Exam 2 Geography CH. 4 & 5
Which of the following phenomena occur in the tropical South Pacific Ocean during ENSO?
- Upwelling of colder ocean waters slows down near the South American coast. - Trade winds of the South Pacific weaken and may even reverse direction. - A low-pressure system forms over the eastern South Pacific.
The Celsius and Fahrenheit scales only coincide at
-40°.
Surface ocean currents ___.
-form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins -are driven by winds -are influenced by Coriolis effect
Which of the following has the highest albedo? -asphalt -fresh snow -forests -dry, light sandy soils -the Moon
-fresh snow
Which of the following forces works to create cyclonic and anticyclonic wind circulation patterns?
-surface friction -Coriolis effect -pressure gradient
How is energy transferred from Earth's surface to Earth's atmosphere?
-through latent heat in water vapor -through the greenhouse effect -through conduction -through convection
-273°C (-459.67°F) is
0 absolute temperature.
What is the insolation range (watts per square meter) associated with July temperatures ranging from 3 to 5° C?
0 to 99 W/m2
What is the primary July temperature range associated with the portion of the Rocky Mountains in northern Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana (2000-3,999 m)?
15 to 17° C
Where do you find the greatest net radiation deficit in June 2003?
200 W/m2 in southern New Zealand
What is the highest net radiation surplus that you can find in June 2003?
200 W/m2 in the northern Pacific Ocean
Earth's average overall albedo is
31 percent
How much of the Sun's incoming radiation is scattered or reflected back to space before any heating effect is felt on Earth?
31%
How much of the Sun's incoming radiation is absorbed by Earth's surface?
45%
As you view the animation, keep in mind that the subsolar point travels between 23.5° north and 23.5° south, for a total of 47° of movement. The region of highest net radiation surplus moves from:
50° N in June to 50° S in December.
The western intensification causes water to pile up, ____________, forcing water to flow ______________ in strong currents.
Against Eastern shore of continents; northward and southward
San Francisco, CA and Wichita, KS are located at approximately the same latitude. Which of the following is true?
Annual temperature ranges in Wichita are greater than those in San Francisco.
What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun decreased and was less than the longwave radiation lost to space?
Atmospheric temperature would decrease.
What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of shortwave radiation reflected at Earth's surface increased significantly?
Atmospheric temperature would decrease.
What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of outgoing longwave radiation decreased so that it was less than incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun?
Atmospheric temperature would increase.
What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of shortwave radiation reflected by clouds decreased significantly?
Atmospheric temperature would increase.
What would happen to Earth's atmospheric temperature if the amount of incoming shortwave radiation from the Sun was the same as the longwave radiation lost to space?
Atmospheric temperature would remain the same.
Which of the following is true relative to the Earth-atmosphere radiation system?
Averaged over a year, Earth's surface has an energy surplus.
Which of the following statements best compares wind circulation patterns and mean January temperatures?
Cold air associated with the high pressure over central Asia blows in a clockwise (anticyclonic) direction.
Which of the following is correctly matched?
Conduction - molecule-to-molecule heat transfer
________ refers to the greater range between maximum and minimum temperatures that occurs in inland areas distant from large bodies of water.
Continentality.
The intertropical convergence zone is characterized by
Convergence and uplift of warm surface air.
The El Nino-southern oscillation is associated with the following except
Cooler than normal ocean along the west coast of South America
Which of the following factors best explains the areas of high-speed winds seen in the Santa Ana wind speeds layer?
Downslope winds
Which natural climate oscillation produces warm and cold phases near the west coast of South America?
ENSO
Which of the following statements regarding albedo is correct?
Earth's average albedo is 31%.
What causes the Coriolis force?
Earth's rotation
How does evaporation effect land-water heating differences?
Evaporation tends to lower temperatures more over water bodies than over land.
How does wind generally move?
From areas of higher atmospheric pressure toward areas of lower atmospheric pressure
Which of the following locations has the highest albedo?
Greenland
The current in the northwestern part of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre that transports warm water toward the North Atlantic is called the __________.
Gulf Stream
One of the worlds most powerful currents, located off the east coast of the United States, is the ________.
Gulf Stream.
The tropical atmospheric circulation associated with rising winds along the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and descending air in the subtropics are called
Hadley cells.
Which of the following is true regarding locations at high elevations?
Higher elevations experience lower average temperatures during both day and night.
Which statement describes global temperature patterns?
In July, the thermal equator is at higher latitudes over continents in the Northern Hemisphere than over oceans.
What causes friction forces?
Interaction between wind and surrounding atmosphere
mountain and valley breezes
Involve warm air rising up slope during the day, creating an area of low pressure; at night it is reversed with a low pressure area forming on the valley floor
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Is a periodic shift of high and low pressure zones over the western and eastern Pacific, respectively, usually occurring every 2 to 12 years.
Which of the following is true of the albedo of water?
It changes, depending upon the Sun angle.
What happens to the energy that the ground absorbs in the form of visible sunlight?
It is returned upward in the form of infrared light.
On a cloudless day, what happens to most of the visible light headed toward Earth?
It reaches Earth's surface, where some is reflected and some is absorbed.
Which of the following is not important in shaping ocean currents?
Land-sea breezes
Which association between atmospheric circulation and mean temperatures in July is correct?
Low pressure and warm temperatures associated with the intertropical convergence zone over South Asia
Which of the following cities would most likely experience the effects of the ITCZ in December?
Lusaka, Zambia
Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf stream current result in curving loops of water known as ____________.
Meanders.
Which is true of upper atmospheric circulation?
Middle and upper tropospheric circulation is an important component of the atmosphere's general circulation.
Seasonally shifting winds systems associated with the annual cycle of returning precipitation are known as
Monsoons.
On Earth between 30° north latitude and the equator, winds flow from the ________ as they flow out of the ________ pressure zone toward the ITCZ.
NE; subtropical high
A deep and powerful southward subsurface current that flows under the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic is the __________.
North Atlantic Deep Water
The gulf stream transports warm water into the ________.
North Atlantic.
Which temperature anomalies in the United States are correctly matched with La Niña and El Niño years?
North Dakota experiences negative temperature anomalies during La Niña years and positive temperature anomalies during El Niño years.
Which of the following regions has the largest annual temperature ranges?
North-central Asia (e.g. Siberia, Russia)
Which of the following is true?
Northern Hemisphere temperatures are more strongly dominated by continentality than are Southern Hemisphere temperatures.
Which natural oscillation in global circulation is associated with shifts in patterns of sea surface temperatures, air pressure, and winds between the northern and tropical western Pacific?
Pacific Decadal Oscillation.
The western side of subtropical high-pressure cells
Produces surface winds that pass over warm ocean currents
The principle that explains the differential scattering of shorter wavelength radiation and accounts for the Earth's blue sky is
Rayleigh scattering.
________ are waving undulations within the upper-air westerly wind flow.
Rossby waves
Which of the following regions would have the greatest range of temperatures?
Siberia, Russia
Which statement accurately describes surface ocean currents?
Surface ocean currents are driven by frictional drag from winds.
Which of the following is NOT true of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)?
The ITCZ is stationary throughout the year.
How does the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) change over time?
The ITCZ migrates south of the equator in Northern Hemisphere winter and north of the equator in Northern Hemisphere summer.
Imagine two hypothetical cities, both located at 12° N latitude. However, one is located near sea level, while the other at an elevation of 4,000 m (13,123 ft) above sea level. Which of the following is likely true?
The city at the higher elevation has average monthly and yearly temperatures lower than the city near sea level.
On a day with complete cloud cover, what happens to the visible light headed toward Earth?
The clouds reflect some of it back to space, and some still reaches the surface.
What causes the pressure gradient force?
The difference in atmospheric pressure from one location to another
Which is true for global annual temperature ranges?
The greatest ranges occur in east central Siberia in Russia.
Which of the following statements about albedo patterns in the Arctic and Antarctic is correct?
The highest albedo values are found around each pole's spring equinox.
Which of the following has the lowest albedo? - fresh snow - croplands - the moon - light roof - forests
The moon
Which of the following statements regarding the range of net radiation values through the year is correct?
The net radiation values along the Tropic of Cancer range from -100 W/m2 to 150 W/m2.
Which of the following is true of India's weather patterns?
The shifting of the intertropical convergence zone and upper air circulation brings heavy precipitation in summer from June to September.
Which of the following statements regarding diffuse radiation is correct?
The sky is blue as a result of Rayleigh scattering.
Which of the following statements is correct?
The subsolar point does not move as far as the region of maximum net radiation surplus.
Of the following statements, which most accurately explains the relationship between wind and pressure patterns and the average annual precipitation in particular regions?
The trade winds converge toward the intertropical convergence zone, producing average precipitation totals that generally exceed 60 inches a year over northern South America.
Which of the following is true of differences in latitudinal energy?
There is an energy balance between energy gains and losses around 36° latitude.
Which of the following is true of thermohaline circulation?
Thermohaline currents are deep currents caused by differences in temperature and salinity.
Which of the following is false regarding the jet streams?
They have no known effect on surface weather systems.
How does the Coriolis force deflect objects in the atmosphere, relative to their original paths?
To the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
What are the persistent surface winds that flow in the lower latitudes
Trade winds.
What conditions are found under the intertropical convergence zone?
Warm surface air is converging and rising.
How would wind move if Coriolis and friction forces did not exist?
Wind would move directly from areas of high atmospheric pressure to areas of low atmospheric pressure.
How would wind move if pressure gradient and Coriolis forces did not exist?
Wind would not move.
How would wind move if pressure gradient and friction forces did not exist?
Wind would not move.
Land surface temperature (LST) is
a measure of the heating of the land surface and is distinct from air temperature.
The assimilation of radiation by molecules of matter is
absorption
A horizontal air current that is generated by temperature-induced density differences is an example of heat transfer by
advection.
The time of maximum daily temperature occurs
after the time of maximum absorbed insolation, because an energy surplus accumulates in the atmosphere while the Sun is still high in the sky and reaches a peak in mid-afternoon.
The relationship between insolation and air temperature through the course of day shows
air temperature reaches a maximum afternoon, whereas absorbed insolation reaches a maximum at noon.
The reflective quality of a surface is known as its
albedo.
Which areas of Earth experience the most precipitation?
areas near the ITCZ
What are jet streams?
bands of high-speed wind found at elevations of 9-15 km.
Where are the two main hemispheric jet streams located?
between 50 and 60 degrees latitude and at about 30 degrees latitude.
In the Northern Hemisphere, ocean currents move ________ about high-pressure cells; in the Southern Hemisphere ocean currents move ________ about high-pressure cells.
clockwise; counterclockwise
The polar high pressure system is best characterized as
cold and dry with weak anticyclonic high pressure.
When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off into the warm water south of the current, the eddy is called a __________.
cold-core eddy or ring.
What is the process that transfers heat by molecular contact?
conduction
The thermal equator
connects all points of highest mean temperature.
Sensible heat transfer (H) refers to energy transfer between the air and the surface by
convection and conduction
If the amount of low, thick stratus cloud cover increases, the Earth's climates would likely ________ due to increased ________.
cool; reflectivity
During summer, cities located near the coast are ________ than those in the interior at the same latitude, while in the winter they are ________.
cooler; warmer
Longwave radiation absorbed by certain atmospheric constituents and re-radiated back to Earth's surface is known as
counter radiation
Santa Ana winds
create wildfire conditions by bringing heat and dryness as they flow southwest.
The loss of heat from the ocean surface, resulting in a lowered temperature, causes ocean water to become __________.
denser
Incoming radiation that reaches Earth's surface after scattering is
diffuse radiation.
The Aleutian low and Icelandic low are
dominant in the winter and weaken or disappear in the summer.
NET R values, as illustrated for a typically summer day at a midlatitude location, are positive
during daylight hours, peaking just after noon with the peak of insolation.
When would you expect the low-pressure cell over Greenland to be most developed?
during the Northern Hemisphere winter
During the winter, the Bermuda high migrates to the ________ and becomes the ________.
east; Azores high
Ocean frontal systems that spin off from currents such as the Gulf Stream, akin to atmospheric storms, are known as __________.
eddies.
Which of the following primary pressure areas are produced by thermal factors, rather than dynamic factors?
equatorial low and polar high
A large system of rotating ocean currents, usually driven by the major wind belts, is called a(n) __________.
gyre
What drives Hadley cell circulation?
heating from the Sun
Heat always flow from an area of ________ temperature to an area of ________ temperature.
higher; lower
Which of the following climate types is predominately found adjacent to warm ocean currents?
humid subtropical, moist all year
Where are Hadley cells found?
in the atmosphere near the equator
On land, the highest annual values for latent heat of evaporation (LE) occur
in the tropics.
The single most important control on temperature is
insolation.
Sea-breezes
involve onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon.
The analogy of a greenhouse
is a useful, but inaccurate model since atmospheric gases do not trap, but absorb heat.
The greenhouse effect raises Earth's surface temperature (from what it would be otherwise) because the infrared light radiated by Earth's surface __________.
is temporarily absorbed by greenhouse gases and then reemitted in random directions
The area of conflict between colder and warmer air masses in the subpolar region
is termed the polar front.
Lines on a temperature map connecting points of equal temperature is called an
isotherm
If a surface absorbs insolation,
its temperature increases.
The most prominent movement in the upper-level westerly geostrophic wind flows are the
jet streams.
During the day along the coast, the wind tends to blow toward the ________ because ________.
land; land heats more rapidly than water
Which of the following is a nonradiative transfer of longwave radiation to the atmosphere?
latent heat transfer
Energy gained or lost when a substance changes from one state to another is
latent heat.
Which of the following is not a reason for the energy deficit in the polar regions?
little seasonal variability
The specific heat of land is ________ than water and, therefore, land heats more ________ than water.
lower; quickly
What are Rossby waves?
major undulations in the path of a jet stream
Temperature is
measure of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules in matter.
An image that appears near the horizon when layers of air are at different temperatures and densities is a(n) ________ and an example of ________.
mirage; refraction
Official temperatures are measured using thermometers placed in shelters that are
placed a few feet above the ground in louvered white boxes.
The polar high pressure cells
produce the weak, variable polar easterlies.
During the day, clouds ________ insolation, lowering daily maximum temperatures; at night, clouds ________ longwave energy, thereby raising minimum nighttime temperatures.
reflect; absorb and counter radiate
Only some shortwave radiation from the Sun reaches Earth's surface. What is the leading cause of this radiation loss?
reflection by clouds
When light passes from one medium to another, resulting in a change in speed and direction of insolation,
refraction occurs.
Because of the process known as ________ the Sun appears above the horizon ________ it has actually risen.
refraction; before
Monsoonal winds are
regional wind systems that seasonally vary.
Heat that can be sensed due to the kinetic energy of molecular motion is
sensible heat
Which statement describes the Earth-atmosphere energy budget?
shows net surpluses at the equator and net deficits at the poles
The temperature control that includes the heat capacity of a substance is
specific heat
Which of the following is associated with the Sahara and the Arabian Deserts?
subtropical high pressure
Which of the following is not associated with the Asian monsoon pattern?
summer low pressure zones over the ocean and high pressure zone over land.
Thermohaline circulation in the ocean is driven primarily by differences in __________ and __________ among water masses.
temperature; salinity
Net radiation (NET R) refers to
the balance of all radiation incoming and outgoing at Earth's surface
Calm winds associated weak pressure gradient and the vertical ascent of air in the ITCZ are known as
the doldrums.
Differential transmissivity of shortwave insolation and longwave terrestrial radiation by various atmospheric gases is better known as
the greenhouse effect.
Elevation typically refers to ________ whereas altitude refers to ________.
the height of a point on Earth's surface; the height above Earth's surface
Conduction refers to
the molecule-to-molecule transfer of heat energy.
The size of one Kelvin unit is
the same size as one Celsius degree.
What two features are many of Earth's deserts associated with?
the subtropical highs and cool ocean currents found along the west coasts of continents
Between 20° to 35° north and 20° to 35° south are
the world's arid and semi-arid desert regions.
Earth's main energy outputs are
thermal infrared radiation.
What are the variations in temperature and salinity that affect deep ocean currents?
thermohaline circulation
How can the jet stream return to normal zonal flow after Rossby waves build?
through separation of a mass of cold air from the jet stream
The winds converging at the equatorial low are known as
trade winds.
The passage of shortwave and longwave energy through the atmosphere and water is an example of
transmission
What is the uninterrupted passage of insolation through the atmosphere or water?
transmission
In January, the thermal equator
trends southward into the interior of South America and Africa.
Earth's main energy inputs are
ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared radiation.
Where surface water is swept away from a coast, ________ occurs, bringing cold, nutrient rich waters to the surface.
upwelling
An increase in the amount of high altitude, ice crystal (cirrus) clouds would
warm the planet in a process called cloud-greenhouse forcing.
Which two gases are good absorbers of longwave radiation emitted from Earth?
water vapor and carbon dioxide
In which direction do jet streams generally travel?
west to east.
On Earth between 30° and 60° north latitude, winds flow from the __________ as they flow out of the __________ pressure zone toward the __________ pressure zone.
west-southwest; subtropical high; subpolar low
The dominant surface winds from the subtropics to high latitudes are the
westerlies.
A monsoon climate is characterized by ________ summers and ________ winters.
wet; dry
Which of the following is associated with a La Niña-ENSO Phase?
wetter conditions throughout Indonesia, the South Pacific, and northern Brazil
