GEOGRAPHY TEST #2

west-east

"Zonal" air flow in the middle latitudes means a(n) ________ flow of air.

cyclone

A counterclockwise atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere is known as a(n) ________.

unstable

A piece of unsaturated air is forced to rise. The lapse rate in the surrounding air is much less than the rate in change of temperature in the rising air. The rising air is said to be ________.

convergent lifting

A precipitation type extremely characteristic of the lower latitudes is ________.

decompression

Adiabatic processes cause cooling by ________.

saturated

Air containing all of the water vapor it can hold is ________.

stable

Air that resists vertical movement is said to be ________.

1

At sea level, the atmosphere exerts a force closest to ________ kilogram(s) per square centimeter.

reaches the temperature of the surrounding air

Buoyant air will rise until it ________.

katabatic winds

Cold winds pouring downhill because of gravity are called ________.

True

Convective uplift often accompanies and enhances frontal and orographic lifting.

is a cooling process

Evaporation ________.

pressure gradient

Flowing air responding to the difference between higher and lower pressure is responding to the ________.

Earth's surface

For the most part the atmosphere is heated from the ________.

At the equator, 60° N, and 60° S

Generally, where are the belts of low atmospheric pressure?

parallel to the isobars

Geostrophic wind always flows ________.

in Siberia (70 N)

Given land/water heating contrasts, where would one expect to find the coldest winter temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere?

Advection

Heat transferred laterally in the atmosphere by horizontal wind movements is a process called ________.

volume

If the ________ of air changes, the value of the absolute humidity changes even though there is no change in the actual amount of water vapor present.

40 percent

If the air temperature is 0°C, the water vapor capacity is 10.6 g/kg, and the water vapor in the air is 4.24 g/kg, what is the relative humidity?

counterclockwise and outward

In a surface anticyclone in the Southern Hemisphere, winds spiral ________.

clockwise and inward

In a surface cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere, winds spiral ________.

The temperature increases with altitude.

In an inversion, which is TRUE?

plenty of "surfaces" need to be present in the atmosphere

In order for atmospheric condensation to take place, ________.

no other source

In terms of running the Earth's atmospheric processes, the significant energy comes from the Sun and ________.

grow at the expense of raindrops

In the "Ice Crystal Formation" process, precipitation occurs because ice crystals ________.

28 N

In the Northern Hemisphere, a yearly net surplus of energy is experienced for all latitudes SOUTH of which latitude?

cyclone

In the Northern Hemisphere, air converging in a counter-clockwise direction, is termed a(n) ________.

winds

Major surface currents are set in motion by ________.

temperature

Maximum absolute humidity is governed by ________.

short wave

Most of the radiation incident upon the Earth falls within the ________ part of the spectrum.

True

Over the long run, all energy the Earth receives from the Sun is returned to space.

reradiated

Radiation from the Earth is mostly absorbed in the lower troposphere and ________ back towards Earth.

saturation

Relative humidity is "relative" to ________.

the saturated adiabatic lapse rate

Rising air, warmed by the release of latent heat, cools at a rate called ________.

anticyclones

Sinking air that diverges when it reaches Earth's surface is closely associated with ________.

insolation

Solar energy is also known as ________.

chinook

The "snow-eater" wind of the Rocky Mountains is called the ________.

8 minutes

The Sun's radiant energy reaches the Earth across space in approximately ________.

thermocline

The ________ is the boundary between near-surface and cold, deep ocean waters.

intertropical convergence zone

The ________ is/are found in the Equatorial zone.

33

The albedo of the Earth system has been determined to be ________ percent.

below

The atmosphere is heated, for the most part, from ________.

is quite variable by time and region

The average lapse rate in the troposphere ________.

to the east

The basic direction of flow of the Equatorial counter current is ________.

millibars

The basic unit of pressure mapped on weather maps is ________.

increases as temperature increases

The capacity of air to hold water ________.

Sun's angle of incidence

The higher latitudes receive much less intense insolation than tropical zones because of ________.

6.5

The normal vertical temperature gradient (average lapse rate) is CLOSEST to how many degrees Celsius per 1,000 meters?

density

The pressure of a gas is proportional to its temperature and ________.

10

The radiation coming from the Sun is most plentiful at 0.5 micrometers. The most plentiful radiation coming from the Earth is at ________ micrometer(s).

water cools more slowly than does land

The specific heat of water is greater than that of land. This means ________.

water vapor

The state of water that is the most important yet least obvious in the atmosphere is ________.

The thermal infrared spectrum.

The wavelengths of terrestrial radiation from Earth's surface are concentrated in _____.

at dawn

Usually, the highest relative humidity is ________.

adiabatic

Vertical motion in air causes cooling of the lifted air. This phenomenon is governed by the ________ effect.

supercooled

Water that stays in liquid form at temperatures below freezing is ________.

False

Water vapor is visible to the human eye

The air is sinking and the pressure is high.

What are the surface conditions associated with an anticyclone?

It becomes latent energy in air when water molecules containing the heat break free from an evaporating surface to become a gas.

What happens to sensible heat energy in water when the water evaporates?

As air approaches saturation, the rate of evaporation slows because the air is close to net condensation

What happens to the rate of evaporation as air approaches saturation?

The greenhouse effect

What is the cause of the average lapse rate?

Orographic

When air is forced to rise over a mountain, what is the type of lifting?

lowers its pressure

When air is heated it expands and ________.

during the afternoon

When or where is air most likely unstable?

advective

Which is NOT among the main types of atmospheric lifting and precipitation?

potential evapotranspiration

Which of the following is NOT a measure of water vapor in the atmosphere?

descent of air

Which of the following is most closely associated with stable air?

pressure gradient

Which of the following is the force that initially causes the wind to blow?

warm water

Which of the following promotes evaporation?

The pressure gradient force and the Coriolis effect

Which set of forces acts on upper air winds?

The subtropical jet stream directs winter storms into the Southwestern United States and blizzards into in the Midwest.

Which situation is often associated with El Niño events?

Higher wind speeds aloft increase the Coriolis effect.

Which statement correctly describes differences between the forces acting on winds near the surface and those aloft?

December had cold, dry, northerly winds; June, in contrast, had warm, moist, southerly winds.

Which statement describes the weather in a monsoon area in the Northern Hemisphere?

Long

Which wavelengths are most inefficiently transmitted through the atmosphere?

True

With instability, rising air will be buoyant without an uplifting force.

Hot, cold

________ objects radiate in shorter wavelengths than ________ objects.