earth science final

mixture

Air may best be described as ________.

Nitrogen

Which one of the following is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

reflection of solar energy, optical phenomena such as a red sky at sunset,
condensation and cloud formation

With which of the following is dust in the atmosphere associated?

carbon dioxide

Which one of the gases listed below is more important meteorologically (that is, is more important in weather processes) than the others?

drops about 6.5˚C

On the AVERAGE, for every 1 km increase in altitude in the troposphere, the air temperature ________.

3 ½ miles (5.6 km)

Fifty percent of the gases making up the atmosphere are found below ________.

the troposphere and stratosphere

The tropopause is the boundary between ________

ozone

The triatomic form of oxygen (O3) is known as ________.

ultraviolet

Ozone filters out most of the ________ radiation in sunlight.

stratosphere

zone is concentrated in the ________.

troposphere

The lowest layer of the atmosphere is the ________. Practically all clouds and storms occur in this layer of the atmosphere.

6.5˚C

The normal lapse rate in the troposphere is about ________ per kilometer.

longer than those emitted by the Sun

The wavelengths of radiation emitted by Earth are ________.

at some point between the Tropic of Capricorn and the equator, heading northward

At noon on February 21, the Sun is overhead ________.

greenhouse effect

The storage of heat in the lower layer of the atmosphere produced by certain heat absorbing gases is called the ________.

8˚N

Which one of the following latitudes best represents the location where the Sun is directly overhead at noon on April 21?

December 21

On this date the length of daylight gets progressively longer going south from the equator.

June 21

New York City has its greatest length of daylight on ________.

radiation

Earth receives energy from the Sun in this way.

water vapor and carbon dioxide

The two most important heat absorbing gases in the lower atmosphere are ________.

cooler summer temperatures than an inland location at the same latitude

A place located along a windward coast will probably have ________.

days and nights are equal in length everywhere

Which one of the following statements is true about the equinoxes?

24

Two cities are located at the same latitude (40˚). 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 warmest winter temperatures?

25

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 ________.

advection

When warm moist air moves over a cold surface, ________ fog may result.

about sunrise

We are likely to have our highest relative humidity ________.

there are no condensation nuclei

Under what circumstances could the relative humidity exceed 100% without producing condensation in the air?

water vapor condenses to liquid

The dew point is the temperature at which ________.

cooling by compression of air

The most important process of cloud formation in the atmosphere is ________.

1300 meters

If air at sea level with a temperature of 27˚C is forced up a mountain slope and the air’s dew point at the condensation level is 14˚C, at what elevation will condensation begin? (assume 10 deg C/1000m)

subsidence of an air column

Which of the following will NOT cause air to become more unstable?

afternoon thunder showers

Which of the following would NOT be associated with stable atmospheric conditions?

30˚C

A parcel of air has a temperature of 0˚C as it crosses a mountain range at 3000 meters. If it descends, what will its temperature be when it reaches sea level?

rainshadow deserts

Deserts such as the Great Basin, Gobi, and Takla Makan are examples of ________.

evaporation

The process of converting a liquid to vapor is termed ________.

evaporation

This process results in the release of about 600 calories of latent heat per gram of water.

Mars

Which of the following belongs to the terrestrial planets?

dew point

The temperature a parcel air should be cooled in order to attain saturation is known as

the rate of cooling increases

Which of the following is not true about a rising air that reaches the condensation level?

often associated with heavy precipitation

Unstable air is

clouds, dew fog

Water vapor in the air changes to liquid and may become

ellipses

The orbits of the planets are

uranus

The least dense planet is

Jupiter

The largest planet in the solar system is

51

Which of the following affect the magnitude of Coriolis force?

isobars

Lines on a weather map connecting places of equal pressure are called

clockwise Outward from the center

In the Northern Hemisphere, winds associated with a high pressure system blow

it would lose its atmosphere

If Earth were not rotating

rising

If "fair" weather is approaching, the pressure tendency would probably be

True

Closely spaced isobars indicate high wind speeds

mT

An air mass from the Gulf of Mexico is labeled AND This air mass is the source of much of the moisture for precipitation in the central and eastern United States.

cold and humid

An mP air mass is

cold front

On a weather map, fronts are shown by a line with triangular points on one side

warm

If cirrus clouds followed by cirrostratus and then altostratus is observed, which front is approaching?

62

A wind shift from south or southwest to northwest is commonly associated with the passage of a front

an occluded front forms

When an active cold front overtakes a warm front

64

Which of the following should have the steepest pressure gradient?

occur along the warm front of mid-latitude cyclone

Which of the following statements is not true of tornadoes?

stratus

The cloud form that is best described as sheets or layers that cover much or all of the sky is termed ________.

altostratus

This term is used to describe clouds found in the middle height range.

nimbo

This term is used to describe clouds that produce precipitation.

Cumulus

These clouds are often called "fair weather" clouds.

Cumulonimbus

Thunder and lightning are associated with these clouds.

31

A dark gray cloud that blankets the sky and often generates precipitation is called ________.