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WorksheetsUTA GEOL-1340 Final Review
Total questions: 110
Worksheet time: 3hrs 45mins
How is weather different from climate
Weather is day to day while climate is long-term averages in weather
Weather is easier to predict than climate
Climate is always getting warmer but weather can be warmer or colder
Weather includes precipitation while climate does not
The Earth's climate system is composed of
Core, mesosphere, asthenosphere, oceans, and lithosphere
Core, cryosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere
Core, asthenosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere
Oceans, atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and geosphere
Stratosphere, asthenosphere, biosphere, and magnetosphere
Isobars are lines of equal__________
Pressure
Temperature
Density
Height
Geopotentials
Viewed from space in the Northern Hemisphere, winds in the friction-free atmosphere on a rotating Earth blow_______ about/around the center of a low pressure system.
Clockwise and angled toward higher isobars
Counterclockwise and parallel to the isobars
Clockwise and parallel to the isobars
Counterclockwise and perpendicular to the isobars
_____is used to describe the weight of the overlaying air
Relative humidity
Dewpoint
Pressure
Temperature
____-pressure systems are usually accompanied by fair weather and ____-pressure systems are usually accompanied by stormy weather.
High, low
Low, high
High, low
Low, high
An air mass is a huge volume of air that is relatively uniform horizontally in______.
Temperature
Humidity
All of the above are correct
Neither
Often associated with a front is (are)
Cloudiness
Precipitation
Ascending air
Both cloudiness and precipitation
All of the above are correct
At the same humidity, (water vapor concentration), a cold air mass is_______ a warm air mass.
Denser than
Less dense than
Equally dense as
IDK
North-South position in an Earth coordinate system is determined by
Time
Longitude
Latitude
Elevation
A path of polar orbiting satellite has an incline of ~____degrees to the equator
0
45
90
135
A horizontal pressure gradient is defined as the change of ____ with distance
Isogons
Isohalines
Isobars
Isopleth
Isotachs
A cold front is defined by a transition zone between a _____ air mass and a _____ air mass it is replacing.
Warmer, cold
Cold, warm
Cold, colder
Colder, cold
Which of the following are not sources of atmospheric gases
Volcanic eruptions
Meteorite impact
missions from sediments and soils
Deposition
Air sea gas exchange from ocean
The most abundant gas of the atmosphere is_____.
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Nitrogen
Argon
Methane
The lowest portion of the atmosphere where most of the weather takes place is known as:
Stratosphere
Ionosphere
Thermosphere
Lithosphere
Troposphere
What is a lapse rate?
The rate temperature decreases with altitude
The rate vapor increases with temperature
The rate of force over an area
The frequency of electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere
Clouds appear on_____satelite images
Visible
Infrared
Water Vapor
Both Infrared and water vapor
All of the above are correct
Water vapor is_____.
An invisible gas
Uniformly distributed within the atmosphere
Concentrated within the lower stratosphere
Visible in clouds
The principal gas in the troposphere
On an infrared satelite image, low clouds appear____ high clouds
Brighter than
Darker than
The same as
IDK
The source(s) of atmospheric aerosols is(are)
Wind erosion of soil
Forest fires
The spray of ocean waves
Volcanic eruptions
All of the above are correct
A gas that occurs in small concentrations in the stratosphere and yet shields living organisms from exposure to potentially lethal intensities of solar ultraviolet radiation is_______.
Ozone
Water vapor
Carbon dioxide
Chlorofluorocarbons
Nitrogen
A global climate model that is run on a computer and used to predict the future climate based on physical laws is a ________ model
Conceptual
Graphical
Numerical
Statistical
The solar wind_________.
Consists of a stream of electrically-charged sub-atomic particles
Continually flows from the Sun
Is deflected by Earth's magnetic field
All of the above are correct
The aurora borealis (northern lights) is most likely to be visible_________.
Near the equator
During daylight hours
At high latitudes
In the subtropical latitudes
In remote oceanic locations, such as Hawaii
Which of the following processes does NOT lead to the release of latent heat?
Freezing water from liquid to solid
Condensation of water from gas to liquid
Evaporation of water from liquid to gas
Deposition of water vapor from gas to solid
From the Wein's displacement law one can infer that the maximum radiation of the sun radiates in the _____ electromagnetic spectrum whereas Earth's surface radiates in the ______.
Visible, infrared
Infrared, visible
Infrared, ultraviolet
Ultraviolet, x-ray
Microwave, infrared
At the top of the atmosphere________ radiation is in approximate balance with ________ radiation.
Incoming solar visible radiation, outgoing thermal infrared
Ultraviolet, visible
Ultraviolet, UV, outgoing thermal infrared
Ultraviolet, solar wind
Incoming solar visible radiation, microwave
What is albedo? ________ of radiation
Conduction
Reflection
Refraction
Transport
Convection
Which of the following surfaces has the highest albedo?
Snow
Sand
Forests
Dark rocks
Tundra
The greenhouse effect is characterized by the direct absorption of ________radiation by greenhouse gases
Ultraviolet
X-ray
Visible
Infrared
Microwave
The wavelength of electromagnetic radiation is defined as the
Distance between the crest and the trough
Period between two crests passing through
Distance from crest to the next crest
Distance from the crest to the natural state
The larger the number of sunspots, the larger the emitted solar radiation
True
Also true
False
Also false
Cloud height can be detected with an infrared radiometer because the higher the cloud the _______ the cloud top temperature
Warmer
Cooler
IDK
IDK
On the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, where does the noon Sun have an altitude of 90 degrees?
Tropic of Cancer
Arctic Circle
Tropic of Capricorn
Antarctic Circle
The equator
Except at the poles, when are nights everywhere about 12 hours long?
Equinoxes
Solstices
Aphelion
Perihelion
21 December
The combination of conduction and convection is known as_______.
Sensible heat
Latent heat
Specific heat
Extreme heat
Longitude measures the distance east or west of a reference point known as the________.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Equator
Prime Meridian
North star (Polaris
Continental divide
Ultimately, the atmosphere circulates because of_________.
Sensible heating
Conduction and convection
Unequal rates of radiational heating and cooling within the earth-atmosphere system
Latent heating
Nuclear fusion
The process that transports heat from the earth's surface into the troposphere is ________.
Conduction
Convection
Evaporation of water (at the surface) and condensation of water (within the troposphere)
Both conduction and convection
All of the above
Which of the statements below is most accurate?
Surface temperatures over land are warming faster than that over the oceans
Surface temperatures over the oceans are warming faster than that over the land
The southern hemisphere is warming faster than the northern hemisphere
The tropics are warming faster than the poles
The Bowen ratio is the ratio of the amount of heat that is used for_______ to the amount of heat that is used for_______.
Sensible heating, latent heating
Vaporizing water, raising air temperature
Conduction, convection
Radiation, vaporizing water
Latent heating, melting snow
At the equator over the course of a year, the rate of warming due to absorption of solar radiation is______ the rate of cooling due to emission of infrared radiation to space
Greater than
Equal to
Less than
IDK
At the North Pole over the course of a year, the rate of warming due to absorption of solar radiation is ______ the rate of cooling due to emission of infrared radiation to space
Greater than
Equal to
Less than
IDK
Air temperature is governed by________
Local radiation conditions
Air mass advection
Both of the above are correct
-
Which of the following cannot accurately be measured by a weather radar?
Velocity
Precipitation
Hail
Pressure
When conditions in the atmosphere indicate the possibility of tornadoes, the National Weather Service (NWS) will issue a tornado_____. When a tornado has been indicated on radar, the NWS will issue a tornado_____.
Watch, warning
Warning, watch
-
-
Warm, Dry air masses exert higher pressure than warm, humid air masses.
True
False
-
-
The concentration of oxygen in parts per million by volume near the summit of Mount Everest is______ the sea-level concentration.
Lower than
The same as
Higher than
-
Air pressure_______ with increasing altitude.
Increases
Decreases
Remains constant
-
A(n) ___________ can be used to predict the weather by keeping track of the air pressure tendency.
Psychrometer
Anemometer
Thermometer
Barometer
Pycnometer
When air pressure readings at Denver (the "mile-high city") are adjusted to sea-level, barometric pressure readings are_______.
Increased
Decreased
Not changed
-
Changes in air pressure with time at a particular locality may be explained by________.
Local radiational heating or cooling
Air mass advection
Divergence or convergence of surface winds
Both air mass advection and divergence/convergence of surface winds
All of the above are correct
Lows and Highs are identified on surface weather maps by areas enclosed within isobars. Which one of the following statements about Lows is true?
Air pressure decreases outward from the center of a Low
Air pressure increases outward from the center of a Low
All Lows must have central pressures with values less than 1013.25 mb
There must be one and only one Low for each High on the same weather map.
As a mass of warmer and more humid air invades a locality, air temperature_____ and air density_____.
Falls, increases
Rises, increases
Falls, decreases
Rises, decreases
When a cold and dry air mass replaces a warm and humid air mass at a locality, the air pressure at Earth's surface______.
Falls
Does not change
Rises
-
Adjusting barometer readings to sea level removes the influence of_____ on air pressure.
Air temperature
Wind speed
Station elevation
Humidity
Divergence
Ascending saturated air cools at________.
The moist adiabatic lapse rate
Dry adiabatic lapse rate
Isothermal rate
All of the above are correct
The temperature of ascending parcels of unsaturated (clear) air _____ because of_____.
Drops, compressional warming
Drops, expansional cooling
Drops, radiational cooling
Drops, latent heating
Rises, compressional warming
Rising parcels of saturated air cool at a_____ rate than rising parcels of unsaturated air.
Lower
Faster
the same
-
Atmospheric rivers generally have the strongest impacts on the U.S.______.
East Coast
Gulf Coast
Pacific Coast
-
On a clear and calm day, the relative humidity is_____ at sunrise than in the early afternoon.
Lower
The same
Higher
-
Rising air temperature is associated with a(n)_____ in the water vapor saturation pressure.
Increase
Decrease
No change
-
As the temperature of a saturated (cloudy) air parcel falls, its relative humidity______.
Increases
Decreases
Does not change
-
An example of sublimation is_______.
Dew forming on grass
Ice disappearing from a sidewalk while air temperature remains below freezing
Melting snow
Frost forming on grass
The dry-adiabatic lapse rate is______ degrees celcius cooling per 1000 m.
6.2
9.8
14.5
0
5
Which sounding would be an example of a temperature inversion?
Decrease of 5 degrees celsius per 1000 m increase in altitude
Decrease of 10 degrees celsius per 1000 m increase in altitude
Increase of 5 degrees celsius per 1000 m increase in altitude
Both decrease 5 and decrease 10 are correct
All of the above are correct
Conditional stability indicates that an air layer is_____.
Stable for both cloudy air and clear air parcels
Unstable for cloudy and stable for clear air parcels
Stable for cloudy and unstable for clear air parcels
Unstable for both cloudy and clear air parcels
Unstable air______ vertical motion of air parcels
Enhances
Surpresses
Has no effect on
-
As an unsaturated parcel of air ascends dry adiabatically, _________.
Its relative humidity increases
Its saturation vapor pressure decreases
Its temperature rises
Its relative humidity increases and its saturation vapor pressure decreases
All of the above are correct
Water or ice particles that vaporize before reaching the ground may appear as dark curtains or streaks. This is known as_______.
Drizzle
Sleet
Virga
Haze
Hail
Weather radar continuously emits pulses of______ radiation.
X-ray
UV
Infrared
Microwave
Visible light
Operating in the doppler mode, weather radar detects particles moving______ the radar beam
Perpendicular to
Directly toward or away from
45 degrees towards or away from
-
The advection temperature of most ice-forming nuclei is_______ 0 degrees celsius
About
Well above
Well below
-
Which one of the following has the greatest terminal velocity?
Snowflake
Drizzle drop
Hailstone
Raindrop
Graupel
Cloud droplets in the atmosphere do not form______.
On wettable aerosols
On pure water droplets
On hydrophilic aerosols
On hydrophobic aerosols
In dense fog, the vapor pressure is_______ the saturation vapor pressure
Much less than
About equal to
Much greater than
-
________ is (are) a source of cloud condensation nuclei
Emissions from domestic and industrial chimneys
Wind erosion of soil
Sea spray
Both wind erosion of soil and sea spray
All of the above are correct
Most middle and high latitude clouds form precipitation through the_______ process
Haber-Bosch
Collision-coalescence
Bergeron-Findeisen
Dobson-Brewer
None of the above is correct
Rain that has a pH________ 5.6 is considered to be acid rain
Equal to
Higher than
Lower than
-
Which one of the following cloud types would most likely be responsible for producing heavy rain and hail?
Cumulus
Cumulonimbus
Altocumulus
Cirrocumulus
The________ causes air to flow from areas of relatively high air pressure to areas of relatively low pressure
Pressure gradient force
Centripetal force
Frictional force
Coriolis Effect
Centrifugal force
Pyrocumulus clouds are caused by a_______ below
Large lake
Warm surface ocean current
Fire
Mountain range
Newton's second law of motion, a force is numerically equivalent to mass times_________.
Acceleration
Pressure
Velocity
Wind
A change in horizontal air pressure gradient from 2 hPa per 100 km to 4 hPa per 100 km will result in______ wind speed
Lower
No change in
Higher
-
In the northern hemisphere, the Coriolis effect always acts________.
Directly toward high pressure
At a right angle and to the left of the direction of motion
At a right angle and to the right of the direction of motion
Directly toward low pressure
Friction affects horizontal winds_______.
Only at the equator
Blowing at altitudes above 3000 m
By shifting the winds across isobars and toward high pressure
By slowing the winds and shifting them across isobars toward low pressure
All of the above are correct
A centripetal force operates whenever air parcels follow a________.
Curved path
Straight path
-
-
With hydrostatic equilibrium, the vertical air pressure gradient in the atmosphere is balanced by_______.
Friction
A centripetal force
Gravity
The horizontal pressure gradient
Neglecting friction and the Coriolis Effect, what would be the direction of the wind along a coastline if the air pressure were higher over the ocean than over the adjacent land area
From ocean to land
From land to ocean
Parallel to the coastline with low pressure to the left
Parallel to the coastline with high pressure to the left
In the geostrophic wind, the Coriolis Effect is balanced by________.
Gravity
The vertical pressure gradient force
Friction
The horizontal pressure gradient force
Centripetal force
Lines drawn on a surface weather map connecting locations reporting the same air pressure (reduced to sea level) are known as_______.
Isotherms
Isobars
Isotachs
Isopycnals
At middle latitudes, the surface air pressure in the center of the circulation is lower in a(n)_________.
Cyclone
Anticyclone
-
-
Coriolis force at constant wind is maximal at the
Equator
Tropics (15 degrees)
Mid latitudes (45 degrees)
Poles
Observations of the wind's strength on ocean surfaces is part of the basis for the______ scale
Beaufort
Fujita
Isobar
Pressure
Hadley cells are located in________ latitudes of both hemispheres.
High
Middle
Tropical
Polar
In the northern hemisphere, trade winds blow from the_________.
North
East
Southeast
Northeast
A North wind at the U.S. Westcoast results in__________.
Ekman transport to the East and downwelling
Ekman transport to the West and upwelling
Ekman transport to the North and upwelling
Ekman transport to the South and downwelling
Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, winds above the atmospheric boundary layer blow_______.
Clockwise and across isobars toward low pressure
Around the center of a subtropical high clockwise and parallel to isobars
Counterclockwise and across isobars toward the subtropical high pressure
Around the center of a subtropical high anticlockwise and parallel to isobars
The average location of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is usually located where Earth's mean annual surface temperature is the_________.
Highest
Lowest
-
-
La Nina can be described as the______ phase of the Southern Oscillation, and El Nino as the ______phase.
Cold, warm
Warm, cold
-
-
A source region for continental tropical air is______.
North Canada
The American Southwest
The Gulf of Mexico
The North Atlantic
Thunderstorm development is not triggered by______.
Uplift of warm, humid air along mountain slopes
Uplift along a well-defined cold front
Divergence of surface winds
Convergence of surface winds
In a mature extratropical cyclone, fog and drizzle are most likely to develop_______.
In the warm air just ahead of the surface cold front
In the cold air just ahead of the surface warm front
In the warm air behind the warm front
In the northwest of the low center
Condition for the development of a tornadic circulation within a thunderstorm are______.
Strong updraft
Strong vertical sheer in the horizontal wind
Development of a mesocyclone
Both a strong updraft and strong vertical sheer in the horizontal wind
All of the above are correct
As a hurricane tracks from ocean to land, ________.
Surface winds shift toward high pressure
Surface winds weaken and rains end abruptly
The threat of tornadoes ends
Surface winds weaken and shift toward the eye
The highest wind speeds in a hurricane occur______.
Between spiral bands
In the spiral cloud bands
In the eye wall
In the center of the eye
The development of hurricane depends on all but not one of the following:
Frontal system
Sea surface temperature above 26.5 degrees C
Low vertical wind sheer
Coriolis force
Hurricanes do not form at the equator because_____.
Sea surface temperatures typically are too high
Fronts are present
Ekman-induced downwelling
There is no Coriolis Effect
Which of the following is not correct? A hurricane differs from a mature extratropical cyclone in that a hurricane_______.
is a cold-core system
has generally no fronts
is a warm core system
Develops within a uniform warm and humid air mass
