ISNS Ch 9
Air pressure is about ______ at sea level.
14.7 pounds per square inch
Which of the following describe atmospheric circulation in the Polar cells?
Cold, dense air flows from the polar regions toward lower latitudes. The Polar cell is driven by rising air near 60° latitude as low-level winds from the Polar and Ferrel cells meet.
Why can water absorb a lot of heat relative to other substances?
It has a high heat capacity and a high specific heat.
Which of the following correctly describes the Coriolis effect?
It is an apparent force resulting from Earth's rotation that deflects objects from what would otherwise be their path. Rationale: The Coriolis effect deflects objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
If high pressure exists on land and low pressure exists over a neighboring ocean, which way will the wind most likely blow?
Out toward the ocean
Which of the following are zones of relatively stable high pressure at around 30° North latitude?
Pacific high Bermuda high
The salinity (i.e., amount of dissolved salts per volume) and the temperature of the water are the two major controls on the ______ of seawater.
density
The Sun transmits its energy to Earth in the form of ______.
electromagnetic radiation
The energy that water absorbs, stores, and releases as it circulates in Earth's atmosphere is called _____ ______.
latent heat
Large bodies of air that have little horizontal variation in moisture content or temperature are called air ______.
masses
Insolation is the heat received from the _____.
sun
The dew point temperature is the temperature at which ______.
the air is 100% saturated with water vapor and condensation will occur with further cooling
Variability in atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation over short timescales is referred to as ______, but the average conditions over long timescales are referred to as ______.
Blank 1: weather Blank 2: climate
True or false: A particularly cold winter in a region represents a change in climate.
False
Which of the following are true in regard to large-scale surface water circulation in the world's oceans?
Large counterclockwise circulation patterns exist in the southern Pacific and southern Atlantic. A surface ocean current flows around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. Large clockwise circulation patterns exist in the North Hemisphere in both the Atlantic and Pacific.
Which of these statements accurately describes how solar energy varies on Earth?
Lower latitude regions receive more solar energy over the course of a year than do higher latitude regions.
______ energy drives the hydrologic cycle by providing the energy input that drives evaporation from the ocean. The water vapor rises due to its low density and then cools. The cooling causes condensation to occur, which forms precipitation. The water falling to Earth's surface is then pulled back into the ocean by ______.
Solar; gravity
Only about 50% of the Sun's radiation that reaches Earth is absorbed by Earth's surface. What happens to the other 50%?
Some is reflected back into space. Some is absorbed by the atmosphere.
What is the balance between the amount of solar radiation received by Earth and the amount of radiation Earth returns to space?
The amount of energy Earth receives and gives off are effectively equal.
Earth receives energy from the Sun and radiates back to space an equal amount. What statement below accurately describes how this occurs?
The energy that is not reflected directly back to space is radiated back at longer wavelengths in the infrared portion of electromagnetic spectrum.
Which of the following statements accurately compares the amounts of energy the surface of Earth receives from the Sun and Earth's interior?
The energy that reaches the surface of Earth from the Sun is about 4,000 times the heat that flows from Earth's interior.
Snow reflects more solar radiation than seawater does, so it has a higher ______.
albedo
The percentage of solar radiation absorbed versus the relative amount reflected by a surface is known as the surface's ______.
albedo
The sloping surface that separates air masses is called a ______.
front
The _____ is the layer of the atmosphere defined by a decrease in temperature with altitude and within which all of the weather we experience occurs.
troposphere
_____ is formed as air masses move horizontally in response to differences in air pressure.
wind
______ is the transmission of heat by the movement of a mass (e.g., air mass, water, magma), whereas ______ works by transmitting heat by direct contact.
Convection; conduction
The apparent deflection of the path of moving bodies to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, caused by Earth's rotation, is known as the _______ _______.
Coriolis effect
Heat energy radiated from Earth back into space does not interact with the atmosphere in the same way that incoming solar radiation does. Why?
The heat energy from Earth has a different wavelength.
How is heat from the tropics redistributed in the ocean?
The heat is moved poleward by ocean circulation. The heat is mixed downward by tides and winds.
What is wind?
The horizontal flow of air
What causes wind?
The horizontal movement of air flowing from high pressure to low pressure
Which of the following statements are true with regard to the relative amount of water held in each reservoir?
The oceans hold the most water of any of the reservoirs on Earth. Glaciers contain more water than exists as groundwater
If Earth did not rotate, what would be the most likely form of global atmospheric circulation?
There would be one large convection cell in each hemisphere with rising air near the equator and sinking air at the pole.
Which of the following accurately describe the Hadley cells?
They are located between the equator and around 30ο latitude in each hemisphere. The rising limb of each Hadley cell is located near the equator.
Which substance listed below has the highest heat capacity?
Water Rationale: Water has the highest heat capacity of all substances after liquid ammonia.
Match the reservoir of water with the percent of Earth's water it holds.
Worlds oceans --> 97.2% Glaciers --> 2.15% Groundwater --> 0.60% Atmosphere --> 0.001%
A mercury barometer is able to display changes in atmosphere pressure because a change in ______.
the downward force of air pressure will change the height of the mercury in the tube of the barometer
The dry adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which ______.
a rising and expanding air mass will cool if it is unsaturated with water
Greenhouse gases work to warm Earth's surface by ______.
absorbing terrestrial radiation and warming the atmosphere Rationale: Ninety-five percent of the terrestrial radiation gets absorbed, scattered, or reflected before reaching space.
If a mass undergoes a temperature change without the input or removal of heat from the surrounding environment, the process is known as ______.
adiabatic
Heat absorbed in the ocean in the tropics is mixed downward by tides and winds, and the remaining surface heat and deep-water water heat is redistributed by ocean _____.
circulation OR currents
A rock heated by the Sun warming the rocks below it by direct contact being heated by ______, whereas the air heated above the rock carries its warmth upward and in doing so is transmitting its heat by ______.
conduction; convection
The primary source of energy for Earth's surface is _________.
the sun
The dry adiabatic lapse rate is ______°C per km of rise.
10 Rationale: 10°C per km ≈ 5.5°F per 1,000 ft
What are the main factors that cause a change in the density of water in the ocean?
A change in temperature A change in the amount of dissolved salts
Which of the following accurately describe anticyclones?
Air descends and warms in the middle. Dry conditions are common in them.
Which of the following statements is true with respect to atmospheric circulation on Earth?
Air tends to fall at the pole in each hemisphere. Air tends to rise in both hemispheres near the equator. The rotation of Earth and unequal heating set up three convection cells in the each hemisphere.
Which of the following are zones of relatively stable low pressure around 60° North latitude?
Aleutian low Icelandic low
Visible light, ultraviolet radiation, and infrared radiation are part of the _____ spectrum.
Blank 1: electromagnetic
Why does the majority (75%) of the atmosphere lie within the bottom 10 km of it?
Gravity pulls the atmosphere down, and the overlying weight of the atmosphere compresses air, making it progressively denser.
Which of the following statements accurately explain a part of the hydrologic cycle?
Gravity pulls water on the ground back into the ocean. Evaporated water rises due to its lower density.
In the _____ cells, air flows toward the equator along the surface o Earth before it is heated and rises near the equator. The rising air produces rains as it cools before it flows poleward at high altitude. The air descends near _____ degrees latitude before flowing north or south.
Hadley 30 or thirty
What is latent heat?
Heat that is stored or released as water changes phase Rationale: Latent heat does apply to other materials, too.
What is atmospheric circulation like in the Polar cells?
High-altitude air descends at the poles, flows toward equator, and rises around 60°,where polar surface winds meet the westerlies and rise.
What are air masses?
Large bodies of air that have little horizontal variation in moisture content or temperature
Which of the following accurately describe surface circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean?
North America blocks the western flow of warm water, causing it to move poleward along its southeast coast in the Gulf Stream. Surface waters are blown westward from Africa toward the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
How does air rise in the atmosphere since gravity is a downward force?
Pressure differences allow air to flow upward toward lower pressure, even against the pull of gravity.
What is an atmospheric front?
The boundary between different air masses
Which statement below best summarizes the large-scale pattern of surface circulation in the ocean?
There are large-scale rotating loops of surface water currents in oceans of each hemisphere with smaller counter-currents near the equator.
Which of the following accurately describe cyclones?
They have a core of low pressure with rising air. They have a surface-level clockwise flow around them in the Southern Hemisphere. (Rationale: Cyclones have surface-level winds that blow clockwise around them in the Southern Hemisphere because winds blowing into the center are deflected to the left.)
Match the layer of the atmosphere with its description.
Troposphere --> Temperature decreases with height; location of weather Stratosphere --> Temperature increases with height; contains the ozone layer Mesosphere --> Temperature decreases with height; uppermost of layers listed
If an air mass rises and expands due to lower pressure, it will ____ adiabatically. Similarly if an air mass descends and is compressed due to the higher pressure, it will undergo adiabatic _____.
cool OR chill warming OR heating
The temperature at which the relative humidity reaches 100%, causing excess water vapor to condense, is the ______ temperature.
dew point
The amount of solar radiation received in a given area is measured as ______.
insolation
