EXAM 3
Which of the following states has the highest average wind power class over the largest area?
Colorado
The tropical atmospheric circulation associated with rising winds along the ITCZ and descending air in the subtropics are called
Hadley cells
Warm ocean currents _____
are warmer than the surrounding water
Which areas of Earth experience the most precipitation?
areas near the ITCZ
During the day along the coast, the wind tends to blow toward the ________ because ________
land; land heats more rapidly than water
Between 20° to 35° north and 20° to 35° south are
the world's arid and semi-arid desert regions
What are the variations in temperature and salinity that affect deep ocean currents?
thermohaline circulation
The winds converging at the equatorial low are known as
trade winds
Where surface water is swept away from a coast, ________ occurs, bringing cold, nutrient rich waters to the surface.
upwelling
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 statements regarding the effect of terrain features on wind power potential is correct?
Colorado's wind power potential is highest in the Rocky Mountains
_______ currents are circular movements of rising and descending air
Convectional
Seasonally shifting wind systems associated with the annual cycle of returning precipitation are known as
monsoons.
The polar high pressure cells
produce the weak, variable polar easterlies
Monsoonal winds are
regional wind systems that seasonally vary
Which of the following is associated with the Sahara and the Arabian Deserts?
subtropical high pressure
Calm winds associated weak pressure gradient and the vertical ascent of air in the ITCZ are known as
the doldrums
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
Surface ocean currents _____
are influenced by Coriolis effect, are driven by winds, from large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins
The loss of heat from the ocean surface, resulting in a lowered temperature, causes ocean water to become __________.
denser
The Aleutian low and Icelandic low are
dominant in the winter and weaken or disappear in the summer
Which of the following factors best explains the areas of high-speed winds seen in the Santa Ana Wind Speeds layer?
downslope winds
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
Cool ocean currents ______
generally flow from high latitudes towards the equator
One of the world's most powerful currents, located off the east coast of the United States, is the __________.
gulf stream
A large system of rotating ocean currents, usually driven by the major wind belts, is called a(n) __________.
gyre
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation
is a periodic shift of high and low pressure zones over the western and eastern Pacific, respectively, usually occurring every 2 to 12 years.
The area of conflict between colder and warmer air masses in the subpolar region
is termed the polar front
Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf Stream current result in curving loops of water known as __________.
meanders
Land to sea breezes (local winds) occur during ________
nighttime
The Gulf Stream transports warm water into the __________.
north atlantic
Sea to land breezes blow in an _______ direction
onshore
The subtropical gyres _______
play a large role in climate
Which of the following forces works to create cyclonic and anticyclonic wind circulation patterns?
pressure gradient, Coriolis effect, surface friction
The western side of subtropical high pressure cells
produces surface winds that pass over warm ocean currents
Deep ocean currents _______
result from changes in water density (due to temperature and salt content)
What are the persistent surface winds that flow in the lower latitudes?
trade winds
On Earth between 30° and 60° north, winds flow from the ________ as they flow out of the ________ pressure zone toward the ________ pressure zone.
west-southwest; subtropical high; subpolar low
Which of the following is associated with a La Niña-ENSO Phase?
wetter conditions throughout Indonesia, the South Pacific and northern Brazil
Which of the following is not important in shaping ocean currents?
land-sea breezes
Based on your knowledge of the general circulation of the atmosphere and the data in the Fukushima layer, which of the following coordinate locations was in the highest risk area for downwind radiation contamination in the days after the March 2011 event?
37 N, 153 E
Based on the clues in the images contained in the Sea Breeze Land Breeze folder, which of the following statements is most accurate?
A sea breeze with relatively low pressure onshore and relatively high pressure offshore is present.
Based on the topography of the region surrounding the Highway 9 placemark, which of the following statements is most accurate?
Alma experiences mountain breezes from the north while Blue River experiences mountain breezes from the south.
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is associated with the following except
cooler than normal ocean along the west coast of South America
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.
A deep and powerful southward subsurface current that flows under the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic is the __________.
Canary Current
Which natural climate oscillation produces warm and cold phases near the west coast of South America?
ENSO
Which of the following major bodies of water has the highest human impact, as indicated by the data in the Human Impacts folder?
East China Sea
Equatorial currents that are part of the subtropical gyres flow ___. Equatorial counter currents between the gyres flow ___ .
East to west; west to east
Based on the general circulation pattern shown in the Current Labels folder, which of the following currents is most likely a cold-water current?
West Australia
How does wind generally move?
From areas of higher atmospheric pressure toward areas of lower atmospheric pressure
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
What causes friction forces?
Interaction between wind and surround atmosphere
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
Which of the following states has the highest wind power class for offshore wind?
Massachusetts
Some regions have great utility-scale potential, while others have good household-scale potential. Which of the following regions is correctly matched with its wind power potential?
Massachusetts: utility-scale production offshore, household-scale potential inland
Which is true of upper atmospheric circulation?
Middle and upper tropospheric circulation is an important component of the atmosphere's general circulation.
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
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 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
Santa Ana winds
create wildfire conditions by bringing heat and dryness as they flow southwest.
________ are waving undulations within the upper-air westerly wind flow.
Rossby waves
What component of global circulation is most responsible for the prevailing winds in this region?
Southeast Trades
Which statement accurately describes surface ocean currents?
Surface ocean currents are driven by frictional drag from winds.
Which of the following statements is best supported by the evidence in the Depth folder?
The Arctic Ocean is generally the shallowest of the world's four major ocean basins.
How does the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCS) change over time?
The ITCZ migrates south of the equator in Northern Hemisphere winter and north of the equator in Northern Hemisphere summer.
What causes the pressure gradient force?
The difference in atmospheric pressure from on location to another
What causes the Coriolis force?
The earth's rotation
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.
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 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.
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
The western intensification causes water to pile up ________, forcing water to flow ________ in strong currents.
against eastern shore of continents; northward and southward
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
The Intertropical convergence zone is characterized by
convergence and uplift of warm surface air
During the day, air above sea is _______ than it is above land
cooler
The most prominent movement in the upper-level westerly geostrophic wind flows are the
jet streams
Based on the data in the Human Impacts folder, which of the following statements is not supported?
In terms of impacts near Italy, the Tyrrhenian Sea has relatively higher levels of impacts compared to the Adriatic.
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
Which of the following phenomena occur in the tropical South Pacific Ocean during ENSO?
Trade winds of the South Pacific weaken and may even reverse direction, a low-pressure system forms over the eastern South Pacific, upwelling of colder ocean waters slows down near the South American coast
What drives Hadley cell circulation?
heating from the Sun
Where are Hadley cells found?
in the atmosphere near the equator
Sea-breezes
involve onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon
Mountain and valley breezes
involve warm air rising upslope during the day, creating an area of low pressure; at night it is reversed with a low pressure area forming on the valley floor.
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