Deck 7: Atmospheric Circulation

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true with regard to air?

A)Cold air can hold more water vapor than warm air.
B)Humid air is denser than dry air.
C)Warm air is less dense that cold air.
D)Water vapor in air can occupy up to 30 percent of air's volume.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The dependable surface winds of Earth centered at about 15 ° north and south latitudes are called ____.

A)the westerlies
B)the northerlies
C)the trade winds
D)the doldrum winds

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Seasons are caused by ____.

A)changes in the weather
B)annual variation in the energy output of the sun
C)Earth's orbital tilt relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun
D)our being closer to the sun in summer

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The turbulent layer of Earth's atmosphere in which nearly all weather occurs is called the ____.

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

Question 5

Winds generally move across the United States ____.

A)from north to south
B)from east to west
C)from south to north
D)from west to east

Question 6

The atmospheric circulation cells that operate in the mid-latitudes are called ________ cells.

A)Hadley
B)Ferrel
C)polar
D)trade wind

Question 7

The volume of gases, water vapor, and airborne particles that envelops Earth is the ____.

A)weather
B)atmosphere
C)Coriolis Effect
D)biosphere

Question 8

Which statement is true regarding the solar heating of Earth?

A)The heating of Earth is uniform across all latitudes.
B)Ice absorbs almost all of the solar energy that reaches the poles.
C)At the poles, more incoming solar radiation is absorbed than is reflected.
D)At the equator, more incoming solar radiation is absorbed than is reflected.

Question 9

If you were standing on top of a high mid-Pacific island at 15 ° north latitude, from which direction would you expect the wind to come? (Hint: don't forget to consider the Coriolis effect!)

A)north
B)south
C)northwest
D)northeast

Question 10

The Coriolis effect causes objects moving in the northern hemisphere to veer off course ___.

A)to the right, or clockwise when viewed from above
B)to the left, or counterclockwise when viewed from above
C)in an upward direction
D)in a downward direction

Question 11

The long-term statistical sum of weather in a geographic region is called ____.

A)weather
B)cyclonic circulation
C)the Coriolis Effect
D)climate

Question 12

Warm air ____ and cool air ____.

A)expands and sinks; expands and rises
B)contracts and rises; expands and sinks
C)expands and rises; contracts and sinks
D)expands and rises; expands and sinks

Question 13

One of the driving forces of atmospheric circulation is ____.

A)convection
B)conduction
C)evaporation
D)transpiration

Question 14

According to the atmospheric circulation model developed in the text, air tends to ____.

A)rise at 30 ° north and fall at 60 ° north
B)rise at 60 ° north and fall at 30 ° north
C)rise at 30 ° north and fall at 0 ° north
D)rise at 30 ° north and rise at 60 ° north

Question 15

Calm equatorial areas of low pressure are referred to as the ____.

A)doldrums
B)horse latitudes
C)trade winds
D)westerlies

Question 16

Sunlight strikes polar latitudes at a ____ angle, spreading the incoming heat over a large area.

A)low
B)high
C)near-vertical
D)perpendicular

Question 17

Weather may be defined as ____.

A)long-term temperature and rainfall trends
B)short-term, localized states of the atmosphere
C)long-term changes in the composition of the atmosphere
D)short-term changes in the composition of the atmosphere

Question 18

In the world model of atmospheric circulation, the ____ cells are located nearest the equator.

A)Doldrum
B)Polar
C)Ferrel
D)Hadley

Question 19

There are ____ major atmospheric circulation cells in each hemisphere of Earth.

A)two
B)three
C)four
D)five

Question 20

The most abundant gaseous components of Earth's atmosphere are ____.

A)carbon dioxide and oxygen
B)nitrogen and hydrogen
C)nitrogen and carbon dioxide
D)nitrogen and oxygen

Question 21

Most of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina was due to ____.

A)heavy rains
B)a huge storm surge
C)the low winds
D)the high temperatures

Question 22

Tropical cyclones are also called ____.

A)monsoons
B)tornadoes
C)hurricanes
D)nor'easters

Question 23

Oxygen is the primary component of air.

Question 24

Air is never completely dry.

Question 25

The area of high pressure and little surface wind, located at 30 latitude, is referred to as the ____.

A)subtropical low
B)intertropical convergence zone
C)horse latitudes
D)doldrums

Question 26

Hadley atmospheric circulation cells are found at the mid-latitudes.

Question 27

When viewed from above, tropical cyclones rotate ____ in the Southern Hemisphere.

A)clockwise
B)counterclockwise
C)in either direction depending on the storm
D)poleward

Question 28

The uneven heating of the surface of Earth results in atmospheric convection currents.

Question 29

When air masses come together ____.

A)very little weather activity results
B)a tropical cyclone forms
C)the denser air mass slides beneath the lighter air mass forming a front.
D)the lighter air mass slides beneath the denser air mass forming a storm surge

Question 30

The change in the angle of the sun with latitude does not influence heating at Earth's surface.

Question 31

The boundary between two air masses of different density is called a ____.

A)Hadley line
B)ITCZ
C)Hadley cell
D)front

Question 32

Superstorm Sandy was the result of a collision between a nor'easter and an extratropical cyclone.

Question 33

The power for tropical cyclones comes from ____.

A)static electricity
B)warm and cool air masses colliding
C)the Coriolis effect
D)the condensation of warm, moist air

Question 34

The most intense summer monsoons occur in Asia.

Question 35

Extratropical cyclones typically form ____.

A)near the equator
B)at high latitudes, at the north or south pole
C)at high latitudes, at the junction between the polar cells and the Ferrel cells
D)in the tropics

Question 36

Cyclonic storms can form within or between air masses (a large body of air with a uniform density throughout).

Question 37

A ____ is a pattern of wind circulation that changes with the seasons.

A)monsoon
B)typhoon
C)hurricane
D)cyclone

Question 38

Which of the following conditions contributed most to the destructive nature of Hurricane Katrina?

A)a severe drop in temperature after the storm
B)very strong winds, up to 125 miles per hour
C)its pass over cooler waters before making landfall, causing the storm to strengthen
D)an exceptionally cold pocket of water over the Gulf of Mexico

Question 39

Tropical cyclones are most common in the equatorial South Atlantic.

Question 40

Due to the Coriolis effect, objects are deflected to the right or clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 41

Explain how the relationship between the atmosphere and the ocean affects weather and climate.

Question 42

Describe atmospheric convection.

Question 43

What is a hurricane and how are they formed?

Question 44

Explain the Coriolis Effect.

Question 45

Explain the distribution of solar heating across Earth. How does it vary? How are these variations balanced?