Question 1

In global convective circulation,air sinks at the ____________ and the ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) equator;poles 
B) equator;polar fronts 
C) horse latitudes;poles 
D) horse latitudes;polar fronts 
A) equator;poles 
B) equator;polar fronts 
C) horse latitudes;poles 
D) horse latitudes;polar fronts C

Question 2

As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) an increase in pressure 
B) a decrease in pressure 
C) no change in pressure 
A) an increase in pressure 
B) a decrease in pressure 
C) no change in pressure B

Question 3

A warm air mass may hold more moisture (water vapor)than a cold air mass of the same volume,and yet may have lesser relative humidity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

Atmospheric convection of heat radiated from Earth's surface and the variety of phenomena we call weather occur within which layer of the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A) mesosphere 
B) stratosphere 
C) thermosphere 
D) troposphere 
A) mesosphere 
B) stratosphere 
C) thermosphere 
D) troposphere

Question 5

To an observer traveling outward from Earth's surface all the way out into space,the temperature of the atmosphere ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) uniformly decreases due to atmospheric thinning 
B) uniformly increases due to increasing proximity to the Sun 
C) remains relatively constant until the very edge of the atmosphere,where the observer would experience the very cold vacuum that is interplanetary space 
D) decreases,stabilizes,increases,stabilizes,decreases,stabilizes,and,finally,increases until the edge of the atmosphere is reached 
A) uniformly decreases due to atmospheric thinning 
B) uniformly increases due to increasing proximity to the Sun 
C) remains relatively constant until the very edge of the atmosphere,where the observer would experience the very cold vacuum that is interplanetary space 
D) decreases,stabilizes,increases,stabilizes,decreases,stabilizes,and,finally,increases until the edge of the atmosphere is reached

Question 6

According to geological evidence and computer models based upon that evidence,which statement about the concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) No oxygen was present prior to the Cambrian;oxygen levels have uniformly risen since and today's atmosphere is more oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history. 
B) Oxygen levels were greatest during the Cambrian but have been steadily declining ever since;today's atmosphere is less oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history since the Precambrian. 
C) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic but peaked during the Mesozoic ("age of dinosaurs")and declined sharply in the Early Cenozoic. 
D) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic but peaked during the Late Paleozoic ("age of coal swamp forests")and declined sharply in the Early Mesozoic. 
A) No oxygen was present prior to the Cambrian;oxygen levels have uniformly risen since and today's atmosphere is more oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history. 
B) Oxygen levels were greatest during the Cambrian but have been steadily declining ever since;today's atmosphere is less oxygen rich than at any time in Earth's history since the Precambrian. 
C) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic but peaked during the Mesozoic ("age of dinosaurs")and declined sharply in the Early Cenozoic. 
D) Oxygen levels have generally risen during the Phanerozoic but peaked during the Late Paleozoic ("age of coal swamp forests")and declined sharply in the Early Mesozoic.

Question 7

Lightning can strike the surface of Earth but also travels from cloud to cloud.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Hurricane Katrina became so powerful in part because it traveled over the Gulf of Mexico's Loop Current,which was unusually warm.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Where air sinks,as in the subtropical horse latitudes,the air usually ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) cools as it sinks 
B) creates high pressure locally 
C) creates low pressure locally 
D) increases in relative humidity as it sinks 
A) cools as it sinks 
B) creates high pressure locally 
C) creates low pressure locally 
D) increases in relative humidity as it sinks

Question 10

Prior to the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in 2005,nobody knew how vulnerable New Orleans was with regard to hurricane storm-surge flooding.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Cold air pushes underneath warm air at cold fronts and warm air pushes underneath cold air at warm fronts.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The strongest winds in a hurricane are found within the central eye.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

At zones of divergence and convergence,such as the equator,poles,horse latitudes,and polar fronts,surface winds are generally ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) easterly 
B) westerly 
C) southerly in the southern hemisphere and northerly in the northern hemisphere 
D) calm or weak 
A) easterly 
B) westerly 
C) southerly in the southern hemisphere and northerly in the northern hemisphere 
D) calm or weak

Question 14

Lines connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure on a map are termed ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) contour lines 
B) isobars 
C) isograds 
D) isotherms 
A) contour lines 
B) isobars 
C) isograds 
D) isotherms

Question 15

Which two gases are most abundantly emitted in volcanic outgassing?

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide 
A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide

Question 16

Which two gases are most important in producing the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide 
A) nitrogen and oxygen 
B) hydrogen and helium 
C) carbon dioxide and methane 
D) water vapor and sulfur dioxide

Question 17

Contributing to the precarious geological situation in New Orleans is the fact that while sea level is rising,the surface of the land is sinking due to sediment compaction (wetlands drainage lowering water tables in sediment aquifers)and sediment starvation (flood control structures disallowing floodplain sediment deposition).

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Clouds generally form when air ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) is heated 
B) rises 
C) sinks 
D) is devoid of aerosols 
A) is heated 
B) rises 
C) sinks 
D) is devoid of aerosols

Question 19

The development of cyclones and anticyclones about high- and low-pressure regions is a result of deflection of air currents by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) solar wind 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the Coriolis effect 
D) ion beams originating in the ionosphere 
A) solar wind 
B) the stratosphere 
C) the Coriolis effect 
D) ion beams originating in the ionosphere

Question 20

Which layer of the atmosphere is chemically stratified,with the lightest molecules riding above heavier molecules?

Accepted Answer

A) mesosphere 
B) stratosphere 
C) thermosphere 
D) troposphere 
A) mesosphere 
B) stratosphere 
C) thermosphere 
D) troposphere

Exam 20: An Envelope of Gas: Earths Atmosphere and Climate

In global convective circulation,air sinks at the ____________ and the ____________.

As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ____________.

A warm air mass may hold more moisture (water vapor)than a cold air mass of the same volume,and yet may have lesser relative humidity.

Atmospheric convection of heat radiated from Earth's surface and the variety of phenomena we call weather occur within which layer of the atmosphere?

To an observer traveling outward from Earth's surface all the way out into space,the temperature of the atmosphere ____________.

According to geological evidence and computer models based upon that evidence,which statement about the concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere is correct?

Lightning can strike the surface of Earth but also travels from cloud to cloud.

Hurricane Katrina became so powerful in part because it traveled over the Gulf of Mexico's Loop Current,which was unusually warm.

Where air sinks,as in the subtropical horse latitudes,the air usually ____________.

Prior to the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in 2005,nobody knew how vulnerable New Orleans was with regard to hurricane storm-surge flooding.

Cold air pushes underneath warm air at cold fronts and warm air pushes underneath cold air at warm fronts.

The strongest winds in a hurricane are found within the central eye.

At zones of divergence and convergence,such as the equator,poles,horse latitudes,and polar fronts,surface winds are generally ____________.

Lines connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure on a map are termed ____________.

Which two gases are most abundantly emitted in volcanic outgassing?

Which two gases are most important in producing the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Clouds generally form when air ____________.

The development of cyclones and anticyclones about high- and low-pressure regions is a result of deflection of air currents by ____________.

Which layer of the atmosphere is chemically stratified,with the lightest molecules riding above heavier molecules?

Cosmology and the Birth of Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rock

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: A Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Cracks, crags, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: The Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Settings: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Filters

In global convective circulation,air sinks at the and the .