Geo final

The lowest temperature is usually observed:

around sunrise

The temperature of the tropopause:

is much colder than the temperature at the earth's surface.

What is the compound with the strongest contribution to the natural greenhouse effect

water vapor (H2O)

The atmosphere near the earth's surface is "heated from below." Which of the following is not responsible for the heating?

heat energy from the earth's interior

The main reason(s) for warm summers in the middle latitudes is that:

The sun is higher and the days are longer.

At what time during a 24-hour day would a radiation temperature inversion best be developed?

At sunrise.

If the earth's average surface temperature were to increase, the amount of radiation emitted from the earth's surface would _______ and the wavelength of peak emission would shift toward ________ wavelengths.

increase, shorter

What is the most important process in the mesosphere?

low O3; cold temperature

Which of the following weather elements always decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?

pressure

Which of the following processes acts to remove carbon dioxide form the atmosphere?

photosynthesis

The most abundant gases in the earth's atmosphere by volume are:

Nitrogen and Oxygen

Radiational cooling typically occurs:

at night (once the sun sets and the amount of outgoing energy is greater than incoming energy).

The lag in daily temperatures refers to the time lag between:

The time of maximum solar radiation and the time of maximum temperature

What atmospheric layers are characterized by increasing temperature with increasing height?

stratosphere

What is the most important process in the stratosphere?

Absorption of the UV by the ozone layer

If the average temperature of the sun increased, the wavelength of peak solar emissions would:

shift to shorter wavelengths

The maximum in daytime surface temperature typically occurs ______ the earth receives its most intense solar radiation.

after

Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature would be:

lower than at the present.

Based on the Stefan-Boltzmann law, the radiative energy emitted by an object depends on:

the radiative energy emitted by one square meter of an object is equal to a constant multiplied by its temperature raised to the 4th power

The transfer of heat by molecule-to-molecule contact:

Conduction

At 500 mb level, the amount of oxygen inhaled in a single breath is _________ of that inhaled at sea-level.

about one half

Assuming that the night will remain clear and calm, the predicted lowest temperature is 32*F. Suddenly the win speed increases and remains gusty throughout the night. The lowest temperature will most likely be:

higher than predicted due to mixing

Suppose last night was clear and calm. Tonight low clouds will be present. From this you would conclude that tonight's minimum temperature will be:

higher than last night's minimum temperature.

The gas that absorbs most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere:

ozone

What statement is not correct?

Red sunsets are intensive when it is warm

Which of the following helps to explain why even though northern latitudes experience 24 hours of sunlight on June 22, they are not warmer than latitudes further south?

all of the above, 1: solar energy is spread over a larger area in northern latitudes, 2: some of the sun's energy is reflected by snow and ice in the northern latitudes, 3: increased cloud cover reflects solar energy in the northern latitudes, 4: solar energy is used to melt frozen soil in the northern latitudes

A heat transfer process in the atmosphere that depends upon the movement of air is:

convection

The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called:

latent heat of condensation

Which of the following determine the kind (wavelength) and amount of radiation that an object emits?

Temperature

The earth's atmosphere is divided into layers based on the vertical profile of:

Air temperature

If the amount of energy lost by the earth to space each year were not approximately equal to that received:

the atmosphere's average temperature would change

Typically, water vapor occupies about what percentage of the air's volume near the earth's surface?

Less than 4%

The atmospheric greenhouse effect is produced mainly by the:

absorption and re-emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere

The sun emits a maximum amount of radiation at wavelengths near ____, while the earth emits maximum radiation near wavelengths of ____.

.5 micrometers, 10 micrometer

An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because air that rises into the inversion will eventually become ____ and ____ dense than the surrounding air.

colder; more

The dry adiabatic rate is the rate at which:

temperature changes in a rising or descending parcel of unsaturated air

Which type of precipitation would most likely form when the surface air temperature is slightly below freezing and the air temperature increases as you move upward away from the ground?

freezing rain

If the environmental lapse rate is less than the moist adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is:

absolutely stable

If the air temperature increased, with no addition or removal of water vapor, the actual vapor pressure would:

stay the same.

Which cloud would most likely to produce drizzle?

stratus

The fog that forms along the Pacific coastline of North America is mainly this type:

Advection fog

As the air temperature increases, the air's capacity for water vapor:

increases

If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original height, the atmosphere is said to be:

stable

The temperature to which air must be cooled in order to become saturated is the:

dew point temperature

At 40*F, the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor. If the air temperature increases to 60*F, with no addition or removal of water vapor, one may conclude that the dew point about:

40 degrees F

During the ice crystal process of rain formation:

ice crystals grow larger at the expense of the surrounding liquid cloud droplets

The Gulf Coast states are more humid in the summer than the coastal areas of Southern California mainly because of the:

Higher water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico

The sizes of the rain drops in warm cloud are affected by?

clouds liquid water content. more liquid water, larger raindrops

The percentage of water vapor present in the air compared to that required for saturation is the:

relative humidity

Which statement(s) below is(are) correct?

the largest concentration of condensation nuclei are usually observed near the earth's surfacewet haze restricts visibility more than dry hazefog is actually a cloud resting on the groundwith the same water vapor content, fog that forms in dirty air is usually thicker than fog that forms in cleaner air

What two sets of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most unstable?

warm the surface and cool the air aloft

At what time of day is the relative humidity normally at a minimum?

When the air temperature is highest

Dew is most likely to form on:

nights that are clear and calm

Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere is:

stable

If very cold air is brought indoors and warmed with no change in its moisture content, the saturation vapor pressure of this air will ___ and the relative humidity of this air will ___.

Decrease; Increase

the difference between the "moist" and "dry" adiabatic rates is due to:

relative humidity

On a clear night, the minimum temperature drops to 34 oF. The following night, fog forms early in the evening. It is a good bet the minimum temperature will not be as low because of the:

absorption of infrared energy by the water vapor and fog droplets and the release of latent heat during condensation.

On a cold, calm autumn morning the formation of fog above a relatively warm lake would most likely be:

steam fog

The merging of liquid cloud droplets by collision is called:

coalescence

The wind around a surface high pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere blows:

clockwise and outward from the center.

In the general circulation of the atmosphere, one would find the region called the doldrums:

at the equator

A mountain breeze would develop its maximum strength:

about an hour after sunset

We can generally expect the air to be ____ above areas of surface low pressure and ____ above areas of surface high pressure.

rising, sinking

What statement is not correct? During an El Nino event

there is low pressure over Indonesia

during the winter monsoon

a high pressure system over Siberia leads to dry conditions over India

During a major El Nino event:

extensive ocean warming occurs over the tropical Pacific

Which of the statements below is not correct concerning the pressure gradient force?

pressure gradient.

On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds would be observed:

south of the subtropic highs

On the Cape Verde islands located off the West African coast (latitude 15-17o N), you would most likely experience winds blowing from the:

NE

A station at an altitude of 900 m (about 3000 feet) above sea level measures an air pressure of 930 mb. Under normal conditions, which of the values below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?

1020 m.

A wind rose indicates:

the percentage of time that wind blows from different directions.

In the Northern Hemisphere, air found to the north of the polar front is ___, while air further south is ___.

cold, warm

valley breeze may lead to the formation of:

cumulus clouds

If in the Northern Hemisphere the upper level winds above you are blowing from the south, then it is a good bet that a trough of low pressure is to the ___ of you.

west

Which of the following forces can not act to change the speed of the wind?

Coriolis force

The majority of Europe lies within this wind belt:

westerlies

Which below is usually not true concerning a sea breeze circulation?

they mainly occur at night

a wind blowing at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and Coriolis force in balance is called a:

geostrophic wind

if the earth stopped rotating which of the following would not be true?

There would still be a Coriolis force.

Chinook winds are:

warm, dry downslope winds

During the sea breeze

cloud form over land during daytime

Which of the following can influence wind direction

all of the above

an example of mesoscale motion is:

winds blowing through a city.

suppose a west wind of 20 knots blows over a coastal region which is densely covered with trees. If this same wind moves out over the middle of a large calm lake, its speed and direction would probably be:

greater than 20 knots and more northwesterly.

On a weather chart, the spacing of the isobars indicates the magnitude of the pressure gradient force.

true

A major El Nino event is characterized by:

strong rains in the coastal peruvian desert zone

Along coastal areas

the sea breeze occurs during daytime and is associated with onshore winds

The winter monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by:

dry weather and winds blowing from land to sea

Which statement below is not correct concerning the Coriolis force?

it is strongest at the equator

What is typical for hurricanes?

rain bands

What changes in pressure can be observed on the surface when a cold front passes?

Pressure decreases before the front and increases after the passage of the front.

Which of the following air mass classifications does not refer to the surface properties?

Tropical

What type of precipitation occurs along a warm front?

Light to moderate rain.

When hurricanes make landfall they will become weaker? Why?

Their supply of latent heat is cut off.

What is a warm front?

When warm air replaces cold air on the surface.Precipitation that can cover thousands of square kilometers.

How do winds blow around cyclones?

Counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

What are occluded fronts?

Fronts where the cold front has caught up with the warm front and has pushed aloft all the warm air of the warm sector.Difficult to locate and define on a surface weather map.may have characteristics of both cold and warm fronts.

What is the difference between a marine and a continental climate?

Continental climate is inside of continents while marine climates are near oceans. Daily temperature cycles are very weak in marine climates, but in continental climates they tend to be more developed, rising and falling to different temperatures more rapidly.

When does a thunderstorm not occur?

In a stable environment.

What is a baroclinic atmosphere associated with?

Advection of warm air masses on front of an upper level trough