ESC1000 Chapter 17 Quiz

When did oxygen levels begin to increase in the Earth's atmosphere?

During the Proterozoic.

If water boils at a temperature of 373, what scale is being used?

Kelvin

Where is atmospheric pressure the highest?

at sea level

A barometer measures

atmospheric pressure.

Based on the figure, what type of front is present in Texas?

cold

Clouds form because as the air rises it

cools and reaches its dew point.

The cloud labeled A in the diagram is an example of what kind of cloud?

cumulonimbus

Photochemical smog results when

exhaust from cars reacts with air and sunlight.

Radar reflectivity values indicated in red or orange are interpreted to represent

heavy rainfall.

Longwave radiation includes

microwaves.

Which type of cloud is most likely to produce precipitation?

nimbostratus

Observing the aurora borealis, you see shades of blue. What chemical element are you observing?

nitrogen

The two most abundant elements in the Earth's atmosphere today are

nitrogen and oxygen

Nitrogen became the most abundant gas in today's atmosphere because

nitrogen is relatively inert.

Which of the following properties is calculated, rather than measured directly?

relative humidity

Most aerosols found over the ocean are

salts and sulfates.

The type of precipitation that occurs when raindrops fall through a warm layer of air on top of a freezing layer, producing frozen pellets near the ground, is called

sleet.

In the image of the Earth's atmosphere with layers defined by temperature, which layer is labeled B?

stratosphere

The ozone hole is found in the

stratosphere.

The temperature of the Earth's troposphere decreases as the altitude increases because

the Earth's surface heats the troposphere from below.

If the Earth did not experience the greenhouse effect,

the temperature of the Earth would be much cooler.

In the image of the Earth's atmosphere with layers defined by temperature, which layer is labeled A?

troposphere

The Earth's first semi-permanent atmosphere consisted of abundant water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ammonia, and traces of methane. These gases came from

volcanic outgassing.

Water in its gaseous form in the atmosphere is called

water vapor.