Weather and Climate Midterm

In the surface energy budget, the term -SW represents a. NET R b. the albedo value of the surface c. incoming energy d. heat

The albedo value of a surface

The temperature on a cloudy night is likely to be _____ the temperature on a clear night - all other factors being equal a. the same as b. warmer than c. colder than

Warmer than

-273 degrees Celsius/-459.4 degrees Fahrenheit is a. the same as 273 Kelvin b. 0 degrees absolute temperature c. an average boiling temperature d. not possible on any scale

0 degrees absolute temperature

When water evaporates from a surface, which of the following occurs a. the surface is cooled b. energy is stored within the water c. energy is removed from the surface d. all of these occur

All of these occur

During the day along the coast, the wind tends to blow toward the ____ because _____. a. land; land heats more slowly than water b. water; water heats more slowly than land c. water; water heats more rapidly than land d. land; land heats more rapidly than water

Land; land heats more rapidly than water

The sky on Venus is yellow in color. This means that a. yellow light is absorbed by the Venusian atmosphere b. the laws of atmospheric physics governing the color of its atmosphere are different than the laws which govern the color of Earth's atmosphere c. the atmospheric gases on Venus are of a different average size than those in Earth's atmosphere d. all of the above are true

the atmospheric gases on Venus are of a different average size than those in Earth's atmosphere

Which of the following combinations of NET R terms would be associated with a hot, dry climate? (+SW = insolation; - SW = albedo; LE = latent heat of evaporation) a. +SW small; -SW large; LE large b. +SW large; -SW small; LE small c. +SW small; -SW large; LE small d. +SW large; -SW small; LE large

+SW large; -SW small; LE small

When light passes from one medium to another a. transmission happens b. it is usually not affected physically c. refraction occurs d. Rayleigh scattering is the predominant effect

Refraction occurs

Because of the process known as _____, the Sun appears above the horizon ______ it has actually risen

Refraction; before

As reported by the National Weather Service, the heat index a. combines air pressure and temperature in a comfort index b. gives you an indication of the effect of wind on the skin c. is generally reported during critical winter months d. relates temperature and relative humidity

Relates temperature and relative humidity

Global temperatures are a. rising at a rate of 0.17 degrees Celsius/0.3 degrees Fahrenheit per decade b. higher than any time in the last 800,000 years c. increasing by 3% per year d. increasing at a decreasing rate

Rising at a rate of 0.17 degrees Celsius/0.3 degrees Fahrenheit per decade

The heat index combines temperature with air pressure

False

Solar cookers could replace ______ as an affordable source of energy in rural villages in third world countries

Fire wood

When producing solar energy, mirrors are used to a. shine light on passive solar collectors b. generate steam c. shine light on photovoltaic cells d. none of these - mirrors are not used to harness solar energy

Generate steam

Ocean temperature rarely rises above 31 degrees Celsius/88 degrees Fahrenheit because of ______ feedback caused by ______

Negative; evaporation

The passage of shortwave and longwave energy through the atmosphere or water is an example of a. transmission b. insolation c. absorption d. refraction

Transmission

Thermohaline circulation a. is driven by less-salty polar water than surface currents b. transports greater volumes of water than surface currents c. is driven by western intensification d. is driven by frictional drag of winds

Transports greater volumes of water than surface currents

If the surface of Earth were to suddenly turn white, the temperature of the planet would ____ because ____ insolation would be absorbed.

Decrease; less

In general, as distance from the subpolar point increases, the average annual insolation _____ and the average annual temperature _______

Decreases; decreases

During the winter, the Bermuda high migrates to the ______ and becomes the ______

East; Azores high

A primary low-pressure area occurs from 20 degrees to 35 degrees north latitude and south latitude

False

Engineers involved in photovoltaic research generally say that the laws of physics prevent the development of photovoltaic cells that are more efficient than the ones currently available

False

In third world countries, there is a pressing and for centralized energy sources, such as nuclear reactors or large-scale hydroelectric projects

False

Ocean currents play a relatively small role in regulating climate

False

On a cloudy day, the downward component of scattered light is called refraction

False

The all-time highest and lowest temperatures were both recorded on the Eurasian landmass.

False

The average building in the United States does not receive enough energy to heat it

False

The flow of temperature into an object raises its heat.

False

The sky is blue because the atmosphere absorbs blue light more than other visible wavelengths

False

The rate at which temperature decreases below the surface of water is ____ than that at which it decreases below the surface of land because _____

Greater; water is transparent

The insolation received at Earth's surface is a. generally greater at high latitudes because of daylength b. inadequate to sustain life c. usually low at the equator d. greatest over low-latitude deserts with their cloudless skies

Greatest over low-latitude deserts with their cloudless skies

The annual temperature range map in your text shows that a. greatest ranges occur in the subtropics over the oceans b. lowest ranges occur over continental interiors in the Northern Hemisphere c. greatest ranges occur in east central Siberia in Russia d. greatest ranges occur over the continental masses in the Southern Hemisphere

Greatest ranges occur in east central Siberia in Russia

The Western Pacific Warm Pool a. is not the region of the highest average ocean temperatures in the world. b. has temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius c. is located around Hawaiian Islands d. averages 20-22 degrees Celsius

Has temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius

Which of the following is false regarding our perception and response to temperature? a. lower humidity and strong winds enhance cooling rates b. lower temperatures produce a decrease in sweating c. low winds with higher temperatures and humidity produce the most discomfort d. increased appetite occurs with higher temperatures

Increased appetite occurs with higher temperatures

Based on information discussed earlier in the course, you know that seasonal variation in daylength _____ with increasing distance from the equator because _____. a. remains constant throughout the yea;r Earth is a sphere b. decreases; Earth rotates more slowly near the poles c. decreases; Earth's axis is tilted relative to the plane of the ecliptic d. increases; Earth rotates more slowly near the poles e. increases; Earth's axis is tilted relative to the plane of the ecliptic

Increases; Earth's axis is tilted relative to the plane of the ecliptic

Air pollution acts to ________ the albedo of cities and therefore ________ the urban heat island effect a. decreases; diminishes b. decreases; enhances c. increases; diminishes d. increase; enhances

Increases; diminishes

If the amount of cloud cover increases in response to greenhouse warming, this will _____ Earth's albedo and promote _____ a. decrease; warming b. increase; warming c. increase; cooling d. decrease; cooling

Increasing; cooling

Which of the following is correctly matched? a. terrestrial radiation - shortwave radiation -thermal infrared radiation b. insolation - longwave radiation - thermal infrared radiation c. terrestrial radiation - shortwave radiation - UV, visible, and near infrared d. insolation - shortwave radiation - UV, visible, and near infrared

Insolation - shortwave radiation - UV, visible, and near infrared

When water evaporates, the energy that was use to evaporate the water a. is stored as sensible heat in the evaporated water b. is conducted into the underlying layer of water c. is stored as latent heat in the evaporated water d. is transferred to the air by advection when the water evaporates

Is stored as latent heat in the evaporated water

As kinetic energy of air increases a. its temperature may either increase or decrease depending upon the circumstances b. its temperature increases c. its temperature is unaffected d. its temperature decreases

Its temperature increases

Which of the following is true regarding La Paz or Concepcion, Bolivia? a. Concepcion is generally cool and dry b. La Paz is located much closer to the equator than Concepcion c. La Paz is hot and humid and at lower elevation d. the people of La Paz, despite their altitude of 4013 m (13,461 ft.), are able t grow wheat and barley

the people of La Paz, despite their altitude of 4013 m (13,461 ft.), are able t grow wheat and barley

The analogy of a greenhouse is a. a useful, but inaccurate model since atmospheric gases do not trap, but absorb heat b. completely unrelated to our Earth-atmosphere system, and should never have been used to describe global warming c. exactly how the Earth-atmosphere system operates d. not discussed in the chapter

A useful, but inaccurate model since atmospheric gases do not trap, but absorb heat

When a surface assimilates radiation, the process is called a. transmission b. refraction c. absorption d. diffuse radiation

Absorption

Which of the following is true of high pressure areas? a. air converges and ascends within high pressure systems b. air descends and diverges within high pressure systems c. they are characteristic for areas along the equator d. they generally involve atmospheric pressures lower than 1000 mb

Air descends and diverges within high pressure systems

Evangalista Torricelli developed the mercury barometer after realizing the relationship between a. air pressure and wind speed b. air pressure and wind direction c. air pressure and weather conditions d. air pressure and sea level e. air pressure and air pollution

Air pressure and weather conditions

The highest natural temperature on Earth (58 degrees Celsius, 136 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at a. Death Valley, California b. Elko, Nevada c. Al-Aziziyah, Libya d. Alice Springs, central Australia

Al-Aziziyah, Libya

Which of the following is true of insolation? a. it is the only energy input driving earth's atmospheric system b. it consists of direct radiation c. it consists of diffuse radiation d. all of the above are true e. none of the above are true

All of the above are true

The mount Pinatubo eruption in June 1991 affected the atmosphere in which of the following ways a. an increase occurred in the amount of energy absorbed in the atmosphere a. a worldwide decrease in surface temperatures occurred in the two years after the eruption c. the atmospheric albedo increased d. all of these were effects of the eruption e. none of these effects occurred

All of these were effects of the eruption

An isoline of equal pressure plotted on a weather map is known as a. an isobar b. an isotherm c. the thermal equator d. an equilibrium lin

An isobar

An isoline that connects all points of the same temperature on a map is called a. the mean temperature isoline b. an isobar c. the thermal equator d. an isotherm e. min/max line

An isotherm

The Coriolis force a. drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure b. causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path c. is the only force acting on flows of air in the upper troposphere d. decreases with height above the surface

Causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path

The greatest annual temperature ranges are characteristic of places like a. Santa Fe and Kansas City b. Los Angeles and Vancouver c. Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon d. Los Angeles and London

Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon

Which of the following matches is correct relative to air circulation a. cyclone = high pressure center b. anticyclone = counterclockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere c. cyclone = clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere d. anticyclone = low pressure center

cyclone = clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere

Which of the following is true? a. the Northern and Southern hemispheres are dominated equally by maritime influences b. Southern hemisphere temperatures are more strongly doinated by continentality than are Northern hemisphere temperatures c. the Northern and Southern hemispheres are dominated equally by continentality d. Northern hemisphere temperatures are more strongly dominated by continentality than are Southern hemisphere temperatures

Northern hemisphere temperatures are more strongly dominated by continentality than are Southern hemisphere temperatures

Which of the following is false relative to the Earth-atmosphere radiation system? a. if the surface and the atmosphere are considered separately, neither exhibits a balanced radiation budget b. only convection transfers heat energy to the atmosphere from the surface c. the atmosphere exhibits an overall negative radiation balance d. the surface exhibits an overall positive radiation balance

Only convection transfers heat energy to the atmosphere from the surface

Which of the following is true of the sheep on the St. Kilda archipelago? a. due to warmer temperatures, the sheep give birth later b. there is less food for them in the summer c. the sheep are growing more quickly d. over the last 2000 years, sheep size has decreased

Over the last 2000 years, sheep size has decreased

The mercury barometer was developed after observations a. pumps could only push water up about 10 m b. pumps could only pull mercury up about 10 m c. pumps could only push mercury up about 10 m d. atmospheric temperatures determined pumping ability e. pumps could only pull water up about 10 m

Pumps could only pull water up about 10 m

The albedo of a surface is a measure of which of the following processes? a. solar radiation receipt b. transmission c. scattering d. reflection

Reflection

Which of the following is related to Earth's albedo? a. transmission b. refraction c. reflection d. convection e. none of these

Reflection

The sky (lower tropopause) appears to be blue in color because of a. absorption of blue wavelengths of visible light b. scattering c. diffuse radiation d. reflection

Scattering

Which of the following would experience the least continentality? a. 200 kilometers inland from the Gulf of Mexico b. a tropical island c. north central Asia d. central Nevada

A tropical island

Which of the following has the lowest albedo? a. forests b. dry, light sandy soils c. snow that is polluted and several days old d. the Moon e. pack ice off the coast of Antarctica

The Moon

The highest surface air pressure ever recorded occurred when the air was a. very cold b. very high above the surface of Earth c. very wet d. very warm

Very cold

Longwave radiation (+LW) arriving at the surface a. comes from diffuse solar radiation b. comes from UV radiation reflected from the bottoms of clouds c. comes primarily from infrared energy emitted by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere d. comes directly from the Sun

Comes primarily from infrared energy emitted by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Which of the following is correctly matched? a. advection - strongly vertical mixing b. convection - strongly horizontal mixing c. conduction - molecule-to-molecule heat transfer

Conduction - molecule-to-molecule heat transfer

Which of the following are correctly matched? a. cyclones - low pressure cells b. high pressure - ascending, converging air movements c. high pressure cells - cylonic circulation d. anticyclones -subpolar pressure cells

Cyclones - low pressure cells

The science that specifically studies the climate at or near Earth's surface is a. microclimatology b. astronomy c. meteorology d. geography e. micrometeorology

Microclimatology

The Pacific high and Bermuda high are a. more dominant during the summer months because the ocean temperatures are cooler than land temperatures at the same latitude b. more dominant during the summer months because the ocean temperatures are warmer than land temperatures at the same latitude c. less dominant during the winter months because the ocean temperatures are cooler than land temperatures at the same latitude

More dominant during the summer months because the ocean temperatures are cooler than land temperatures at the same latitude

At night, temperatures at high elevations decrease _____ than at lower elevations because _____

More quickly; the air is thinner and contains less heat energy

The wind belts used by mariners to travel from Europe to North America during the days of sailing ships were the a. polar easterlies b. SE trades c. westerlies d. NE trades

NE winds

Which of the following experiences the greatest continentality? a. central Kansas b. 200 kilometers inland from the Gulf of Mexico c. north central Asia d. a tropical island

North central Asia

When light passes from space into the atmosphere, it changes _____ in a process known as _____

Speed and direction; refraction

Which of the following is associated with these names: Sonora, Kalahari, Namib, Atacama? a. major agricultural regions b. subpolar lows c. world's equatorial rain forests d. subtropical high pressure

Subtropical high pressure

Over the ocean, the highest annual values for latent heat of evaporation occur in the a. subtropics because of the lack of cloud cover b. tropics because it is always warm there c. midlatitudes because of the high latitude d. polar regions because of the large amount of snow available for evaporation

Subtropics because of the lack of cloud cover

Net radiation refers to a. the net energy expended for ground heating and cooling b. the amount of insolation not absorbed at the surface c. the balance of all radiation incoming and outgoing at Earth's surface d. the amount of insolation coming into the surface

The balance of all radiation incoming and outgoing at Earth's surface

On the average, which of the following is true regarding the distribution of shortwave and longwave energy at Earth's surface by latitude? a. the distribution shows an imbalance of net radiation from equator to poles b. the polar regions are areas of net surpluses c. the equatorial zone is a region of net deficits d. more energy is lost than is gained in the equatorial regions

The distribution shows an imbalance of net radiation from equator to poles

Sensible heat transfer (H) refers to energy transfer between the air and the surface by a. reflection of insolation b. evaporation of water c. turbulent eddies, convection, and conduction d. all of the above

Turbulent eddies, convection, and conduction

Air temperature is an indication of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules within the atmosphere.

True

Chrrapunjui, India received over 2,000 cm of rainfall in on year

True

Clouds moderate temperatures producing lower daily maximums and higher nightly minimums

True

Earth's blue sky is a result of diffuse reflection called scattering

True

High latitudes have a higher albedo in winter than do low latitudes

True

Ice has only one melting point, but water has many freezing points

True

Normal body temperature has been recently determined to be 36.8 degrees Celsius or 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit

True

Photovoltaic systems are generally cost-competitive - especially when the environmental costs associated with fossil fuels and nuclear energy are factored into cost assessments

True

Refraction is responsible for rainbows and mirages

True

The CERES program studies the reflection and emission of radiation by clouds.

True

The assimilation of radiation and its conversion from one form to another is termed absorption

True

The average annual temperature of a location is controlled primarily by latitude

True

The dynamic secondary pressure areas located around 60 degrees north latitude are the subpolar low-pressure centers

True

The effect of surface friction extends to a height of about 500 m (1600 ft.) although it may vary with wind sped, season, time of day, and pressure patterns

True

The energy received in just 35 minutes at the surface of the United States exceeds the amount of energy derived from the burning of fossil fuels in a year

True

Thermohaline currents may take 1000 years to make a complete circuit

True

Water has more than one freezing point

True

An increase in the amount of high altitude, thin clouds would a. have no effect on the planet's temperature because insoaltion is constant b. cool the planet in a process called cloud-albedo forcing c. warm the planet in a process called cloud-greenhouse forcing

Warm the planet in a process called cloud-greenhouse forcing

Which two gases are primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect because of their ability to absorb infrared energy? a. water vapor and carbon dioxide b. nitrogen and oxygen c. ozone and dust d. oxygen and hydrogen

Water vapor and Carbon Dioxide

The Polar high above the North Pole is a ______ pressure system that produces variable winds that flow in a/an _____ pattern

Weak; Anticyclonic

The dominant surface winds from the subtropics to high latitudes are the a. westerlies b. geostrophic winds c. polar easterlies d. trade winds

Westerlies

Which one of the following cities experiences temperatures of 32.2 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher at least 65 days each year? a. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada b. San Francisco, California c. Trondheim, Norway d. Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas

The effect of wind and temperature on the human skin is called the A. sensible heat measurement b. wind chill factor c. apparent temperature index d. heat index

Wind chill factor