Chapter 6 test

The large atmospheric circulation cells that occur between the equator and 30° latitude in each hemisphere are called Hadley cells.

True

Tropical cyclones derive their energy from the water's high latent heat of fusion.

True

Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air.

True

A cold air mass moving into an area occupied by relatively warm air is called a/an:

cold front.

The lowermost portion of the atmosphere where most weather occurs is called the:

troposphere

Westerlies

prevailing wind pattern at temperate latitudes

Polar easterlies

prevailing wind pattern at polar latitudes

All of the following are true of the movement of Earth's atmosphere except:

warm air is less dense than cool air so it tends to sink toward the Earth's surface.

Near the poles, more energy is reflected back into space than is absorbed.

True

The Coriolis effect describes how moving objects on Earth appear to follow curved paths due to Earth's rotation.

True

A tropical maritime air mass is likely to be:

wet and warm.

The strength of a hurricane is ranked from 1 to 5 on the:

Saffir-Simpson Scale

Inter-tropical Convergence Zone

area where warm, moist air rises close to the equator

A. continent B. sea ice C. iceberg D. ice floes E. ice shelf

continent

The intensity of solar radiation received at lower latitudes (near the equator) compared to higher latitudes (near the poles) is:

greater

Tropic of Cancer

located at 23.5° N latitude

The two most abundant components of dry air are:

nitrogen and oxygen.

Trade winds

prevailing wind pattern at tropical latitudes

The largest loss of life from a hurricane is usually due to:

storm surge.

Air warmed by the land that rises and is replaced by cooler air from the ocean may produce a:

sea breeze.

A hurricane is a very strong high-pressure system.

False

A wedge shaped boundary between two air masses with different densities is typical for a cold front.

False

An iceberg is a variety of sea ice.

False

Coriolis deflection is highest at the equator (0o latitude).

False

The autumnal equinox occurs when the sun is directly overhead along the equator in March.

False

A. nitrogen B. albedo C. oxygen D. troposphere E. water vapor

albedo

Winds blowing out of the north toward the south in the southern hemisphere will appear to:

be deflected toward the east.

Low-pressure regions in the northern hemisphere rotate:

counterclockwise

A. doldrums B. northeast trade winds C. polar easterlies D. southeast trade winds E. westerlies

doldrums

A. maximum sustained winds B. minimum central pressure C. sea surface salinity D. storm surge E. storm diameter

sea surface salinity

The two factors that are most important in determining the density of air are:

temperature and water vapor content.

A. ecliptic B. vernal equinox C. autumnal equinox D. westerlies E. summer Solstice

westerlies