Exam 1 Intro To Weather and Climate
________ is a measure of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules in matter.
Temperature
The name given to the most recent geological epoch to reflect human influence on climate change and ecosystems is the
Anthropocene
Which country burns more coal and emits more CO2 than any other country on Earth?
China
The uneven distribution of insolation by latitude is primarily a result of
Earth's curvature.
When water evaporates from a surface, which of the following occurs?
Energy is stored within the water.
Climate
The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
Weather
The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.
Ice Giants
Uranus and Neptune
Which of the following sequences is arranged in order from shorter wavelength to longer wavelength?
X-rays, ultraviolet, visible, infrared
Sustainable development seeks to
advance the condition of human society while maintaining functioning earth systems
The Montreal Protocol
aims to reduce and eliminate all ozone depleting substances.
The reflective quality of a surface is known as its
albedo
O3 in the lower troposphere
causes lung irritation, asthma, and susceptibility to respiratory illness in humans.
Longwave radiation (+ LW) arriving at the Earth's surface
comes primarily from infrared energy emitted by the atmosphere.
Three criteria used for classification of the atmosphere are
composition, temperature, and function.
Sensible heat transfer (H) refers to energy transfer between the air and the surface by
convection and conduction.
Longwave radiation absorbed by certain atmospheric constituents and re-radiated back to Earth's surface is known as
counterradiation.
The term "net radiation" refers to the
difference in the amount of incoming and outgoing radiation.
Incoming radiation that reaches Earth's surface after scattering is
diffuse radiation.
planetesimal hypothesis
gravity, caused by a cloud of gas and dust to collapse into the solar system
The three inorganic Earth "spheres" around which Geosystems is designed are the
hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere
Temperatures within the stratosphere
increase with altitude because of the absorption of ultraviolet radiation.
Which of the following is not responsible for the urban heating effect?
increased albedo of urban environments relative to that of natural landscapes
Sources of natural variable pollutants and materials include all of the following except A) volcanoes. B) forest fires. C) plants and decaying plants. D) industrial activity. E) windblown dust.
industrial activity.
The dominant wavelength emitted by Earth is
infrared.
Solar radiation that is intercept by Earth is called
insolation.
The auroras in the upper atmosphere are caused by
interaction of the solar wind and upper layers of Earth's atmosphere.
The analogy of a greenhouse
is a useful, but inaccurate model since atmospheric gases do not trap, but absorb heat.
Earth's orbit around the Sun
is elliptical.
Giant plannets
large, low-densit5y, gas and ice giants
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.
Relative to the 5 themes of geographic science, latitude and longitude refer to
location
The sun emits radiant energy composed of
mainly visible light and infrared energy.
Temperature is
measure of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules in matter.
The science that studies the climate at or near Earth's surface is
microclimatology.
Which of the following lists the correct sequence of gases, from most to least, in terms of percentage within the homosphere?
nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, trace gases
The subsolar point occurs
only at lower latitudes between the Tropics (23.5° N/S).
Earth's fourth atmosphere likely formed from
oxygen molecules absorbing sunlight and forming protective ozone.
The heterosphere is the layer of the atmosphere in which the gases are ________ because of________.
poorly mixed; gravity causes gases of different weight to separate into layers
As we burn fossil fuels and release carbon dioxide, the temperature of our planet and the oceans will increase. When the oceans warm they will release more carbon dioxide, further warming the planet and oceans. This is an example of a ________ feedback loop and may result in the crossing of a(n) ________.
positive; threshold
Which of the following is characterized by the longest wavelengths
radio waves
In the surface energy budget, the term "- SW" represents
reflection.
When light passes from one medium to another, resulting in a change in speed and direction of insolation,
refraction occurs.
Heat that can be sensed due to the kinetic energy of molecular motion is
sensible heat.
The average insolation received by the thermopause when Earth is at its average distance from the sun is known as the
solar constant.
What two pollutants react with water to produce acid rain?
sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides
Which of the following has the lowest albedo?
the Moon
On its way to Earth, solar winds first encounter
the magnetosphere.
The region at the top of the atmosphere located approximately 480 km (300 mi) above Earth's surface is known as the
thermopause.
Atmosphere
thin envelope of gases surrounding the earth
Layers of the Atomosphere
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
Based on composition, the atmosphere is divided into
two broad classifications: homosphere and heterosphere.
Based on function, the atmosphere has
two zones that absorb radiation from the Sun.
Earth's main energy inputs are
ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared radiation.
Which two gases are good absorbers of longwave radiation emitted from Earth?
water vapor and carbon dioxide
Temperature inversions occur
when surface temperatures are lower than warmer overlying air.
Which of the following is true of the ionosphere?
The region principally absorbs gamma rays, X-rays, and interacts with the solar wind.
5 Reasons for the Seasons
1) Revolution 2) Rotation 3) Tilt of Earth's axis 4) Axial parallelism 5) Sphericity
2 Zones of the Atomosphere
1. Ionosphere 2. Ozonosphere
Natural Factors the Affect Pollutants
1. Wind 2. Local and regional landscape characteristics 3. Temperature
Light travels at a speed of approximately...
300,000 kilometers per second (186,333 miles per second).
Which of the following is true?
A) The Sun is also a planet. B) The Milky Way Galaxy contains over 300 million stars. C) Earth is the fourth planet from the Sun in our Solar System. D) The Sun is the largest star in the Milky Way Galaxy. E) The Milky Way is part of our Solar System Answer: B
Earths 5 Components
Atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere
Which of the following is true? A) Natural sources of air pollution are not a concern in terms of human health. B) Natural sources of air pollution are a relatively new occurrence. C) Natural events, such as volcanoes and wildfires, produce air pollution and may cover large areas. D) There is no reason to be concerned about natural sources of air pollution.
C) Natural events, such as volcanoes and wildfires, produce air pollution and may cover large areas.
The single most important control on temperature is
Isolation
Which of the following is not true about the Milky Way Galaxy in which we live?
It is the largest galaxy in the universe.
Which of the following is true regarding the depletion of ozone in the ozonosphere?
It results from chemical reactions with chlorine derived from CFCs.
Gas Giants
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Why is a greenhouse an imperfect analogy for how the Earth's atmosphere behaves?
Passage of longwave radiation to space is delayed by certain atmospheric constituents, but not trapped like an actual greenhouse
________ refers to changes in daylength and the Sun's altitude over the course of the year.
Seasonality
terrestrial planets
Small, rocky, planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)