Weather and Climate Exam #1

The term meteorology

is the study of the atmosphere and its related weather systems.

A primary difference between the concepts of weather and climate is the

time period involved.

True or false: Weather and climate are synonymous terms.

False

Which of the following statements is an expression of climate?

February is the wettest month in Los Angeles, CA, with an average rainfall of 3.92 inches.

The basic elements of weather and climate include all of the following except:

the chemical composition of the air.

True or false: Scientific hypotheses are rejected when they do not agree with observed data.

True

In the process of the scientific inquiry, a theory is best defined as:

hypothesis that has been extensively tested and is generally accepted by the scientific community.

With an increase in altitude, air pressure:

decreases at a decreasing rate.

Which of the following outlines the steps of the scientific method in the correct order?

Collect data; develop hypothesis; accept/modify/reject hypothesis.

This atmospheric component absorbs damaging ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Ozone

Soil belongs to which of the earth’s spheres?

all four spheres

True or false: The biosphere interacts with the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere.

True

The majority of the water outside of the oceans is in the form of:

Glacial ice

In which sphere would we find insects, plants, humans, and bacteria?

Biosphere

Air may be best described as:

A mixture

Which of the following is the MOST important atmospheric component with regard to the earth’s climate and the formation of weather systems?

Water vapor

The ozone layer is found in the:

Stratosphere

Which two gases make up a combined total of 99% of clean, dry air in the atmosphere?

Nitrogen and oxygen

This variable atmospheric component can exist in all three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas) at the temperatures and pressures that normally exist on Earth.

Water

The most important source of the free oxygen in our atmosphere is:

Green plants that carry on photosynthesis.

Which of the following is the MOST abundant gas in the atmosphere?

Nitrogen

What best explains the “bumps” seen in the CO2 concentrations on the graph?

Changes in plant growth that result in less CO2 being absorbed during the dormant season.

According to the current scientific consensus, what is the reason for the upward trend in overall CO2 concentrations demonstrated in the graph above?

Rapidly increasing fossil fuel combustion and the resulting emissions.

True or false: Although carbon dioxide is present only in small amounts, it is still very important meteorologically.

True

Scientists think that a growing amount of this gas in the atmosphere will probably bring about continued warming of the lower atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide

True or false: Weather influences people, but people don’t influence weather.

False

Atmospheric pressure is caused by:

The weight of the air above it.

The “weather sphere” is in the:

Troposphere

On average, for every 1 km increase in altitude in the troposphere the air temperature:

Drops about 6.5 degrees Celsius.

Ozone:

Protects life on Earth by filtering harmful UV radiation from sunlight.

Carbon dioxide currently has a concentration of ______ in the atmosphere.

420 ppm

Water vapor represents what fraction of the air near the earth’s surface?

Less than 4 percent

While ascending through the atmosphere, you record temperature with a standard thermometer and find that the temperature has risen from -48 degrees celsius to -18 degrees celsius over the last 10 km. Which of the following regions of the atmosphere are you most likely in?

Stratosphere

Which of the following would be true if Earth did not have an inclined axis?

Earth would not have seasons.

True or false: The earth’s axis is not perpendicular to the plane of its orbit around the Sun.

True

Low sun angles result in reduce solar energy because:

Energy is spread over a larger area.

The primary cause of Earth’s seasons is:

Tilt of Earth’s rotation axis, which causes sun angles and daylight length to vary.

During the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, the circle of illumination passes directly through the:

Poles

Which of the following correctly describes the equinoxes?

Days and nights are equal in length in all parts of the world.

At 45 degrees S latitude, the angle of the noon Sun is lowest and the length of daylight is shortest on:

June 21.

Over the course of this year, the tilt of Earth’s polar axis will:

Remain constant at 23.5 degrees.

Heat:

Is a transfer of energy from areas with high temperatures to those with low temperatures.

Which of the following is a measurement of the average kinetic energy possessed by the atoms or molecules in a substance?

Temperature

The process of _____ involves the movement or circulation of a mass or substance.

Convection

During the natural processes, heat transfer is always from:

Warmer to cooler substances.

The earth receives energy from the Sun by:

Radiation

Objects with higher temperatures:

Emit more shortwave radiation than cooler objects do.

The primary factor which determines what type and how much radiation an object emits is its:

Temperature

Most of the solar energy absorbed by planet Earth and its atmosphere is absorbed by:

the earths’ surface.

The absorption of longwave radiation by certain gases in the lower atmosphere is responsible for:

Greenhouse effect.

The type of energy that is responsible for sunburn is:

Ultraviolet energy

Suppose the albedo of a planet is measured to be 40 percent. This means that:

40 percent of the Sun’s energy is reflected.

True or false: Snow-covered surfaces have a low albedo.

False

On average, how much of the Sun’s energy that is intercepted by the earth system is reflected to space?

30 percent

The atmosphere is highly ______ with respect to solar radiation.

transparent

The atmosphere is strongly ______ with respect to terrestrial radiation.

absorptive

Which of the following gases is the best absorber of ultraviolet light?

Oxygen (including ozone)

True or false: Low sun angles are associated with longer atmospheric path lengths.

True

What would happen on Earth is the Sun were ‘turned off’ and ceased to provide heat for the Earth?

Winds and ocean currents would stop.

Most of the radiation emitted by the earth and its atmosphere is in the category of:

Infrared

Which of the following gases does not absorb any portion of incoming solar radiation?

Nitrogen

The wavelengths emitted by the earth are:

Longer than those emitted by the Sun.

The earth emits terrestrial radiation:

All the time.

During reflection,

radiation retains the same intensity and bounces back at the same angle with which it struck the surface.

Earth’s sky is blue during the day because:

the molecules in the atmosphere scatter blue wavelengths of light.

The atmosphere is heated primarily by:

Absorption of Earth’s longwave radiation.

Clouds play an important role in the earth’s energy budget because they:

Absorb longwave radiation and re-radiate it towards the surface and reflect solar energy (both a and c)

The absorption of longwave radiation by certain gases in the lower atmosphere is responsible for:

Greenhouse effect.

If an imbalance occurs between incoming and outgoing energy at the earth’s surface,

temperatures either increase or decrease.

if maximum temperature on a particular day is 26 degrees celsius and the minimum temperature is 14 degrees celisus, the daily mean is:

20 degrees Celsius.

If the maximum temperature on a particular day is 30 degrees Fahrenheit and the minimum temperature is 21 degrees Fahrenheit, the the daily temperature range is:

9 degrees Fahrenheit

How is the annual mean temperature calculated?

It is the average of all 12 monthly mean temperatures.

The annual range of temperature may be described as:

the difference between the average temperatures of the warmest and coldest months.

An isotherm on a map:

connects points of equal temperature.

A primary reason for drawing isotherms on a map of temperature value is to allow:

a visualization of temperature distribution.

The minimum temperature usually occurs near sunrise because:

Earth experiences a net loss of radiation until then.

Daily and seasonal temperature cycles depend primarily on:

the combined effects of solar and terrestrial radiation.

Overnight temperatures are warmer when the air is humid because:

water vapor is a good absorber of outgoing longwave radiation.

Why are average monthly temperatures cooler in Quito, Ecuador, than Guayaquil, Ecuador?

Quito is at a higher elevation.

Consider the isotherm map of the United States shown above. Which of the following statements best describes the area between Las Vegas, NV, and Palm Springs, CA?

This area exhibits one of the greatest temperature gradients on the map.

Consider the isotherm map of the United States shown above. Which of the following is the best realistic estimate of the current temperature at the spot marked by an X?

75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Which of the following associations is CORRECT?

Water - high specific heat.

All of the following explain the difference between land and water temperatures patterns EXCEPT:

Land has a higher specific heat than water.

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius is called?

Specific heat

The specific heat of water is high; what does this mean?

Water must gain or lose large amounts of energy in order for its temperature to change.

A primary reason why land areams warm up for rapidly than water areas is that:

On land, solar energy is absorbed in a shallow layer.

How does the phase change of water from liquid to vapor generally influence the air temperature experienced in locations near water?

Air temperatures are generally cooler.

Which of the following factors would have the net effect of making a place warmer in the summer?

In the middle of a landmass.

Two cities are located at the same latitude (40 degrees). City A is in the Southern Hemisphere, and City B is in the Northern Hemisphere. Assume the two cities reflect the general characteristics of the hemispheres where they are located. Which city should have the warmer winter temperatures?

City A

The annual temperature range at most latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere is much smaller than that in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason for this is that:

There is a greater percentage of water surface in the Southern Hemisphere.

The primary purpose served by surface ocean currents is to:

Transfer heat and equalize the imbalance of energy between the poles and the equator.

A poleward moving (northward moving in the Northern Hemisphere) ocean current is:

a warm current.

Summer temperatures along the California coast are cooler than along the South Carolina coast, due to the influence of:

Ocean currents.

A place located along a windward coast:

will probably have cooler summer temperatures than an inland place at the same latitude.

How is the daily maximum temperature affected by the presence of clouds?

Cooler

During the night, clouds:

Keep the air warmer by absorbing and re-emitting longwave energy back to the surface.

Snow does not immediately melt away on a mild spring day because:

the high albedo of the snow keeps air temperatures cooler.

Reduction of Arctic sea ice is expected to:

lead to further increase in air temperature in the Arctic region.

The annual temperature range is quite small near the equator. This is true primarily because:

solar radiation is nearly uniform all year.

Locations on Earth which have the largest annual temperature change from summer to winter are often:

at high latitudes.