Final Exam - GEOL1301
______ and ______ are the two most abundant gases in air (Earth's atmosphere).
oxygen; nitrogen
Which area of the United States has both the highest potential and production of wind energy?
The Great Plains states, including the Texas panhandle
What happens at the dew point temperature?
The air is saturated with water vapor (100% relative humidity) and condensation occurs.
How could you use observations of clouds to determine a warm front is approaching?
The appearance of cirrus and cirrostratus clouds is indicative of an approaching warm front.
Global cooling can cause freshwater to become trapped in ice caps, leading to ______ in sea level.
a drop
The sediment ______ is the balance between deposition and erosion of material on the shore.
budget
The ______ effect is the pattern of deflection of atmospheric and oceanic circulations to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
coriolis
Specific _____ is the amount of thermal energy per unit mass required to raise the temperature of a given substance by 1 degree Celsius.
heat
The wind speed and the distance over which it blows determines the wave ______.
height
High temperatures and little rainfall at latitudes of 25 degrees North and South result in ______ ocean salinity.
high
The concentration of atmospheric oxygen and the evolution of Earth's biosphere are ______.
highly interdependent as each influences the other
The amount of moisture in the air is called ______; if air can hold no more moisture at a given temperature, it is said to be ______.
humidity; saturated
The growth of a ______ begins by forcing warm, humid air aloft, which cools and condenses to form cumulonimbus cells. This occurs over warm, surface ocean waters.
hurricane
High winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges along the coastline are all characteristics of _____
hurricanes
High winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges along the coastline are all characteristics of ______.
hurricanes
One of the most devastating aspects of ______ is the heavy precipitation associated with them—up to 24 inches in a matter of days—which can flood entire villages or cities and cause thousands of deaths from drowning.
hurricanes
The _____ is located directly below the mesopause, and air temperatures in it decline at higher altitudes.
mesophere
The ______ on your local nightly news needs to study the atmosphere and weather patterns on a daily basis in order to make predictions about future weather changes.
meteorologist
The study of weather and the atmosphere is known as ______.
meteorology
The migration of regional-scale low pressure systems, known as ______, affects much of the weather across North America.
midlatitude cyclones
Spring tides occur when the _____ and ______ align with Earth, resulting in the strongest gravitational pull and most extreme tides.
moon; sun
Saltwater is ______ when compared to freshwater.
more dense
The color of the sky is determined by which wavelengths of light are being ______.
most strongly scattered
All of the following are major depth zones of the ocean except ______.
ocean valley
What is the difference between heat and temperature? Heat is the total kinetic energy ______.
of all the atoms in a substance, whereas temperature is the average kinetic energy of all the atoms
When it comes to hurricanes, the scientists' role is to ______, whereas government officials ______.
predict the probability of a disaster occurring; allocate funds to prepare for a potential disaster
The weight of an overlying column of air exerts ______ on whatever is underneath it; the average on Earth's surface is 1,013 millibars.
pressure
A rapid increase in density with depth is a ______.
pycnocline
Scattering, absorption, or reflecting are the only three possible fates for ____ reaching Earth's atmosphere from space.
radiation
The Coriolis effect deflects winds and ocean currents to the _______ in the Northern Hemisphere and to the ______ in the Southern Hemisphere.
right; left
A(n) ______ current is a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore, typically through the surf line.
rip
Narrow currents of water called ______ currents that flow offshore between sandbars, shown by the red arrow in the figure, can be extremely dangerous.
rip
Melting ice caps associated with global climate change cause sea level to ______.
rise
The daily changes in sea surface height are known as the _____ , of which there usually are two highs and two lows each day.
tides
______ are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the ocean, which changes throughout the day and year, resulting in changes in sea surface height on those timescales.
tides
Surface ocean currents flow in the direction of prevailing ______, until they encounter a landmass
winds or wind
Which of the following statements accurately describe the mesosphere?
1) It is characterized by decreasing air temperatures at higher altitudes. 2) It is located between the thermal layers of the stratosphere and thermosphere.
Which of the following statements accurately describe the thermosphere?
1) It is the outermost layer of the atmosphere. 2) It absorbs much of the harmful cosmic radiation.
Identify all the phase changes below that involve the absorption of latent heat.
1) Melting 2) Sublimation 3) Evaporation
Rank the following gases based on their relative concentrations in air, i.e., Earth's atmosphere. (Place the gas with the highest concentration at the top.)
1) Nitrogen 2) oxygen 3) argon 4) carbon dioxide 5) methane
______ one of the four major depth zones of the ocean.
1) Oceanic ridges are 2) The abyssal plain is 3) Oceanic trenches are 4) The continental shelf is
The National Weather Service (NWS) ______.
1) Provides over 1 million weather observations per day for use by commercial weather companies 2) Is tasked with providing weather and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States
Which of the following have wavelengths that are longer than visible light?
1) Radio waves 2) Infrared 3) Microwaves
Select that statements below that accurately describe the composition of Earth's atmosphere about 4 billion years ago.
1) Rain was reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 2) Carbon dioxide composed about 25% of the atmosphere. 3) Free oxygen was absent.
What two states generate over 30% of their electricity from wind (2016 data)?
1) South Dakota 2) Iowa
Which of the following statements accurate describe the troposphere?
1) Temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude. 2) It contains our weather systems and air pollution.
Which of the following statements accurately describe the stratosphere?
1) Temperatures are higher at higher altitudes. 2) It is primarily heated from above. 3) The UV-blocking ozone layer is located in the stratosphere.
What factors determine the actual temperature of a rising air mass at any particular altitude?
1) The temperature at which it starts 2) The adiabatic cooling rate 3) How high it has risen
How do clouds influence atmospheric temperatures?
1) They reduce the amount of solar radiation striking Earth's surface by absorbing, scattering, and reflecting incoming solar radiation. 2) Water vapor in the clouds absorbs outgoing heat, thus adding to the greenhouse effect.
According to the National Weather Service, severe weather must have one or more of the following elements, which are ______.
1) a tornado 2) penny-sized or larger hail 3) damaging wind speeds
Clouds are classified based on which of the following items?
1) appearance 2) altitude 3) associated precipitation
What was the source of the gases that composed the early atmosphere on Earth?
1) comets and meteorites 2) gases expelled during volcanism
How high a wave gets is determined by ______.
1) fetch 2) wind speed
Identify all the phase changes below that involve the release of latent heat.
1) freezing 2) condensation
Rank the following surfaces by their albedos. (Place the most reflective surface on top.)
1) fresh snow 2) cirrus clouds 3) deciduous forests 4) asphalt (black top)
Rank the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum listed below by their wavelengths. (Place the shortest wavelength at the top.)
1) gamma rays 2) ultraviolet rays 3) visible light 4) infrared
Arrange the three phases of water by their degree of molecular ordering. (Place the most ordered state at the top.)
1) ice 2) water (liquid) 3) water vapor
Match the number from the diagram with the ocean depth zone it shows. Instructions
1) oceanic ridge 2) oceanic trench 3) continental shelf 4) abyssal plain
What can happen to the solar EMR that reaches Earth's atmosphere from space? It can be ______.
1) reflected 2) scattered 3) absorbed
The movement of deep ocean currents is driven by differences in density, which are the result of _________ differences.
1) temperature 2) salinity
Rank the following colors of visible light by their wavelengths. (Place the shortest wavelength at the top.)
1) violet 2) blue 3) green 4) red
The three basic ingredients for thunderstorms are ______.
1) warm air 2) a lifting mechanism 3) moisture in the atmosphere
The majority of hurricanes occur between ______ north or south of the equator.
10 degrees and 20 degrees
Hurricanes can produce up to ______ inches of rain over inland regions in a matter of days.
24
What is the average albedo of Earth?
31%
Whether the water came from comets and/or volcanic outgassing, the original oceans were mostly in place by ______ years ago when Earth had cooled enough for the water to collect.
4 billion
Water temperatures must be at least ______ oF down to a depth of ______ feet in order for hurricanes to develop.
81; 200
The ocean is shallowest along coastlines. Where is it the deepest?
Along the Mariana trench, where it extends nearly 7 miles
Which of the following statements accurately describes the correlation between altitude and air density in the atmosphere?
As altitude increases, the density of air rapidly decreases.
The Gulf Stream is a warm, narrow, western boundary current in the ______ Ocean than is located along the ______ coast of the US.
Atlantic; eastern
What was the relative abundance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in Earth's atmosphere 4 billion years ago?
Carbon dioxide was more abundant than oxygen
What are adiabatic changes?
Changes that occur without any loss or gain of energy to or from the surrounding environment
How are the dew point and condensation related?
Condensation can occur when an air mass is at the dew point because the air is saturated.
True or false: The depth of the ocean is constant.
False
Which way does wind blow?
From high to low pressure areas
Why is salinity relatively high at 25° N and S latitudes?
High air pressure results in low precipitation.
Causing about $100 billion in damage in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, ______ was the worst natural disaster to strike the modern United States.
Hurricane Katrina
The National Weather Service (NWS) records water surface and subsurface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean of 83oF and 81oF, respectively, right along the equator. The NWS considers the chance of hurricane development at this location as "low." Why did the NWS make this prediction?
Hurricanes usually do not originate at the equator
What happens to a hurricane when it encounters land?
It begins to weaken due to frictional drag and loss of water supply.
Which of the following weather-related terms is not like the others?
Midlatitude cyclone
Whether you are watching your local news forecast or checking weather information online, all of the information and data for US weather patterns come from the ______.
National Weather Service (NWS)
Observers of a recent thunderstorm noted that 6 inches of rain fell within a 24 hour period, with measured wind speeds up to 40 miles per hour. Would this thunderstorm be considered a severe weather event?
No. Severe weather must include at least one of the following: a tornado, damaging winds (more than 58 miles per hour), or large hail.
Match the ocean depth zone with its description.
Oceanic ridge --> The youngest part of the ocean floor as it is constantly forming new oceanic crust from rising magma Oceanic trench --> The deepest section of the ocean floor Continental shelf --> Continental crust that is submerged underwater Abyssal plain --> Some of the oldest and flattest sections of the ocean floor
Match the type of tide with its description.
Semidiurnal --> High tides are separated from one another by just over 12 hours, as are low tides. Mixed --> High and low tides are separated by variable time intervals. Diurnal --> There is one high and one low tide per day
What is the relationship between the concentration of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere and the evolution of its biosphere?
The biosphere has modified the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere and has made it suitable for the life that currently exists on Earth.
In reference to the formation of raindrops, what is collision coalescence?
The colliding of water droplets with other droplets as they move within a cloud
How are pressure gradients related to wind speed?
The greater the pressure gradient, the stronger the wind.
Which statement below accurately compares the heat capacity of water and air?
The heat capacity of air is one-quarter that of water.
In relation to atmospheric science, what is air?
The specific mix of gases in Earth's atmosphere
A student argues that an air mass over the Appalachian mountains would be characterized the same as an air mass over the Rocky Mountains. Is the student correct? Why or why not?
The student is not correct, since air masses are characterized by the temperature and moisture content of the underlying surface, and not topography.
What is density lifting?
The upward movement caused by the lower density of an air mass compared to surrounding air masses
Which statement below reflects our understanding of how clouds affect the overall climate on Earth?
The varied lateral and vertical distribution of clouds and their rapidly changing shapes make their overall impact unclear.
What does this cross-section created from Rhode Island marsh sediment cores say about large East Coast hurricanes?
They occur every few hundred years
True or false: Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural disaster in modern United States history.
True
Why is air pressure lowest in the eye of the hurricane?
Warm air rises in the central eye, lowering air pressure
Which of the following sets of conditions would most likely produce a hurricane?
Water temperatures of 81oF measured from the surface down to 200 feet
______ is the measurement of ocean depth.
bathymetry
What kind of changes occur as an air mass undergoes changes to its temperature, volume, and density without exchanging energy with the surrounding air?
adiabatic
Regulations that require buildings meet rigorous standards so they incur little damage from hurricanes is a type of ______ strategy.
adjustment
Match the erosion strategy with whether it represents a prevention or adjustment.
adjustment --> legislation controlling construction adjacent to eroding coasts prevention --> building an offshore breakwater where erosion is a problem
An ______ mass is a large region of the lower troposphere that has relatively uniform temperature and moisture content.
air
Simply put, the specific mix of gases in the atmosphere is called ______.
air
When the atmosphere remains stationary for several days above a uniform parcel of land or water, it begins to take on the temperature and moisture characteristics of the underlying surface, forming a(n) ______.
air mass
The ability to predict the evolution of weather patterns is possible due to the recognition of different types of ______.
air masses
The pressure exerted by the weight of an overlying column of air is ______ pressure
atmospheric
Match each of the air mass types with the proper description.
cA - Forms at high latitudes above permanently snow-covered ground; extremely cold, dry air cP - Forms over northernmost portions of the continents; cold, dry air cT - Forms over continental interiors; hot, dry air mP - Forms in northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Southern Ocean; cool, moist air mT - Choice Forms in Gulf of Mexico, tropical Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; hot, humid air
The five most common types of air masses are ______.
cA, cP, cT, mP, mT
As rain droplets form in clouds, they fall, strike one another, and stick together to form bigger raindrops. These raindrops are often pushed upward though the cloud by updrafts, and in this way even larger raindrops are formed. This process of forming larger raindrops by smashing them together is called ______.
collision coalescence
The two likely sources of the water in Earth's oceans are volcanic outgassing and
comets
In general, as the temperature of liquid water increases, its density ______.
decreases
The density of air ______ as you move to higher altitudes in the atmosphere.
decreases rapidly
A pycnocline is described as a rapid increase in ______ with depth.
density
Deep ocean currents move as a result of differences in the ______ of the water, which is a function of differences in salinity and temperature.
density
If an air mass is lighter than the surrounding air, it will rise because the air mass is unstable relative to the surrounding air. The upward movement caused by this difference is called ______ lifting
density
Increasing the amount of salt in a body of water increases its ______.
density
Bathymetry refers to measurement of the ocean's ______.
depth
The balance between the shoreline processes of _____ and ______ is known as the sediment budget
erosion; deposition
Which of the following is not a characteristic associated with hurricanes?
extreme air pressure gradients
True or false: Earth's first atmosphere was supplied with gases produced by photosynthetic organisms (e.g., plants).
false
True or false: The strongest winds blow from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure.
false
The _____ scale was developed to measure tornado strength by estimating wind speeds based upon observed damage caused by the tornado. (Use the one-word name and not just the abbreviation.)
fujita
The force of ______ from the moon causes the highest tides to be on the side of Earth closest to the moon.
gravity
Although Paris, France, is located at approximately the same latitude as Duluth, Minnesota, Paris is warmer as a result of the ______ Stream bringing warm water across the North Atlantic.
gulf
The _______ ______ is the warm, western boundary current in the Northern Atlantic Ocean that runs along the eastern coast of the United States.
gulf stream
A ______ is a strong, vertical salinity gradient in a body of water.
halocline
Match the state of water to its description.
ice --> molecules are closely spaced in well-ordered hexagonal structures liquid water --> semi ordered structures exist between small groups of molecules water vapor --> most molecules are moving too fast to be joined by polar attraction
Air pressure in a hurricane is lowest _____, where warm air is rising.
in the central eye
______ represent significant barriers to the flow of surface ocean currents, which normally flow in the direction of prevailing winds.
landmasses
Air masses are ______.
large regions of the lower troposphere in which temperatures and moisture content are relatively uniform
Warm water is ______ cold water.
less dense than
Swells sweeping into the shoreline at an angle and pushing water down the length of the beach in one direction cause ______ currents to form, which move parallel to the shore.
longshore
______ currents transport sediment parallel to the beach and are the result of a wave reaching the beach at an angle, which causes the sand along the beach to move in a zigzag pattern.
longshore
If the winds are blowing slowly, the local pressure gradient is likely ______.
low
The air warms (changes temperature) more quickly in the morning than a body of water does because the air has a ______.
lower heat capacity
By understanding the characteristics of air ______ and fronts, and how they move, meteorologists are able to predict the future of changing weather patterns.
masses
When air is saturated, the humidity of the air is at its ______.
maximum
Match the coastline type with its description.
rocky shorelines --> Form where resistant rocks meet the shore cliffs --> Form where the land is rising relative to sea level beach shorelines --> backed by sand dunes
The west coast of North America is dominated by ______ shorelines, whereas the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are home to mostly ______ shorelines.
rocky; beach
A halocline is described as a rapid change in ______ with depth.
salinity
is the measure of the concentration of salt in seawater.
salinity
The dissolved _____ content of a body of water is measured by its salinity.
salt
The dissolved ______ content of a body of water is measured by its salinity.
salt
The sky often appears to be blue because wavelengths in the blue range are the most strongly ______ in the atmosphere.
scattered
When it comes to hurricanes, ______ and and engineers are responsible for determining the probability of a disaster occurring, while _____ officials must allocate funds to prepare for or mitigate hurricane hazards.
scientists; government
Match the artificial barrier to its description.
seawall --> Built of rock or concrete as a barrier between waves and the shore to protect property from receding shorelines groin--> Wall-like structure built perpendicular to the shoreline along beaches to serve as barrier to longshore currents breakwater --> Barriers built offshore to protect part of the shoreline by slowing down waves, thus preventing erosion
A ______ is a rock wall that serves as a barrier between waves and the shoreline, whereas a ______ is built shore-perpendicular to protect against longshore currents; lastly, a ______ is built offshore to slow waves down before they reach the coast.
seawall; groin; breakwater
Most places experience a ______ tide, which is two high and two low tides each day; however, some places have variable tidal intervals, or ______ tides, and others experience only one high and one low, or ______ tides.
semidiurnal; mixed; diurnal
Clouds are classified according to all the following except ______.
size
The amount of heat energy required to increase the temperature of 1 gram of a material by 1 degree Celsius is its _____ heat.
specific
The amount of heat energy required to increase the temperature of 1 gram of a material by 1 degree Celsius is its ______ heat.
specific
_______ tides occur when the tide is at its maximum as a result of the combined gravitational force of the moon and the sun.
spring
The ______ is a layer of the atmosphere that lies below the mesosphere and is characterized by an increase in air temperature with altitude.
stratosphere
As hurricanes approach land, onshore winds blowing in from the northeast quadrant of the storm cause water to pile up along the coastline, resulting in a storm _____
surge
Thermocline is the term used to describe the rapid decrease in ______ with seawater depth.
temperature
The ______ of a substance represents the average kinetic energy of all the atoms in it, whereas ______ is the total kinetic energy of all the atoms in a substance.
temperature; heat
Air masses are identified by the ______ characteristics of the underlying surface.
temperature; moisture
Air masses develop when ______.
the atmosphere remains stationary for several days over a parcel of land or water, taking on the characteristics of the underlying surface
It is likely that states such as New York or New Jersey will experience a Katrina-like hurricane sometime in the future, a prediction based upon ______.
the discovery of hurricane deposits in sedimentary layers found along the Atlantic coast
A rapid decrease in temperature with depth is called a ______.
thermocline
What is the name of the thermal layer of Earth's atmosphere that heats to more than 1000ο C as it absorbs the shortwave radiation (e.g., gamma rays) from the sun, thus preventing this harmful radiation from reaching Earth's surface?
thermosphere
Heavy, short-lived precipitation events, known as ________, occur when warm air cools as it rises above a cold front, causing condensation of water vapor.
thunderstorms
The accompanying image shows a ______ that struck Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2013. These funnel-shape clouds of rotating air often are associated with thunderstorms.
tornado
The Fujita scale was developed by Dr. Theodore Fujita in order to measure ______.
tornado strength
Commonly formed in association with thunderstorms, ______ are funnel-shaped spirals of rapidly converging and rotating columns of air.
tornadoes
The layer of the atmosphere directly above Earth's surface and where our weather occurs is called the ______.
troposphere
The appearance of cirrus clouds indicate a ______ front is approaching
warm
The state of Alaska experiences very few thunderstorms each year. Which of the three basic components of thunderstorms is missing in this situation?
warm air
Thunderstorms commonly develop ahead of cold fronts when ______.
warm air is forced above the cold front, leading to cooling and condensation that forms cumulonimbus clouds
After its initial formation, a hurricane begins to grow when ______ air is forced aloft, further cooling and condensing to form cumulonimbus cells.
warm, humid
As a result of the Gulf Stream, Europe's climate is much ______ would be expected given its high latitude.
warmer than
More than two-thirds of the surface of Earth is covered by
water
Hurricanes are ______ by their encounters with land.
weakened
The size, speed, and direction in which waves travel are controlled by ______.
wind
Waves and all of their characteristics are ultimately the result of ______.
wind
Storm surges occur when ______.
winds in the northeast quadrant of a hurricane blow onshore as the storm approaches