EXAM 1 ANSWERS

Which of the following surfaces has the highest albedo?

A snow-covered surface

The saturation water vapor pressure ________________ exponentially with increasing temperature.

increases

Temperature is a measure of the average _________________ energy of atoms or molecules in a substance.

kinetic

The Earth rotates around its axis once every __________[a]__________ hours, and revolves around the sun onceevery __________[b]__________ days.

24, 365

About how much warmer is Earth's surface as a result of the greenhouse effect?

60 ˚F

The friction force typically causes what change in the wind?

A decrease in wind speed

Which type of surface is most likely to facilitate run-off?

Clay

What type of stability condition is the most common?

Conditional Instability

Which type of lifting typically results from the unequal heating of the surface of the earth?

Convection

Imagine you are on a hiking trip and at the base of the mountain it is 60˚F with 40% humidity. At the peak it is 50˚F. If the amount of moisture in the air remains the same, how would the relative humidity change?

Increase compared to the base

In order for water to change into the gas phase, energy is required to break hydrogen bonds between H2O molecules. This energy is referred to as:

Latent heat

Which phase of water is most dense?

Liquid

Where is the height of the tropopause the highest?

Near the equator

Why does Rio de Janeiro, Brazil have a warmer annual average temperature than Lima, Peru despite the fact that Rio de Janeiro is further from the equator?

Ocean currents

The Sun emits _______[a]__________ radiation and the Earth emits _______[b]________ radiation.

Shortwave, Longwave or infared

Albedo is the fraction of ________[a]_________ radiation that is reflected back to space, forEarth that fraction is ________[b]_________ .

Solar, 30%

As an air parcel rises, it expands and cools. At a certain height the air parcel is colder than its surrounding environment. The air parcel is:

Stable

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is furthest from the sun during which season?

Summer

The dominant balance of forces governing large-scale (1000+ km) horizontal motion of the atmosphere is called geostrophic balance, referring to a balance between the Coriolis force and:

The pressure gradient force

Consider a parcel of moist air that is lifted vertically from the surface. How does the temperature of the airparcel change while it is still below the lifting condensation level? How does the temperature of the parcelchange as it rises above the lifting condensation level? At what parcel temperature does this transition occur?*

The temperature of the air parcel changes while it is still below lifting condensation at a dry adiabatic lapse rate for 10C every 1000 meters. The temperature as it is rising is warming below the lifting condensation level.The temperature of the air parcel changes as it rises above lifting condensation at a wet adiabatic lapse rate for 5C every 1000 meters and can cause cooling as it is now expanded. The parcel temperature this transition occurs is at the dew point where relative humidity is a 100%. This is when condensation occurs and the parcel is now saturated. Response feedback: Air parcel temperature decreases by dry adiabatic lapse rate below lifting condensation level, and continues to decrease by moist adiabatic lapse rate above lifting condensation level. The air parcel temperature decreases more slowly above lifting condensation level than below it.

The above graphic shows the lapse rate of a given environment, along with the dry adiabatic lapse rate ofa hypothetical parcel of air. Would this environment be stable or unstable? Is this the type of environmentthat convection could occur? Why or why not?

This environment would be unstable. With graphics dealing with stability, the environmental lapse rate is on the right side of the graph. In unstable areas the environmental lapse rate is on the left side. This could be a environment where convection can occur because in conditional instability, the environmental lapse rate is smaller than dry adiabatic lapse rate but greater than the wet adiabatic lapse rate. The parcel then becomes stable up or to lifting condensation level until the parcel then becomes unstable where convection occurs. So convection can occur.

Name the three mechanisms of heat transfer in the atmosphere and briefly describe (in one sentenceeach) the mechanisms.

Three mechanisms of heat transfer in the atmosphere are Conduction, Convection, and Radiation. Conduction is the process where heat is transferred through molecular and electrical collisions from one molecule to another and is direct contact. Convection is the process where heat is being transferred from molecular via movement or circulation of the substance like mixing. Radiation is the transfer of energy in the form of waves or particles through space (vacuum) or through a material medium. Response feedback: Convection need not have its heat originate from conductive processes. Radiation does not need a material medium to transfer heat. Radiation is actually special in this sense, as it able to travel through the near vacuum of space without issue.

Name 3 types of fronts that are often associated with Midlatitude cyclones? Describe in your own wordsthe main characteristics of each front and its relation to Midlatitude cyclones (1 sentence each).

Three types of fronts that are often associated with Midlatitude cyclones are stationary fronts, cold fronts, and occluded fronts. Stationary fronts are where air flow between two masses are parallel and are related to Midlatitude cyclones because it is apart of the first stage of Midlatitude cyclone formation to occur which allows for low pressure systems to occur because surface winds converge.. Cold fronts have low humidity and are associated with cumulonimbus clouds and heavy precipitation and relates to midlatitude cyclones because it is moving down south to follow the warm so occlusion can begin. Occluded fronts is when the cold air overtakes the warm front and it relates to Midlatitude cyclones because it cuts off low pressure so that dissipation can occur.

Which region of Earth is characterized by a surplus of radiation (that is, the absorption of solar radiation is greater than the loss of Earth's radiation to space)?

Tropics

The peak intensity of incident solar radiation on Earth is primarily in the form of:

Visible light

What direction is the general flow of the jet stream?

Westerly

A cirrus cloud is commonly characterized by:

Wispy Curls

Heavy precipitation and cumulonimbus clouds are most likely associated with a ________________ front.

cold

An air parcel with a dew point of 60˚F has a _________________ water vapor concentration than an air parcel with a dew point of 55˚F.

higher

The emission of radiation from an object will increase if its temperature ____________________.

increases

Coriolis force deflects wind to the _________[a]___________ in the Southern Hemisphere, and to the________[b]____________ in the Northern Hemisphere.

left, right

The sky is blue because blue light is scattered by _______[a]_______ and ______[b]_______ molecules in the atmosphere, which make up the majority of the atmosphere.

nitrogen, oxygen

Because of the existence of ________[a]____________ in stratosphere, the temperature in stratosphere________[b]____________ with height in this layer of the atmosphere.

ozone, increases

Isobars, which are lines of equal _________[a]___________, that are closer together result in_________[b]___________wind speeds.

pressure, higher or larger or greater

A lapse rate is a rate of change of ____________________ with height in the atmosphere.

temperature