants In a forested or vegetated catchment, what is the process called in which precipitation is directed and channeled down branches and stems to the ground surface?
• Modern World Affairs – Formation of the CIS (1991) Identify the original three signatories who founded the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in December 1991 after the dissolution of the USSR.
• Celestial Sphere – Ecliptic Landmarks On the apparent path of the Sun (the ecliptic), the points farthest north and south of the celestial equator are known as:
• Soil-Forming Processes (Pedogenesis) Which pedogenic process is associated with poor drainage and leads to the accumulation of organic matter and the formation of gley features in the upper soil layers?
• Marine Geology – Continental Margins Which part of the continental margin is structurally a submerged extension of the continent itself (with continental crust, gentle gradients, and shallow depths)?
• Astronomy – Celestial Coordinates Right ascension (the celestial-sphere analog of terrestrial longitude) is conventionally measured in which units?
• Synoptic Meteorology – Front Evolution What is the technical term for the process by which a weather front weakens and “dies out,” losing its temperature contrast and baroclinicity?
• Soil-Forming Processes – Eluviation and Bleached Layers Which process produces a pale, white-to-gray, silica-rich sublayer (commonly an ash-gray, sandy E horizon) due to strong leaching under acidic conditions?
• Upper-Air Dynamics – Rossby Waves and Jet Stream Geometry In mid-latitude wave patterns, the ridges of long waves (Rossby waves) correspond to sectors where the jet stream bows closest to the: