Climate

Which current has a cooling effect on the climate of the west coast of South America? 

• Falkland Current
• Peru Current
• Benguela Current
• Brazil Current 

Which diagram best illustrates how air rising over a mountain produces precipitation?

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A gradual increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide would warm Earth’s atmosphere because carbon dioxide is a

• poor reflector of ultraviolet radiation

• good reflector of ultraviolet radiation

• poor absorber of infrared radiation

• good absorber of infrared radiation

Land surfaces of Earth heat more rapidly than water surfaces because

• more energy from the Sun falls on land than on water

• land has a lower specific heat than water

• sunlight penetrates to greater depths in land than in water

• less of Earth’s surface is covered by land than by water

The map shows an imaginary continent on Earth. Arrows represent prevailing wind directions. Letters A through D represent locations on the continent. Locations A and B are at the same latitude and at the same elevation at the base of the mountains.

Over the course of a year, compared to location B, location A will have

• less precipitation and a smaller temperature range

• less precipitation and a greater temperature range

• more precipitation and a smaller temperature range

• more precipitation and a greater temperature range

The map shows an imaginary continent on Earth. Arrows represent prevailing wind directions. Letters A through D represent locations on the continent. Locations A and B are at the same latitude and at the same elevation at the base of the mountains.

The climate at location C is much drier than at location D. This difference is best explained by the fact that location C is located

• farther from any mountain range

• closer to a large body of water

• at a latitude that experiences longer average annual daylight

• at a latitude where air is sinking and surface winds diverge

The cross section represents the windward and leeward sides of a mountain. The arrows show the direction of air movement over the mountain. Points X and Y represent locations on Earth’s surface.

Compared to the temperature and water vapor content of the air at location X, the temperature and water vapor content at location Y are most likely

• warmer and wetter

• warmer and drier

• cooler and wetter

• cooler and drier

The planetary surface winds and air currents near Earth’s equator are usually

• converging and sinking

• diverging and sinking

• converging and rising

• diverging and rising

In addition to carbon dioxide, two other major greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are

• oxygen and nitrogen

• oxygen and methane

• water vapor and nitrogen

• water vapor and methane

Earth’s polar regions have cold, dry climates because the Sun’s rays are at a

• low angle, and upper atmospheric air is sinking

• low angle, and upper atmospheric air is rising

• high angle, and lower atmospheric air is sinking

• high angle, and lower atmospheric air is rising