Geography Exam 2

Which of the following lists the correct, generalized sequence of climates from the equator to the poles

Tropical->Dry->Mesothermal->Microthermal->Polar

Where is the highest frequency of tornadoes per 10,000 mi^2 in the US

Oklahoma

Summer afternoon thundershowers in the southeastern US are more than likely a result of

Convectional lifting

the annual temperature range of places located in the interior of a continent is _____ those located along the coast at the same latitude

greater than

The Coriolis force

causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path

the great circulations in the ocean basins occur around the ______ pressure systems and are known as _______

Subtropical High; gyres

when water freezes, its density...

decreases

air masses which develop over canada are examples of _______ air masses

cP

Atlanta, Georgia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Nagasaki, Japan all share the following climate classification

Humid Subtropical hot-summer

... 1

there is a surprising lack of correlation btwn Carbon dioxide levels and temperatures

which of the following is true of high pressure areas

air descends and diverges within high pressure systems

which of the following is not a greenhouse gas

Nitrogen

what type of cloud has a thin wispy appearance, consists of ice crystals, and often precedes a warm front

cirrus

which is true of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon

sea surface temperatures can increase more than 8 degrees C above normal in central and eastern pacific during an ENSO

an instrument used to measure air pressure is

an aneroid barometer

as air sinks down the leeward side of a mountain, it will move into a region of _______ air pressure and will therefore be _______ by compression

higher; heated

tornadoes are ranked in terms of wind speed and related property damage using the _______ scale

enhanced Fujita

which is true of air flowing into low pressure center

air converges and descends

which of the following describes the pressure gradient force

it drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure

hurricanes derive their energy from ______

the latent heat of condensation

excess surface water percolates through the zone of ________ to reach the zone of ______ and the water table

aeration; saturation

climate is ______

the long term atmospheric condition-including extremes that may occur

precipitation normally refers too...

rain, sleet, snow, and hail

the condensation process requires ________ and _________

condensation nuclei and saturated air

humid subtropical climates receive _______ precipitation during the summer and ________ precipitation during the winter

convectional; frontal

cold and Dry" temperature and precipitation patterns are characteristic of _________

Polar climates

normal sea level pressure has a value of _______

1013.2 millibars

air that is not saturated will cool or heat at a rate of _______ as it rises or descends, respectively

10 deg. C per 1000 m

... 2

clay

a fog that develops when warm, moist air blows over a cold current (such as the California Current) is an example of _______ fog

advection

which of the following is associated with these names: Sonora, Kalahari, Namib, Atacama

subtropical high pressure

the severity of storm activity along a warm front is _______ than that along most cold fronts b/c the rate of uplift is _______ along a warm front

less; slower

the general term that refers to the tendency of a parcel of air to either remain in place or change its initial position is _______

stability

between 20 to 35 deg. north latitude and 20 to 35 deg south latitude are _______

the world's arid and semi-arid desert regions

the term "Rain Shadow" refers to

dry regions on the leeward side of mountain ranges

a mT air mass is likely to be ______ than a cT air mass b/c the mT air mass ________

wetter; forms over the ocean

a isoline of equal pressure plotted on a weather map is known as ______

an isobar

when water evaporates, it _______ heat energy and ______ the surrounding air

absorbs; cools

which of the following is true of migrating centers of low pressure in the northern hemisphere

these pressure systems are characterized by converging, ascending air that spirals inward in a counterclockwise fashion

relative humidity is...

the amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature expressed as a percentage of the water vapor capacity of the air

the High Plain aquifer...

received much of its water from melting glaciers in the past

hail forms....

when water freezes inside a cloud and is then recirculated by convections currents until it falls

a water bearing rock stratum is called an _______

aquifer

which instrument would you use to measure wind speed

an anemometer

greenhouse gases act to ________ temperatures by ________ thermal infrared radiation

increase; absorbing and releasing

the tropical rain forest climate receives most of its rainfall as a result of _______

convectional uplift

the mercury barometer (consisting of mercury in a tube, sealed at one end and open at the other, and inserted in a vessel of mercury), was invented by _______

Evangelista Torricelli

clouds that have vertical development and produce thunderstorms are called ________

cumulonimbus

... 3

ice caps and glaciers

the warmest years in the history of weather instruments were ________

2005, 2007, 2009, and 1998

the greater the difference in temperature btwn the wet bulb and dry bulb on a sling psychrometer, the _______ the air is and the _________ the relative humidity

drier; lower

what is the heat energy involved in the change of state, or phase, in water?

latent heat

the dry season in the tropical monsoon climate occurs when....

the ITCZ is not overhead

Tornadoes in the US occur as a result of the interaction of warm, moist ______ air masses with cold, dry _______ air masses, respectively

mT; cP

which of the following primary pressure areas are produced by thermal factors, rather than dynamic factors

equatorial low and polar high

the area of conflict btwn colder and warmer air masses in the subpolar region is....

termed the polar front

surface tension and capillarity are the result of ________

hydrogen bonding

the jet streams help control ________

all of the above:
-the boundary between cold polar air to the north and warm air to the south
-the movement of storms
-the movement of high and low pressure systems

on a weather map of air pressure, what can you infer from a closer spacing of isobars

a steep pressure gradient creating a faster flow of air

the line of contact btwn zone of aeration and zone of saturation is known as _______

water table

the term "Groundwater Mining" refers to...

the removal of ground water at a rate faster than that at which it can be replaced

which part of a hurricane consists of dry, subsiding air

eye

the horizontal motion of air relative to earth's surface is _______

wind

land-sea breezes are caused by

onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon

potential evapotranspiration refers to...

the amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available

weather is _______

the short term condition of the atmosphere

in the water budget, _______ is the major receipt and _________ is the major expenditure

PRECIP; ACTET

cooling of a surface overnight that chills the air layer directly above that surface may form _______

a radiation fog

a humidity measure that remains constant as temperature and pressure change, and which is expressed as a mass of water vapor per mass of air, is _______

specific humidity

... 4

increased humidity

the normal range for air pressure at sea level is _______

980-1050 mb

Eustasy refers to

worldwide changes in sea level

glacio-eustatic factors refer to

changes in sea level related to the increase or decrease in quantities of ice

precipitation that reaches earth's surface penetrates the soil surface through the process of ________

infiltration

if precipitation and soil moisture are inadequate to meet potential evapotranspiration demands, the moisture condition is described as ________

a deficit