Geography Exam: 1
What proportion of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere?
0.035%
What proportion of argon is in the atmosphere?
0.93%
What proportion of oxygen is in the atmosphere?
21%
What proportion of nitrogen is in the atmosphere?
78%
The Earth's axis is always tilted at an angle of _________ degrees to the plane of the ecliptic.
B)23.5
True or False: A line of latitude is always a great circle.
False
True or False: China has 3 time zones
False
True or False: During daylight saving time (DST), the Earth's rotation is slowed by 1 hour to lengthen the day by 1 hour.
False
True or False: Hot objects radiate less energy than cool objects.
False
True or False: If you were to look down on Earth from above the North Pole, the Earth would be seen to rotate in a clockwise direction.
False
True or False: Locations near oceans experience a wider range of air temperatures than locations in continental interiors.
False
True or False: Nighttime air temperatures tend to be lower at low elevations because there are fewer air molecules to absorb outgoing longwave radiation.
False
True or False: Ozone can be produced by oxygen absorption of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun.
False
True or False: Ozone in the stratosphere is harmful as it acts as an air pollutant.
False
True or False: The Earth's rotation is the annual journey around the Sun and gives us the calendar year.
False
True or False: The rate of temperature decrease with altitude is around 5 degrees Celsius per 1000 meters.
False
True or False: The warming effect of vegetation is the result of transpiring leaves and their interception of solar radiation
False
True or False: Unsaturated air is required for fog, dew, and cloud formation.
False
True or False: Unstable air is typical of cool, winter air masses.
False
True or False: A straight line drawn on a Mercator projection shows the line of compass bearing, although it does not necessarily provide the shortest distance between two points.
True
True or False: At night there is no incoming solar radiation to Earth, yet the Earth's surface continues to emit outgoing radiation.
True
True or False: Hailstones are formed by the accumulation of ice layers on ice pellets.
True
True or False: If the Earth was not tilted on its axis there would be no seasons whatsoever.
True
True or False: Large atmospheric pollution particles are removed by the force of gravity in a process called fallout
True
True or False: Surface temperatures are warmer over a surface with a low albedo compared to those above a surface with a high albedo.
True
True or False: Surfaces in urban areas generally absorb more insolation than those in rural areas.
True
True or False: The Earth's equatorial diameter is slightly larger than the polar diameter.
True
True or False: The greenhouse effect is reduced at high elevation locations.
True
True or False: The largest cause of air pollution is transportation.
True
True or False: The presence of clouds can greatly decrease the amount of incoming solar radiation.
True
True or False: The range between maximum and minimum temperatures increases with elevation.
True
True or False: Theoretically, the Earth is divided into 24, 15-degree-wide time zones.
True
True or False: Tides are the result of the Earth's rotation combined with the Moon's gravitational pull.
True
True or False: Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air.
True
True or False: Warm air is less dense than cooler air.
True
True or False: Water vapor usually makes up less than 1% of the Earth's atmosphere.
True
How does the magnitude of the Coriolis force vary with latitude?
a) Deflection is zero at the Equator and maximum at the poles
The phenomena known as El Nino occurs in which ocean?
a) Pacific
Which of the following best describes the shape of the Earth?
a) a geoid
A sea breeze flows __________.
a) during the day from the body of water towards the adjacent land area
Insolation is __________.
a) incoming solar radiation
Lines connecting locations having the same temperature are referred to as:
a) isotherms
As a volume of air rises, __________.
a) it expands and becomes cooler
The rain shadow is located on the __________.
a) leeward side of a mountain range
The amount of radiation left over when all incoming and outgoing flows have been tallied is called __________.
a) net radiation
Imbalances in net radiation between low and high latitudes results in:
a) poleward heat transfer
The point on the Earth's surface where the Sun is directly overhead is:
a) subsolar point
The meridian at 0 degrees is:
a) the prime meridian
Which of the following orderings of atmospheric layers is correct as one moves from the Earth's surface through the atmosphere?
a) troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere
The ozone layer absorbs which of the following wavelengths of radiation?
a) ultraviolet
Carbon dioxide comprises _____________ % of the Earth's lower atmosphere.
b) 0.0385%
The time difference between the prime meridian and the International Date Line is:
b) 12 hours
The average albedo of the planet Earth is around:
b) 30%
On average about ________ people die each year from tornadoes, more than from any other natural phenomena except flooding and lightning strikes.
b) 75
Which of these figures best illustrates the highest Sun angle at the Tropic of Cancer on the June solstice?
b) B
The summer solstice in the northern hemisphere occurs approximately on which of the following dates?
b) June 22
What forces cause the Earth to assume the shape of an oblate ellipsoid?
b) Outward force of the Earth's rotation
What is the solar constant?
b) The amount of solar radiation per unit area received outside the Earth's atmosphere
Which of the following statements concerning land/water heating differences is correct?
b) The annual range of temperatures at a coastal location is smaller than the annual temperature range of a continental interior location
The sound generated by thunder is the result of which phenomena?
b) The rapid expansion of air heated by lightning
The greenhouse effect is the result of the atmosphere's _______ of _______ radiation emitted by the Earth.
b) absorption / longwave
Which of the following are the most absorptive gases of longwave infrared radiation?
b) carbon dioxide and methane
During adiabatic cooling as air rises, what stage has the parcel of air reached at the lifting condensation level?
b) dew point
The temperature at which a parcel of air becomes saturated and condensation begins is called the _______.
b) dew point
When water evaporates from a surface:
b) energy is absorbed and the surface is cooled
The ITCZ is also referred to as the ______________________.
b) equatorial trough
At the moment of the aphelion, the Earth's position in its orbit is:
b) farthest from the Sun
Surface air temperature is generally measured at 4 ft. above the ground because
b) inaccurate readings might occur if placed too close to the ground
Maps to show the distribution of precipitation use lines that connect locations with equal precipitation called _______.
b) isohyets
Overall, net radiation is greatest at _____________ latitudes and smallest at ______________ latitudes.
b) low / high
Which of following constant gases accounts for the largest proportion of the air that surrounds us?
b) nitrogen
Which of the following may be used to reduce the damage of frosts?
b) oil-burning heaters
Which of the following orderings of clouds is correct as one increases in altitude?
b) stratus, altocumulus, cirrus
When do regions north of the Arctic Circle experience 24 hours of daylight?
b) summer solstice
The lower solar angles characteristic of high-latitude locations lead to lower levels of insolation because:
b) the solar radiation is spread over a larger unit area
At what wavelength does the Sun emit most of its energy?
b) visible
When looking at a weather map of isobars, where would you find the highest wind speed ___________.
b) where the isobars are closer together
One degree of latitude is approximately how many kilometers in distance?
c) 111
Which of the following is a correct statement:
c) Insolation levels increase with higher Sun angle
Which of the following statements concerning the pressure gradient force is correct?
c) Pressure gradient force is greatest when isobars are spaced closest togethe
Which of the following atmospheric conditions is most likely to lead to the accumulation of smog?
c) Temperature inversion
Which of the following locations would receive the most incoming solar radiation at noon during the spring equinox?
c) The Equator
Which of the following is true about the rotation of the Moon?
c) The Moon rotates so that one side is always hidden from the Earth
Thermohaline circulation depends mostly on which of the following?
c) The sinking of cold, salty water
At the ITCZ __________.
c) air ascends from the surface to the tropopause and flows poleward
Which of the following surfaces would likely have the highest albedo?
c) an area covered by snow
Which of the following types of cloud is found at the highest altitudes?
c) cirrus
Wind circulation around a low pressure cell is ______________________.
c) clockwise inward in the southern hemisphere
At the moment of the perihelion, the Earth's position in its orbit is________________.
c) closest to the Sun
As you increase in altitude, barometric pressure _________________.
c) decreases
All bodies in space:
c) emit electromagnetic radiation
At the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere:
c) equal amounts of solar radiation reach both hemispheres
If a cloud forms close to the ground it is called __________.
c) fog
Precipitation formed by the accumulation of ice layers on ice pellets is called _______.
c) hail
The largest portion of freshwater today is located in _______.
c) ice sheets and glaciers
Which of the following is the correct order from greatest volume to least volume of gases in the troposphere?
c) nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide
In which atmospheric layers does temperature increase with altitude?
c) stratosphere
If the sky appears to be completely gray during the day, what types of clouds are present?
c) stratus
The direct transition from solid ice to gaseous water vapor is known as _______.
c) sublimation
During a temperature inversion _______.
c) temperatures increase as one ascends through the lower atmosphere
If it is 1 p.m. in Miami, Florida, what time is it in Seattle, Oregon?
d) 10 a.m.
Oxygen accounts for approximately ________ % of the air that surrounds us.
d) 21.0
Which of the following is not one of the four important thermal differences between land and ocean surfaces?
d) Dry soil has a higher heat capacity than water
The hottest month for interior locations in the Northern Hemisphere is ______ while the coldest month is __________.
d) July / January
Which of the following statements concerning the urban heat island is correct?
d) Park areas in a city can reduce the effect of the urban heat island
In the southern hemisphere, the vernal equinox occurs on or around:
d) September 23
In high pressure systems ______________________.
d) air subsides and diverges at the surface
Land/water contrasts keep:
d) air temperature at coastal locations more constant than at interior locations
Wind speed is measured by a/an _____ whereas wind direction is measured by a/an ______ .
d) anemometer / vane
Which of the following associations in the northern hemisphere is incorrect?
d) autumnal equinox-October 23
Which of the following is a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide?
d) burning of fossil fuels
Currently, which of the following gases contributes the most toward the greenhouse effect?
d) carbon dioxide
Passengers traveling by air from Tokyo to San Francisco hear the pilot announce that the plane is about to cross the International Date Line. Their watches at that moment indicate that the correct local time is 2:00 p.m. on Monday. Upon crossing the date line they should _______.
d) change their watches to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday
In an anticyclone, also called a __________-pressure cell, air __________.
d) high / diverges away from the center
Which of the following has the longest wavelength?
d) infrared radiation
Latitude:
d) lines (parallels) include the Equator
Which of the following pressure systems has a wind circulation pattern that is clockwise, downward, and outward
d) northern hemisphere high
What type of precipitation mechanism is in effect when air is forced up and over mountains and precipitation is produced
d) orographic
Ozone forms from the free atoms of which gas?
d) oxygen
Which of the following is not characteristic of a thunderstorm?
d) small raindrops
The name given to the apparent deflecting influence of the Earth's rotation on moving objects such as wind and ocean currents is called _______.
d) the Coriolis effect
Precipitation totals are normally greatest on the _____________ of mountain ranges.
d) windward slopes
The emission of longwave radiation by the atmosphere towards the Earth's surface is termed:
d)counter radiation
Approximately what proportion of the total solar radiation received by the Earth is eventually lost to space?
e) 100%
How many degrees separate the central meridians that each time zone is based on?
e) 15 degrees
On which of the following projections does a straight line represent a true and constant compass bearing?
e) Mercator
Atmospheric aerosols may be derived from which of the following?
e) all of these
In addition to thermometers, what other instruments and equipment are commonly found at a weather station?
e) all of these
Which of the following can help create a historical record of temperature?
e) all of these
The boundary between the half of the Earth in sunlight and the half of the Earth in darkness is the __________.
e) circle of illumination
Which of the following has the shortest wavelength?
e) gamma radiation
Which of the following components of the hydrologic cycle comprises the greatest volume of water on Earth
e) groundwater
Wind can be described as the horizontal movement of air near the surface from ____________ to ____________.
e) high pressure, low pressure
The term "albedo" refers to:
e) the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected by a body
Which of the following associations in the southern hemisphere is incorrect?
e) vernal equinox- March 21