Deck 8: Climatic Zones and Types

Question 1

In Am climates, the hottest time of year is

A) summer
B) winter
C) spring
D) fall
E) all of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Of the following temperatures, which of the following is CLOSEST to the official low temperature (in degrees Celsius) ever recorded on Earth?

A) - 90
B) 0
C) - 50
D) - 140
E) - 10

Answer 2

A

Question 3

With coastal climates isotherms tend to .

A) form a circular pattern
B) dip toward the poles
C) dip toward the equator
D) parallel the coast
E) cross the coast at right angles

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The world's record lowest average annual precipitation is on the continent of

A) North America.
B) Europe.
C) Asia.
D) Australia.
E) South America.

Question 5

The presence of the cold Humboldt current and the Andes Mountains help to create the coastal Desert.

A) Gobi
B) Sonoran
C) Sahara
D) Atacama
E) none of the above

Question 6

"Continentality" is a term most closely associated with which climatic type?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) H

Question 7

The text makes frequent use of which are charts showing average monthly temperatures and precipitation amounts.

A) weather graphs
B) barographs
C) isohyets
D) climographs
E) rain graphs

Question 8

In the tropical wet climate, precipitation is mainly _.

A) frontal
B) drizzle
C) orographic
D) unreliable
E) convective

Question 9

In terms of general location of a climate, in what place would one expect to find a humid continental climate in the U.S.?

A) the southeast (Atlanta, Georgia)
B) south central (Dallas, Texas)
C) the northwest (Seattle, Washington)
D) the Great Lakes (Buffalo, New York)
E) the southwest (Phoenix, Arizona)

Question 10

There are more square kilometers of A climates in than in any other region.

A) Antarctica
B) Asia
C) Australia
D) Africa
E) South America

Question 11

In terms of annual average extent, Northern Hemisphere sea ice has since 1975.

A) halved
B) disappeared
C) decreased by 8%
D) doubled
E) increased by 8%

Question 12

Where in the world does average daily temperature exceed the annual temperature range?

A) the polar latitudes
B) everywhere
C) the middle latitudes
D) the tropical latitudes
E) nowhere

Question 13

Steppe climates can be thought of as occupying transitional positions between deserts and .

A) tropical climates
B) humid climates
C) Ko¨ppen's "B" climates
D) polar climates
E) coastal climates

Question 14

The world's largest expanse of middle latitude dry climates is on the continent of .

A) Asia
B) Europe
C) North America
D) Australia
E) Africa

Question 15

Which of the following would be an expected average annual precipitation total in a marine west coast climate?

A) 100 centimeters
B) 10,000 centimeters
C) 10 centimeters
D) 1,000 centimeters
E) none of the above

Question 16

The world record for greatest precipitation received in a single year is on the order of centimeters.

A) 2,600
B) 260
C) 260,000
D) 2.6
E) 26

Question 17

The largest amount of tropical rainforest is on the continent of _ .

A) Asia
B) Australia
C) North America
D) Africa
E) South America

Question 18

In mountainous areas, which term refers to the vertical zone of "frozen land" at high elevation?

A) Terria fria
B) Tierra templada
C) Tierra helada
D) Tierra caliente
E) none of the above

Question 19

Midlatitude deserts experience a

A) summer
B) steppe
C) low sun
D) winter
E) none of the above

Question 20

The B climates are dry most usually because of lack of _.

A) moisture in the air
B) solar energy
C) high altitude
D) uplift in the air
E) occurrence near the polar front

Question 21

The furthest north citrus can be grown in North American is at North latitude in the California Cs climate type.

A) 78°
B) 8°
C) 58°
D) 38°
E) 18°

Question 22

The Cs climatic type is usually located on the side of the continents.

A) highland
B) east
C) south
D) north
E) west

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT usually found in highland locations as compared to their surrounding lowlands?

A) heavier precipitation
B) local wind systems more prevalent
C) higher temperatures
D) altitudinal zonation of vegetation
E) lower atmospheric pressure

Question 24

The world record highest one- day rainfall is centimeters (2.54 centimeters = 1 inch).

A) 767
B) 188
C) 53
D) 3,105
E) 7

Question 25

The maximum poleward extent of Af climates is found _ .

A) on east coasts of continents
B) in New Zealand
C) at the Equator
D) in the Sahara desert
E) at the Intertropical Convergence

Question 26

The world's greatest annual average temperature range is in a Dfd climate in .

A) Nome, Alaska
B) the Hawaiian Islands
C) Narvik, Norway
D) Stillwater, Oklahoma
E) Yakutsk, Siberia

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT one of the world's five basic climatic types?

A) Tropical hot- dry
B) Subtropical warm temperate
C) Equatorial warm- wet
D) Midlatitude cool temperate
E) High latitude wet

Question 28

In midlatitude desert (BWk) climates, the temperature is greater than in subtropical desert (BWh) climates.

A) average annual
B) annual median
C) daily high
D) annual range of
E) daily low

Question 29

Which of the following helps determine past climate on the basis of tree rings?

A) dendrochronology
B) 18O/16O ratio
C) pollen analysis
D) oxygen isotope analysis
E) all of the above

Question 30

Which of the following is TRUE of the Highland (H) climates?

A) Exposure to the wind is a critical climatic control.
B) They are usually closely related to adjacent lowland locations.
C) Exposure to the Sun is a critical climatic control.
D) There is great diversity within small areas.
E) all of the above are true

Question 31

For many centuries before the present one, scholars believed that the world had climatic zones.

A) 5
B) 20
C) 1
D) 0
E) 10

Question 32

In what year did Ko¨ppen first publish his classification system?

A) 1918
B) 1760
C) 1971
D) 1850
E) 1492

Question 33

Usually, the Csa, Csb and are west coast climates.

A) Cfa
B) Dfb
C) Cfb
D) Dfa
E) Dwd

Question 34

This desert is in a "double rain shadow":

A) Atacama
B) Sahara
C) Mojave
D) Kalahari
E) Saudi

Question 35

"Night is winter" is best applied to the _ climate.

A) Csa
B) Dfa
C) Am
D) Af
E) BWk

Question 36

The modified Ko¨ppen climate classification as used in the textbook includes major climatic groups.

A) 15
B) 5
C) 8
D) 10
E) 6

Question 37

The lowercase letter symbolizing "moist, with no dry season" in the Ko¨ppen classification system is .

A) a
B) k
C) s
D) f
E) w

Question 38

The desire to simplify, organize, and generalize the vast array of climatic data into a comprehensible system that helps us understand the distribution of climates over Earth leads to .

A) compromise
B) classification
C) frustration
D) weather forecasting
E) averaging

Question 39

Vertical zonation is particularly prominent in which region?

A) mountains in tundra climates
B) tropical rainforests
C) central plains of the U.S.A.
D) tropical highlands
E) all of the above

Question 40

The three climate zones of the classical Greeks were "torrid", "temperate", and " ".

A) Arctic
B) warm
C) frigid
D) equatorial
E) cold

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the midlatitude desert climate type?

A) found in Asia, North America, and South America
B) colder than its tropical counterpart
C) blocked from oceanic moisture by mountains
D) a winter maximum of precipitation
E) far removed from oceanic moisture

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the tropical humid climates?

A) The Sun is high in the sky every day of the year.
B) They experience warm temperatures all year long.
C) Precipitation is plentiful over the year.
D) The shortest daylengths are not much shorter than the longest daylengths.
E) The Intertropical Convergence Zone is rarely overhead.

Question 43

Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere and the maximum precipitation in its Csa climate type falls in the month of _ .

A) September
B) March
C) January
D) June
E) December

Question 44

Over the ENTIRE past 70 million years there has been _.

A) no way to determine if there have been climate changes
B) a global warming and then a global cooling
C) no significant climate changes
D) a global cooling
E) a global warming

Question 45

The poleward limits of the Aw climate are approximately equivalent to

A) poleward maximum migration of the ITC.
B) average 0°C isotherm.
C) average annual 15°C isotherm.
D) tropical coastlines.
E) limit of atoll formation.

Question 46

The intertropical convergence zone is most closely associated with which of the Ko¨ppen system's major climate types?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

Question 47

To the Greeks, their land fell within the zone in their early classification of climate.

A) homeland
B) torrid
C) hinterland
D) temperate
E) frigid

Question 48

In most classification schemes, which principal indicator is used to delineate five zones and their subtypes?

A) Temperature
B) Cloudiness
C) Daylength
D) Vegetation types
E) Precipitation

Question 49

In a Tropical monsoon climate are found .

A) much more yearly evapotranspiration than precipitation
B) winter precipitation much greater than summer precipitation
C) Earth's hottest temperatures
D) summer temperatures much hotter than winter temperatures
E) none of the above circumstances

Question 50

In the BS climatic type the "S" stands for .

A) semi- annual
B) savanna
C) selva
D) seasonal
E) steppe

Question 51

City A and City B are located 500 km from one another and are the same latitude. City A has a much greater annual temperature range than City B. The most likely explanation for this fact is that City A

A) is lower in elevation than City B.
B) has more moisture in the air than City B.
C) is in a more continental climate than City B.
D) is cloudier than City B.
E) has more air pollution than City B.

Question 52

The Ko¨ppen system of climate classification is based on _.

A) solar radiation
B) cumulative humidity indices
C) temperature and precipitation
D) sensible temperature indices
E) evapotranspiration

Question 53

The main reason for the occurrence of subtropical deserts around the world is .

A) locations of anticyclones
B) position of the cold ocean currents
C) easterly winds
D) the intertropical convergence
E) the westerly winds

Question 54

A Cfb climate exists along the northwest coast of the United States. Which climate type exists along the northeastern coast of the United States?

A) Csa
B) BWh
C) Cfb
D) Cfa
E) Dfa

Question 55

Mediterranean climates experience dry summers because of .

A) adjacent rain shadows
B) a double maximum of sun elevation
C) the cool ocean currents
D) the position of subtropical high pressure
E) none of the above

Question 56

Throughout the ET climates, is/are very prevalent.

A) easterly waves
B) heat waves
C) winter rain
D) radiation fogs
E) tornadoes

Question 57

Which of the following average annual precipitation totals is CLOSEST to that expected in an Icecap climate?

A) 200 cm
B) 100 cm
C) 500 cm
D) < 25 cm
E) > 1,0000 cm

Question 58

Which climate type is known for clear skies in the summertime?

A) Am
B) Dfa
C) Af
D) Csa
E) Cfa

Question 59

Currently, with many climatic classification schemes which have been devised, scholars generally recognize that there are basic climate types on Earth.

A) 5
B) infinitely many
C) 20
D) 10
E) 0

Question 60

The tropical monsoon climate bears a letter classification of

A) BS.
B) Cfa.
C) BW.
D) Am.
E) Aw.

Question 61

The one- year record rainfall took place in a climate type.

A) mediterranean
B) monsoon
C) west coast marine
D) humid subtropical
E) rainforest

Question 62

The Greek classification of climate included

A) the frigid zone.
B) the torrid zone.
C) the temperate zone.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 63

Which of the following climate type takes up the most land area?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) H

Question 64

The BWh climate is "caused" by the

A) westerlies.
B) trade winds.
C) subtropical highs.
D) warm ocean currents.
E) none of the above

Question 65

The world's highest average annual wind speed can be found on .

A) the Canadian side of the Great Lakes
B) Siberia
C) the Great Plains of the United States
D) Antarctica
E) the East Coast of the United States

Question 66

In an Af climate, what time of day is precipitation most likely?

A) at noon
B) at dawn
C) at mid- afternoon
D) at mid- morning
E) at midnight

Question 67

On which continent is the intertropical convergence furthest from the equator in the summer season?

A) North America
B) Asia
C) Europe
D) South America
E) Africa

Question 68

Presently, the most widely used classification system was derived by .

A) The National Weather Service of the U.S.
B) Norwegian meteorologists of the 20th century
C) the ancient Greeks
D) C.W. Thornthwaite
E) Wladimir Ko¨ppen

Question 69

A Cfa climate exists on the southeastern coast of the United States. Which climate type exists on the southwestern coast of the United States?

A) Csa
B) Cfb
C) Cfa
D) Dfa
E) BWh

Question 70

The classification scheme of the ancient Greeks was discarded .

A) before written history
B) in the Renaissance
C) in the 1st century BC
D) in the Dark Ages
E) in the 20th century

Question 71

Subtropical deserts are so dry because of associated with the presence of the STH's.

A) instability
B) orographic effects
C) convergence
D) storminess
E) subsidence

Question 72

Which of the following has the LEAST average annual precipitation?

A) EF
B) BSk
C) Af
D) Am
E) Aw

Question 73

At its equatorward margin the _ climate is bounded by the 0° Celsius isotherm of average annual temperature.

A) ET
B) BW
C) Dwa
D) Dfa
E) EF

Question 74

The climatic type has, by far, the smallest annual temperature range of any climatic type.

A) ET
B) Csa
C) BWh
D) Dfa
E) Af

Question 75

Which of the following is NOT a climate type found in South America?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) H

Question 76

Of the main Ko¨ppen climate zones, _ is the only one that does not occur in the Southern Hemisphere.

A) A
B) B
C) E
D) D
E) C

Question 77

The single most descriptive word that can be applied to Tropical Wet climates is

A) "monotonous".
B) "seasonality".
C) "invigorating".
D) "variability".
E) "comfortable".

Question 78

In the Df and Dw climates, winter precipitation mainly originates from .

A) the intertropical convergence
B) orographic influences
C) midlatitude cyclones
D) subtropical highs
E) large thunderstorms

Question 79

A middle latitude climate type located on the western edges of the continents is the climate.

A) BWh
B) Csb
C) Dfa
D) Dwa
E) Cfa

Question 80

The Ko¨ppen system of climatic classification .

A) uses vegetation to determine climate boundaries
B) was the first numerical system
C) is widely used today
D) has been modified for use in your textbook
E) is correctly described by all of the above