ATOC 1060 Exam 1

Greenhouse gases make up what percentage of the atmosphere by volume (ignoring water vapor)? 10% 1% 5% 25%

1%

Poleward of which latitude does the earth lose more energy than it receives? Choose the minimum latitude where this is true. 80 60 40 23.5

40

Think of the daily rotation of earth around its axis. Which of the following statements is true? -A point at the South Pole travels further in a day than a point on the North Pole. -All points on earth travel the same distance in a day. -A point on the equator travels further in a day than a point at the North Pole. -A point at the North Pole travels further in a day than a point at the equator.

A point on the equator travels further in a day than a point at the North Pole.

Ekman transport induced upwelling only occurs along the coastlines. True False

False

Tropospheric ozone is good for human and environmental health. True False

False

Name the circulation cell that spans the 30 to 60 degree latitude belt.

Ferrel Cell

Name the circulation cell that spans the 0 to 30 degree latitude belt.

Hadley Cell

Oceans can store heat for a long time due to their: High heat capacity Low heat capacity Ocean gyres Tides

High heat capacity

Underneath large anticyclonic wind systems, gyres form in the oceans that move water: -In toward the center of the wind system, increasing the sea level in the center of the gyre -In toward the center of the wind system, decreasing the sea level in the center of the gyre -Away from the center of the wind system, decreasing the sea level in the center of the gyre -Away from the center of the wind system, increasing the sea level in the center of the gyre

In toward the center of the wind system, increasing the sea level in the center of the gyre

Name the circulation cell that spans the 60 to 90 degree latitude belt.

Polar Cell

What is the halocline? -Region with a large vertical density gradient over a small depth range -Region with a large vertical oxygen gradient over a small depth range -Region with a large vertical salinity gradient over a small depth range -Region with a large vertical temperature gradient over a small depth range

Region with a large vertical salinity gradient over a small depth range

What is the thermocline? -Region with a large vertical density gradient over a small depth range -Region with a large vertical oxygen gradient over a small depth range -Region with a large vertical salinity gradient over a small depth range -Region with a large vertical temperature gradient over a small depth range

Region with a large vertical temperature gradient over a small depth range

The region found between the two Hadley cells is featured by: Sinking air and dry climate Rising air and dry climate Sinking air and wet climate Rising air and wet climate

Rising air and wet climate

The region found between the Hadley and Ferrell cells is featured by: Rising air and dry climate Sinking air and wet climate Sinking air and dry climate Rising air and wet climate

Sinking air and dry climate

We see upwelling at the equator due to: -The combination of converging trade winds and Ekman transport away from the equator -The combination of diverging trade winds and Ekman transport towards the equator -The combination of diverging trade winds and Ekman transport away from the equator -The combination of converging trade winds and Ekman transport towards the equator

The combination of converging trade winds and Ekman transport away from the equator

What is stratification? -The name of the upper level of the stratosphere -A type of ocean current in the mixed layer -A line of equal density in the ocean -The layering of low density water on top of higher density water

The layering of low density water on top of higher density water

How does the Coriolis effect deflect moving air and water? -To the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere -Counter-clockwise in both hemispheres -Clockwise in both hemispheres -To the left in the northern hemisphere and to the right in the southern hemisphere

To the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

The Coriolis force is an influential force on the ocean's currents. True False

True

Why do we have seasons? -Earth's distance from the sun changes -axial tilt -greenhouse gases have seasons -Earth's distance from the moon changes

axial tilt

What manufactured compounds are responsible for destroying stratospheric ozone? -tropospheric ozone -greenhouse gases (eg. carbon dioxide, methane) -chloroflourocarbons (eg. CFCs) and other types of halocarbons -infrared photons

chloroflourocarbons (eg. CFCs) and other types of halocarbons

What is thermohaline circulation? wind driven flow tidally driven flow density driven flow turbulence driven flow

density driven flow

***Ekman transport creates regions of surface ______ in the ocean, which are associated with ________. Select all answers that complete the above sentence correctly. -divergence, downwelling -convergence, downwelling -divergence, upwelling -convergence, upwelling

divergence, upwelling

What is heat? -anything warmer than 50F -the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree C -energy produced by random vibrations of atoms/molecules -energy produced by magnetic fields

energy produced by random vibrations of atoms/molecules

Which process(es) cause(s) ocean water to increase its salinity? Select all that are correct. evaporation precipitation ice melting

evaporation

Air tends to flow: -from low to high pressure -along lines of equal pressure -only in the morning -from high to low pressure

from high to low pressure

Water has a relatively_______ heat capacity low high medium salty

high

Water becomes _____ dense when freezing (liquid to solid). more less doesn't change density

less

What is Ekman transport? -semicircular basin scale current systems driven by wind -movement due to a storm with a violent wind -movement of ocean deep water due to the pressure gradient forced acting on them via density differences -movement of ocean surface waters due to the influence of friction force acting on them via the wind

movement of ocean surface waters due to the influence of friction force acting on them via the wind

What three gases makes up the majority of the composition of dry air? -nitrogen, oxygen, argon -nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium -oxygen, helium, methane -nitrogen, oxygen, neon

nitrogen, oxygen, argon

Which type of water has the greatest density? fresh + cold fresh + warm salty + cold salty + warm

salty + cold

What is a gyre? -semicircular basin scale current systems driven by wind -semicircular basin scale current systems driven by density -wintertime oceanic current due to the ozone hole -water that is upwelled along the coast due to winds parallel to the coast

semicircular basin scale current systems driven by wind

On average, why does the equatorial ocean (~0°N) have less salty waters than the subtropical ocean (~30°N or ~30°S)? -there is much more river outflow near the equator -the atmospheric Hadley cell has a rising branch over the equator and a descending branch over the subtropics -the atmospheric Hadley cell has a descending branch over the equator and a rising branch over the subtropics -the atmospheric polar cell has a rising branch over the equator and a descending branch over the subtropics

the atmospheric Hadley cell has a rising branch over the equator and a descending branch over the subtropics

When the sun rises over a coastal area... -ocean and land heat up at the same rate -the land heats up and the ocean cools down -the ocean heats up faster than the land -the land heats up faster than the ocean

the land heats up faster than the ocean

In what layer of the atmosphere does "weather happen"? Hint: it is closest to the surface. thermosphere mesosphere stratosphere troposphere

troposphere

Air rises -when it is warmer than the air around it -only when it is at the ground -only in the morning -when it is colder than the air around it

when it is warmer than the air around it

The surface ocean circulation is mainly driven by _______ while the deep ocean circulation is mainly driven by _____. -wind, tectonic plate movements -temperature differences, salinity differences -winds, density differences -density differences, winds

winds, density differences