METEROLOGY QUIZ #1

What is the most direct angle of insolation?

90 degrees

Summer Solstice

June 21 and sun rays are at 23.5 degrees north

Winter Solstice

December 21 and sun rays located at 23½º south

Spring Equinox

March 21 and sun rays located at the equator (0 degrees latitude)

Autumnal Equinox

September 22 and sun rays located at the equator (0 degrees latitude)

What is insolation?

the amount of sunlight received

Where would it be most intense?

at the the equator

What would a typical angle of insolation would look like at the equator compared to the poles?

the typical angle of insolation is high and at the poles the angle is low leading to less intense sunlight

Earths different seasons in order

1. Winter (bottom)

2. Fall (left)

3. Summer (top)

4. Spring (right)

Albedo Effect

Reflectivity of an object

What color absorbs radiation?

Dark

What color reflects radiation?

Light

Conduction

the transfer of heat through direct contact

Radiation

energy traveling through space in the form of waves or particles

Convection

the transfer of heat through the movement of liquids or gases—like warm air rising and cool air sinking

How does the changing temperature differ for dry sand and water when they are exposed to equal amounts of radiation?

The dry sand heats more rapidly and gets hotter than water and sand cools faster

Between Eureka California and Lafayette Indiana, which location would have greater annual temperature range and why?

Lafayette Indiana would have a greater annual temperature range and it is located in continental climate zone with greater temperature variations

Between Eureka California and New York, which would have a greater annual temperature range and why?

New York City would have a greater annual temperature range because it is located at a higher latitude

What is the characteristics of water that causes it to change temperature slowly?

Heat capacity

Describe the difference between weather and climate

Weather - over a short period of time and constantly changing

Climate - over a long period of time and generalized composite of weather

What elements are in the atmosphere?

nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide

What is air pressure?

The measure of the force with which the air molecules push on a surface

What happens to air pressure as you move up in the atmosphere?

it decreases with altitude

Ozone Layer - where is it located and why is it important?

It is a region in the earths stratosphere and it absorbs most of the suns ultraviolet radiation

How does the temperature change through each of the four layers?

decreases with altitude in the troposphere and mesosphere, but increases in the stratosphere and thermosphere

What is wind?

The movement of air caused by differences in air pressure

What is wind caused by?

The uneven heating of earths surface

Relative Humidity

the percentage of water vapor in the air can hold

What is the relative humidity percentage if the air is at its dew point temperature?

When air reaches its dew point, the relative humidity is 100%

Can cold air or warm air hold more water vapor?

Warm air

What does an increase in temperature do to relative humidity if the amount of water vapor in the air stays the same?

it decreases relative humidity

Capacity

The maximum amount of something can hold or contain

What happens to relative humidity if the air cools?

relative humidity increases

What does it mean if there is a large difference in temperature between the wet bulb and dry bulb on a sling psychrometer?

the air is dry and there is less moisture

What does it mean if there is a small difference in temperature between the wet bulb and dry bulb?

There is a high relative humidity

Sling Psychrometer

A tool that tells you how humid the air isby measuring the temperature difference between a dry bulb and a wet bulb.

Name the four layers of the atmosphere in order

Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Ionosphere, and Thermosphere

Troposphere

Temperature decreases with altitude

The densest layer - Contains 90% of the atmosphere's total mass

Outer boundary is called the tropopause

Stratosphere

Air is thin and has little moisture

Temperature increases with increasing altitude

Mesosphere

This is the coldest layer of the atmosphere

Temperature decreases with altitude

Very high speed winds

Ionosphere

Located in the upper mesosphere and the lower thermosphere

Aurora borealis occur in this layer

Thermosphere

Highest layer in the atmosphere no defined upper limit

Temperature increases with altitude, because gases in this layer absorb solar radiation

small amount of gas particles moving at high speeds, the heat transfer is small.

90 degree angle of insolation

the rays are coming straight down, so the sun's energy is more focused and delivers more energy to the surface

45 degree angle of insolation

the rays hit the earth at an angle and the energy is spread over a wider area