ATMO 105 Midterm
In most of the world temperature is recorded in
Celsius
At night, low clouds weaken the atmospheric greenhouse effect.
FALSE
In a hilly region, the best place to plant crops that are sensitive to low temperatures is
along the hillsides.
"An ideal shelter for housing a temperature-measurement instrument should be
both white and in the shade.
Much of the carbon dioxide found in earlier atmospheres is currently locked up in
carbonted rocks
The rate at which temperature decreases with increasing altitude is known as the
laspe rate
" On a clear, calm night, the ground and air above cool mainly by which process?
radiation
Our seasons are caused by
the angle at which sunlight reaches Earth.
One would expect the lowest temperatures to be found next to the ground on a
clear, dry, calm night.
"Sun's energy transforms enormous quantities of liquid water into water vapor in a process called ____.
evaporation
Most of the radiation emitted by a human body is in the form of
infrared radiation and is invisible.
If the temperature of the air is said to be at absolute zero, one might conclude that the
infrared radiation by the atmosphere.
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is produced mainly by the absorption and re-emission of
infrared radiation by the atmosphere.
If the temperature of the air is said to be at absolute zero, one might conclude that the
molecules contain a minimum amount of energy.
" At what time during a 24-hour day would a radiation temperature inversion best be developed?
near sunrise
In a volume of air near Earth's surface today, ____ occupies 78 percent and ____ nearly 21 percent.
nitrogen; oxygen
The word "weather" is defined as
the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place.
In clear weather, the air next to the ground is usually ____ than the air above during the night and ____ than the air above during the day.
"colder; warmer
Data loggers are gradually replacing ____.
"mechanical thermographs
Fruit trees are particularly vulnerable to cold weather ____.
"when they are blossoming
The daily minimum temperature is usually observed
" around sunrise.
What is released as sensible heat during the formation of clouds?
" latent heat
Recorded temperatures on Earth range from
-121 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
The difference in atmospheric density is greatest in the layer bounded by
1 mb and 10 mb
The average surface temperature on Earth is
59 degrees F
During the great Chicago heat wave of July 1995 the afternoon air temperature reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit at Midway Airport, followed by an overnight low temperature of only 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Many residents either had no air conditioning or could not afford to use it. More than ____ deaths occurred over five days.
700
____ law of partial pressure describes that the total pressure inside an air parcel is equal to the sum of all pressures of the individual gases present in the air parcel.
Dalton's
"During the winter, high relative humidity can irritate the mucus membranes in the nose and throat.
FALSE
"The infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum carries the most amount of energy.
FALSE
A decrease in stratospheric ozone would be beneficial for plants, animals, and humans.
FALSE
A temperature of 250 K is considered extremely hot.
FALSE
Each year, Earth's surface radiates away more energy than it receives from the Sun.
FALSE
Even though Earth is cooler than the Sun, it emits much more radiation than the Sun.
FALSE
On average, temperature increases from the surface to the tropopause (around 10 km, then decreases to the stratopause (around 50 km), then decreases to the mesopause (around 90 km), then increases through the thermosphere
FALSE
Plants give up moisture by a process called perspiration.
FALSE
Temperature and heat describe the same characteristic of Earth's atmosphere.
FALSE
During summer near the North Pole, the Sun is above the horizon a shorter period of time than in the mid-latitudes.
FALSE
Good absorbers of radiation are usually poor emitters of radiation.
FALSE
In the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing mountain slopes normally have a smaller diurnal range in temperature than north-facing slopes.
FALSE
On the basis of temperature, the layers of the atmosphere from the lowest layer to the highest are the thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere
FALSE (troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere)
Which weather element ALWAYS decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?
Pressure
"A strand of human hair is known to increase by 2.5 percent as the relative humidity increases from 0 to 100 percent.
TRUE
A region can have a high specific humidity and low relative humidity because large amounts of water vapor in the air and very high air temperatures will cause the specific humidity to be high, but the relative humidity to be low.
TRUE
Each day past the winter solstice the noon Sun is a little higher above the southern horizon.
TRUE
If you are a household gardener concerned about outside flowers and plants during cold weather, you can simply wrap them in plastic or cover each with a paper cup to protect them.
TRUE
In the Northern Hemisphere, summers are warmer than winters, even though Earth is actually closer to the Sun in January.
TRUE
The temperature of the tropopause is much colder than the temperature at Earth's surface.Soil dust, salt from ocean waves, forest fire smoke, volcanic ash particles, and pollutants are some of the aerosols found in the atmosphere
TRUE
Most of the ionosphere is found in what atmospheric layer?
Thermosphere
Weather and climate affect human lives in many ways, but the most immediate effect is related to
comfort
At night, when the weather is extremely cold and dry, atmospheric pressure in the trophosphere
decreases with increasing altitude
The ability or capacity to do work on some form of matter is called
energy
When water changes from a liquid to a vapor, we call this process
evaporation
With regard to natural disasters, most people die from
flash floods or flooding
Water vapor can best be described as a
gas
Since 1958, CO2 in the atmosphere has
increased in concentration by 30%
The instrument that measures humidity by measuring the amount of radiant energy absorbed by water vapor is the
infrared hygrometer.
There are considerably more air molecules near Earth's surface than higher up, which means, in comparison, air near the surface
is more dense
A change of one degree on the Celsius scale is ____ a change of one degree on the Fahrenheit scale.
larger than
Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature would be
lower than at present
The unit of pressure most commonly found on a surface weather map is
millibars or hectopascals
Longer days are generally associated with
more insolation.
" A growing degree day for a particular crop is defined as a day on which the mean daily temperature is ____ degree above the base temperature (also known as the zero temperature)—the minimum temperature required for growth of that crop.
one
The most important reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are not warmer than summers in the Northern Hemisphere is that
over 80 percent of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water.
The primary source of oxygen for Earth's atmosphere during the past half billion years or so appears to be
photosynthesis
Falling rain and snow is called
precipitation
" Often before sunrise on a clear, calm, cold morning, ice (frost) can be seen on the tops of parked cars, even when the air temperature is above freezing because the tops of cars are cooling by a loss of
radiation
The Sun is surrounded by Earth, and how many other planets?
seven
Because the west side of a house warms rapidly in the afternoon, rooms facing that direction should have ____ windows in order for them to act as a thermal buffer.
small
"If the air temperature increased, with no addition or removal of water vapor, the actual vapor pressure would
stay the same.
Which measurement indicates the average speed of air molecules?
temperature
What determines the type (wavelength) and amount of radiation that an object emits?
temperature
Suppose yesterday morning you noticed ice crystals (frost) on the grass, yet the minimum temperature reported in the newspaper was only 35 ° F. The most likely reason for this apparent discrepancy is that
temperature readings are taken in instrument shelters more than 5 feet above the ground.
wind direction is
the direction frm which the wind is blowing
An important reason for the large daily temperature range over deserts is
there is little water vapor in the air to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation.
The term cooling degree day is used during ____ weather.
warm
As ocean temperatures increase, which greenhouse gas increases and enhances the atmospheric greenhouse effect, thereby illustrating a positive feedback process?
water vapor
Which gases are primarily responsible for the atmospheric greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere?
water vapor and carbon dioxide
To keep an object cool while exposed to direct sunlight,
wrap it in aluminum foil with the shiny side facing outward
The wind-chill index takes into account the wind speed at about ____ above the ground instead of the where official readings are usually taken.
1.5 m (5 ft)
If all of Earth's water vapor were to suddenly condense and fall as rain, it would be enough to cover the entire globe with ____ of water.
2.5 cm (1 inch)
Which latitude below would experience the fewest hours of daylight on December 22nd?
60 ° N
The albedo of the Moon is 7 percent. This means that
7 percent of sunlight striking the moon is reflected.
When it is January and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is ____ and ____ in the Southern Hemisphere.
January; summer
" What will occur if a glass of water at a stable temperature is surrounded by saturated air?
The level of the water in the glass would not change.
How do red and blue light differ?
The wavelength of red light is longer.
On a weather map, sharp changes in temperature, humidity, and wind direction are marked by
a front.
Earth's atmosphere is divided into named layers based on the vertical profile of
air temperature.
Clouds form by the process of
both deposition and condensation.
The processes of condensation and freezing
both release sensible heat into the environment.
Ideal conditions for a strong radiation inversion are a
clear, calm, dry, winter night.
Middle latitude cyclonic storms are also known as
extratropical cyclones.
In cold weather, when the air is calm, the temperature we perceive—called the sensible temperature—is often ____ a thermometer might indicate.
higher than
Auroras are seen
in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres at high latitudes.
On the summer solstice, the highest position of the noonday Sun is located
in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
Earth's magnetic field protects Earth from some of the
particles emitted by the Sun in the form of solar winds and storms.
If the amount of energy lost by Earth to space each year were not approximately equal to that received,
the atmosphere's average temperature would change.
The lag in daily temperature refers to the time lag between the
time of maximum solar radiation and the time of maximum temperature.
Which of the following is considered a variable gas in Earth's atmosphere?
water vapor
The most abundant greenhouse gas in Earth's current atmosphere is
water vapor (H2O).
