geog lab exam
Fraction Scale
(also representative) a scale on a map which is shown as a fraction ex. 1:400000
What is the verbal scale for 1:316,800?
1 inch represents 5 miles
Which of the following is the largest scale?
1/24,000
If the pressure on a station model is coded as 109, what is the air pressure?
1010.9 millibars
What is the average air pressure at sea level?
1013 mb
If the values of the contour lines have been 200' and 190' and the next contour line encountered is hachured, what is the value of that contour line?
180'
If the measured distance on a map is 5 inches and the actual distance between the two points is 20 miles, what is the fractional scale of the map?
1:253,440
On a map with a scale of 1:31,680, what is the distance represented by a measured distance of 4 inches?
2 miles
If a map shows isolines with values of 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 200, what is the isoline interval?
20
What is the declination of the Sun on March 20 and September 22?
23 1/2°
What is the declination of the Sun on December 21?
23 1/2°S
If the map scale is 1€ = 1 mile and the vertical scale is 1€ = 100 feet, what is the amount of vertical exaggeration?
52.8
If the values of the contour lines have been 50' and 60', and the next contour line encountered is hachured, what is the value of that line?
60'
What would be the best time of day to water a lawn to minimize the evaporation of water from the surface of the grass, assuming the dew point temperature remained constant?
6AM
How far around Earth from the vertical rays are the tangent rays of the Sun?
90°
If the pressure on a station model is coded as 985, what is the air pressure?
998.5 millibars
Friction
A force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact
cold front
A front where cold air moves in under a warm air mass.
contour line
A line on a topographic map that connects points of equal elevation
Which statement correctly describes contour lines?
A line that crosses a stream forms a V pointing uphill.
Isoline
A map line that connects points of equal or very similar values.
At the surface, which statement describes the air flow of cyclones or anticyclones?
Cyclones involve converging and rising air.
Which statement about Earth-Sun relations is correct?
Earth's axis is tilted about 23.5° from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic.
Which statement accurately describes contour lines?
Every point between two adjacent contours lines has a value that fits between those two values.
Descending air mass
High surface pressure. A parcel of air which is warmer (less dense) than the surrounding air will rise from the surface
How do isoline maps show rapid change?
Isolines are close together.
Isobars
Lines joining places on the map that have the same air pressure
Isotherms
Lines joining places that have the same temperature
Ascending air mass
Low surface pressure. A parcel of air which is warmer (less dense) than the surrounding air will rise from the surface
Which statement describes the patterns in angle of incidence of incoming rays of the Sun and the approximate percentage of radiation reaching Earth's surface?
Lower latitudes receive a higher percentage of the radiation at the surface.
large scale map
Maps that cover smaller areas with greater detail
When are the equinoxes?
March 21 and September 22
What is occlusion in a midlatitude cyclone?
Occlusion is the process by which a cold front overtakes a warm front.
index contour
On a topographic map, a heavier contour line that is labeled with elevation of that contour line
How are rain patterns different near warm and cold fronts?
Rain near a cold front occurs over a smaller spatial area and is more intense than near a warm front.
Where does rain occur in a cold front?
Rain occurs along and behind a cold front.
Where does rain occur in a warm front?
Rain occurs along and in front of a warm front.
Which of the following relationships is correct?
Relative humidity increases: a decrease in temperature without a change in the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Which statement correctly generalizes atmospheric conditions?
Rising air produces low pressure at Earthâ's surface.
Why does rain occur near a cold front?
Rising warm air cools, resulting in cloud formation and rain.
Why does rain occur near a warm front?
Rising warm air cools, resulting in cloud formation and rain.
small scale map
Shows fewer details, and focuses on a larger area (region, world)
Corilois Effect
Storms spin based on their location
Which statement describes a solstice?
Summer begins in one hemisphere, and winter begins in the other.
Which of the following statements about movement in midlatitude cyclones are accurate?
Surface winds move counterclockwise.The entire cyclone moves from west to east. The cold front advances faster than the center of the storm, and the warm front advances more slowly than the center.
Which of the following is a warm ocean current?
The Gulf Stream
Why does the North Pole receive a higher average daily insolation at the top of the atmosphere in June than the equator or 45°N?
The North Pole has 24 hours of daylight each day in June.
What is meant when the relative humidity is 50%?
The air contains half of the water vapor necessary for saturation.
What is the situation when the depression of the wet-bulb thermometer is 0°?
The air is saturated.
humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air
relative humidity
The amount of water vapor in the air at any given time is usually less than that required to saturate the air. Expressed as a percentage.
Why does a high angle of incidence mean that the solar rays are more concentrated than a lower angle of incidence?
The area they cover is smaller.
Which statement correctly generalizes the precipitation patterns of typical middle latitude cyclones?
The cold front has extensive thunderstorms.
Solstices
The point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible
Which statement most accurately describes the function of pressure gradient force?
The pressure gradient force propels the wind.
lapse rate
The rate at which temperature decreases with an increase in altitude.
dew point
The temperature at which condensation begins
Equinox
The two days of the year on which neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun
What determines whether a front is called a cold front or a warm front?
The type of front is determined by which air mass is moving.
Why does the graphic scale have the 0 in the middle rather than on the left hand side?
These graphic scales are designed to be used by marking off distances on an edge of paper.
Which statement describes geostrophic winds?
They move parallel to the isobars.
What is the location system that marks on the map margin a grid of every 1000 or 10,000 meters?
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
Why are topographic profiles drawn with a different vertical scale than the map scale?
Using the same scale would make the profiles look flat.
Which statement correctly describes land-water contrasts?
Water warms slower than land.
What happens when air masses of different temperatures meet?
Well-defined boundaries form between the air masses.
Which statement is characteristic of a middle latitude cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere?
Winds blow counterclockwise around the center.
If north is to the top of the weather map, what is symbolized by a vertical line with triangles pointing to the right?
a cold front moving eastward
warm front
a front where warm air moves over cold air and brings drizzly rain and then are followed by warm and clear weather
What is a Hadley cell?
a large convection cell of air that rises near the equator due to heating of air
depression contour
a mark on a map indicating a low point surrounded by higher elevations
What is the force that is exerted on a surface by the weight of the atmosphere?
air pressure
midlatitude cyclone
an area of low pressure that is characterized by rotating wind that moves toward the rising air of the central low-pressure region
What is the graph that shows the changing declination of the Sun throughout the year?
analemma
What three factors impact that the energy received at Earth's surface is less than the solar constant?
angle of incidence, length of daylight, and obstruction of atmosphere
three factors that affect daily insolation
angle of incoming solar radiation, length of day, atmospheric obstruction
solar altitude
angle of the sun above the horizon
What is the calculated number of degrees of latitude between a particular location and the location of the Sun's vertical rays?
arc distance
Which statement describes winds associated with a surface high in the Northern Hemisphere?
clockwise and out
atmospheric obstruction
clouds obstruct the sun's energy and heat
What type of weather would you expect to encounter along the polar front?
cloudy conditions and abundant precipitation
What type of weather would you expect to encounter along the intertropical convergence zone?
cloudy conditions and high rainfall
What is the last step in making a topographic profile?
connecting the points with a smooth line showing hilltops, valley bottoms, and slopes
What is the difference in value between two adjacent contour lines?
contour interval
When making a topographic profile, what essential locations must be marked on the edge of a piece of paper?
contour lines, hilltops, streams, and low spots
What term describes the temperature at which a parcel of air reaches 100% relative humidity?
dew point temperature
In general, what is the average change in temperature in the troposphere with increased altitude?
drops 6.5°C per 1000 meters or 3.6°F per 1000 feet
What type of scale is used when marking off the start and end points on the edge of a piece of paper and lining these marks up with the scale shown on the map?
graphic
Consider a substance that has high heat capacity. As compared to a substance with low heat capacity, when an equal amount of heat is applied to both, the high heat capacity substance will __________.
heat up much more slowly
Insolation
incoming solar radiation
What is the term for the incoming solar radiation that reaches Earth?
insolation
What kind of line is used to map temperature?
isotherm
What is the strong and fast-moving current of westerly wind in the upper troposphere of the midlatitudes?
jet stream
What explains the seasonal variation in the 15°C isotherm on this hypothetical Northern Hemisphere continent?
land-water contrasts
What features are found near the subtropical high-pressure systems?
large desert systems
What is the most basic control of temperature?
latitude
Which factor primarily explains the different temperature patterns of Nome and Norfolk?
latitude
5 factors that control temperature
latitude, land water contact, ocean currents, wind patterns, altitude
Which factors influence the temperature patterns of a location?
latitude, land-water contrasts, ocean currents, wind patterns, and altitude
What information is given by a declination arrow?
magnetic north and grid north
What is the most important storm of the midlatitudes?
midlatitude cyclone
What are midlatitude cyclones?
migrating low-pressure cells that move in the band of the westerlies
What would be the name of a wind that is moving from north to south in the Northern Hemisphere after the impact of the Coriolis effect?
northeast
What occurs when a cold front overtakes a warm front in a middle latitude cyclone?
occlusion
Circulation Patterns
one of the primary ways of organizing a room, an open space, or an entire project. They are vital to the efficient organization of space and provide people with their strongest orientation with in an environment.
What term best describes the fact that the northern end of Earth's axis always points to Polaris as Earth moves around the sun?
parallelism
What is meant by the double black line filled in with red?
primary highway, hard surface
What is an elongated area of high pressure on an isobar map?
ridge
Relative to the circle for the station location, where is temperature plotted on a station model?
slightly above to the left
When does the Sun rise, beginning the period of daylight at the North Pole?
solar noon on March 21
What is the name of the circle that shows the location of a place surrounded by coded weather data?
station model
On December 22, based on the angle of incidence, which location would receive the lowest amount of insolation?
the North Pole only
solar angle
the angle at which light strikes a surface
angle of incidence
the angle between the incident ray and the normal
Average Lapse Rate
the average rate of temperature decrease with height in the troposphere
What is a front?
the boundary between two air masses of different temperatures
relief
the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area
contour interval
the difference in elevation from one contour line to the next
During a year, which location receives the least variation in average daily insolation at the top of the atmosphere?
the equator
mixing ratio
the mass of water vapor in a unit of air compared to the remaining mass of dry air
saturation mixing ratio
the mixing ratio of the atmosphere when it is saturated
What is the intertropical convergence zone?
the region of rising air and low pressure near the equator
In the scale, 1:5000, what is the correct statement about the units of measurement?
the units of measurement must be the same
What is usually the purpose of marking ticks on the edge of a paper when making a topographic profile?
to maintain the horizontal scale
What is a diagram showing the changes in elevation of a landscape along a line?
topographic profile
graphic scale
usually consists of a bar line marked to show distance on Earth's surface
Which type of scale is exemplified by “one inch represents five miles�
verbal
What term refers to the result of using a different scale to plot the elevations on a topographic profile than the scale of the map?
vertical exaggeration
What is the term for the strongest, most concentrated rays of the sun or when the sun is directly overhead?
vertical rays
What best explains why the United Kingdom has winter temperatures similar to those of North Carolina in the United States, which has a much lower latitude?
warm ocean current
When do midlatitude cyclones stop producing storms?
when the cold front has completely taken over the warm front
