Weather is a term for atmospheric moisture and temperature on a ________ basis.
short-term
Climate is a description of ________ weather conditions.
long-term, regional
The earth's earliest atmosphere was probably composed mainly of __________, which has/have since largely dissipated into space.
hydrogen and helium
Elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur were added to the Earth's early atmosphere through ________
volcanic emissions
Aerosols are
tiny particles and droplets suspended in the air
The correct sequence of atmospheric zones upward from the earth's surface is
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.
The "ozone hole" that causes concern among scientists and the public is an ozone depletion in the
sratosphere
Insolation is a term that means
incoming solar radiation.
Albedo is a term describing the Earth's
reflection of solar radiation.
Energy absorbed at the Earth's surface is radiated back to space in the form of
infrared radiation (heat)
Much of the ultraviolet light from the sun is absorbed by _______ as it passes through the atmosphere.
ozone
The phenomenon causing the greenhouse effect is that carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases in the lower atmosphere selectively absorbs reradiated
infrared (heat)
One reason the energy flux is considerably lower at the poles than at the equator is because
sunlight comes in at an oblique angle
Convection currents in the atmosphere are driven by
the different temperatures and densities of warm and cold air masses.
When an area of the earth's surface becomes very hot, the air above it
warms, expands, and rises.
_______ is/are the driving force(s) of the hydrologic cycle.
Convection currents
When cool, dry air sinks from the upper atmosphere toward the Earth's surface, it is
compressed and becomes warmer.
The circular convection currents near the equator in the zone marked "A" are known as
Hadley cells
The convection cells shown create a band of
deserts
The Coriolis effect is caused by the
rotation of the Earth.
Water draining from a bathtub will swirl in a clockwise or counterclockwise spiral according to
whether the bathtub is in the Northern or Southern hemisphere
Rising, expanding air masses create a region of
low pressure.
A westward flowing wind is called a(n)
east wind
Wind is named according to the direction
from which it originates
The Southern Hemisphere has _______ wind patterns
more stable
The Southern Hemisphere has more stable wind patterns because of the presence of _______ than the Northern Hemisphere.
more ocean and less landmass
Two jet streams run over the Northern Hemisphere. These are generally located
along the northern border of Mexico, and through Canada and the northern US.
Due to the influence of the _______ jet stream , in the month of January your flight from Chicago to the United Kingdom will take _______ than the return trip from the United Kingdom to Chicago.
polar, shorter
The boundary between two air masses of different temperature and density is known as The boundary between two air masses of different temperature and density is known as a
front
A cold front is a situation in which cold air
displaces a mass of warmer air.
As a cold front advances, the warm air is forced to
rise, cool, and release its moisture
Narrow, violent bands of rain and storms are characteristic of
advancing cold fronts
Hurricanes are powered by
heat released from condensing water vapor
Why don't storms over land have as much energy as storms over oceans?
Convection currents are intensified by the latent energy of condensation
Which of the following events is not part of the explanation of how tornadoes form?
The air mass is set spinning by the Coriolis Effect.
Monsoons occur over India when air heated over the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean
is forced to rise when it meets the Himalayas
Milankovitch cycles involve the periodic
wobbling of the earth's axis and orbital shifts
Milankovitch cycles involve the periodic wobbling of the earth's axis and orbital shifts
and could be responsible for _______ weather changes.
cyclic
When El Nino occurs every three to seven years, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by trade winds
surges back eastward toward South America.
Computer models predict that doubled carbon dioxide levels could raise average temperatures by 1.4�C to 5.8�C. The difference between today's temperatures and the last ice age is about
5�C.
Most of the excessive carbon dioxide that is expected to cause global warming is generated by which two things?
burning of fossil fuels and production of cement and clearing of forests.
What are the ecological implications of global warming?
Plants and animals that are residing in fragmented habitats may not be able to move to a suitable habitat.
The greenhouse effect in the atmosphere occurs because
CO2, water vapor, methanol, and other gases absorb infrared radiation.
The Northern Hemisphere has
more ocean and less landmass
The lower atmosphere selectively absorbs reradiated _______ radiation
infrared (heat)