First GY 101 Lab Test Study Guide

The sun is directly overhead of this latitude during the June solstice: __________________

23.5 N (also called tropic of Cancer)

At which time of day is the relative humidity likely to be lowest?

2pm

The sun is most directly/ intensely hitting the location of the earth where the angle of incidence is:

90 degrees

Based on the scatterplots you drew in Lab 2, we know that an object's albedo and its temperature are related. It can be said that:

As albedo decreases, an object's temperature decreases.

What affect does the tilt of the earth have on us?

Causes us to experience seasons and causes AOI to fluctuate throughout the year

The ___________ temperature scale is based on zero degrees for the freezing point of water and 100 degrees for the boiling point of water.

Celsius

Why is the earth closer to the sun in the winter but lower in temperature?

Depends on angle of incidence.

This measure of humidity is NOT dependent on temperature, but is on a similar scale

Dew point

____________________ is the term used to describe the temperature in which air must be cooled in order to reach saturation

Dew point

Which of these locations can we expect to receive the most direct incoming solar radiation year-round (will not vary as dramatically with seasons)?

Equator = zero

What line of latitude would you have to go to in order to see the Sun directly overhead on the March equinox?

Equator, or zero degrees

Ascending air:

Expands and warms

Air remains stagnant unless a cold or warm front interacts with it

High, low

What characteristics of electromagnetic radiation are the IR thermometers and solar radiation sensors measuring?

If the IR thermometer measures long wave radiation and the solar radiation sensor measures shortwave.

Earth is closest to the Sun on ______

January 3

Locations in the tropics will generally always have a ____________ angle of incidence.

Large

In general, objects or surfaces that are darker have a _____________ albedo than lighter surfaces or objects.

Lower

Define relative humidity (RH)

RH is a percentage of current water vapor relative to the maximum possible for a given parcel of air at the current temperature. H is temperature dependent.

Assuming the amount of water vapor in the air stays the same, how will the relative humidity change if the temperature increases 20 degrees?

Relative humidity will drop.

Most of the energy from the Sun arrives at Earth as ___________ radiation, while nearly all of the energy emitted by Earth is ___________ radiation.

Shortwave, longwave

Which of the following surfaces can we expect to have the highest albedo?

Snow

Latitude tells us whether a location is in the _________________ or __________________ hemisphere.

Southern, northern

High latitude regions of Earth receive less total solar radiation during a year than equilateral latitudes because:

The sun strikes the surface less directly (the sun is aways lower in the sky) in high latitudes.

Variables positively or negatively related?

These variables are negatively correlated because when the albedo is lower, the temperature is higher.

If you wanted to go where the rays of the Sun were directly overhead on the December solstice, what latitude would you travel to?

Tropic of Capricorn, or 23.5 S

Additionally, the _________________________ is impacted by local geography. For example, mountains can impact it because of their ____________ which would change the angle that the sun hits the ground.

Zenith angle, slope

The __________________ measures the angle at which the Sun's rays strike the Earth

angle of incidence

The term used to describe the cold air mass is replacing a warm air mass _____________

cold front

As one moves away from the equator during the equinoxes, the angle of incidence will ______________

decrease

This results in a(n) _________________ in temperature as one moves away from the equator.

decrease

The ___________________ in the Sun's angle means ____________ intense solar radiation, allowing the radiation to spread out over a large surface area.

decrease, less

The _______________ is the difference between a locations latitude and the declination

zenith