Geo 200 3/4 quiz

Summer days are longest in which city? A) Houston, TX B) Chicago, IL C) Los Angeles, CA D) Atlanta, GA

B) Chicago, IL

This index estimates when crops will mature and be ready for market. A) Heat Index B) Cooling Degree-Days C) Heating Degree-Days D) Growing Degree-Days

D) Growing Degree-Days

Scattering by clouds is sometimes called: A) Rayleigh. B) Mie. C) convection. D) non-selective.

D) non-selective

The basic unit of pressure measurement for atmospheric pressure is: A) millibar. B) pascal. C) kilopascal. D) inches of mercury. E) all of the above

E) all of the above

Which of the following is a correct approximation of average sea-level atmospheric pressure? A) 1013.2 millibars B) 31 inches of mercury C) 99 kilopascals D) 20 pounds per square inch

A) 1013.2 millibars

This works primarily on shorter-wavelength radiation: A) Rayleigh scattering. B) Mie scattering. C) nonselective scattering. D) infrared absorption.

A) Rayleigh scattering

The ________ attempts to tell us what it "feels like" in cold, windy conditions. A) Wind Chill Index B) Heat Index C) Cooling Degree-Days D) Growing Degree-Days

A) Wind Chill Index

Which of the following measure wind direction and speed? A) aerovane B) anemometer C) wind vane D) all of the above

A) aerovane

The relationship between air pressure and elevation is nonlinear because: A) air is compressible. B) air pressure changes with elevation. C) the equation of state is an exponential function. D) There is no clear relationship between temperature and elevation.

A) air is compressible.

The percentage of visible light reflected by an object or substance is called its: A) albedo. B) emission. C) absorption. D) secondary reflectance.

A) albedo

The range of wavelengths where the atmospheric window is lies: A) between 8 and 12 microns. B) in the visible range. C) between 2 and 6 microns. D) less than 0.4 microns.

A) between 8 and 12 microns. pg63

Free convection is the mixing process related to: A) buoyancy. B) conduction. C) subsidence. D) drying.

A) buoyancy.

The Earth has a greater albedo than the Moon because of the presence of: A) clouds. B) oceans. C) deserts. D) mountains

A) clouds.

If the temperature remains the same but the wind speed increases, the wind chill index will A) decrease. B) increase. C) stay the same.

A) decrease.

The earth-atmosphere thermal equilibrium temperature is maintained because: A) energy radiated equals energy absorbed. B) the polar ice caps are melting in order to maintain ocean temperatures. C) global warming is driving the earth-atmosphere system closer to a pure blackbody. D) of the movement of latent heat from north to south across the equator. E) none of the above

A) energy radiated equals energy absorbed.

Albedo: A) is high for ice, snow and thick clouds. B) is high for water. C) is high for sand and dirt. D) is the same for all geographic features. E) varies with latitude and not the various surfaces.

A) is high for ice, snow and thick clouds. c/3 s/4

Winter nights are longest in which city? A) Houston, TX B) Chicago, IL C) Los Angeles, CA D) Atlanta, GA

B) Chicago, IL

This is used to anticipate energy needs. A) Wind Chill Index B) Heating/Cooling Degree-Days C) Growing Degree-Days D) Heat Index

B) Heating/Cooling Degree-Days

Cyclones: A) experience Coriolis effects that deflect air to the right in the Southern Hemisphere. B) are associated with low-pressure systems. C) are associated with supergeostrophic winds. D) are typically regions of fair weather.

B) are associated with low-pressure systems.

A recording barometer is called a what? A) sling psychrometer B) barograph C) hydrograph D) meteorograph

B) barograph

A greenhouse: A) is impermeable to shortwave radiation. B) blocks the transfer of longwave radiation. C) allows the loss of sensible heat. D) allows the loss of latent heat.

B) blocks the transfer of longwave radiation.

The pressure gradient force: A) can be measured by knowing the sea level pressure of just one point. B) creates wind if it is horizontal. C) will not necessarily result in the movement of air. D) is unrelated to the speed of air movement.

B) creates wind if it is horizontal.

Net radiation is: A) radiation that is left over after a solar flare. B) defined as the difference between absorbed and emitted radiation. C) the solar energy that exceeds the solar constant. D) the sole cause of global warming.

B) defined as the difference between absorbed and emitted radiation.

The scattered energy that reaches the earth's surface is called: A) direct radiation. B) diffused radiation. C) albedo. D) ultraviolet light.

B) diffused radiation.

Anticyclones: A) have air spiraling into them at lower elevations. B) have clockwise winds in the Northern Hemisphere. C) do not have winds in the upper atmosphere that follow height contours. D) are associated with subgeostrophic winds.

B) have clockwise winds in the Northern Hemisphere.

The warmest temperatures are typically found: A) in equatorial regions. B) in subequatorial regions. C) in temperate latitudes. D) near oceans.

B) in subequatorial regions.

Which of the following is not an effect of friction? A) slows airflow B) increases the Coriolis effect C) causes airflow to cross isobars rather than run parallel to them D) none of the above

B) increases the Coriolis effect

Absorption: A) is performed quite well by the atmosphere for visible wavelengths. B) is done to differing degrees by different gases. C) does not prevent most ultraviolet light from reaching Earth's surface. D) is typically greater in desert areas than in humid areas.

B) is done to differing degrees by different gases.

Which of the following connects points of equal atmospheric pressure? A) isohyets B) isobars C) isotherms D) isotachs

B) isobars

The free atmosphere lies above what height? A) .5 km B) 1 km C) 1.5 km D) 3 km

C) 1.5 km

On average, the atmosphere absorbs roughly this percentage of the solar radiation that reaches the top of the atmosphere: A) 5 percent. B) 14 percent. C) 25 percent. D) 50 percent.

C) 25 percent.

The planetary albedo of the earth is: A) 7%. B) 15%. C) 30%. D) 50%.

C) 30%.

How much more solar radiation is available for the Earth on the perihelion than the aphelion? A) no difference B) 1% C) 7% D) 15%

C) 7%

A clear, dry atmosphere might transmit what percentage of the incoming solar radiation as direct beam radiation without scattering or absorption? A) 20% B) 50% C) 80% D) 100%

C) 80%

The highest temperature ever recorded at the Earth's surface was in A) Death Valley, CA. B) the Amazon Rainforest. C) Libya. D) the Australian Desert.

C) Libya.

Atmospheric greenhouse gases A) absorb shortwave radiation and also impede the transfer of latent and sensible heat B) absorb shortwave radiation but do not impede the transfer of latent and sensible heat C) absorb longwave radiation but do not impede the transfer of latent and sensible heat D) absorb longwave radiation and also impede the transfer of latent and sensible heat

C) absorb longwave radiation but do not impede the transfer of latent and sensible heat

A geostrophic wind: A) follows the pressure gradient force. B) curves around to flow toward its original source. C) flows perpendicular to the pressure gradient force. D) is usually not affected by the Coriolis force.

C) flows perpendicular to the pressure gradient force.

In the northern hemisphere, a low pressure system: A) has clockwise flow in at the surface and out at the top of the system. B) has clockwise flow in at the top of the system and out at the surface. C) has counterclockwise flow in at the surface and out at the top of the system. D) has counterclockwise flow in at the top of the system and out at the surface.

C) has counterclockwise flow in at the surface and out at the top of the system.

Sensible heat: A) travels by convection through the laminar boundary layer. B) is released or absorbed when a substance undergoes a phase change. C) is dependent upon the specific heat of the substance involved. D) does not involve changes in temperature. Logged

C) is dependent upon the specific heat of the substance involved.

Forced convection: A) is a form of laminar flow. B) results from vertical temperature differentials. C) occurs when a fluid breaks into eddies. D) is a major cause of upper-level aircraft turbulence.

C) occurs when a fluid breaks into eddies.

Hydrostatic equilibrium occurs when: A) the force of gravity and the vertical pressure gradient both act to push air upward. B) the force of gravity and the vertical pressure gradient both act to push air downward. C) the force of gravity and the vertical pressure gradient have equal value and oppose each other. D) large air masses are moving either up or down.

C) the force of gravity and the vertical pressure gradient have equal value and oppose each other.

Ocean currents are generated by: A) the rotation of the earth. B) the gravitational attraction of the Moon. C) the gravitational attraction of the continents. D) the drag of wind blowing across the water's surface.

D) the drag of wind blowing across the water's surface.

Latent heat: A) is moved via advection from place to place on the earth. B) serves as a way of moving energy from place to place without disturbing areas in between. C) provides the fuel for literally all mid-latitude storms. D) can be traced to the hydrological cycle. E) all of the above

E) all of the above

The Equation of State (Ideal Gas Law) gives a relationship between: A) pressure and wind speed. B) pressure, temperature, and wind speed. C) pressure, density, and temperature. D) pressure, moisture content, and density. E) none of the above

C) pressure, density, and temperature.

A vertical profile of data taken from a radiosonde observation is a A) Stuve diagram. B) atmospheric window. C) sounding. D) Skew-T diagram.

C) sounding.

Reflection: A) occurs with only some substances. B) is called diffuse reflection when done by a mirror. C) occurs simultaneously with absorption. D) is redirected light.

D) is redirected light.

The sky is black on the Moon because: A) space reflects all wavelengths of radiation equally. B) the Moon contains neither oceans nor vegetation. C) the Moon does not have sufficient gravity to attract visible light. D) the Moon has no atmosphere.

D) the Moon has no atmosphere.

Water vapor is the primary carrier of: A) small pox. B) latent heat. C) conductive heat transfer. D) radiative heat transfer.

B) latent heat.

Aneroid barometers are so called because: A) they use aneroids to measure air pressure. B) they measure air pressure without using a liquid. C) they are a hybrid pressure measuring device. D) None of the above. There is no such thing as an "aneroid barometer."

B) they measure air pressure without using a liquid.

Air pressure: A) constantly changes in order to avoid equilibrium. B) is the force exerted in all directions by a column of air rising upward from the point of measurement. C) is exerted downward only. D) is independent of the force of gravity.

B) is the force exerted in all directions by a column of air rising upward from the point of measurement.

The wind chill index A) fails to account for a human body's sensible heat loss and the potential warming effect of sunlight on the body B) accounts for a human body's sensible heat loss and also the potential warming effect of sunlight on the body C) accounts for a human body's sensible heat loss but not the potential warming effect of sunlight on the body. D) is always less than the temperature, even when there is no wind.

C) accounts for a human body's sensible heat loss but not the potential warming effect of sunlight on the body.

Temperatures at any point on the face of the earth are influenced by: A) latitude. B) altitude. C) proximity to water. D) all of the above

D) all of the above

The process by which solar energy interacts with the atmosphere is: A) scattering. B) absorption. C) reflection. D) all of the above

D) all of the above

The atmospheric window: A) is caused by the absence of certain gasses. B) is a local phenomenon similar to the ozone hole that opens over Antarctica in winter. C) is located at a band of wavelengths between 2 and 6 micrometers. D) allows certain wavelengths of longwave radiation to pass through the atmosphere.

D) allows certain wavelengths of longwave radiation to pass through the atmosphere.

The laminar boundary layer is important to which of the following processes? A) radiation B) transmission C) radiation D) conduction

D) conduction

Mercury is used in mercury barometers because A) it is very heavy - lighter fluids would require a much larger glass column B) it is very heavy - lighter fluids would require a much shorter glass column C) it is very light - heavier fluids would require a much larger glass column D) it is very light - heavier fluids would require a much shorter glass column

A) it is very heavy - lighter fluids would require a much larger glass column

Sweating cools people because: A) it releases latent heat. B) it changes the heat capacity of the body. C) colder molecules in a passing wind adhere to the wet skin. D) it involves a transfer of sensible heat.

A) it releases latent heat.

Greenhouse gases: A) keep the earth at a comfortable temperature. B) did not exist in significant concentrations until the coming of the Industrial Age. C) are good absorbers of shortwave radiation. D) cause the earth to have much wider swings in daily temperature ranges than if the gases were not present.

A) keep the earth at a comfortable temperature.

Mie scattering: A) occurs often on hazy days. B) works best when there are few aerosols in the air. C) diminishes after volcanic eruptions. D) counters the reddening effect responsible for red sunsets and sunrises.

A) occurs often on hazy days.

A package of weather instruments carried aloft by a balloon is called a A) radiosonde. B) thermistor. C) bimetallic strip. D) thermograph.

A) radiosonde.

Sunsets are red for all of the following reasons except: A) red light has more energy than blue light. B) Mie scattering. C) Rayleigh scattering. D) light has to travel through more atmosphere to reach the observer.

A) red light has more energy than blue light.

The atmosphere is a(n): A) selective absorber. B) blackbody absorber. C) inferior absorber of x-rays. D) absorber of all radiation equally.

A) selective absorber.

Geostrophic flow: A) undergoes a constant, or near constant, acceleration. B) occurs when the pressure gradient force equals the Coriolis force. C) occurs in atmospheric levels with substantial friction. D) can occur in all levels of the atmosphere.

B) occurs when the pressure gradient force equals the Coriolis force.

Insolation reaching the surface of the earth: A) is all absorbed by the earth. B) represents about 50 percent of the amount that was at the top of the atmosphere. C) is unaffected by Earth's albedo. D) has not yet been affected by backscattering.

B) represents about 50 percent of the amount that was at the top of the atmosphere.

The pressure at the bottom of the atmosphere is referred to as: A) reference pressure. B) sea level pressure. C) lowest pressure system. D) constant surface pressure.

B) sea level pressure.

A "greenhouse" works because: A) of the difference in the solar constant. B) short wave lengths of energy pass through the glass but longer ones can't. C) the windows of the greenhouse only allow green light wavelengths to pass through. D) all greenhouses face south and into the maximum angle of solar energy. Logged

B) short wave lengths of energy pass through the glass but longer ones can't.

The Northern Hemisphere has a steeper temperature gradient in its winter than the Southern Hemisphere does in its winter because: A) the earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees to the north. B) the Northern Hemisphere contains more land than does its southern counterpart. C) solar radiation from the Sun can vary by as much as seven percent. D) the earth's orbit is not circular.

B) the Northern Hemisphere contains more land than does its southern counterpart.

The sky is blue because: A) blue light is reflected off the world's oceans into the atmosphere. B) blue light is not easily absorbed by the atmosphere. C) air molecules scatter blue light more readily than other colors of visible light. D) blue light is not easily scattered by the atmosphere.

C) air molecules scatter blue light more readily than other colors of visible light.

Latent heat: A) has only small effects on the atmosphere. B) is the same for all substances undergoing the same phase change. C) is more important for the atmosphere when released through evaporation rather than through melting. D) is the amount of heat needed to raise one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius.

C) is more important for the atmosphere when released through evaporation rather than through melting.

The daily mean temperature: A) is the average of 24 temperatures taken an hour apart. B) is the difference between the day's high and low temperature. C) is the average of the maximum and minimum temperature for a given day. D) varies little from month to month.

C) is the average of the maximum and minimum temperature for a given day.

Sea level pressure: A) is usually less than surface pressure. B) is used in the United States, but not in Canada. C) is used to correct for elevation differences at different locations. D) usually disregards the effect of temperature on air pressure.

C) is used to correct for elevation differences at different locations.

Which of the following units of pressure measurement is used by Canadian meteorologists? A) inches of mercury B) pounds per square inch C) kilopascals D) millibars

C) kilopascals

Mercury barometer readings must be corrected for all of the following factors, except: A) temperature. B) changes in the acceleration of gravity with latitude. C) moisture content of the air. D) elevation above sea level.

C) moisture content of the air.

The sea level pressure distribution across the world is: A) randomly distributed. B) disorganized and widely scattered. C) organized into high and low pressure areas. D) not well-known by scientists.

C) organized into high and low pressure areas.

The layer in the atmosphere where friction is important in determining wind speed: A) thermosphere. B) ionosphere. C) planetary boundary layer. D) hydrosphere.

C) planetary boundary layer.

The area of the United States that has the highest level of Average Daily Solar radiation by month would be: A) the Gulf Coast. B) the Great Lakes. C) the Southwest. D) the Pacific Northwest.

C) the Southwest.

The radiation emitted by Earth: A) is primarily absorbed by the atmosphere. B) is in the form of radio waves. C) has little effect on the earth's energy budget. D) had its origin in radioactive elements in the earth's interior.

A) is primarily absorbed by the atmosphere.

Compared to land, water bodies: A) are more greatly influenced by continentality. B) have a lower specific heat. C) warm more quickly. D) cool more slowly.

D) cool more slowly.

Convection: A) is less important to making up the atmosphere's radiative energy deficit than is conduction. B) typically transfers heat downward during the day. C) plays no significant role at night. D) helps circulate heat throughout the atmosphere.

D) helps circulate heat throughout the atmosphere.

The difference between "Rayleigh" scattering and "Mie" scattering is: A) the wavelengths of the incoming radiation. B) the size of the scattering particulates. C) the length of time the Sun shines. D) the angle of the incoming radiation. E) only A and B

E) only A and B /59