Physical Geography: Ch3 (HW2)

________ is (are) responsible for placing oxygen in the atmosphere.

Green plants

In general, warm ocean currents are located ________ of the continents.

east

The source of warming in the upper stratosphere is ________.

energy emitted from the breakdown of ozone

The segment of the atmosphere which blends into interplanetary space is called the ________.

exosphere

It is thought that the Earth's climate is being changed rapidly by ________.

human-caused releases of impurities

Some particulates absorb the water vapor around them. They are said to be ________.

hygroscopic

________ particulates in the atmosphere absorb water and are the basis for cloud formation.

hygroscopic

Water vapor is nearly absent ________.

in the upper reaches of the atmosphere

The influence on climate of carbon dioxide is mainly due to its ability to absorb ________.

infrared radiation

The ________ is the layer of the atmosphere where electrified atoms are plentiful.

ionosphere

The part of the atmosphere that contains "weather" and supports life ________.

is very shallow

The most important feature of ozone in the ozone layer is ________.

it absorbs ultraviolet energy

The stratosphere derives its name from which property?

it is layer with little vertical mixing

The most basic factor causing the distribution of hot and cold temperatures over Earth's surface is ________.

latitude

The side of a mountain sheltered from prevailing winds is the ________.

leeward

It is really improper to discuss or classify climate with any record less than ________.

several decades

If one were 30 kilometers above sea level, one would be in the part of the atmosphere known as the ________.

stratosphere

The ozone layer is in that portion of the atmosphere known as the ________.

stratosphere

The warm zone near the top of the stratosphere is the result of heating from ________.

the natural breakdown of ozone

Ozone is actually ________.

three-atomed oxygen

Given the relationship between altitude and atmospheric pressure, the pressure at 20 kilometers above the surface is ________.

tiny, compared to sea level

Vertical mixing and turbulence are most characteristic of the ________.

troposphere

The order of the atmospheric layers from the surface up into the atmosphere is ________.

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

In the atmosphere, the temperature decreases with increasing altitude in the ________ and the ________.

troposphere, thermosphere

Oxygen (O2)is being added to the atmosphere by ________.

vegetation

Mountains act as major climatic barriers with the sheltered or ________ side receiving less moisture than the exposed side.

leeward

Nitrogen is the ________ component of the atmosphere in terms of volume.

main

The coldest temperature in the atmosphere can be found at the ________.

mesopause

Air is best described as a(n) ________.

mixture

Together, oxygen and nitrogen comprise what percentage of the atmosphere?

more than 95%

A main absorber of ultraviolet radiation in the atmosphere is ________.

ozone

Clouds owe their existence to the presence of atmospheric ________.

particles

The present atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is approximately 396 ________.

parts per million

The "hole" in the Antarctic ozone ________.

persists longer and longer each year

The main impact of ozone on life on the Earth's surface is to ________.

reduce ultraviolet solar radiation

"Weather" and "climate" ________.

refers to the atmosphere as studied on different time scales

Oxygen is the ________ component of the atmosphere in terms of volume.

second

At an elevation of 16 kilometers (in the lower stratosphere), atmospheric pressure is approximately one-________ of what it is at the surface.

tenth

Polar stratospheric clouds are most closely associated with ________.

the destruction of ozone

The source of heating in the thermosphere is the absorption of ________.

ultraviolet rays from the Sun

A variable gas in the atmosphere nearly absent from the higher elevations is ________.

water vapor

The smallest atmospheric particles can remain suspended in the atmosphere for a period of ________.

years

Ozone is destroyed by CFCs because the ________ in the CFCs combines with oxygen.

chlorine

A major characteristic of the troposphere is the ________.

decrease of temperature with increasing altitude

Air pressure ________.

decreases at a decreasing rate with increase of altitude

"Weather" and "climate" are ________.

differentiated because climate studies the long-term

The atmospheric layer in which gases do not maintain a uniform composition is the ________.

heteropshere

The lower 80 kilometers or so in the atmosphere in which gases are found in uniform proportions is the ________.

homosphere

The segment of the atmosphere in which gases maintain an approximately uniform composition is the ________.

homosphere

The normal percent of water vapor in dry air is ________ percent.

0-4

The approximate boundary of the atmosphere extends outward at least ________ kilometers above the surface.

10,000

Over warm oceans, water vapor comprises about ________ percent of the volume of the atmosphere.

4

One half of the atmosphere lies below the elevation of ________.

6 kilometers

Above ________ kilometer(s), the atmospheric pressure is so slight as not to register on an ordinary barometer.

80

The homosphere includes the lowest ________ kilometers of the atmosphere.

80

A "hole" in the ozone layer was first discovered over ________.

Antarctica

In terms of atmospheric change, which of the following is TRUE? A. The present era is the first time there has ever been climate change. B. Humans are adding impurities to the atmosphere at a rate previously unknown. C. International treaties have been able to halt climate change. D. The ozone hole problem is now solved. E. Change has never occurred.

B. Humans are adding impurities to the atmosphere at a rate previously unknown

Which of the following is TRUE of CFCs? A. They are now the most dominant gases in the stratosphere. B. They are now banned by international treaty. C. They have disappeared in the atmosphere. D. They are not able to exist for long in the atmosphere. E. They are very toxic to humans.

B. They are now banned by international treaty.

Which of the following is NOT an important source of particulates in the atmosphere? A. salt from the sea B. photosynthesis from trees C. volcanic eruptions D. soot from fires E. emissions from engines

B. photosynthesis from trees

Which of the following is NOT a natural characteristic of the troposphere? A. the lowest layer of the atmosphere B. the hottest temperatures in the atmosphere C. the layer associated with "weather" D. most of the atmospheric water vapor E. the highest pressures in the atmosphere

B. the hottest temperatures in the atmosphere

Which of the following best describes the atmosphere at any single location on a day-to-day basis? A. Particulates are constant. B. The major components vary widely. C. Argon is constant. D. Oxygen is variable. E. Water vapor is constant.

C. Argon is constant.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the atmosphere? A. It has clouds which float in it. B. It is poorly mixed in the heterosphere. C. It resists being compressed. D. It contains water vapor. E. It is very well mixed near the Earth's surface.

C. It resists being compressed.

Which of the following is NOT an atmospheric gas? A. water vapor B. nitrogen C. clouds D. carbon dioxide E. oxygen

C. clouds

Which of the following is a major source of nitrogen in the atmosphere? A. the breakdown of ozone B. photosynthesis C. decay of plants D. meteorite collisions E. chlorofluorocarbons

C. decay of plants

Which of the following is an important function of Earth's atmosphere? A. supplies the oxygen for life B. insulates the surface against temperature extremes C. screens out much of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation D. maintains a water supply E. all of the above

E. all of the above

Which of the following substances is closely associated with the breakdown of the ozone layer? A. infrared radiation B. nitrogen oxides C. water vapor D. carbon dioxide E. chlorofluorocarbons

E. chlorofluorocarbons

Which of the following is NOT gaseous in the atmosphere? Select one: A. neon B. argon C. helium D. water vapor E. clouds

E. clouds

Which of the following climatic controls can be considered to be the "most important"? A. distribution of land and water B. elevation C. storms D. longitude E. latitude

E. latitude

Which of the following is NOT a "weather element"? A. moisture B. temperature C. wind D. pressure E. latitude

E. latitude

On the average, the tropopause is highest above the surface over the ________.

Equator

Chlorine in the stratosphere will turn ozone into ________.

Oxygen

________ is (are) crucial to the formation of clouds in the atmosphere.

Particulates

Argon is the ________ most plentiful gas in the atmosphere.

Third

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is ________.

a small fraction of 1%

The third most plentiful gas in the Earth's lower atmosphere is ________.

argon

About 10,000 kilometers above the surface is the upper limit of the ________.

atmosphere

The exosphere marks the outward limit of the ________.

atmosphere

With the exception of water vapor, ________ is the most plentiful of the variable gases in the atmosphere.

carbon dioxide

Which of the following exists highest in the atmosphere? A. troposphere B. stratopause C. mesopause D. tropopause E. stratosphere

C. mesopause

Which atmospheric layer is directly above the troposphere? A. mesosphere B. exosphere C. stratosphere D. heterosphere E. thermosphere

C. stratosphere

The Montreal Protocol of 1987 was an international treaty to halt the production of ________.

Chlorofluorocarbons

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of air? A. It is colorless. B. It is mostly packed close to the Earth's surface. C. It is odorless. D. It is a chemical compound. E. It is tasteless.

D. It is a chemical compound.

Which of the following statements about the atmosphere is TRUE? A. It is well-mixed from bottom to top B. It has a sharply defined top called the atmopause. C. Temperature decreases uniformly with height. D. Most of its mass is relatively close to the ground. E. Pressure increases with elevation.

D. Most of its mass is relatively close to the ground.

By volume, which of the following comprises most of Earth's atmosphere? A. carbon monoxide B. ozone C. carbon dioxide D. argon E. chlorofluorocarbons

D. argon

Which of the following is NOT associated with particulates? Select one: A. sunlight absorption B. may remain suspended for months or years C. cause clouds to form D. depletion of the ozone layer E. sunlight reflection

D. depletion of the ozone layer

Which of the following makes up more than 10% of the mass of the atmosphere? A. water vapor B. hydrogen C. helium D. nitrogen E. argon

D. nitrogen

Which is NOT a danger of increased ultraviolet exposure at the Earth's surface? A. the increase of skin cancer in humans B. the suppression of the human immune system C. the diminishing of yields in many crops D. the significant warming of Earth's surface E. the killing of microorganisms on the ocean surface

D. the significant warming of Earth's surface

Which of the following can be found lowest in the atmosphere? A. ozone layer B. thermosphere C. ionosphere D. exosphere E. tropopause

E. tropopause

Which of the following would be MOST variable at your location on a day-to-day basis? A. nitrogen B. oxygen C. carbon dioxide D. ozone E. water vapor

E. water vapor

The main component of the lower atmosphere by total volume is ________.

nitrogen