Weather & Climate final

A saturated parcel of air within a cloud has a temperature of 5°C. That parcel then rises 2,500 meters (staying saturated the entire time) and then stops rising. What will the parcel's temperature be when it stops rising?

-7.5^oC

If an air parcel has a temperature of 20 degrees C and a dew point temperature of 10 degrees C, at what elevation would the air parcel reach 100 percent relative humidity? (Dry adiabatic lapse rate is 10 degrees C per 1000 meters; assuming the dew point temperature is constant). 1000 meters 1000 kilometers 10 meters 2000 meters

1000 meters

The Earth rotates the fastest at which of the following locations? (The locations are indicated by their latitude. For reference, 0° is the equator; 90°North is the north pole).

10° North

The air temperature in Lowell is 29°C on Thursday and 15°C on Friday. On both days the relative humidity is 100%. How much more water vapor is in the air on Thursday compared with Friday?

15 g/kg

Based on the accompanying surface weather map (in which the centers of three pressure systems are numbered): Which of the pressure systems is an anticyclone? [screenshot on laptop called question 2] System 1 System 2 System 3

2

A big snowstorm just hit Boston. You go outside and measure the depth of the snow with a ruler and determine that 30 inches of snow fell. The meteorologist on television told you that the snow to liquid ratio of the snowstorm was 15 to 1 (very fluffy!). If you melted the snow, how many inches of liquid water would there be?

2 inches

On a random winter day you determined that the environmental lapse rate in the troposphere above your head is 6.5°C per km. You also know that the temperature at 5km altitude above your head is -30°C. What is the temperature at the surface of Earth where you are standing? 0°C 2.5°C 62.5°C -30°C

2.5°C

At noon on the winter solstice, the sun is directly overhead at which latitude? 0° (equator) 23.5°N 90°S 23.5°S

23.5°S

According to the following plot of a location's incoming solar energy and outgoing infrared energy, at what time does the location experience it's maximum temperature? [picture in noteboook] 2pm noon 4pm 7am

2pm

Based on the accompanying surface weather map (in which the centers of three pressure systems are numbered) Which pressure system has the steepest pressure gradient and, hence, exhibits the strongest winds? [screenshot called question 3] system 1 system 2 system 3

3

How much of the sun's incoming energy is reflected back to space (i.e., not absorbed by Earth's atmosphere or surface)?

30%

How much more water vapor is contained in saturated air at a tropical location with a temperature of 40°C compared to a polar location with a temperature of -10°C? 2 g/kg 45 g/kg 40 g/kg 10 g/kg

45 g/kg

A large rain drop falls from the sky ____ times faster than a drizzle droplet. 10 5 4 2

5

The concentration of trace gases in the atmosphere are often quantified in "parts per" notation. Which of the following concentrations is the largest? 300 ppb 600 ppm 100 ppm 600 ppb

600 ppm

If the air is 15°C, how much water vapor would you need to add to it to change the relative humidity from 25% to 100%?

7.5 g/kg

Which of the following is the larger concentration? 400 ppm 400 ppb 700 ppm 700 ppb

700 ppm

If the air temperature is 25°C (77°F) and there is 15g/kg of water vapor in the air, what is the relative humidity?

75%

According to the following plot of a location's incoming solar energy and outgoing infrared energy, at what time does the location experience it's minimum temperature? 6am 7am 2pm 4am

7am

If the temperature is 25°F and the wind speed is 30 miles per hour, the wind chill value is? 1°F 0°F 8°F -5°F

8°F

If column A is consistently 5 degrees warmer than column B, would you expect the 800mb pressure level to be higher in column A or column B? A B

A

Two cities are located at the same latitude and the same distance from the ocean. City A is located at 2,000 feet elevation. City B is located at 500 feet elevation. Do you expect the diurnal temperature range to be larger at City A or City B?

A

If air is rotating around a pressure center in the counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere it is: a high pressure system a low pressure system an anticyclone a cyclone A and C B and D A and D B and C

A and C

A sea breeze develops because A low pressure develops at the land surface A high pressure develops at the land surface Temperatures cool down at the land surface

A low pressure develops at the land surface

In an adiabatic process, which of the following is true (choose all that apply; no partial credit):

A parcel of air changes temperature The pressure acting on a parcel of air changes.

Assume that it is a midwinter day in central Illinois. Mild conditions prevail because of a steady wind from the warmer south. As the day progresses, the fog forms across a broad area. Identify the likely type of fog...

Advection fog

The pressure gradient force would describe which of the following scenarios? Air moving from 300mb to 400mb Air moving from 800mb to 700mb Air moving from 100mb to 800mb Air sloping down a mountain from 700mb to 800mb

Air moving from 300mb to 400mb

Which of the following are sources of atmospheric aerosols? Choose all that apply. The ocean The Saharan Desert Plants Automobiles

All of the above

Describe how global warming and water vapor are linked via a positive feedback. Your answer should be no more than 3 sentences.

As the earth warms, the atmosphere can "hold" more water vapor. Because water vapor is a greenhouse gas, having more of it in the atmosphere causes more warming, which subsequently results in more water vapor in the atmosphere. This constitutes a positive feedback loop.

The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere reaches a maximum in May because...(your answer should be no longer than 2 sentences).

Atmospheric CO2 concentration is highest in May because plants emerge in late spring are around all summer and remove CO2 from the atmosphere when undergoing photosynthesis. In later months like septemember, removal of CO2 has been present the whole time-being, so the concentration in the atmosphere is relatively low when summer is over and photosynthesis stops.

Which would have a bigger influence on the poleward transport of heat? Ocean currents shutting off Atmospheric winds stopping

Atmospheric winds stopping

On the following graph, which layers (A, B, C, or D) are examples of a temperature inversion? Choose all that apply (no partial credit).

B D

Explain why the greenhouse effect is different from global warming. Also explain why the greenhouse effect is a good thing for life on Earth. Combined this answer should be no more than 4 sentences.

Because Earth has a temperature, it emits longwave radiation upwards towards the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect describes the absorption and subsequent re-emission of this longwave radiation by certain gases (called greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere. The greenhouse effect keeps Earth at a comfortable 59°F, much warmer than it would be otherwise. Global warming describes the added warming of the Earth caused by human-driven increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

If humans continued to emit chlorofluorocarbons and completely destroyed all of the ozone in the stratosphere, the temperature lapse rate in the stratosphere would Stay the same Change from "increases with height" to "decreases with height" increase more with height than it currently does (i.e., the temperature would become even warmer with height)

Change from "increases with height" to "decreases with height"

Two cities are at the same latitude. City A is at an elevation of 1 mile. City B is at sea level. Which city do you expect has a larger diurnal temperature range? Why?

Cities at the same latitude can experience different temperatures because of the amount of clouds one city could have greater than the other. But, another reason is City B being at sea-level creates a higher chance of moderate temperatures due to the ocean. The elevated 1 mile high City A has more of a fluctuation possibility in temperature, and also a larger diurnal temperature. With City A being a higher elevation and less dense, there are fewer gas molecules overhead: less absorption of incoming solar energy.

If the Earth was tilted 10° from the vertical, summer in Boston, MA would be Colder than it is today The same temperature as it is today Warmer than it is today There wouldn't be a summer

Colder than it is today

Which of the following describes the equinoxes? Days and nights are equal in length in all parts of the world. They occur in June and December The length of daylight at the Arctic and Antarctic Circle is 24 hours The sun's rays are directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn

Days and nights are equal in length in all parts of the world.

What is the primary cause for Earth's seasons? Earth's orbit around the sun Earth's tilt on it's axis Earth is a sphere Changes in the sun's intensity

Earth's tilt on it's axis

Low sun angles result in reduced solar energy becuase Sun-Earth distance is greater Energy is spread over a larger area Day lengths are longer in the winter The sun is weaker

Energy is spread over a larger area

Earth's polar regions lose more energy to space than they gain from the sun. Why aren't the polar regions continuously getting colder?

Energy is transported horizontally to the poles from the tropics.

The ozone hole has been recovering (ozone concentrations are increasing) since the 1990s mainly because Humans are emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere Humans stopped emitting so many chlorofluorocarbons The polar regions are getting colder The sun has been emitting less UV radiation

Humans stopped emitting so many chlorofluorocarbons

Why are occurrences of midlatitude cyclones less common over the United States in late summer than in winter and spring? Your answer should be no longer than 3 sentences.

In summer, the temperature gradient over the United States is weak (the high latitudes are relatively warm). In winter and spring, the north-south temperature gradient is strong because the high latitudes are very cold (they receive little to no sunlight). Weaker temperature gradients in summer mean there is less available potential energy for midlatitude cyclones to draw from and therefore fewer midlatitude cyclones form.

Cutting down the boreal forest in northern Russia during winter would:

Increase the albedo and therefore decrease temperature

Which of the following explains why north, central Russia generally experiences the largest annual temperature range on Earth? (Choose all that apply; no partial credit).

It is located relatively far away from unfrozen ocean water It is located at a relatively high latitude The prevailing winds travel over land before reaching the region.

In which month do you expect the north-south temperature gradient in Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes to be strongest? January March July October

July

The wavelengths emitted by Earth are Shorter than those emitted by the sun Longer than those emitted by the sun More energetic than those emitted by the sun Ultraviolet

Longer than those emitted by the sun

To convert from the Celsius scale to the Fahrenheit scale, you need to:

Multiply the Celsius value by 1.8 and add 32

Which region of the planet has the highest annual temperature range? Equatorial Africa Northern Canada Northern Russia Antarctica

Northern Russia

Use the figure of Earth's albedo in February to answer the following question: Why does Antarctica have the albedo that it does in February? Your answer should be no longer than 2 sentences. [screenshot called question 3 with blue globe]

Point of clarification: the snow has a high albedo because it is white (the red/orange on the map is artificial and is used for visualization purposes). In February, sunlight is strong over Antarctica because it is the Southern Hemisphere summer. The sunlight is reflected off of the white (high albedo) snow/ice on Antarctica back to space.

Beach A is in California and Beach B is in North Carolina. Both beaches are at the same latitude. Why is the temperature of the ocean water at Beach A (California) colder than the temperature of the ocean water at Beach B (North Carolina) in the summer? (If you've never swam near San Francisco in the summer...trust me, its freezing!)

Poleward-moving currents are warm, and equatorward-moving currents are cold. Surface-ocean currents are driven by global winds and play an important role in redistributing heat around the globe. Beach A in California experiences a downward motion of ocean currents. These currents are coming from the Alaskan current, which is cold and the reason the ocean water is colder than Beach B, in North Carolina. At Beach B, the ocean current from the Gulf Stream is warm and surfaces the beach in North Carolina in an upward motion from prior North Equatorial current which is also warm.

As discussed in class, a weather balloon will pop as it rises higher in the atmosphere because Pressure decreases with altitude in the atmosphere The balloon becomes too cold Sun's harmful radiation weakens the balloon The balloon enters the ozone hole

Pressure decreases with altitude in the atmosphere

If a parcel of air is rotating around a low pressure system high up in the atmosphere, which of the following forces acting on the parcel is directed inwards to the center of the low pressure? Coriolis force Pressure gradient force Frictional force

Pressure gradient force

The pressure gradient force near the top of these columns of air (in the white box with the question mark) points in which direction?

RIGHT TO LEFT

The greenhouse effect refers to gases that absorb Radiation emitted by Earth Radiation emitted by the sun UV radiation Radiation reflected from Earth

Radiation emitted by Earth

Why does radiation fog form mostly on clear nights as opposed to cloudy nights? Your answer should be no more than 3 sentences.

Radiation fog forms when the ground and subsequently the near-surface air cools to its dewpoint temperature. This is much more likely to happen on clear nights when outgoing radiation from Earth can escape to space. On cloudy nights, the outgoing radiation is absorbed by the clouds and re-emitted back to Earth, keeping temperatures from falling to the dewpoint temperature and preventing fog from forming.

Temperatures are hotter in urban areas than the surrounding rural areas because (choose all that apply; no partial credit) Rural areas have more evaporation and transpiration Urban areas have a lower albedo Urban areas have a higher albedo Urban areas have more evaporation and transpiration

Rural areas have more evaporation and transpiration Urban areas have a lower albedo

If a parcel of air at 25°C contains 10 grams of water vapor per kilogram of air, what is its relative humidity?

Saturation mixing ratio at 25℃ = 20 grams H2O water waper content = 10 grams 10 / 20 = 0.50 x 100% ⟶ Relative Humidity = 50%

The sky appears blue during most of the day because of The albedo of the gas molecules Scattering of light by gas molecules Reflectance of light by gas molecules

Scattering of light by gas molecules

The environmental lapse (the actual change in temperature of the atmosphere with height) outside your house is 5°C per kilometer. An unsaturated parcel of air from the surface of Earth just outside your house is lifted upwards to 1000 meters by convergence. The parcel remains unsaturated during the rise. The convergence that led the parcel to rise then stops. Would that parcel sink back down, continue to rise, or stay at 1000 meters?

Sink back down

During Southern Hemisphere winter, Buenos Aires, Argentina (located in the Southern Hemisphere) has relatively cool temperatures because

The Earth's tilt causes the day length to be shorter in Buenos Aires

Snow-to-liquid ratios are highest where? Massachusetts The Upper Peninsula of Michigan Oregon Maine

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Describe why air in the troposphere rarely travels into the stratosphere above it? Your answer should be no more than 2 sentences.

The air in the stratosphere is stable because there is a temperature inversion (temperature warms with height) that prevents the upward vertical movement of air parcels. A parcel lifted into the stratosphere from the troposphere would be cooler than its environment and would therefore sink back to the troposphere.

You look outside and the sky is covered from horizon to horizon by a low layer of clouds. The clouds are indistinguishable from one another. Which of the following is likely true? The atmosphere is stable The atmosphere is conditionally unstable The atmosphere is unstable Thunderstorms are likely

The atmosphere is stable

Explain why the coldest temperature during the day occurs right around sunrise. Your answer should be no longer than 3 sentences.

The coldest temperature occurs around sunrise because the Earth has yet to begin receiving energy from the sun. Meanwhile, the Earth has been emitting energy to space the entire night (while not receiving any energy from the sun). This means the Earth has been losing more energy than it has gained and as a result, the temperature reaches its minimum.

The main reason temperature decreases with height in the troposphere because... There is a lot of surface ozone The density of air decreases with height The top of the troposphere is far away from the warm surface of Earth Winds are higher at the top of the troposphere

The density of air decreases with height

Explain why Earth's deserts are situated near about 30° latitude in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Your answer should be no longer than 3 sentences.

The descending branch of the Hadley Cell occurs roughly at 30°N/S. The air warms adiabatically as it sinks (because the pressure increases as it descends to lower altitudes), which causes the relative humidity off the air to decrease. This dry air causes deserts to form in these latitudes.

You have 4 boxes of air. Assume that the air is saturated in each of the boxes. Box A has a temperature of -20°C; Box B has a temperature of 10°C; Box C has a temperature of 30°C; Box D has a temperature of 40°C. The difference in water vapor concentration between Box C and Box D is greater. The difference in water vapor concentration between Box A and Box B is greater.

The difference in water vapor concentration between Box C and Box D is greater.

Air flow faster higher in the atmosphere because: The frictional force is stronger the higher up you go The Coriolis force is stronger the higher up you go The frictional force is weaker the higher up you go The Coriolis force is weaker the higher up you go

The frictional force is weaker the higher up you go

Which of the following contributes to the urban heat island effect? (Choose all that apply; no partial credit)

The low albedo of cities A lack of vegetation in cities Rain water drains into sewers below ground in cities

Why are the areas of lowest ozone concentration located over Earth's poles? (i.e., why is the ozone hole located over Antarctica) Ozone is transported to the poles by winds The poles are the coldest regions of the Earth Most CFCs are located over the poles UV radiation is greatest at the poles.

The poles are the coldest regions of the Earth

The single-cell circulation model, in which air rises at the equator and travels all the way to the poles, does not exist in reality because:

The single-cell circulation model does not take Earth's rotation into consideration. Earth's rotation causes the poleward directed air in the upper branch of the Hadley cell to deflect to the right of motion in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left of motion in the Southern Hemisphere. The deflected air converges in the subtropics (30°N/S) because it can't move towards the poles, and sinks. The air in the bottom branch of the Hadley cell returns towards the equator and also deflects to the right of motion in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left of motion in the Southern Hemisphere, creating the trade winds.

Do you expect there to be a lot of convection in the stratosphere? Explain your answer within the context of the stratosphere's environmental lapse rate. This answer should be no longer than 2 sentences.

The stratosphere is very stable, and convection is the transfer of heat that involves the bulk movement or circulation of molecules. In this layer of the atmosphere, the temperature increases with height, thus, not a lot of water vapor content. So, no there will be not a lot of convection in the stratosphere.

When isotherms are closely packed together on a map that means... The temperatures in that region vary a lot The temperatures in that region do not vary much The temperatures in that region are cold The temperatures in that region are hot

The temperatures in that region vary a lot

What two forces are in equilibrium when the atmosphere is in geostrophic balance?

The two forces are in equilibrium when the atmosphere is in geostrophic balance are pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force. Once the air begins to accelerate, the Coriolis force (CF) deflects it to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. Greater wind speeds result in a stronger Coriolis force (deflection) until the flow is parallel to the isobars. At this point the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force are in balance, and the flow is called a geostrophic wind.

Answer this question based on what you know about evaporation and transpiration. Two weather stations are at the same latitude and receive the same amount of incoming solar energy. One of those weather stations is located in the middle of an irrigated field. The other weather station is located in a non-irrigated, dry field. Which weather station would have a colder temperature? The weather station in the irrigated field The weather station in the non-irrigated dry field

The weather station in the irrigated field

Which of the following is an example of vertical wind shear? The wind is blowing at 10m/s at the surface of Earth and 10m/s at an elevation of 1 kilometer above the surface. The wind is blowing at 10m/s at the surface of Earth and 30m/s at an elevation of 1 kilometer above the surface. The wind is blowing at 10m/s at the surface of Earth and 20m/s at the surface of Earth 1 kilometer to the east.

The wind is blowing at 10m/s at the surface of Earth and 30m/s at an elevation of 1 kilometer above the surface.

Stevenson screens are used because (choose all that apply; no partial credit) They reduce the amount of direct solar radiation reaching a thermometer They allow air circulation around a thermometer They absorb solar radiation They protect thermometers from precipitation (and other elements)

They reduce the amount of direct solar radiation reaching a thermometer They allow air circulation around a thermometer They absorb solar radiation They protect thermometers from precipitation (and other elements)

The summit of Mt. Everest is found in which layer of the atmosphere? Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere

Troposphere

The global atmospheric concentration of CO2 is higher during the month of April than in October. True/False Why?

True Atmospheric CO2 concentration is highest in May and lowest in September. This is because plants emerge in late spring and stick around all summer undergoing photosynthesis. As the plants photosynthesize they remove CO2 from the atmosphere. By the time September rolls around, plants have been removing CO2 all summer, so the concentration in the atmosphere is relatively low. On the other hand, in May, plants are just starting to emerge and they have been dead for many months up until that point. Because the plants haven't been photosynthesizing in winter and most of spring, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere builds up, making it relatively high.

Which of the following would make the atmosphere more unstable (choose all that apply; no partial credit) Warming of the surface of Earth by the sun's energy during daylight. A cold air mass from Canada moves southward over the warm Atlantic Ocean causing the lowest layers of the air mass to warm. A warm air mass from the Atlantic Ocean moves inland over the cold, snow-covered surface of Maine causing the bottom of the air mass to cool. Radiation cooling of your backyard at night.

Warming of the surface of Earth by the sun's energy during daylight. A cold air mass from Canada moves southward over the warm Atlantic Ocean causing the lowest layers of the air mass to warm.

Which of the following processes contributes to ocean surface water being colder than the nearby land surface. Choose all that apply (no partial credit). Sunlight penetrates deeper into the land surface than it does in the water Waves and other forms of surface ocean turbulence The differences in specific heat between land and ocean Evaporation of the ocean water Sunlight penetrates deeper into the land surface than it does in the water

Waves and other forms of surface ocean turbulence The differences in specific heat between land and ocean Evaporation of the ocean water Sunlight penetrates deeper into the land surface than it does in the water

The Bergeron process is more common in which of the following scenarios? When temperatures in the cloud are above freezing When temperatures in the cloud are near freezing When temperatures in the cloud are well below freezing

When temperatures in the cloud are above freezing

Explain why isotherms dip southward over the North American continent in the following figure. Your answer should be no more than 3 sentences.

Winds primarily move from west to east across North America. The winds carry relatively warm air from the Pacific Ocean to western North America, which shifts the isotherms northward relative to the isotherms in the eastern portion of North America. The winds that blow over Eastern North America carry relatively colder continental air with them (they are far from the influence of the ocean), causing the isotherms to dip southward over the easter portion of North America.

If you wanted to erect wind turbines to generate electricity, would you search for a location that typically experiences a strong pressure gradient or a weak pressure gradient? Explain. Your answer should be no more than 3 sentences.

You would look for a region with a strong pressure gradient. A strong pressure gradient means the pressure changes rapidly over a relatively small region. The strong contrast in pressure would result in strong winds moving (in general) from high to low pressure.

10° North

advection fog

The following diagram shows high and low pressure systems in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (arrows indicate wind direction). System #4 (bottom right) is a...

anticyclone high pressure system

If all of these surfaces were exposed to the same amount of sun's energy, which surface would absorb the most energy from the sun?

asphalt

In general, will the daily temperature range be greater on a clear or cloudy day? clear day cloudy day

clear day

In the Northern Hemisphere, winds rotate in which direction around a High Pressure? clockwise counterclockwise

clockwise

Convective heat transfer occurs when warm air lies above cold air cold air lies above warm air there is water vapor in the air a warm object comes in contact with a cooler object

cold air lies above warm air

A gust front is most similar to a... tornado warm front cold front stationary front

cold front

Steam fog forms when relatively _______ air moves over relatively _______ water

cold, warm

If the Earth's axis was inclined 40° from the vertical rather than 23.4° like it is today, winter in Chicago, IL would be colder than it is today warmer than it is today the same as it is today

colder than it is today

Which method of heat transfer is least important in the atmosphere? conduction convection radiation

conduction

When an air parcel is lifted vertically upwards, it cools warms

cools

In which of the following clouds would you expect the air to be most unstable? stratus cirrus stratocumulus cumulonimbus

cumulonimbus

Which of the following clouds would be most likely to exhibit hail? nimbostratus cirrus cumulonimbus cumulostratus

cumulonimbus

Would you expect there to be more frequent convective lifting over a light colored plot of land or a dark colored plot of land?

dark colored

During a clear, relatively calm day, the relative humidity will tend to ________ from sunrise to early afternoon decrease increase remain nearly the same throughout the day

decrease

A dryline consists of ______ air wedging itself underneath _______ air cold; warm dry; humid humid; dry humid; cold

dry; humid

Virga occurs when rain ________ in ______ air

evaporates; unsaturated

From this diagram, which season is Boston, MA experiencing? [screenshot 7] summer fall or spring winter

fall or spring

True or False: If you use a Stevenson Screen to protect your thermometer, you can place the thermometer anywhere and get accurate temperature readings.

false

Sleet and freezing rain form when a warm atmospheric layer above the surface melts frozen precipitation as it falls. Is the base of the warm atmospheric layer closer to the Earth's surface for freezing rain or sleet? freezing rain sleet

freezing rain

During a sea breeze, the atmospheric pressure at the ocean surface is higher or lower than the atmospheric pressure at the nearby land surface?

higher

If Earth had more clouds, its albedo would be lower higher the same, clouds don't impact albedo

higher

In the following diagram of a cumulonimbus cloud, the portion of the cloud in the red box would likely consist of:

ice crystals and liquid droplets

Based on the following diagram, at point A, would the cloud consist of liquid droplets only, ice crystals only, or both liquid droplets and ice crystals? [screenshot on laptop - called question 4] liquid droplets only ice crystals only both liquid droplets and ice crystals

ice crystals only

Frost quakes occur because: ice is less dense than liquid water ice is more dense than liquid water temperatures in the soil rise above freezing soil becomes nearly completely dry

ice is less dense than liquid water

If we cool the temperature of a parcel of unsaturated air, the relative humidity will increase decrease stay the same

increase

Earth primarily emits which type of radiation

infared

Radiation is different from convection and conduction because

it does not require molecules to exhange heat

The wet adiabatic lapse rate is different from the dry adiabatic lapse rate because: an unstable air parcel expands more rapidly saturated air is always unstable latent heat is released inside the parcel of rising saturated air a parcel of saturated air has a greater mass than unsaturated air

latent heat is released inside the parcel of rising saturated air

The transition of water to ice is an example of a sensible heat process latent heat process conduction convection

latent heat process

Based on what we learned in class, if the atmosphere had no aerosols, would there be more or less clouds (compared with our current atmosphere)?

less

If the California current reversed direction, would you expect more or less fog in San Francisco? less more

less

Humid air is more or less dense than dry air?

less dense

Humid air is: more dense than dry air less dense than dry air unrelated to the density of air

less dense than dry air

In which state of matter is water the most dense? ice liquid gas

liquid

Which of the following is the most dense?

liquid water

The temperature in Miami, FL is 85°F. The temperature in Lowell, MA is 50°F. Both locations have 5 g/kg of water vapor in the air. Which location has a lower relative humidity?

miami, fl

At night, the air near the surface of Earth cools down more than the air above it. Has the atmosphere become more or less stable? (hint: think about what is happening to the environmental lapse rate).

more stable

Air moving from the western Amazon to the eastern Amazon would be deflected in which direction? east west south north

north

If you were standing 10° north of the equator, the winds near the surface would most likely be coming from which direction?

northeast

When water transitions from a gas phase to a liquid phase, heat is... released to the environment absorbed from the environment not involved in the process

released to the environment

The air high above a surface low pressure: rises converges diverges

rises

Most lighting is of which form? cloud to ground sheet lightning

sheet lightning

Flying in an airplane from London to Boston would be _______ flying in the same airplane (on the same day) from Boston to London. slower than faster than the same amount of time as

slower than

Which of the following states of water is the least energetic? gas liquid solid

solid

Air moving from Michigan to Massachusetts would be directed by the Coriolis force in which direction? north south west east

south

If Earth did not rotate on its axis and if its surface were completely covered with water, what direction would a boat drift if was placed in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere? (Hint: What would the global circulation pattern be like for a nonrotating Earth?) east west north south

south

Clouds that are located low in the atmosphere and sometimes produce drizzle are:

stratus clouds

Which of the following processes requires the most energy?

sublimation

Which of the following water phase transitions involves the largest energy exchange with the environment? sublimation condensation evaporation melting

sublimation

If you had a temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and you wanted to convert it to degrees Celsius, you would Add 273 subtract 32 and then divide by 1.8 multiply by 1.8 and then add 32 subtract 273

subtract 32 and then divide by 1.8

Which season is a person at 15°S latitude experiencing in this diagram? [picture in notebook][north pole in northwest, sunrays going in west direction] spring fall summer winter

summer

Relative humidity depends on the water vapor present in the air and the longitude altitude latitude temperature

temperature

What is the defining feature that is used to separate atmospheric layers? ozone concentration air density temperature change with height water vapor

temperature change with height

A liquid in glass thermometer can quantify temperature because the resistance of the substance in the thermometer changes with temperature the volume of the substance in the thermometer changes with temperature the voltage of the substance in the thermometer changes with temperature

the volume of the substance in the thermometer changes with temperature

If the environmental lapse rate increases, the atmosphere becomes more: unstable stable

unstable

Which of the following is necessary for a severe thunderstorm to form? (Choose all that apply; no partial credit) vertical wind shear frontal lifting of warm moist air downdrafts that form directly within the precipitating portion of the cloud a gust front

vertical wind shear frontal lifting of warm moist air a gust front

The visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is considered an atmospheric window in our atmosphere because visible light is mostly absorbed by gas molecules visible light is mostly not absorbed by gas molecules visible light is emitted by Earth visible light is reflected off of clouds

visible light is mostly not absorbed by gas molecules

Ocean water along the east coast of South America (Brazil) is warmer or colder than ocean water along the west coast of South America (Peru)? Assume you are comparing locations at the same latitude.

warmer

Based on the graph below, which gas is most effective at absorbing radiation that has a wavelength of 6 µm?

water vapor

Earth currently spins in a counterclockwise direction. In this question, imagine the Earth spins in the opposite (clockwise) direction. On this imaginary Earth, if a parcel of air moved north from the equator towards the United States (red circle and red arrow on diagram), which direction would the Coriolis force deflect the parcel? [17]

west

If the red parcel of air began moving towards the south (red arrow), in which direction would the parcel be deflected by the Coriolis force? [20]

west

Would you expect more precipitation on the windward or leeward side of a mountain range?

windward

When the Earth is closest to the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is in which season?

winter