A vertical air current that is generated by temperature induced density differences is an example of heat trasnfer by
convection
when water is transformed from a gas to a liquid ,
latent heat is released from the gas
the greenhouse effect is caused by
the atmosphere's allowing shortwave radiation
which two gases are primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect because of their ability to absorb infrared energy
water vapor and carbon dioxide
Which one of the following is NOT a control of temperature?
gravity
High altitudes are cooler than low altitudes because there are few air molecules to absorb and radiate ______
sensible heat
If the temperature at the surface of Earth (at sea level) is 40 C what is the temperature at 2000m if the normal lapse rate is 6.4 C / 1000m
27 C
Based on Fig 5.7, air temperature above the oceans is usually more moderate than that above the continents because
all of the above
The heat capacity of a subject is known as
specific heat
Land has a _______ specific heat than water and therefore heats more ______
lower, quickly
A line connecting points of equal temperature is a(n)
isotherm
Which of the following cities would likely have the greatest temperature range?
Minneapolis (continental)
Air pollution acts to _________ the albedo of cities and therefore _________ the urban heat island effect
increase, diminishes
Which of the following is not associated with urban environments?
higher relative humidity than that in surrounding rural areas
If a surface absorbs insolation,
its temperature increases
Which one of the following statements regarding energy in Earth's atmosphere is correct?
The sky is blue due to scattering
In the surface budget, the term SW represents
the albedo value of the surface
If the amount of cloud cover increases in response to greenhouse warming, this will ________Earth's albedo and promote ________
increase, cooling
Which of the following climatic factors decreases as a result of urbanization?
relative humidity
A graph of insolation and air temperature shows that the temperature peak lags the insolation peak by several hours
Cloud albedo forcing is caused by lower, thicker clouds
Earth's average overall albedo is
31%
The Earth-atmosphere energy budget
shows net surpluses at the equator and net deficits at the poles
The reflective quality of a surface is known as its
albedo
Areas with high sensible heat and high latent heat ______
have high temperatures and high humidity
Which of the following is true of insolation?
All of the above
When light passes from one medium to another,
refraction occurs
High latitudes have a higher albedo in winter than do low latitudes
True
Which of the following combinations of NET R terms would be associated with a hot, dry climate?
+SW large; -SW small, LE small
What is the name for solar energy that is intercepted by Earth?
Insolation
When light passes from space into the atmosphere, it changes speed and direction in a process known as
refraction
Which of the following is not responsible for the urban heat effect?
The albedo of urban environments is substantially higher than that of natural landscapes
The Mount Pinatubo eruption in June 1991 affected the atmosphere in which of the following ways?
All of these were effects of the erruption
Energy that is reflected from the atmosphere
does not act to heat the atmosphere.
The passage of insolation through the atmosphere is an example of _____.
transmission
The greenhouse effect __________
involves the absorption of longwave radiation by carbon dioxide and water vapor
Kinetic energy refers to
the energy an object possesses by virtue of its motion.
Which of the following is true regarding the specific heat of land and water?
Water can hold more heat energy than a comparable volume of rock.
The annual temperature range map in your text shows that the
greatest ranges occur in east central Siberia in Russia.
Air temperature is an indication of the average kinetic energy of individual molecules within the atmosphere.
True
Relative to marine versus continental effects on temperature, Vancouver is to Wichita as
San Francisco is to Winnipeg.
The annual temperature range of a location on Earth __________.
increases with increasing latitude
Air temperature is a measure of which of the following properties of the air?
the average energy of motion (kinetic energy) of air molecules
The temperature control that includes the heat capacity of a substance is
specific heat.
Which of the following statements is correct?
Polar regions have warmed much more rapidly than the middle and lower latitudes.
Based on information discussed previously in the course, you know that average temperatures in the troposphere __________ with increasing elevation because the atmosphere is heated __________.
decrease; from the bottom-up by terrestrial infrared energy
Air temperature is a measure of the presence of which of the following?
sensible heat
The wind-chill index
does not consider whether or not a person is engaged in physical activity.
Which of the following statements regarding the effects of elevation on temperature is correct?
Higher elevations have higher daily temperature ranges.
Which of the following is true regarding clouds?
They have a moderating influence on temperatures.
Which of the following regions would have the greatest range of temperatures?
Siberia, Russia
Based on information discussed earlier in the course, you know that seasonal variation in daylength __________ with increasing distance from the equator because __________.
increases; Earth's axis is titled relative to the plane of the ecliptic
In winter, isotherms over the interior of Northern Hemisphere continents trend equatorward.
True
Land-water heating differences __________.
are partially caused by water's higher specific heat
The January mean temperature map shows that __________.
sotherms trend toward the equator in the continental interiors of the Northern Hemisphere
Average air temperatures at higher elevations are generally higher, with smaller differences between areas of direct sunlight and shadow.
False
The temperature difference between the surface and a point 10 feet below the surface is __________ for land than for water because __________.
greater; land is opaque
During summer, cities located near the coast are __________ than those in the interior at the same latitude, while in the winter they are __________.
cooler; warmer
The cool ocean currents that flow along the west coasts of continents promote
fog.
The mean (average) temperature of a given location on Earth is controlled primarily by its __________ whereas its temperature range is controlled primarily by its __________.
latitude; location with respect to large water bodies
Which of the following statements regarding temperature is correct?
Almost every country uses the Celsius scale.
Global average air temperatures worldwide
are being influenced by human-induced changes in the greenhouse effect.
The Celsius scale
places freezing at 0� and was formerly called centigrade.
Which of the following statements regarding the annual range of temperatures is correct?
The Southern Hemisphere has little seasonal variation in temperatures.
Under the intertropical convergence zone, __________.
warm surface air is converging and rising
The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is associated with
the equatorial low-pressure trough.
Normal sea-level air pressure is _____.
1013.2 millibars
During the winter, the Bermuda high migrates to the __________ and becomes the __________.
east; Azores high
The effect of the Coriolis force is __________ in the upper atmosphere because __________.
enhanced; there is less friction
______________ initiates airflow.
The pressure gradient force
Mountain-valley breezes are caused by
warm air rising upslope during the day and cooler air descending the slopes at night.
Which of the following matches is incorrect relative to air circulation?
anticyclone = clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere
The Aleutian low and Icelandic low are
strongest during the winter months because the ocean temperatures are warmer than land temperatures at the same latitude.
The friction force __________.
reduces the effect of the Coriolis force up to 500 m (1650 ft).
The monsoons of Asia __________.
create warm, wet summers and dry winters
Which of the following would cause the Coriolis force to increase?
decrease in the spacing of isobars
air movement to higher latitudes
increase in wind speed
decrease in friction
all of these would increase the Coriolis force
In the horse latitudes, surface winds are __________ because __________.
weak; the horse latitudes are located directly under a high pressure zone characterized by descending, rather than horizontally, moving air
Which of the following are correctly matched?
cyclones - low pressure cells
During the day along the coast, the wind tends to blow toward the __________ because __________.
land; land heats more rapidly than water
Which of the following statements about air pressure is correct?
The highest air pressure ever recorded was in Siberia in the winter.
Land-sea breezes are caused by
onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon.
In the absence of friction, the combined effect of the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient force produces
geostrophic winds at altitude above the ground.
The jet streams help control
the movement of storms.
the boundary between cold polar air to the north and warm air to the south.
the movement of high and low pressure systems.
all of the above.
A monsoon climate is characterized by __________ summers and __________ winters
wet; dry
Which of the following scenarios describes what would happen if Earth did not rotate?
Air would flow perpendicular to isobars.
Which of the following descriptions is correct regarding areas of low pressure at the surface?
Air is converging and ascending.
Which of the following matches is correct relative to air circulation?
cyclone = clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere
Which of the following is true regarding the effects of the Coriolis force?
The Coriolis force is zero along the equator, increasing to one-half of maximum at 30� latitude and maximum at the poles.
The primary high-pressure and low-pressure areas create __________.
deserts under the subtropical high-pressure cells
Monsoonal winds are
regional wind systems that seasonally vary.
The Pacific high and Bermuda high are
more dominant during the summer months because the ocean temperatures are cooler than land temperatures at the same latitude.
The Polar high above the North Pole is a __________ pressure system that produces variable winds that flow in a/an __________ pattern.
weak; anticyclonic
The dominant surface winds from the subtropics to high latitudes are the
westerlies.
The great circulations in the ocean basins occur around the __________ pressure systems and are known as __________.
subtropical high; gyres
Surface ocean currents __________.
are driven primarily by frictional drag from winds
The equatorial currents are driven by
the trade winds.
On Earth between 30� and 60� north latitude, winds flow from the __________ as they flow out of the __________ pressure zone toward the __________ pressure zone.
west-southwest; subtropical high; subpolar low
Thermohaline circulation
transports greater volumes of water than surface currents.
Which of the following is true of Hadley cells?
They appear most vertically symmetrical on either side of the equator at the equinoxes.
Ocean currents are produced by
the frictional drag of winds, the Coriolis force, and water density differences.
The intertropical convergence zone is characterized by
convergence and uplift of warm surface air.
Between 20� to 35� north latitude and 20� to 35� south latitude are
the world's arid and semi-arid desert regions.
Light and variable winds - which caused difficulties for mariners in the days of sailing ships - occur under the
equatorial low and subtropical high.
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
From figure 6.1, areas of high pressure are most often located closest to which latitude
30 C
The ITZ is characterized by
convergence and uplift of warm surface air
At the surface, prevailing westerly winds are most often located in
the midlatitudes
During the day, people on the coast of Florida will usually experience
a cool sea breeze
At night, people in a valley near a mountain range will usually experience
a cool mountain breeze
Based on figure 6.8 the surface ocean current that moves heat toward Europe is the
Gulf Strean
From figure 6.2 mercury is used in a barometer because
it weighs more than water
The instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure is a
barometer
Which of the following forces influences wind speed and direction?
All of the above
The pressure gradient force pulls air
perpendicular to the isobars
Based on Hadley circulation model, large deserts are most likely to occur at which of the following latitudes?
30 C
Which of the following forces causes an apparent deflection of air to the left in the Southern Hemisphere?
Coriolis
Based on figure 6.8, which of the following matches is correct relative to air circulation?
cyclone= clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere