GES 110 Quiz 6

Arctic and subarctic climates may have much lower precipitation totals than lower-latitude humid climates simply because cold air cannot hold as much moisture; but in some cases they may still have wet conditions at the surface because the subsurface has permafrost and drainage is poor. a) True b) False

a

Climates with cold winters, warm summers and precipitation throughout the year are most strongly associated with what feature of the general circulation of the atmosphere? a) polar front b) subtropical high c) Hadley cells d) Arctic or Antarctic high pressure

a

Earth's climate is affected by variations across all time scales ranging from years to millions of years, but many of those variations follow cycles whose causes can be explained. a) True b) False

a

The Atacama desert along the coast of Chile and Peru is one of the world's driest deserts. Which of the following describes conditions that play a role in keeping this desert so dry? a) cool water offshore due to cold-water currents and upwelling of cold bottom water creates a temperature inversion in the atmosphere that suppresses any tendency of air to rise and generate condensation b) this area is simply remote from any possible source of moisture c) weather conditions here are so thoroughly dominated by the ITCZ that virtually no opportunity exists for air to rise and condense d) all of the above play a role in suppressing precipitation

a

The Holocene, the time period including all of recorded human history, a) has been an interglacial period following the rapid retreat of continental glaciers from much of the northern hemisphere b) has been a time period of absolutely stable, warm climate without any fluctuations c) has been a period of relative cooling and low sea level compared to the 100,000-year warm period that immediately preceded it d) is a unique period in earth history; there is no evidence in the record of the last several million years of any period with similar climate to what has existed on our planet for most of the last 11,000 years

a

What climate type would be associated with the climograph shown below? (wet, 50-80 F) a) Humid subtropical b) Mediterranean c) Humid subarctic d) Tropical monsoon

a

What kind of climatic conditions would you expect to see in the areas marked with the number 2 on the map of Africa below? (mid to low part of Africa) a) summer wet season and winter dry season b) summer dry season and winter wet season c) dry conditions throughout the year d) wet conditions throughout the year

a

Which climate type is dominant in the region outlined in purple on the map below? (area surrounding North Pole but not Greenland) a) tundra climate b) ice-sheet climate c) subarctic taiga d) humid continental mild-summer

a

Which of the following best explains what we know about patterns in earth's climate over the last 2.6 million years? a) the cycles of glacial and interglacial periods can be explained as a result of cyclical variations in the shape of earth's orbit and the angle of tilt and "wobble" of the earth's axis b) dust from a series of massive volcanic eruptions blocked out enough solar radiation to initiate the episodes of continental glaciation c) the onset of the ice ages was caused by an asteroid that collided with the earth about 65 million years ago d) the ice ages were caused by rising sea level, which lowered the earth's albedo e) glaciation is caused by periodic weakening of the earth's magnetic field

a

Which of the following is not a true statement about sea level rise? a) If we can limit global temperature change to 2 degrees Celsius, sea level rise should stabilize to a rate of increase of less than 1 foot by the end of this century b) The Maryland Climate Change Commission estimates that sea level along the Maryland coast is likely to rise between 2.1 and 5.7 feet by 2100, and will almost certainly rise further after that c) 10 feet of sea level rise would put a large part of south Florida underwater, along with coastal areas all around Chesapeake Bay d) Rapid collapse of much of the West Antarctic ice shelf is contributing to sea level rise and is being caused by warm water circulating beneath the ice and melting it from below

a

Which statement is correct? a) during the last 800,000 years the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere never rose above 300 parts per million until after the Industrial Revolution b) there is not yet a scientific consensus on the question of what is causing recent trends in global warming c) Greenland and Antarctica are so cold that even while glaciers are disappearing elsewhere, those in Greenland and Antarctica remain largely intact d) global climate models are unable to reproduce recent trends in global temperature

a

Why are some of the world's great deserts located in the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn? a) They are associated with subsiding air in the subtropical high-pressure belts. b) They are too remote from sources of available moisture to be able to generate precipitation. c) They are controlled by the contrast between air masses along the subtropical front. d) They are caused by massive temperature inversions when cooler high-latitude air masses push underneath the dominant warm tropical air masses and suppress the tendency for air to rise.

a

The figure below shows the annual pattern of precipitation in a location in the northern hemisphere. Which location do you think is the most likely place to see a pattern like this one? (wet summer, dry winter) a) Tropic of Cancer b) partway between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer c) an east-coast location along the polar front d) a west-coast location between 25 and 35 degrees north

b

Tropical air masses a) tend to have limited spatial reach and are mostly confined to the tropics b) can influence on weather at higher latitudes both through incursion of tropical air masses and through the influence of warm ocean currents c) are characterized by strong temperature contrasts over short distances d) all of the above are true

b

What accounts for the difference in climatic conditions between the northeast and northwest coasts of the U.S.? a) There is no significant difference in climatic conditions between the northwest and northeast coasts b) Prevailing westerly winds bring maritime air and mild conditions onshore along the west coast and bring continental air and more severe conditions from the interior toward the east coast c) coastal upwelling causes much drier and cooler conditions along the coasts of Oregon and Washington d) maritime air masses have a much greater influence in the northeast whereas continental air masses are dominant in the northwest

b

What conditions are associated with the marine west coast climate? a) Extremely high summer precipitation and a winter dry season, with hot summers and cold winters b) Mild seasonal variations in temperature, with frequent cyclonic storms and abundant moisture particularly in winter c) Mild temperature variations with generally low precipitation throughout the year d) Hot summers and very cold winters with abundant precipitation throughout the year

b

What feature of the general circulation dominates weather conditions in the area marked with a "1" on the map cited in the two preceding questions? (middle of Africa) a) subtropical high b) ITCZ c) polar front d) ENSO

b

Which climate type is associated with the climograph shown below? (wet winter, 3 dry summer months, 50-80 deg F) a) Tropical rainforest (Af) b) Mediterranean (Csa) c) Savanna (Aw) d) Humid subtropical (Cfa) e) Midlatitude steppe (BSk)

b

Which of the Koppen climate classes described in the textbook is commonly associated with the region discussed in the previous question? (middle of Africa) a) Am b) Af c) BWh d) Cfb e) Dwc

b

An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean a) changes the albedo of the ocean and alters the earth's radiation balance b) is a direct result of the increase in global temperature c) changes the pH of the ocean and threatens coral reef habitat as well as the ability of shellfish to build their shells d) All of the above are true

c

Average global sea level 19-20,000 years ago was a) 50 m higher than it is today b) about the same as it is today c) about 120 m lower than it is today d) we have no way of knowing what sea level was at that point in the past

c

Highland climates a) are always cooler and drier than adjacent climate zones at lower altitudes b) are highly variable and so different from adjacent lowland areas that no pattern can be predicted c) are characterized by vertical zonation that in some cases can encompass the range between tropical rainforest and tundra conditions, with lower temperatures and (sometimes) wetter conditions at higher altitudes

c

Humid subtropical and humid continental climates in China have a much more pronounced seasonal pattern of precipitation than comparable climates in the U.S. What is the reason for this? a) These climates are found much closer to the equator in China than they are in the U.S. b) The influence of the polar front is stronger in China, bringing a greater likelihood of high pressure and drought in the summer c) The influence of the ITCZ associated with the monsoon extends far enough north in Asia to affect even midlatitude climates in China, and the enormous winter high pressure centered over Siberia causes strong dry conditions extending over a broad region d) There are strong orographic controls causing a more even seasonal distribution of moisture in the eastern U.S. compared with eastern China.

c

What climate type is illustrated in the climograph below? (dry, 60-90 F) a) Aw b) Csa c) BWh d) ET

c

What is the difference between climate and weather? a) Climate is simply the long-term average weather of a particular location on the globe. b) Climate is much more variable and unpredictable than weather. c) An accurate description of climate includes average conditions over time, seasonal patterns of variation, and the range of variation in temperature and precipitation in a region, including extremes. Weather refers to specific atmospheric conditions at a particular point in time. d) Climate and weather are interchangeable words that refer to the same thing.

c

What type of climate would you expect to see in the area associated with the climograph below? Look at the graph carefully before selecting your answer. (high temp, wet winter, dry summer) a) Tropical rainforest b) Mediterranean c) Savanna d) Humid continental

c

Which climate type and/or associated vegetation pattern corresponds to number 4 on the map in the previous question? (northern part of Africa) a) tropical rainforest b) tropical savanna c) subtropical desert d) humid continental e) marine west coast

c

Which location is most likely to have a humid continental hot-summer climate? a) San Diego b) London c) Chicago d) New Orleans

c

Which of the following statements about global climate change is NOT true? a) historical records show a sharp acceleration in both atmospheric carbon dioxide and atmospheric temperature over the last several decades b) available evidence shows that temperature increases are and will be greatest at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere c) the only greenhouse gas affecting atmospheric temperatures is carbon dioxide d) computer models of the atmosphere are able to reproduce temperature changes over the last century when they factor in human-forced influences on climate, but the simulations are poor if these influences are not considered e) 2014 iwas recognized as the warmest year on record until 2015 broke that record; now 2016 has broken it yet again

c

What controls semiarid and arid climates of the midlatitudes? a) subtropical high pressure belt b) polar high c) polar front d) rainshadow from mountain ranges or remoteness from sources of moisture at continental interior locations e) all of the above

d

What evidence do we have for long-term variations in global climate? a) as glaciers move over the landscape they leave both erosional and depositional evidence of their presence in places where we do not find them today b) fluctuations in the ratio of oxygen isotopes 18 and 16 that are preserved in marine microfossils buried in sediment layers on the ocean floor can be used to reconstruct variations in global ice volume and global temperature c) changes in the relative abundance of different kinds of pollen in lake sediments can be used to draw conclusions about changes in climate that controlled patterns of terrestrial vegetation d) all of the above are true e) none of the above are true

d

What kind of weather pattern is the most important source of moisture throughout most of the year in the climate described in the previous question? (cold winters, warm summers, wet) a) tropical cyclones b) convective storms c) easterly waves d) midlatitude cyclones e) convergent lifting in the vicinity of the ITCZ

d

Where would you find the greatest seasonal variation in monthly precipitation? a) Tropical rainforest climate b) Humid continental climate c) Mediterranean climate d) Tropical monsoon climate e) Midlatitude desert

d

Which answer best describes climatic conditions in Florida? a) Dominated by the ITCZ throughout the year b) Dominated by the ITCZ in summer and by dry subtropical air in winter c) Dry summer and wet winter d) Wet throughout the year - maritime tropical air is pumped onshore by clockwise circulation around the subtropical high in summer and heating over land causes frequent convective precipitation; frontal precipitation is common in winter

d

Which climate type would be associated with the climograph shown below? (some rain, 10 - (-25) F) a) Tropical monsoon (Am) b) Mediterranean (Csa) c) Humid subtropical (Cfa) d) Humid subarctic (boreal forest) (Dwd)

d

Which of the following statements about subarctic taiga climates is not true? a) They are associated with short, generally cool summers and intensely cold winters b) They are dominated by conifer trees c) They are found in a latitude belt extending from Scandinavia to Siberia and from Labrador across north-central Canada to Alaska d) The ground is frozen throughout the year and forest vegetation therefore cannot survive there; only mosses, lichens and herbaceous vegetation occur in these climates.

d

Which of the following would you find in eastern Wyoming and Colorado? a) humid subtropical climate b) tundra climate c) Mediterranean climate d) semiarid steppe e) boreal forest

d

Which of the following is NOT an anticipated side effect of global climate change? a) rising sea level b) increased likelihood of extreme weather c) negative impacts on ecosystems like coral reefs, tundra and forests d) changes in Arctic albedo e) all of the above either have been observed or can be expected to occur

e

Which of the following is true? a) Almost the entire surface of the Greenland ice sheet had melting water at the surface in summer 2012 b) There is conclusive evidence to show that the Baton Rouge flood of summer 2016 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 were caused directly by human-induced climate change c) EPA predicts that under the high-emissions "business as usual" scenario it is likely that summers in Maryland by 2100 will feel like summers in northern Florida today d) At this point it does not matter what we do, the most catastophic changes are already inevitable e) the first and third answers are correct, the second and fourth answers are not

e

Which of the following does NOT have an important influence on the spatial pattern of global moisture regimes? a) Latitude b) Continental vs. maritime location c) Seasonal shifts in major pressure belts d) East vs. west coast location e) Ocean currents f) ALL of the above affect the global spatial pattern of precipitation

f