Geology Exam 2
According to the food chain concept, it takes ________ kilograms of plankton to make one kilogram of weight gain for a human
1,000
The world's highest average annual precipitation is associated with a mountain in Hawaii where a total of CLOSEST TO ________ centimeters is received.
1,000
Hurricane formation is rare within ________ degrees of the Equator.
10
Saturated air is forced down the leeward side of a mountain. On its way down the air undergoes warming because of compression. What is the rate at which the air will heat up?
10°C per 1,000 m of descent
Which of the following is a normal slope for a warm front?
1:400
The mountain, or H climates, exhibit a vertical temperature decrease on the order of ________°C per 300 meters of elevation increase.
2
Sea breezes rarely penetrate a maximum of ________ kilometers inland.
30
A ________ is a seasonal reversal of wind
A monsoon
Both steppe and tundra vegetation zones have ________ in common.
Absence of Trees
A small island on the Equator would most likely be classified ________.
Af
The ________ climatic type has, by far, the smallest annual temperature range of any climatic type.
Af
The greatest one-day range of temperature was recorded in a BWh climate in ________.
Algeria
Water is unique because no other substance occurs in ________.
All three states of matter
These plants perish during times of climatic stress.
Annuals
Sinking air that diverges when it reaches Earth's surface is closely associated with ________.
Anticyclones
Which of the following air masses can be identified as being "very stable"?
Artic
The world's largest expanse of middle latitude dry climates is on the continent of ________.
Asia
Usually, the highest relative humidity is ________.
At dawn
Fronts are located ________.
At the edges of air masses
________ is the term for the physical amount of plant material at a location.
Biomass
Which of the following would SLOW evaporation from a water surface?
Calm air
The release of latent heat from water molecules is called ________.
Condensation
Speed of the wind is unaffected by ________.
Coriolis effect
A counterclockwise atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere is known as a(n) ________.
Cyclone
"Continentality" is a term most closely associated with which climatic type?
D
Of the main Köppen climate zones, ________ is the only one that does not occur in the Southern Hemisphere.
D
Which of the following has the LEAST average annual precipitation?
EF
The average directional movement of hurricanes is ________.
East to west
Which of the following is NOT an example of climatic influence on the biosphere?
Edaphic Conditions
The part of the hurricane characterized by scattered high clouds and light winds is known as the ________.
Eye
Which of the following does NOT act upon winds that blow far above the surface of the Earth?
Friction
The higher plant type that carries its seeds in cones is the ________.
Gymnosperm
Atmospheric water vapor can be described as ________.
Having an erratic distribution
Animals which eat plants are also known as ________
Herbivores
In studying environmental relationships, which of the following is true?
In studying environmental relationships, which of the following is true?
Relative humidity is ________ related to air temperature.
Inversely
Which of the following is NOT NECESSARILY a property of an air mass?
It must have a warm front at its leading edge.
Downwind of large mountain ranges there is less precipitation; this drier zone is called the ________.
Rain shadow
The saturated adiabatic lapse rate is a lesser lapse rate than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. This is because ________.
Latent heat being released
________ have the most dynamic and changeable day-to-day weather on Earth
Latitudes affected by fronts
Water vapor can be described by all but one of the following.
Light blue color
The present binomial system of biological classification was devised by ________.
Linnaeus
At Earth's surface, warm temperatures are associated with ________.
Low pressure
In tropical regions the "winter" season is merely the ________ period.
Low sun
An Earth surface pressure of pressure of 1,005 millibars is associated with ________.
Lows or highs depending on conditions
Earth has ________ species of animals compared to the number of plant species.
Many more
Which of the following is closely associated with acid rain?
Motor vehicle exhaust
As a general rule, friction is greatest ________.
Near the earths surface
Of the main nutrients in the biosphere, the one that is "fixed" inside nodules in certain plant roots is ________.
Nitrogen
The seasonal shift of the intertropical convergence is greatest ________.
Over the continents
This part of the global circulation is characterized by rising air, widespread cloudiness, precipitation, and migratory storms.
Polar front
The availability of moisture to plants is largely determined by ________.
Precipitation versus evaporation
Which of the following is the force that initially causes the wind to blow?
Pressure gradient
In the desert biome, ________ is rapid for almost all forms of life.
Rate of reproduction
The 1-5 scale rating of hurricane intensity is the ________ scale.
Saffir-simpson
The month most likely for a hurricane to occur in the Northern Hemisphere is ________.
September
The "eye" of the hurricane is a zone characterized by ________.
Sinking air
The largest amount of tropical rainforest is on the continent of ________.
South America
The site of the world's record lowest average annual precipitation is on the continent of ________.
South America
The "horse latitudes" are zones of minimal winds which are associated with the ________ system.
Subtropical high pressure
A type of species removal when vegetation is naturally replaced by another group is termed ________.
Succession
Liquid water that has cooled below the dew point becomes ________.
Supercooled
Humans fit into the food pyramid as ____________.
The apex of the pyramid
The region in which the intertropical convergence can be found is ________.
The equator
Over the Earth, regions of heavy precipitation normally experience ________ variability.
The least
Which of the following is NOT an ideal air mass source region?
The rocky mountains of denver
Hurricane destruction to land coastlines 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
A synonym for the boreal forest biome is ________.
Tiaga
In mountainous areas, which term refers to the vertical zone of "frozen land" at high elevation?
Tierra helada
This biome is widespread in drier portions of the A climatic realm. It is dominated by low-growing scraggly trees and tall bushes
Tropical Scrub
The correct designation for a hurricane is as a(n) ________.
Tropical cyclone
Which biome has a high proportion of thorny plants?
Tropical scrub
When air is heated enough so that it is warmer than the surrounding air, it is ________.
Unstable
Which type of front causes many hours of steady rain BEFORE that front passes a location?
Warm
The energy source of hurricanes is ________.
Warm seawater
In most organisms, ________ is the most plentiful substance
Water
The state of water that is the most important yet least obvious in the atmosphere is ________.
Water vapor
Midlatitude cyclones and anticyclones function as migratory features in the ________.
Westerlies
Presently, the most widely used classification system was derived by ________.
Wladimir Köppen
The world's greatest annual average temperature range is in a Dfd climate in ________.
Yakutsk, Siberia
Which of the following are most abundant on Earth?
arthropods
The hottest places on Earth are ________.
associated with a lack of clouds
The desert would be the obvious zone of origin of a(n) ________ air mass.
cT
Clouds form if air is ________.
cooled to the dew point
Most middle latitude cyclones occur ________.
downstream of an upper level pressure trough
The lowercase letter symbolizing "moist, with no dry season" in the Köppen classification system is ________.
f
Steppe climates can be thought of as occupying transitional positions between deserts and ________.
humid climates
The capacity of air to hold water ________.
increases as temperature increases
City A and City B are located 500 km from one another and are the same latitude. City A has a much greater annual temperature range than City B. The most likely explanation for this fact is that City A ________.
is in a more continental climate than City B
The average lapse rate in the troposphere ________.
is quite variable by time and region
The Köppen system of climatic classification ________.
is the one used in your textbook
When air is heated it expands and ________.
lowers its pressure
The greatest day-to-day and seasonal contrasts of climate are found in the ________ climates.
middle latitude
Calm, fair weather is most likely to result from a(n) ________.
midlatitude anticyclone
Liquid converts to gas when ________.
molecules break loose from the liquid
Wind speed is determined by ________.
pressure gradient force
Relative humidity is "relative" to ________.
saturation
Wind speed may be roughly indicated by ________.
spacing of isobars on a weather map
The Köppen system of climate classification is based on ________.
temperature and precipitation
Tropical monsoon climates are found where ________.
the ITC comes overhead in the summer
Vertical zonation of vegetation is particularly prominent in which region?
tropical highlands
The B climates are dry most usually because of lack of ________.
uplift in the air
