Meteorology - Chapter 2 - Heating Earth's Surface and Atmosphere BANK

57) Which of the following gases does not absorb any significant portion of incoming solar radiation?

A) nitrogen

25) During natural processes, heat transfer is always from:

A) warmer to cooler substances.

40) The earth emits terrestrial radiation:

B) all the time.

44) Objects with higher temperatures:

B) emit more shortwave radiation than cooler objects do.

67) The absorption of longwave radiation by certain gases in the lower atmosphere is responsible for:

B) greenhouse effect.

41) The wavelengths emitted by the earth are:

B) longer than those emitted by the Sun.

4) Early in January the earth is closer to the Sun than at any other time of year. This position is termed:

B) perihelion.

36) The earth receives energy from the Sun by:

B) radiation.

48) Most of the solar energy absorbed in the Earth system is absorbed by:

B) the earth's surface.

59) The atmosphere is highly ________ with respect to solar radiation.

B) transparent

2) Earth's perihelion:

B) would not exist if the earth's orbit were circular.

52) Clouds are most likely to ________ incoming solar radiation.

C) reflect

46) The UV Index can tell you:

C) the approximate time it will take you to sunburn on a given day, based on your skin type.

71) An analemma is best used to determine:

C) the solar declination on any day of the year.

7) Over the course of this year, the tilt of Earth's polar axis will:

D) remain constant at 23.5 degrees.

70) Which of the following describes the role played by the water cycle in determining the earth's heat budget?

D) transfers heat from surface to atmosphere

64) Clouds play an important role in the earth's energy budget because they:

E) Both A and C

72) Based on the analemma above, what is the approximate location of the solar declination on August 26?

A) 10° N

16) The first day of the climatological season of summer is:

A) June 1.

26) Heat:

C) is a transfer of energy from areas with high temperatures to those with low temperatures.

54) Scattering:

C) is responsible for the redness of sunsets.

69) If an imbalance occurs between incoming and outgoing energy at the earth's surface,

D) temperatures either increase or decrease.

42) Radiation is intercepted in the atmosphere and its wavelength is measured at 0.7 micrometers. This radiation was most likely emitted by:

D) the Sun.

45) The primary factor which determines what type and how much radiation an object emits is

E) temperature.

39) The type of energy that is responsible for sunburn is:

B) ultraviolet energy.

37) Wavelengths of the visible spectrum are between:

C) 0.4 and 0.7 micrometers.

73) Using the analemma above, calculate the noon Sun angle for a latitude of 40° N on February 14. Choose the correct answer below.

C) 37°

50) Suppose the albedo of a planet is measured to be 40 percent. This means that:

C) 40 percent of the Sun's energy is reflected.

11) Which of the following correctly describes the equinoxes?

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

10) At 45 degrees S latitude, the angle of the noon Sun is lowest and the length of daylight is shortest on:

C) June 21.

18) New York City has its greatest length of daylight on:

C) June 21.

30) The process of ________ involves the movement or circulation of a mass or substance.

C) convection

34) Thermals are examples of:

C) convection.

21) During the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, the circle of illumination passes directly through the:

C) poles.

23) What kind of energy does gravity give to hailstones suspended in a thunderstorm?

C) potential energy

20) The primary cause of Earth's seasons is:

C) tilt of Earth's rotation axis, which causes sun angles and daylight length to vary.

3) Earth is closest to the Sun during:

D) Northern hemisphere winter.

68) An astronomer tells you that he has discovered a new planet that he calls Planet X. All he knows about Planet X so far is that it has a very dense atmosphere with a temperature approximately 5 times warmer than that of Earth. What hypothesis can you reasonably make regarding the atmosphere of Planet X?

D) The atmosphere of Planet X has a higher concentration of greenhouse gases than Earth's does.

89) Advection refers to vertical convection motions.

Answer: FALSE

85) The Sun "rises" at the South Pole on September 22.

Answer: TRUE

90) Pure white sunlight contains all of the colors of the visible light spectrum.

Answer: TRUE

92) When an object absorbs radiant energy, its temperature increases.

Answer: TRUE

94) Although electromagnetic radiation is described with a variety of names and wavelengths, it is all fundamentally similar in behavior.

Answer: TRUE

95) All objects emit radiation.

Answer: TRUE

97) The higher the temperature of a radiating body, the shorter the wavelength of maximum radiation.

Answer: TRUE

100) Snow-covered surfaces have a low albedo.

Answer: FALSE

6) Earth's current angle of inclination is:

B) 23.5°

55) Earth's sky is blue during the day because:

A) the molecules in the atmosphere scatter blue wavelengths of light.

32) In meteorological terminology, the primary difference between convection and advection is:

A) Convection represents vertical heat transfer and advection represents horizontal heat transfer.

8) Which of the following would be true if Earth did not have an inclined axis?

A) Earth would not have seasons.

47) Which of the following does NOT happen to solar radiation as it passes through the atmosphere?

A) Intensification

17) The length of daylight gets progressively longer going south from the equator on:

A) June 21.

19) The longest period of daylight of the year in the United States occurs on:

A) June 21.

9) The Tropic of Cancer experiences vertical sun rays on:

A) June 21.

62) What is the "atmospheric window"?

A) The range of infrared wavelengths that can most easily escape Earth's atmosphere.

1) What would happen on Earth if the Sun were "turned off" and ceased to provide heat for the Earth?

A) Winds and ocean currents would stop.

63) The atmosphere is heated primarily by:

A) absorption of Earth's longwave radiation.

58) The atmosphere is strongly ________ with respect to terrestrial radiation.

A) absorptive

33) Wind is an example of:

A) advection.

14) At what time of year is the earth's axis not tilted either toward or away from the Sun?

A) autumnal equinox

66) Which of the following is most likely to "block" the atmospheric window and keep the the lower atmosphere warmer?

A) clouds

29) The transfer of heat through matter by molecular collisions is called:

A) conduction.

31) The vertical movements of air molecules that result in heat transfer are known as ________, while horizontal movements are known as ________.

A) convection; advection

5) Low sun angles result in reduced solar energy because:

A) energy is spread over a larger area.

53) Of the following choices, the surface with the HIGHEST albedo is:

A) fresh snow.

22) The energy associated with motion is called:

A) kinetic energy.

27) The two types of heat recognized by meteorologists are:

A) latent heat and sensible heat.

75) Seasonal temperature variations are due primarily to the changing distance between the earth and the Sun.

Answer: FALSE

76) Distance variations between the earth and the Sun are extremely important in understanding seasonal temperature variations.

Answer: FALSE

79) The North Pole remains pointed towards the sun at all times, regardless of where the Earth is in its orbit.

Answer: FALSE

81) The equator receives vertical rays from the Sun year "round.

Answer: FALSE

84) The starting dates of climatological seasons are best defined by the solstices and equinoxes.

Answer: FALSE

86) A change in the temperature of an object signifies that its molecules have a stable amount of kinetic energy.

Answer: FALSE

87) Meteorologically, conduction is the most important mechanism of heat transfer.

Answer: FALSE

88) Heat transfer by convection in the atmosphere is always downward, from air to ground.

Answer: FALSE

91) Microwaves have the shortest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Answer: FALSE

93) Visible light comprises more than half of the total solar energy.

Answer: FALSE

96) The primary reason why planet Earth radiates much less energy than the Sun is because of its much smaller size.

Answer: FALSE

98) As an object cools, the wavelengths of its maximum radiation shorten.

Answer: FALSE

99) Objects that are good absorbers of radiation are usually poor emitters of radiation.

Answer: FALSE

74) Perihelion occurs during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.

Answer: TRUE

77) Low sun angles are associated with longer atmospheric path lengths.

Answer: TRUE

78) The earth's axis is not perpendicular to the plane of its orbit around the Sun.

Answer: TRUE

80) Sun angle is the angular distance from the observer's horizon to the Sun at noon.

Answer: TRUE

82) In Australia, the summer solstice occurs a few days before Christmas (December 25).

Answer: TRUE

83) Fairbanks, Alaska (65oN), has more hours of daylight in June than Miami, Florida (26oN).

Answer: TRUE

51) On the average, how much of the Sun's energy that is intercepted by the earth system is reflected to space?

B) 30 percent

15) Flagstaff, AZ is at 35 degrees N latitude. What is the angle of the Sun's noon rays here on March 21?

B) 55 degrees

13) The spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on approximately:

B) March 21.

28) While sitting outside at a picnic, you and your family start discussing how hot it is outside and plan to take a dip in the lake to cool off. What type of heat have you experienced in order to make this statement?

B) sensible heat

65) When encountering terrestrial longwave radiation, clouds are most likely to ________ it.

D) absorb

12) Which of the following associations is INCORRECT?

D) autumnal equinox — shortest day of the year for the Arctic Circle

43) Most of the radiation emitted by the earth and its atmosphere is in the category of:

D) infrared.

56) Crepuscular rays:

D) occur when water droplets scatter all wavelengths of sunlight equally.

60) Which of the following gases is the best absorber of ultraviolet light?

D) oxygen

35) What is the only form of heat transfer that can operate in a vacuum?

D) radiation

49) During reflection,

D) radiation retains the same intensity and bounces back at the same angle with which it struck the surface.

38) The longest wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum are:

D) radio.

24) Which of the following is a measurement of the average kinetic energy possessed by the atoms or molecules in a substance?

D) temperature

61) The atmosphere is largely ________ to terrestrial radiation that has a wavelength between 8 and 12 micrometers.

D) transparent