Chapter 10

The world's deserts are found at 30o latitude because:

of the sinking air of the subtropical highs

In terms of the three-cell general circulation model, the driest regions of the earth should be near:

30o latitude and the polar regions

Major ocean currents that flow parallel to the coast of North America are:

California, Gulf Stream, Labrador

The name given to the current of warm water that replaces cold surface water along the coast of Peru and Ecuador during December is:

El Niño

A condition where the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean turns cooler than normal is called:

La Nina

Average winter temperatures in Great Britain and Norway would probably be much colder if it were not for the:

North Atlantic Drift

The large semi-permanent surface anticyclone that is normally positioned over the ocean, west of California, is called the:

Pacific high

The wind belt observed on the poleward side of the polar front is called the:

polar easterlies

On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds would be observed:

South of the subtropical highs

True or False: Jet streams sometimes split into two branches.

True

According to the three-cell general circulation model, at the equator we would not expect to find:

a ridge of high pressure

Areas of rising air tend to be associated with ____ precipitation. a. abundant b. little

a. abundant

In the Northern Hemisphere, the polar jet stream is strongest when:

air north of the polar front is much colder than air south of the polar front

At jet streak is a place where ____ is often found. a.clear air turbulence b. strong vertical wind speed shear c. very strong winds d. all of the above

all of the above

In the general circulation of the atmosphere, one would find the region called the doldrums:

at the equator

On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, one would observe the westerlies:

between the subpolar lows and the subtropical highs

In the Northern Hemisphere, ocean currents in the Atlantic and the Pacific move in a generally circular pattern. The direction of this motion is ____ in the Atlantic and ____ in the Pacific.

clockwise, clockwise

In the Northern Hemisphere, air found to the north of the polar front is ____, while air further south is ____:

cold, warm

During a major El Niño event what will happen:

extensive ocean warming occurs over the tropical Pacific

At any given time, only one jet stream can be found in the atmosphere. a. true b. false

false

The jet stream flows in what type of pattern and in what direction:

in a wavy pattern from west to east

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a region where:

northeast trades meet the southeast trades

The ultimate cause of jet streams is a. the fact that water can exist in all three phases at once b. ultraviolet energy from the sun c. the energy imbalance between high and low latitudes d. all of the above

the energy imbalance between high and low latitudes

In terms of the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface low pressure should be found at:

the equator and 60o latitude

Upwelling is:

the rising of cold water from below

The cold water observed along the northern California coast in summer is due mainly to:

upwelling

The majority of the United States lies within this wind belt:

westerlies

Upwelling occurs along the northern California coast because:

winds cause surface waters to move away from the coast