ch 6 ocean online hw

Select all the sources of heat losses listed below in Earth's heat budget.

1.) Net surface emission of long-wave radiation2.) Reflection by clouds3.) Backscatter in the air

Identify the two key components of the greenhouse effect

--- greenhouse gases allow incoming short-wave radiation to pass downward --- greenhouse gases absorb some of the outgoing longer-wave radiation from the Earth

The long-term heat budget of Earth shows that the amount of heat gained is ______ the amount of heat lost to space.

equal to

The atmosphere is primarily heated

from below as Earth radiates heat upward

The long-term gains and losses in heat must be balanced for Earth to have a relatively stable long-term mean surface temperature. These gains and losses are tallied in a(n) ______ budget.

heat

Areas of descending air result in. pressure zones, and areas of ascending (rising) air result in

high ; low

Over the course of a year, more heat is lost than is gained at

higher latitudes

The rise in greenhouse gas levels has

increased Earth's average temperature as less heat radiation can escape Earth's atmosphere

The rise in carbon dioxide levels has been attributed to humans and really picked up its pace with the start of the

industrial rev

The surface temperatures on land vary more over the course of a year than the surface temperatures on the ocean because land has a ______ than the ocean does.

lower heat capacity

Measurements made at Earth's surface near the equator show that over the course of a year

more heat is gained than is lost

The most common gas element in the atmosphere by volume is _____ , and the second most common is _____

nitrogen ; oxygen

Sheets of new sea ice that are broken into small roundish pieces are called

pancake ice

There is a natural annual increase and decrease in carbon dioxide levels in the Northern Hemisphere because

plants absorb carbon dioxide in the spring and summer as they grow and release it in fall and winter as plant material decays

a heat budget ____

represents the gains and losses of heat from Earth and the atmosphere to space

The _______ is the initial source of energy that heats the atmosphere and the oceans

sun

The natural destruction of ozone over Antarctica occurs when

temperatures drop low enough for clouds to form between 10 and 30 km up in the atmosphere

We understand the movement of Earth's wind patterns by studying a model of Earth completely covered in water. The real Earth has an ______ which displaces the wind bands in the previous model.

uneven distribution of land and water

Atmospheric pressure is the force

with which a column of overlying air presses on an area of Earth's surface

Greater speed or velocity of motion and a higher both result in an increase in the magnitude of the Coriolis effect

latitude

The speed of Earth's rotation changes with

latitude and is greatest at the equator

La Niña events occur when _

ocean surface temperatures drop below normal off the coast of Peru

A decrease in the amount of ______ in the atmosphere means a greater amount of ultraviolet radiation reaches the ground

ozone

A highly reactive molecule of oxygen composed of three oxygen atoms is called

ozone

Human-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are released into the atmosphere and break apart when struck by ultraviolet light. The chlorine that is released tends to attack and break down ______.

ozone

The destruction of ozone in the stratosphere is a concern because

ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation

The Southern Oscillation is the _____

periodic reversal of high- and low-pressure systems on either side of the tropical Pacific Ocean

The formation of high- and low-pressure zones directly results from air masses

rising and falling

rue or false: The processes that lead to the absorption and loss of heat from Earth vary with time.

true

Warm ocean waters (greater than 27.8°C) and the condensing of water vapor are the major conditions necessary for the formation of

typhoon

The net motion of heat in the winter is ______ in the oceans.

upward

The upwelling of cold water off the coast of Peru is blocked during the Southern Oscillation by a pool of _____water that moves eastward from the western equatorial Pacific.

warm

Clouds can ______ Earth by absorbing long-wave radiation from Earth's surface and help ______ Earth by reflecting short-wave radiation from the Sun

warm ; cool

The upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water off the coast of Peru (South America) is weakened or shut down during the Southern Oscillation because______

warm surface waters are pushed across the Pacific and are pushed up against the coast

A convection cell is one in which air is

warmed at one location and cooled at another

Rank the layers of the atmosphere according to their height above Earth's surface, placing the layer closest to Earth at the bottom.

(bottom) troposphere stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere (top)

The three short-term, active reservoirs for carbon dioxide are

.) The atmosphere2.) The oceans3.) Terrestrial systems

Select all the possible components of clouds listed below. (They would not all occur in the same clouds at the same time.)

1.) Liquid water droplets with temperatures above freezing2.) Ice crystals3.) Dust particles4.) Supercooled water droplets with temperatures below freezing

Each hemisphere of Earth has ______ convection cells. These cells each cover about 30 degrees of latitude with air rising at the equator and at ______ degrees latitude and sinking at the poles and at 30 degrees of latitude

3;60

Rank the latitudes below in terms of their speed of rotation. Place the latitude with the slowest rotation at the top

85, 60, 25, 5

identify some of the factors that led to Hurricane Katrina (2005) being so destructive to New Orleans. (Select all that apply

A large storm surge occurred. Flood barriers failed. An increase in strength happened as the storm moved over the warm Gulf waters and gained energy from below.

Select all the sources of heat gains in Earth's heat budget

Absorption by dust in the atmosphere Absorption by clouds Absorption by water and land

Moving air and water masses appear to be deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. This apparent deflection is called the

Coriolis effect

Winds are named based on the

Direction the wind is coming from

The related events of El Niño and the Southern Oscillation are known as

ENSO

A plane flying directly north in the sky will appear to be following a curved path with respect to the ground because

Earth (the reference frame) beneath the plane is rotating

The anomalous climatic conditions that occur on average every three to seven years and last for about a year in the tropical Pacific are called ______

El Niño events

T OR F The weather-related effects of ENSO events are limited to the Southern Hemisphere, where the pressure systems reverse

False

Match the ice term to its description.

Fast ice: Sea ice that is anchored to a landmass or shallow part of the continental shelf. Drift ice: Freely floating sea ice Pack ice: Continuous, or nearly continuous, sea ice

Solar radiation intensity available at Earth's surface varies most directly with ______.

Latitude and weakens from the equator to the poles

A hurricane is a _______, intense, atmospheric storm that is born over ______.

large; tropical oceans

Select all the sources of heat losses listed below in Earth's heat budget

Reflection by clouds Net surface emission of long-wave radiation Backscatter in the air

In regard to wind band modification, what factors require consideration when moving from the rotating, water-covered model of Earth to the real Earth? (Select all that apply.)

Seasonal changes in Earth's surface temperature The difference in heat capacity of land and water The addition of large continental land blocks

The acronym ENSO represents the combined events of El Niño and the ______

Southern Oscillation

The periodic reversals of the high- and low-pressure systems in the tropical Pacific are called the _____

Southern Oscillation

In order to predict an El Niño event, what variables are entered in to the Multivariate ENSO Index (select all that apply)

Surface-air temperature Total amount of cloudiness Sea-level pressure Sea surface temperature East-west and north-south velocity components of the trade winds

Identify the factors below that are important in the formation of hurricanes

The heat liberated as water vapor condenses Ocean surface temperatures greater than 27.8°C (82°F) The Coriolis effect

Identify the factors below that influence the magnitude of the Coriolis effect. (Select all that apply.)

The speed of the mass (air, water, plane, etc.) in motion The latitude

If we assume that the incoming short-wave solar radiation is the only source of energy available to heat Earth's surface and that there are 100 units of energy entering the atmosphere, then Earth's heat budget most closely matches which of the following choices?

Thirty units are backscattered, 70 units are gained, and later 70 units are lost back to space.

What do we use the Saffir-Simpson Scale for?

To categorize hurricanes

Select all the atmospheric layers below in which air temperature drops with increasing altitude

Troposphere Mesosphere

Match the layer of Earth's atmosphere to its description.

Troposphere: The lowest layer; air temperatures drop with increasing altitude Stratosphere: Contains most of the ozone; air temperatures increase with increasing altitude Mesosphere: Located above the stratopause; air temperatures drop with increasing altitude Thermosphere: The highest layer; air temperatures increase with increasing altitude

Rank the following variable gases in terms of their relative volume amounts in the atmosphere. Place the most common gas at the top.

Water vapor Carbon dioxide Methane Nitrous oxide

Identify the general weather patterns that result from ENSO events.

Wetter-than-normal rainfall in the eastern United States and in normally dry regions of Peru Warmer-than-normal winters in the northern United States and Canada

Chemical reactions leading to the yearly destruction of ozone occur when clouds form over Antarctica due to

a drop in air temperatures

A storm tide results when _____

a high tide occurs at the same time and location as a storm surge

A rain shadow can form on the leeward (sheltered) side of mountains because the

air drops its moisture on the windward side as the air moves up over the mountains and cools and loses precipitation in the process

The Coriolis effect describes the

apparent deflection from straight-line movement of air and water masses

Sea ice forms

as seawater begins to freeze at the ocean's surface

Heating of the air over the land in India's summers causes the formation of a low-pressure system. This low-pressure system pulls in moist warm air off the ocean. This results in monsoons _

as the warm moist air cools as it rises and releases the moisture as heavy rains

In addition to terrestrial ecosystems, the two active reservoirs of carbon dioxide are the

atmosphere; oceans.

The force a column of overlying air exerts on an area of Earth's surface is called

atmospheric pressure

An air mass warmed near the equator ______ and travels aloft until it reaches about 30 degrees latitude, when it sinks because it has cooled enough. The air mass then moves either north or south where it rises again at the equator or at ______ degrees of latitude.

contracts 60

When air warms in one area, rises and moves horizontally as wind to another location, and then cools and descends, moving horizontally as wind back toward the original area, the pattern of circulation is called a ______ cell.

convection

In the Southern Hemisphere, the horizontal movement of air around high-pressure systems is in a _______ direction and in a ______ direction around low-pressure systems.

counterclockwise : clockwise

Puffy clouds are labeled_______cumulus layered clouds are stratus, wispy clouds are _________Cirrus, and clouds that release precipitation to the ground are nimbus.

cumulus ; Cirrus

The doldrums are located near the equator, and the horse latitudes are located at 30 degrees north and south latitude. The main difference in the atmospheric conditions is the horse latitudes are areas of ______ pressure.

descending air, resulting in high pressure, and the doldrums result from rising air leading to low

Monsoons form over the west coast of India

during the summer when a low-pressure system forms over the land, pulling in warm moist air from the ocean

Solar radiation is greatest at the ______ and weakens toward the ______, where it is the least intense

equator; poles

Since the land has a lower relative heat capacity as compared to the ocean, the land tends to

experience a greater daily range of temperatures

True or false: The atmosphere primarily heats from above because it is closer to the Sun.

false

An ice floe is a

floating chunk of ice with a diameter of less than 10 kilometers

Massive ________ caused the majority of damage during Hurricane Katrina. This was caused by torrential rain, a large storm surge, and the failure of protective barriers.

flooding

The heat released when sea ice freezes goes into the atmosphere instead of into the water, so the surrounding water remains at the ______point.

freezing

During an El Niño, the surface pressure in Indonesia is unusually _____and reciprocally, is unusually_____ in the central Pacific.

high low

The areas of descending air leading to high pressure at 30 degrees north and south latitude are known as the______ latitudes, whereas the area of _____ pressure at the equator is known as the doldrums.

horse ; low

Large and intense atmospheric storms born over tropical ocean waters in the Atlantic are known as

hurricanes

The Saffir-Simpson scale categorizes___ according to wind speed.

hurricanes

Pancake ice that comes together to form floating chunks of ice less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter are called ice

ice floes

Massive, irregularly shaped sea ice masses that are formed by glaciers breaking apart are called

icebergs

The amount of long-wave heat radiation retained by the atmosphere will ______ as the levels of greenhouse gases increase.

increase

Periods of colder-than-normal ocean surface water temperatures off the coast of Peru are called ______ events.

la nina

In the middle latitudes, low-pressure systems are located over the ____ during the summer as the surface heats quickly. However, in the winter, the high-pressure systems tend to form there as the air is cooler and sinks.

land

The amount of daylight and the angle the Sun's rays strike Earth vary with ______ because the ______ of Earth's tilt with respect to the solar plane changes during the course of a year.

latitude; direction

Clouds can affect Earth's surface temperatures by absorbing some ______ radiation from Earth's surface, thus keeping it warmer, and by reflecting some ______ radiation from the Sun, thus keeping Earth cooler.

long wave short wave

Global atmospheric circulation results in stable low- and high-pressure systems at certain latitudes. The high precipitation rates in ______-pressure systems result in ______-than-average salinity in the ocean surface waters below.

low lower

A storm surge results when a ______ -pressure system causes a rise in the sea's surface and from the storm winds driving ______ toward the center of the storm.

low water

An El Niño is a period of _____

nomalous climatic conditions centered in the tropical Pacific

Gases that are always present in the same relative amounts are called ______ gases, and gases that can change in relative amounts based on time and location are called ______ gases.

permanent; variable

Air moving up one side of a large mountain (the windward side) will cool and drop precipitation because colder air can hold less moisture than warmer air. This can result in the formation of a ______.

rain shadow on the leeward (downwind) side as the air mass has lost most of its moisture on the windward side

As sea ice is forming, the surrounding water temperature

remains at the freezing point

During El Niño events, the pressure systems in the Pacific

reverse the normal surface pressure gradient

The low-pressure system at the equator leads to the ocean's surface waters there having a lower-than-average _____ due to the increased precipitation.

salinity

The low-pressure system at the equator leads to the ocean's surface waters there having a lower-than-average due to the increased precipitation.

salinity

The 1997-98 El Niño event was predicted six months in advance. As a result, we

saved $1billion to 2 billion in property damage in the United States

One of the most apparent benefits of accurately predicting El Niño events is ______

saving money from property damage

______forms as seawater begins to freeze at the ocean's surface

sea ice

pancake ice results when

sheets of new sea ice are broken into small rounded pieces

The maximum sea-surface elevation occurs in the middle of low-pressure systems such as hurricanes. This hill or mound of water is called a(n) ______surge.

storm

Scientists use the Multivariate ENSO Index to predict an El Niño event. The data they need to input include variables regarding cloudiness, trade wind velocity, air pressure, and the _____ of both the sea surface and the air right above the sea surface

temperature

The vast majority of energy used to heat the oceans and atmosphere initially comes from ______.

the sun

When a storm surge coincides with a high tide, the result is called a storm

tide

The processes involved in the heat budget vary with

time

The processes involved in the heat budget vary with ______.

time

Match the wind type to its description

trade winds : the surface between the equator abd 30 lat westerlies: 30 and 60 polar : 60 and 90

Since we observe objects in the sky from a rotating reference point, objects moving in a straight line in the sky appear to

travel along a curved path

Winds are named for the direction from which they blow

true

The polar easterlies are the surface winds between the poles and 60 degrees of latitude. The_____ are the surface winds between 60 and 30 degrees of latitude, and the______winds are the surface winds between the equator and 30 degrees of latitude.

westerlies trade

The unequal distribution of heat between the equator and the poles results in ocean currents and ________ that work to remove the imbalance.

winds

The difference between permanent and variable atmospheric gases is that permanent gases are present in a constant relative percentage of the atmosphere's total volume, and the variable atmospheric gases ______.

change their concentrations with time and location

The human-induced destruction of ozone occurs when chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) break down in the atmosphere as they are stuck by ultraviolet radiation. The released ______ leads to the breakdown of ozone.

chlorine

In the Northern Hemisphere, the horizontal movement of winds around a high-pressure system is in a ______ direction because the Coriolis effect deflects winds to the right as they move outward from the cente

clockwise

The annual variation in the amount of solar radiation received varies with latitude because the

direction of Earth's tilt changes with respect to the Sun during the year

Free floating sea ice is called______ ice; continuous sea ice is called _______ice; and sea ice anchored to a landmass is called_______ ice.

drift ; pack ; ice

The visible part of clouds in the lower atmosphere is composed of water

droplets

Carbon dioxide allows incoming long-wave solar radiation to pass downward but traps some of the longer-wave infrared radiation given off by Earth. This allows Earth to be warmer than it otherwise would be and is called the_____ effect

greenhouse

Ocean currents and winds move excess _______from the equator toward the poles.

heat or energy

The rise in greenhouse gas levels has _____

increased Earth's average temperature as less heat radiation can escape Earth's atmosphere

As you move up in the stratosphere and the thermosphere, the air temperature____

increases

The solar constant of 2 calories per square centimeter per minute is the value of the

intensity of the solar radiation received on a surface at right angles to the Sun, assuming Earth has no atmosphere

Match the cloud type to its description

stratus: layered cumulus: puffy Cirrus: wispy nimbus; coulds releasing precipation that travels to the ground

The heat absorbed at the surface of the ocean is moved downward in ______, and heat is transferred upward toward the surface in______

summer ; winter

The difference in heat capacity between the land and oceans leads to low-pressure systems forming over the land in the and over the in winter.

summer and seas

The annual growth and decay of plant material accounts for a large portion of the annual variation in ______ levels in the atmosphere.

carbon dioxide

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been an increase in the levels of ______ in the atmosphere.

carbon dioxide

The annual growth and decay of plant material accounts for a large portion of the annual variation in ______ levels in the atmosphere

carbon dioxide

Ozone is a highly reactive ______

molecule of oxygen comprised of three atoms that absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun

If you assume Earth has no atmosphere, the intensity of the solar radiation available on a surface at right angles to the Sun's rays is 2 calories per square centimeter per minute. This value is known as the

solar constant