Deck 14: Atmosphere and Hydrosphere

Question 1

Average atmospheric pressure does not correspond to

A) 1013 mb.
B) 1.013 N/m².
C) 101.3 kPa.
D) 14.7 lb/in.².

Answer 1

1.013 N/m².

Question 2

The atmosphere is heated chiefly by

A) infrared radiation from the sun.
B) ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
C) infrared radiation from the earth.
D) ultraviolet radiation from the earth.

Answer 2

infrared radiation from the earth.

Question 3

The cloud streaks left by aircraft at high altitudes consist of

A) water droplets.
B) ice crystals.
C) carbon dioxide crystals.
D) unburned fuel.

Answer 3

ice crystals.

Question 4

Ice crystals

A) never occur in clouds.
B) usually are found in low-altitude clouds.
C) usually occur in high-altitude clouds.
D) occur equally often in clouds at all altitudes.

Question 5

Completely dry air has a relative humidity of

A) 0.
B) 1 percent.
C) 50 percent.
D) 100 percent.

Question 6

When the temperature of a volume of air is equal to its dew point, the relative humidity of the air is

A) 0.
B) 50%.
C) 100%.
D) 200%.

Question 7

When saturated air is cooled, what never happens is that

A) it becomes able to take up more water vapor.
B) its relative humidity changes.
C) fog forms.
D) snow begins to fall.

Question 8

Of the following gases, the most abundant in the atmosphere is

A) oxygen.
B) nitrogen.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) argon.

Question 9

The higher the temperature of a volume of air, the

A) more water vapor it can hold.
B) less water vapor it can hold.
C) greater its possible relative humidity.
D) lower its possible relative humidity.

Question 10

The highest of the following is/are

A) the summit of Mt. Everest.
B) cirrus clouds.
C) the ozone layer.
D) the ionosphere.

Question 11

If the earth had no atmosphere, there would be no greenhouse effect and its surface would be

A) very hot during both day and night.
B) very cold during both day and night.
C) very hot during the day and very cold at night.
D) Any of these choices, depending on the season.

Question 12

The term "greenhouse effect" refers to

A) condensation of water vapor to form dew.
B) conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen by green plants.
C) heating of the atmosphere by direct solar radiation.
D) heating of the atmosphere by radiation from the earth.

Question 13

The atmosphere constituent chiefly responsible for absorbing solar ultraviolet radiation is

A) carbon dioxide.
B) water vapor.
C) ozone.
D) helium.

Question 14

The lowest region of the atmosphere is the

A) thermosphere.
B) ionosphere.
C) troposphere.
D) stratosphere.

Question 15

Atmospheric pressure is half its sea-level value at an altitude of about

A) 1 km 3300 ft).
B) 5 km 16,400 ft).
C) 20 km 12.4 mi).
D) 100 km 62 mi).

Question 16

A temperature inversion that acts to trap smog in localities such as Los Angeles consists of

A) cold air above a layer of warm air.
B) warm air above a layer of cold air.
C) dry air above a layer of moist air.
D) moist air above a layer of dry air.

Question 17

A characteristic feature of the stratosphere is the presence of

A) clouds.
B) dust.
C) ozone.
D) ions.

Question 18

Of the following gases, the least abundant in the atmosphere is

A) oxygen.
B) nitrogen.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) argon.

Question 19

CFC and HCFC gases, which are widely used in refrigeration and in foam plastics, catalyze the breakdown in the upper atmosphere of

A) water vapor.
B) carbon dioxide.
C) oxygen.
D) ozone.

Question 20

Clouds occur when moist air is cooled by

A) expansion when it rises.
B) expansion when it falls.
C) compression when it rises.
D) compression when it falls.

Question 21

At the summer solstice, usually June 22, there is

A) 24 h of sunlight inside the Arctic Circle and 24 h of darkness inside the Antarctic Circle.
B) 24 h of sunlight inside both the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.
C) 12 h of sunlight inside the Arctic Circle and 24 h of darkness inside the Antarctic Circle.
D) 12 h of sunlight inside both the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

Question 22

Everywhere north of the Arctic Circle

A) there is no land.
B) there is ice but no liquid water.
C) there is no sunlight all winter.
D) there is no sunlight only at the winter solstice, which is usually December 22^nd.

Question 23

A wind in the Southern Hemisphere begins to blow toward the north. Because of the Coriolis effect the wind is deflected

A) toward the south.
B) toward the east.
C) toward the west.
D) downward.

Question 24

You are facing a wind associated with a cyclonic weather system in the southern hemisphere. The center of the system is

A) in front of you.
B) behind you.
C) on your right.
D) on your left.

Question 25

Stable weather is associated with

A) cyclones.
B) anticyclones.
C) cold fronts.
D) warm fronts.

Question 26

If the earth's axis were less tilted than it is today, the difference between the average temperatures of winter and summer would

A) decrease.
B) be unchanged.
C) increase.
D) Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the location.

Question 27

Which of the following does not describe a jet stream?

A) occurs at high altitudes
B) has relatively high wind speeds
C) is relatively narrow in width
D) may blow in any direction

Question 28

Heat is transported around the earth mainly by

A) winds.
B) clouds.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) ocean currents.

Question 29

At an equinox, the noon sun is

A) overhead at the north pole.
B) overhead at the equator.
C) at its highest point in the sky in the northern hemisphere.
D) at its highest point in the sky in the southern hemisphere.

Question 30

The earth's axis is currently tilted relative to the plane of its orbit by

A) 1°.
B) 12.5°.
C) 23.5°.
D) an angle that varies with the seasons.

Question 31

The winds in a northern hemisphere cyclone spiral

A) clockwise toward its center.
B) counterclockwise toward its center.
C) clockwise away from its center.
D) counterclockwise away from its center.

Question 32

An isobar is

A) a line of constant pressure on a weather map.
B) a line of constant temperature on a weather map.
C) a unit of atmospheric pressure.
D) the path followed by a wind.

Question 33

Air near the equator averages higher temperatures than air near the poles because

A) polar air is cooled by the ice and snow on the ground.
B) there is more carbon dioxide and water vapor in equatorial air to absorb infrared radiation from the earth.
C) sunlight falls more nearly vertically at the equator than near the poles.
D) the oceans near the equator are warmer than those near the poles.

Question 34

An anticyclone is a weather system centered about a

A) region of low pressure.
B) region of high pressure.
C) cold front.
D) warm front.

Question 35

On a summer night, coastal land cools below the temperature of the nearby sea. The result is a "land breeze" that blows

A) onshore.
B) offshore.
C) parallel to the shore.
D) Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the region.

Question 36

The general direction of the trade winds in both hemispheres is

A) north.
B) south.
C) east.
D) west.

Question 37

The process by which air heated by contact with a warm part of the earth's surface rises upward is called

A) the Coriolis effect.
B) conduction.
C) convection.
D) insolation.

Question 38

Rain is not usually associated with

A) a warm front.
B) a cold front.
C) a cyclone.
D) an anticyclone.

Question 39

A wind in the Northern Hemisphere begins to blow toward the north. Because of the Coriolis effect the wind is deflected

A) toward the south.
B) toward the east.
C) toward the west.
D) upward.

Question 40

Westerly winds are characteristic of the

A) middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere only.
B) middle latitudes of the southern hemisphere only.
C) middle latitudes of both hemispheres.
D) trade-wind belts of both hemispheres.

Question 41

Of the following, the gas that contributes most to global warming is

A) ozone.
B) carbon monoxide.
C) carbon dioxide.
D) methane.

Question 42

If nothing else changed, an increase in the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere would cause its

A) temperature to increase.
B) temperature to decrease.
C) pressure to increase.
D) pressure to decrease.

Question 43

Relative to the average depth of the oceans below sea level, the average height of the continents above sea level is

A) greater.
B) smaller.
C) about the same.
D) greater at low tide, smaller at high tide.

Question 44

A very narrow cyclonic storm is called a

A) hurricane.
B) typhoon.
C) tornado.
D) tsunami.

Question 45

Temperature differences between summer and winter are greatest

A) on the western edges of continents.
B) on the eastern edges of continents.
C) in continental interiors.
D) in oceanic islands such as Hawaii and the Azores.

Question 46

Tsunamis

A) are extremely rare.
B) occur mainly in the Atlantic Ocean.
C) are caused by undersea earthquakes.
D) are caused by hurricanes.

Question 47

Most of the world's water is found

A) in lakes and rivers.
B) in clouds.
C) frozen in Greenland and Antarctica.
D) in the oceans.

Question 48

The doldrums of the equatorial regions

A) have abundant rainfall.
B) are extremely dry.
C) have steady westerly winds.
D) are also called the horse latitudes.

Question 49

Ice ages

A) have occurred only a few times in the past.
B) have occurred often in the past.
C) are unlikely to occur again.
D) cover the entire earth with sheets of ice.

Question 50

The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that warms the

A) Gulf coast of the United States.
B) west coast of the United States.
C) west coast of Europe.
D) west coast of Africa.

Question 51

Water covers

A) less than half the earth's surface.
B) roughly half the earth's surface.
C) more than half the earth's surface.
D) Any of these choices could be correct, depending on the season.