Weather and Climate Exam 1

Water vapor in our atmosphere varies, by content, within the approximate range of _______.

0-4 percent

When the Sun is directly overhead at an angle of 90 degrees, it is said that the Sun's rays are traversing _______ "atmospheres."

1

A degree of Fahrenheit is _______ than a degree of Celsius.

1.8 times larger

Of the 100% of the incoming solar radiation from the Sun, about _______ is absorbed by clouds and the Earth's atmosphere.

19%

About how much incoming solar radiation is being scattered and/or reflected back into space by clouds?

20%

In Texas, we observe the "vernal equinox" on or about _______.

21 March

Under what position in the northern hemisphere is the Sun most directly overhead on June 21st?

23 1/2 degrees north latitude

77 degrees F is equivalent to _______ degrees C.

25

The freezing point on the Kelvin temperature scale is _______.

273 degrees K

In order for climate data to be truly representative, we need a _______ period of record for the weather data being observed.

30 year

Average planetary albedo is around _______.

30%

The Earth's average planetary albedo is about _______.

30%

The "zero" point on the Fahrenheit temperature scale is _______ degrees F.

32

Surface air temperatures are measured about _______ above the surface.

5 feet

Surface air temperatures are recorded at _______.

5 feet above the Earth's surface

Of the 100% of the incoming solar radiation from the Sun, about _________ is absorbed by the Earth's surface.

51%

15 degrees Celsius is equivalent to _______ degrees F.

59

The albedo of the moon is 7%. That means that _______.

7% of the sunlight striking the moon's surface is being reflected away

Temperatures, as used in station models on upper level weather maps here in the US, utilize the _______ temperature scale.

Celsius

The spinning of the Earth on it's axis results in the _______.

Earth's day and night cycle

The revolution of the Earth around the Sun results in the _______.

Earth's seasons

On or about the 21st of March, we find the Sun most directly overhead of the _______.

Equator

Temperatures, as used in station models on surface weather maps here in the US, utilize the _______ temperature scale.

Fahrenheit

Air mass and frontal theories were first documented by _______ meteorologists around 1920.

Norwegian

_______ scattering, as shortwave radiation passes through gas molecules in the atmosphere, resulting in us seeing the "blue" sky overhead.

Rayleigh

On a clear, sunny day, the blue sky that we see comes as a result of...

Rayleigh scattering

Within the ionosphere, there are three distinct layers (D, E, F layers). Which of the following scenarios is what we see occur within the ionosphere as we translate from day to night?

The D and E layers, which tend to be highly absorbent when considering radio waves from the Earth, largely dissipate which leaves the highly reflective F layer to reflect certain radio signals back to Earth.

The Sun is overhead of the _______ on or about June 21st.

Tropic of Cancer

On or about the 21st of December, we find the Sun most directly overhead of the _______.

Tropic of Capricorn

On the date of the northern hemisphere's winter solstice, the Sun is most directly overhead of the _______.

Tropic of Capricorn

The tropopause is generally found in the area....

about 10-15 miles up above the Earth's surface between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

About 30-40 minutes before sunset locally each day, we say that the Sun's rays are traversing _______.

about 11 atmospheres

Of the incoming radiation from the Sun, about how much is intercepted and absorbed at the Earth surface?

about 51%

The form of energy transfer that specifically involves the horizontal movement of properties of air is referred to as _______.

advection

The horizontal transport of any atmospheric property by the wind is referred to as _______.

advection

Atmospheric pressure _______ with height through the atmosphere.

always decreases

At what time of the day, given a clear calm day, is the relative humidity normally the highest?

around sunrise when the temperatures are the coolest

The wind in a given area is blowing from north to south. In this case, wind direction would be properly stated _______.

as "northerly"

Surface air temperatures, by international standard, are measured _______.

at 5 feet above the ground surface

The _______ of the Earth's surface is about 59 degrees F / 15 degrees C.

average observed temperature

On a given afternoon with a clear sky, you notice that the sun is located about 45 degrees above the horizon. With the sun in this position, it is properly stated the sun's rays are traversing _______ atmospheres.

between one and two

The process of causing air pressure to rise...

causes the temperature to rise

This energy transfer method is relatively unimportant in meteorology and inefficient in our atmosphere with effects only within an inch or two of the Earth's surface.

conduction

The form of energy transfer that specifically involves the vertical movement of air in our atmosphere is referred to as _______.

convection

The temperature of a rising parcel of air in the troposphere _______.

cools due to expansion

Given that other atmospheric parameters remain the same, as you increase the air temperature, the relative humidity will _______.

decrease

The surface temperature at a given location warms from 92 degrees F one hour to 96 degrees F the next hour. If the actual amount of moisture in the atmosphere remains the same, the relative humidity would _______ with the corresponding air temperature increase.

decrease

Automated surface weather stations (ASOS or AWOS) utilize which of these devices to determine humidity?

dew cell

The cooler feeling that you experience after leaving a swimming pool on a hot summer day represents heat transport by the process of _______.

evaporation

True or False? It is possible to have a negative number on the Kelvin temperature scale.

false

True or False? Many of Aristotle's initial ideas regarding meteorology are still valid today.

false

True or False? The Earth, the Sun, and the Earth's atmosphere are all considered to be 'Black Body' objects.

false

True or false? Conduction is an important process by which energy is transferred between the Earth and the atmosphere.

false

True or false? Many of the major principles originally stated in Aristotle's "Meteorologica" back in 943 BC are still valid today.

false

True or false? The Earth, the Sun, and the Atmosphere are all considered to be "black body" objects.

false

The aurora borealis occurs because of electrically charged regions within which of these atmospheric layers?

ionosphere

Lines on a weather map connecting points of equal pressure change over a certain period of time (i.e., the last three hours) are referred to as _______.

isallobar

On a weather map, a line connecting points of equal pressure change over a given period of time is properly referred to as an _______.

isallobar

A line connecting points of equal dew point temperature on a weather map is referred to as an _______.

isodrosotherm

On a weather map, a line connecting points of equal wind speed is referred to as an _______.

isotach

The colder the air becomes, the _______ moisture than can coexist in that atmosphere.

less

The land part of our planet is called the _______.

lithosphere

Terrestrial radiation is _______ radiation.

longer wavelength

_______ is defined as the study of the Earth's atmosphere.

meteorology

The most plentiful permanent gas in our atmosphere is...

nitrogen

The Earth revolves around the Sun _______.

once every 365 1/2 days

Which one of the following gases is not believed to be responsible for enhancing the Earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect?

oxygen

The unstable chemical compound _______ helps to absorb damaging UV rays within the atmosphere before it arrives at the Earth's surface.

ozone

_______ is a very important atmospheric gas that helps to absorb damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

ozone

In Gedzelman's "Causes of Weather," it is stated that...

precipitation and clouds are generally caused by rising air as we see in high pressure areas

The device that is attached to weather balloons and ascends into the atmosphere to sense upper air conditions is the _______.

rawinsonde or radiosonde

As the air temperature increases with no addition of water vapor to the air, the dew point temperature will _______.

remain the same

The fact that there are 365 1/2 days being in a year is related to the _______.

revolution of the Earth

The process of increasing the air pressure causes the air temperature to _______.

rise

Clouds and precipitation are generally caused by _______ in our atmosphere.

rising air

The occurrence of day and night on Earth is most directly related to the _______.

rotation of the Earth.

Solar radiation, traveling from the Sun to the Earth, is considered to be _______.

shortwave radiation

The sun's radiation (solar) is referred to as _______ radiation while the Earth's radiation (terrestrial) is referred to as _______.

shortwave, longwave

Which of these are a by product of deposition?

snow

The temperature rise that we see in the middle and upper part of the _______ is largely caused of the presence of ozone and its interaction with incoming ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

stratosphere

_______ ozone is important because of the job it does in filtering of solar radiation before it reaches the Earth's surface.

stratospheric

Once you place dry ice out, it becomes smaller by the process of _______.

sublimation

_______ refers to the "hotness" or "coldness" of an object.

temperature

Of these examples, which of the following has the highest heat capacity?

the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea

Aristotle's speculative ideas regarding meteorology and the atmosphere was first discounted with....

the advent of weather instruments and the physical laws that were developed as a result

You are in upper New York State during a blinding snowstorm. Outside the air temperature is 31 degrees F and the dew point temperature is 30 degrees F. At the very same time, you check the internet and you notice that in Phoenix, Arizona with sunshine the current temperature is 85 degrees F with a dew point temperature of 30 degrees F. With this information, you can assume that _______.

the amount of moisture in the air in both places is the same

In respect to where you are on the Earth's surface, at what time of the day is the ionosphere's D and E layer present?

the layer is present during the daytime hours

What is the character of the atmospheric pressure profile as we ascend through the atmosphere?

the pressure always decreases with height through the atmosphere

_______ is considered most important factor resulting in the "twisting" of the winds and the formation of low and high pressure areas in out atmosphere.

the rotation of the Earth.

What is the character of the temperature profile as we ascend through the troposphere?

the temperature generally decreases with height through the troposphere; temperature increases do occur

What is the temperature profile with height in the stratosphere?

the temperature is steady through the lowest part of the stratosphere and then rises steadily through the upper part

On a radio weather cast, you hear that the wind direction is "westerly." This means that...

the wind is blowing from the west

In order to be meaningful as far as averages are concerned, climate data should be composed of at least _______ of weather data.

thirty years

Sensible weather, as we know it, occurs in the _______.

troposphere

Which of the following choices correctly ranks, from the lowest to the highest, the thermal layers of the atmosphere?

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

How many times a year (January through December) is the Sun directly overhead at an angle of 90 degrees at the Equator?

twice

Winds are caused directly by...

unequal heating of the Earth's surface

_______ gases are considered to be "atmospheric greenhouse gases."

variable

Of the variable gases in our atmosphere, which is most variable?

water vapor

What is the most variable gas in our atmosphere?

water vapor

If you hear the following statement..."outside right now, the sky is cloudy with intermittent light rain. The temperature is 47 degrees F." When considering the definitions of the terms below, this statement best describes the _______ of the area.

weather

Developed for weather forecasting use in 1960, the use of _______ has proved to be crucial in analyzing, understanding and forecasting weather conditions over most of the Earth's surface where previously, weather conditions were not available in many areas.

weather satellites

The greatest amount of water vapor can coexist in the atmosphere...

when the temperatures are higher (warmer)

What two factors are taken into account when computing wind chill?

wind speed and air temperature

Early speculative ideas regarding the atmospheric sciences were largely thrown out and more modern ideas were developed...

with the development of instrumentation in the 1500s and 1600s and the later development and use of physical laws.