Consistently high insolation occurs throughout equatorial and tropical latitudes because of
Day length, high sun angle, short travel through atmosphere
The highest insolation occurs in low-latitude deserts because of
Frequently cloudless skies
Overall, for earth and its atmosphere, energy inputs
Are balanced by energy outputs
In equatorial regions, an energy ___ occurs in the radiation balance:
Surplus
Surplus heat energy is transferred to polar regions by:
Air and ocean currents
Oceans:
Have lower annual temperature ranges than land areas
Heat and cool more slowly than land areas
Have a moderating effect on coastal climates
Mix heat energy to greater depths than land
(all answers correct)
Oceans ___ temperatures in coastal regions:
Moderate
San Diego and Dallas have contrasting annual temperature patterns because:
San Diego is next to an ocean; Dallas is inland
The radiative energy imbalance drives:
Atmospheric and oceanic circulations
The ___transfers heat energy from low latitudes to higher latitudes:
Gulf stream
Driving force(s) that determine speed and direction of surface winds are:
Pressure gradients
Air pressure is caused by:
Weight of the atmosphere
We measure air pressure using:
A barometer
Air moves from a region of high pressure to a region of low pressure, creating a wind; this is an example of the effect of __
Pressure gradient force
____air is associated with high pressure, whereas___
Subsiding and diverging, converging and rising
Coriolis force is created by:
Earth's rotation
Coriolis deflection is always to the ___
Right
Surface winds in a northern hemisphere high pressure system __ and follows a ___:
Diverge;clockwise out-spiral
Surface winds around a northern hemisphere low pressure system ___ and follow a ___
Converge; counter clockwise in-spiral
Above an anticyclone is :
Descending air and clear skies
The region between the Hadley Cells is the ___
Intertropical convergence zone
The surface winds converging at the ITCZ are known as the ___
Trade winds
Above the subtropical highs are ____ & ___
Descending air and clear skies
The dominant surface winds flowing from the subtropics to the higher latitudes are known as the ___
Westerlies
The subpolar low forms along the ____, where warm moist air meets cold dry air
Polar front
Cold subsiding air over polar regions forms the ___
Polar highs
Waving undulations within the westerly flow of geostrophic winds are known as:
Rossby Waves
Jet streams are found over:
The subtropics and polar front
The asian monsoons are caused by:
Seasonal shifts in the location of the ITCZ
The driving force of ocean currents is ___
Frictional drag of winds
The three states of water are _____:
Ice, liquid, vapor
Condensation requires water to ____ heat energy:
Release
The ____ is the ratio of the actual amount of water vapor possible at that temperature:
Relative humidity
Orographic uplift is caused by:
Air rising up a slope
The temperature at which air becomes saturated is the ____
Dew point temperature
A cloud is ___
Liquid water droplets
For water to change from one state to another, ____ must be added to it or released from it:
Heat energy
Rain shadows occur:
Where air descends down a mountain
_____ heat is heat energy lost or gained when a change of state occurs:
Latent
Evaporation requires water to _____ heat energy:
Absorb
If an air parcel is less dense than surrounding air, it _____ and ____
Ascends and expands
If an air parcel is more dense than surrounding air, it _____ and ____
Descends and compresses
If an air parcel resist upward displacement, it is said to be ___
Stable
Instability often results in clouds of pronounced vertical extent called ___ clouds:
Cumulus
The DAR applies to air that is _____
Unsaturated
The MAR is less than the DAR because _____
Latent heat is released as water vapor condenses
In unstable conditions, a parcel of air will ____ because it is ____ than the surrounding air:
rise/warmer
Clouds are usually classified on the basis of ____ and ____
height/shape
Clouds that are flat and layered are in the general group called ____
Stratiform
The root "nimb" means:
Precipitation is falling
cA stands for:
Continental Artic
Sometimes a cold front overtakes a warm front forming:
An occluded front
Mid-latitude cyclones are embedded in the:
Westerlies
mT stands for:
Maritime tropical
In the northern hemisphere, mid-latitude cyclones have:
A low pressure center, converging and ascending air, a cold front and a warm front, counter-clockwise in-spiraling airflow
A mid-latitude cyclone is crossing Texas; at the cold front you would expect:
Heavy rain, sudden fall in temperature
____ is the type of lifting that involves air being drawn into a low pressure center:
Convergent lifting
Thunderstorms are associated with:
Towering cumulus clouds
Thunder storms often form:
Along cold fronts
In the northern hemisphere, anticyclones have:
A high pressure center, diverging and descending air, clockwise out-spiraling airflow