Self Test for Exam 1

The latitude of the equator is ____.

0°

The temperature of the soil is strongly influenced by solar radiation. At what depth within the soil would you expect to find the smallest annual variation in temperature?

10 centimeters

How many cooling degree-days would there be for a day with a maximum temperature of 95°F and a minimum temperature of 65°F? (Assume a base temperature of 65°F)

15

The diurnal range of temperature is greatest ____

2 feet above the ground

Maximum air temperature in a given day usually occurs ____.

2-4 hours after maximum solar heating

If water vapor comprises 3.5% of an air parcel whose total pressure is 1000 mb, the water vapor pressure would be ____.

35 mb

How many heating degree-days would there be for a day with a maximum temperature of 30°F and a minimum temperature of 20°F? (Assume a base temperature of 65°F.)

40

ADVECTION | RADIATION fog forms when the wind moves warm, moist air over a sufficiently colder surface and the moist air is cooled to its saturation point.

ADVECTION

The "ozone hole" is observed above ____.

Antarctica

The burning of coal and oil can release SULFUR | NITROGEN gases into the atmosphere that may transform into acid rain.

Both

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) cause destruction to ozone through the release of SULFURIC ACID | CHLORINE.

CHLORINE

At polar latitudes, high and middle altitude clouds are generally CLOSER TO | FURTHER FROM the ground than at tropical latitudes.

CLOSER TO

What mechanism always transfers heat by flowing from warmer to colder regions?

Covection

In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the shortest number of daylight hours occurs on ____.

December 21

____________________ radar is a tool used by meteorologists to observe the winds and precipitation intensities associated with severe thunderstorms.

Doppler

When air is saturated, the rate of evaporation is GREATER THAN | EQUAL TO the rate of condensation.

EQUAL TO

Hypothermia is a serious medical condition brought on by higher than normal human body temperature.

False

Microwave radiation has a longer wavelength and carries more energy per wave than visible light.

False

On a windy day, you would expect to record warmer daytime and warmer nighttime temperatures than on a day with calm winds.

False

The air pressure at the summit of Mount Everest is higher than the air pressure at sea level.

False

Transpiration from plants and evaporation from soil, lakes, and streams account for the majority of the water vapor added to the atmosphere each year.

False

The world's cold temperature record (-129°F) was set on July 21, 1983 in Antarctica. List two factors that probably contributed to this extremely cold reading.

Geographical Location: Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth due to its high latitude and its position as the southernmost landmass. During the Antarctic winter, the continent is in near-total darkness, allowing for extreme cooling as heat escapes into space. The combination of its southern position and prolonged periods of darkness contributes to frigid temperatures. High Elevation: Many areas of Antarctica are at high elevations, and elevation plays a significant role in temperature. Higher elevations tend to be colder because the air pressure decreases with altitude, which allows the air to expand and cool. Antarctica has high plateaus and mountain ranges, and these elevated regions experience even colder temperatures, especially during the winter months. These two factors, along with the unique polar climate and atmospheric conditions of Antarctica, combine to create the incredibly low temperatures observed on that record-setting day in 1983.

The ten principle cloud forms are divided into four primary cloud groups. Each of the four groups is identified by the HEIGHT | APPEARANCE of the clouds.

HEIGHT

On a calm, cold day the temperature we perceive is often HIGHER | LOWER than the thermometer reading.

Higher

Halos are sometimes observed in thin, sheetlike, high clouds, composed of WATER | ICE particles.

ICE

Which is a better reflector of solar energy, WATER or ICE?

ICE

Humid air is slightly MORE | LESS dense than dry air with the same temperature.

LESS

Air density is greatest in the UPPER | LOWER atmosphere.

LOWER

Peak ozone (O3) concentrations are found in the stratosphere near 25 km altitude. Would you expect to find the highest molecular oxygen (O2) concentrations at HIGHER or LOWER altitude?

LOWER

____ occupy or cover approximately 70% of the earth's surface.

Oceans

Plant photosynthesis increased the concentration of ____________________ in the earth's early atmosphere.

Oxygen

Air is a GOOD | POOR conductor of heat.

POOR

In some situations, light behaves as if it were composed of particles rather than having a wavelike nature. What is the name given to light "particles?"

Photons

If the weather forecast predicts the arrival of a warm front to your area for the weekend, should you expect RAIN or CLEAR SKIES?

RAIN

The longest wavelengths of visible light correspond to the color RED | VIOLET.

RED

What are the two main ways in which fog usually forms? List and briefly explain four primary types of fog, and give an example of where each could be found.

Radiation Fog: This type of fog forms on clear, calm nights when the Earth's surface loses heat rapidly through radiation. As the ground cools, it, in turn, cools the air near the surface. When the air temperature drops to the dew point temperature, fog forms. Radiation fog is common in valleys and low-lying areas during the late evening and early morning hours. Advection Fog: Advection fog forms when warm, moist air moves horizontally over a colder surface. As the warm, moist air encounters the cold surface, it cools, and if it reaches its dew point, fog forms. This type of fog often occurs in coastal areas where ocean air moves over cooler land surfaces.

The earth's atmosphere SELECTIVELY | CONTINUOUSLY absorbs radiation.

SELECTIVELY

Clear skies occurs in high pressure regions where the air is RISING | SINKING.

SINKING

In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the sun's position can affect vegetation. Would you expect a SOUTH- or a NORTH-facing hill to receive more sunlight during a year?

SOUTH

The radiosonde uses a RADIOMETER | THERMISTOR to measure temperatures in the atmosphere.

THERMISTOR

Atmospheric water vapor concentrations are typically higher in TROPICAL | POLAR regions.

TROPICAL

The basis for dividing the earth's atmosphere into layers is the change of ____________________ with altitude.

Temperature

Hot air with a low relative humidity may actually contain more water vapor than cool air with a high relative humidity.

True

Methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are greenhouse gases.

True

Molecular oxygen (O2) in the earth's early atmosphere probably originated from the splitting of water vapor (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen.

True

The Great Lakes are large enough to affect the climate of the surrounding area.

True

The formation of ice releases heat and warms the surroundings.

True

The ground is a better emitter of infrared radiation and cools more quickly than air.

True

Two cities can have the same mean annual temperature but different mean annual ranges of temperature.

True

Sea level pressure is determined by the WEIGHT | HEIGHT of the atmosphere.

WEIGHT

What happens to actual vapor pressure, saturation vapor pressure, and relative humidity when moist air is warmed?

Warming moist air increases both the actual vapor pressure and the saturation vapor pressure, but it often leads to a decrease in relative humidity unless additional moisture is added to the air to maintain the same relative humidity level. Warmer air has a greater capacity to hold moisture, so the same amount of moisture becomes a smaller fraction of the air's capacity, resulting in a lower relative humidity.

In calm air, the air temperature is -10°F. If the wind speed should increase to 30 mi/hr (with no change in air temperature), the thermometer will indicate ____.

a temperature of -10°F

The movement of smoke in the atmosphere from one area to another by wind is an example of ____.

advection

In a hilly region, the best place to plant crops that are sensitive to low temperatures is ___.

along the hillsides

Areas of high atmospheric pressure are also known as ____.

anticyclones

The thermosphere is where charged particles from the sun interact with air molecules to produce ____.

auroras

Seasons on earth are regulated by ___.

both the length of daylight hours and the angle sunlight strikes the earth's surface

Although water vapor accounts for about 60% of the atmospheric greenhouse effect, it is the increase of ____ in the atmosphere that appears to be the main cause of global warming.

carbon dioxide

When viewed from the surface, high clouds that are small, rounded, white puffs occurring individually or in long rows are called ____.

cirrocumulus

A halo around the moon means that ____.

cirrostratus clouds are present

Dew is most likely to form on ____.

clear, calm nights

Nighttime radiation inversions occur on most ____.

clear, calm nights

One would expect near-ground temperatures to be coldest when the night is ___.

clear, dry, and calm

Which of the following would you expect to have smaller diurnal temperature ranges (assuming all other factors are equal)?

coastal cities

Hypothermia is most common in ____.

cold, wet weather

Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called ____.

condensation nuclei

The transfer of heat from molecule to molecule within a substance is called ____.

conduction

The earth emits infrared radiation ____.

continuously

In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds tend to blow ____ and ____ around an area of surface low pressure.

counterclockwise; inward

Hail is usually associated with what cloud?

cumulonimbus

The earth's atmospheric pressure always ____________________ with increasing height.

decreases

Lines of latitude on a map represent the ____.

distance north or south from the equator

Which of the following areas would you expect to find warmer night temperatures (assuming all other factors are equal)?

downtown areas in cities

Which of the following would contribute to higher surface air temperatures?

dry sandy soil with little vegetation

The greenhouse effect is directly enhanced by ____.

energy absorption by atmospheric water vapor particles

Exhaled breath from your mouth in cold weather produces ____.

evaporation (mixing) fog

In the lower atmosphere, any air that rises will ____ and cool.

expand

The boundary that separates sharp changes in temperature, humidity, and wind direction is known as a(n) ____.

front

In what kind of nighttime cooling are ground-level temperatures colder than temperatures above the ground?

ground inversion

What is responsible for the cold feeling that you experience after leaving a swimming pool on a hot, dry summer day?

heat transport by latent heat

What is used as an index for fuel consumption?

heating degree-days

On a calm, cold day, the sensible temperature is often ____ than the thermometer reading.

higher

Air density is greatest in the ____.

homosphere

A baseball will travel slightly farther on a ____ day.

hot, humid

A tropical storm system with winds in excess of 74 mi/hr is called a(n) ____.

hurricane

The earth's first atmosphere (approximately 4.6 billion years ago) was most likely composed of ____.

hydrogen and helium

Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of ____.

ice particles

If very cold air is brought indoors and warmed with no change in its moisture content, the saturation vapor pressure of this air will ____ and the relative humidity of this air will ____.

increase; decrease

Average atmospheric CO2 concentrations have ____ over the past 100 years.

increased

Between Christmas and January, at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the length of the day ____.

increases

As the temperature of an object ____, the intensity of the radiation emitted by the object ____.

increases; increases

The earth emits radiation with greatest intensity at ____.

infrared wavelengths

The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called ____.

latent heat of condensation

Which process accounts for the sky's blue color?

light scattering

An astronaut walking in space at an altitude of 300 km and properly shielded from the sun would feel cold when the temperature is 500°C as a result of ____.

low air density

Clouds that appear as bag-like sacks hanging from beneath a cloud are ____.

mammatus

A thermometer with a small constriction just above the bulb is a(n) ____.

maximum thermometer

A liquid thermometer that is held in direct sunlight will ____.

measure a much higher temperature than that of the air

The thermometer most likely to contain alcohol is the ____.

minimum thermometer

The most abundant gases in the earth's present day atmosphere (by volume) are ____.

nitrogen and oxygen

Would you expect to observe the smallest variation in temperature from day to day in the middle of a(n) OCEAN or LAND MASS?

ocean

Over the earth as a whole, one would expect to observe the smallest variation in temperature from day to day and from month to month ____.

on a small island near the equator

The primary source of water vapor and carbon dioxide to the earth's early atmosphere was most likely ____.

outgassing

Extratropical cyclones are found ____.

outside the tropics

The average summer temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere are cooler than the average summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere because ____.

over 80% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water

Radiation is made of discrete packets of energy called ____.

photons

Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere through the process of ____.

photosynthesis

There are two primary types of weather satellites in use for viewing clouds. The first are geostationary satellites and the second are ____ satellites.

polar-orbiting

Small particles of ordinary table salt are hygroscopic. What does hygroscopic mean and what is a likely natural source of salt particles?

refers to the property of a substance to readily absorb and retain moisture from the surrounding environment, including water vapor in the air. In the case of small particles of ordinary table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl), they are hygroscopic, which means they have a strong affinity for water molecules and can absorb moisture from the air, forming a solution or a damp solid.

The wind-chill index ____.

relates body heat loss with wind to an equivalent temperature with no wind

The Heat Index (HI) is based on the apparent temperature, which is a combination of air temperature and ____.

relative humidity

The percentage of water vapor present in the air compared to that required for saturation is the ____.

relative humidity

Clouds often form in the ____.

rising air in the center of a low pressure area

Scientists pose hypotheses, or informed predictions about how our natural world will behave, using the ____________________ method.

scientific method

Which instrument uses wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures to obtain relative humidity?

sling psychrometer

Which of the following has a higher albedo than thin clouds?

snow

Air molecules are held near the earth's surface by ____.

solar radiation

During the afternoon, the greatest temperature difference between the surface air and the air a meter or so above occurs on a ____.

sunny, calm day

The word "weather" is defined as____.

the condition of the atmosphere at any particular time and place

The exosphere is ____.

the upper limit of our atmosphere

During atmospheric convection, rising air bubbles are called ____.

thermals

What is the common name given to the rising bubbles of air that transport heat from the ground to the air above?

thermals

An instrument that measures temperature and records it on a piece of record paper is called a ____.

thermograph

A towering cloud, or cluster of clouds, accompanied by thunder, lightning, strong gusty winds, and heavy rain is called a(n)____.

thunderstorm

Which area of the human body would be most likely suffer from frostbite first before the others?

toes

All of the weather we are familiar with on the earth occurs in the ____.

troposphere

Thermal belts are ____.

warmer hillsides that are less likely to experience freezing temperatures

Which of the following would cause relative humidity to decrease?

warming the air

The total mass of water vapor stored in the atmosphere represents about one ____ supply of the world's precipitation.

week's