GEOGOLOGY EXAM 2
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of desert climates?
Precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration.
Of the weather elements below, which is the one of which we are usually LEAST aware without the use of weather instruments?
Pressure
Which remote sensing tool is used to develop storm warnings?
Radar
The 1-5 scale rating of hurricane intensity is the ________ scale.
Saffir-Simpson
Which is not a projection of future climate?
Sea level will continue to fall
The month most likely for a hurricane to occur in the Northern Hemisphere is ________.
September
The site of the world's record lowest average annual precipitation is on the continent of ________.
South America
Where is a place where tropical cyclones DO NOT form?
South Atlantic
All the following are proxy records of past climates except
Thermometer readings
Most of the wettest areas around the world are located in the ________.
Tropics
Over the ENTIRE past 70 million years there has been ________.
a global cooling
Most of the Earth's cloudiness results directly from ________.
adiabatic cooling
Water is unique because no other substance occurs in ________.
all three states of matter
Which of the following occurs most frequently?
an easterly wave
Sinking air that diverges when it reaches Earth's surface is closely associated with ________.
anticyclones
Thunderstorms DO NOT usually accompany ________.
anticyclones
The hottest places on Earth are ________.
associated with a lack of clouds
Trade winds are found ________.
at 10° north and south of the Equator
Usually, the highest relative humidity is ________.
at dawn
Fronts are located ________.
at the edges of air masses
Of the list below, the coldest air is bound to be associated with a(n) ________ air mass.
cP
The "snow-eater" wind of the Rocky Mountains is called the ________.
chinook
Climographs are useful in ________.
classifying climate
On a weather map, a symbol consisting of triangles arranged along one side of a line indicates a(n) ________ front.
cold
On the average, ________ fronts move the fastest of all fronts.
cold
Which type of front typically produces the fastest rise of air?
cold
The release of latent heat from water molecules is called ________.
condensation
In the atmosphere, liquid water collects around minute particles called ________.
condensation nuclei
In the tropical wet climate, precipitation is mainly ________.
convective
Thunderstorms are violent ________ storms accompanied by thunder and lightning.
convective
In the Northern Hemisphere, a midlatitude cyclone has winds that circulate ________.
counterclockwise and converging
Clouds of vertical development include the type called ________.
cumulonimbus
Which type of cloud is the associated with a thunderstorm?
cumulonimbus
A counterclockwise atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere is known as a(n) ________.
cyclone
Upper air divergence is most closely associated with surface ________.
cyclones
Which of the following helps determine past climate on the basis of tree rings?
dendrochronology
A weak migratory low pressure trough which is common in the low latitudes is often called a(n) ________.
easterly wave
Which of the following rarely affects North America?
equatorial
The transfer of moisture from land to air is termed ________.
evapotranspiration
The part of the hurricane characterized by scattered high clouds and light winds is known as the ________.
eye
The damage done in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina was mainly a result of ________.
flooding from the failure of levees
The polar front and subtropical jet streams are both high-altitude flows which circulate ________.
from west to east
A(n) ________ is the name for a tornado does not reach the ground.
funnel cloud
As a middle latitude cyclone goes through its life cycle, the warm sector at the surface ________.
gets smaller
According to a majority of climate scientists, which of the following factors is the primary ingredient in the global warming taking place today?
greenhouse gas concentrations
By some estimates, the annual average extent of Northern Hemisphere sea ice has ________ since the 1950s.
halved
Tornadoes, although erratic in their pathways, are always characterized by ________ pressure.
low
In wet tropical climates the "winter" season is the ________ period.
lower sun angle
The zone of westerly winds is typical of the ________ latitudes.
mid
The greatest day-to-day and seasonal contrasts of climate are found in the ________ climates.
middle latitude
Fair weather with calm winds is most likely to result from a(n) ________.
midlatitude anticyclone
Coriolis effect exists because ________.
the Earth rotates
The region in which the intertropical convergence can be found is ________.
the Equator
The world record for greatest precipitation received in a single year is on the order of ________ centimeters.
2600
Acid rain has a pH of less than ________.
5.6
At any given time, how many mid latitude cyclones might one expect to be in existence in the Northern Hemisphere?
6 to 15
As a rule, thunderstorms do not occur poleward of ________ latitude.
60°
How long can ice cores provide a proxy record of climate?
800,000 years
Which of the following average annual precipitation totals is CLOSEST to that expected in an Icecap climate?
< 25 cm
________ is a distinguishing feature of thunderstorms.
An anvil top
The presence of the cold Humboldt current and the Andes Mountains help to create the coastal ________ Desert.
Atacama
Which of the following statements about global climate change is correct?
Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides levels in the atmosphere are higher now than in the past 800,000 years.
Of the regions of the United States, which has the highest incidence of tornadoes?
Central States
Which is not a components of Milankovitch cycles?
Changes in the distance between the Earth and moon
El Niño has been noticed for centuries by fishermen in ________.
Chile
El Niño received its name because of its association with ________.
Christmas
"Continentality" is a term most closely associated with which climatic type?
D
The current rise in global sea level can be attributed to ________.
melting of glaciers
In tropical wet climates, what time of day is precipitation most likely?
mid-afternoon
Which of the following would be an expected average annual precipitation total in a marine west coast climate?
100 centimeters
The world's highest average annual precipitation is associated with a mountain in Hawaii where a total of CLOSEST TO ________ centimeters is received.
1000
Of the following temperatures, which of the following is CLOSEST to the official low temperature (in degrees Celsius) ever recorded on Earth?
-90
Which of the following best represents the length of the life cycle of a typical midlatitude cyclone?
1 week
An average air mass is on the order of ________ kilometers in diameter.
1,600
Hurricane formation is rare within ________ degrees of the Equator.
10
Tornadoes contain extreme pressure gradients. They are thought to be on the order of ________ millibars from the outside to the inside of the storm.
100
In order to be classified as a hurricane, sustained wind velocity must exceed ________ kilometers per hour (mph).
119 (74)
The world record highest one-day rainfall is ________ centimeters (2.54 centimeters = 1 inch).
183
The denser packing of molecules at the bottom of the atmosphere than molecules at the top of the atmosphere is a result of ________.
Gravity
Concerning acid rain, which fact is FALSE?
It seems to be equally serious everywhere in the United States.
Which of the following occurs least over North America?
Maritime Polar air from the North Atlantic
Which month has the greatest number of tornadoes in the United States?
May
________ is the time of day when tornadoes are most likely to occur.
Mid-afternoon
The long distance from the ocean and topographic barriers result in ________.
The Central Asian Desert
Which country is the most likely place on Earth for a tornado to occur?
The United States
Which of the following is FALSE of the Highland (H) climates?
They do not occur at tropical latitudes.
How do sulfate aerosols affect climate?
They scatter incoming radiation, cooling Earth
Which of the following provides information about past temperatures by trapping samples of the atmospheric composition to build a record of thousands of years of Earth's past climates?
ice cores
Atmospheric water vapor can be described as ________.
having an erratic distribution
Global dimming is caused by ________.
human release of aerosols
Steppe climates can be thought of as occupying transitional positions between deserts and ________.
humid climates
Oxygen isotope analysis is used when studying ________ and climate change.
ice cores
The world's highest average annual wind speeds, associated with strong katabatic wind, can be found ________.
in Antarctica
The capacity of air to hold water ________.
increases as temperature increases
Which of the following is not associated with increasing altitude in Highland climates?
increasing tornado frequency
Evaporation ________.
is a cooling process
________ are map lines connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure.
isobars
An example of a geostrophic wind is ________.
jet stream
Cold winds pouring downhill because of gravity are called ________.
katabatic winds
The saturated adiabatic lapse rate is a lesser lapse rate than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. This is because ________.
latent heat is being released
In severe mid-latitude climates, winter precipitation mainly originates from ________.
midlatitude cyclones
The single most descriptive word that can be applied to Tropical Wet climates is ________.
monotonous
A ________ is a seasonal reversal of wind.
monsoon
The one-year record rainfall took place in a ________ climate type.
monsoon
Which of the following is closely associated with acid rain?
motor vehicle exhaust
As a general rule, friction is greatest ________.
near Earth's surface
You are in the Northern Hemisphere. The pressure gradient force is from north to south. The surface wind which blows is from ________.
northeast to southwest
Which front is shown on weather maps as a line with alternating semicircles and triangles on the same side of the line?
occluded front
Which of the following can be said to be the "death" of a midlatitude cyclone?
occlusion
Air forced to move over a mountain is most closely associated with which type of lifting?
orographic
Geostrophic wind always flows ________.
parallel to the isobars
The contact zone of warm tropical and cold Polar air is known as the ________.
polar front
Flowing air responding to the difference between higher and lower pressure is responding to the ________.
pressure gradient
Which of the following is the force that initially causes the wind to blow?
pressure gradient
Wind speed is determined by ________.
pressure gradient force
Downwind of large mountain ranges there is less precipitation; this drier zone is called the ________.
rain shadow
Buoyant air will rise until it ________.
reaches the temperature of the surrounding air
Relative humidity is "relative" to ________.
saturation
The major global wind and pressure systems ________.
shift with the seasons
Air that resists vertical movement is said to be ________.
stable
When neither air mass displaces the adjacent one, their boundary is called a(n) ________ front.
stationary
Subtropical deserts are so dry because of ________ associated with the presence of the Subtropical Highs
subsidence
Climographs depict seasonal patterns of __________.
temperature and precipitation
The Köppen system of climate classification is based on ________.
temperature and precipitation
Which portion of the United States tends to have the greatest average wind speeds in all seasons?
the Great Plains
Tropical monsoon climates are found where ________.
the ITCZ comes overhead in the summer
Which of the following is NOT an ideal air mass source region?
the Rocky Mountains west of Denver
Midlatitude cyclones contain several well-defined channels of air called ________.
the conveyor belt
The rising and subsequent cooling of air at the rate of 10°C per 1,000 meters is called ________.
the dry adiabatic lapse rate
The movement (track along the ground) of middle latitude cyclones is determined by ________.
the jet stream
Which part of the United States has the worst acid rain problem?
the northeastern United States
Acid rainfall does conspicuous damage to all EXCEPT ________.
the ozone layers
Mediterranean climates experience dry summers because of ________.
the position of subtropical high pressure
Fact: Africa's pattern of climates is not quite symmetrical north and south of the Equator. One reason this occurs because ________.
the south Asian monsoon reaches East Africa
Hurricane destruction in coastal areas is made worse when this feature-not prominent in all hurricanes-is present.
the storm surge
Where in the world does average daily temperature exceed the annual temperature range?
the tropical latitudes
The reason winds exist is ________.
the unequal heating of the Earth system
It can be said that along all four types of fronts in a middle latitude cyclone, ________.
the warmest air rises
The B climates are dry most usually because of lack of ________.
uplift in the air
Which of the following appear best to explain the long-term cycles of glacial and interglacial events?
variations in Earth's tilt and orbit
All the following changes have been observed because of climate change except _______
volcanic eruptions have increased
Which type of front causes many hours of steady rain BEFORE that front passes a location?
warm
For the ENTIRE last 10,000 years Earth temperatures can be ________.
warm and fairly steady
For the ENTIRE last 10,000 years Earth temperatures can be described as ________.
warm and fairly steady
The energy source of hurricanes is ________.
warm ocean water
Which of the following promotes evaporation?
warm water
Midlatitude cyclones and anticyclones function as migratory features in the ________.
westerlies
