Deck 14: The Atomosphere

Question 1

What happens to relative humidity of an isolated, unsaturated parcel of air as temperature decreases?

A) Relative humidity increases
B) Relative humidity decreases
C) Relative humidity remains constant

Answer 1

Relative humidity increases

Question 2

What happens to air as it rises?

A) Temperature and pressure decrease
B) Temperature and pressure increase
C) Temperature increases, pressure decreases
D) Temperature decreases, pressure increases

Answer 2

Temperature and pressure decrease

Question 3

How does air pressure change with increasing altitude?

A) Increases
B) Decreases
C) Stays the same

Answer 3

Decreases

Question 4

What property of electromagnetic radiation is most closely associated with surface albedo?

A) Reflection
B) Scattering
C) Refraction

Question 5

How and why does insolation change with increasing latitude?

A) Increases, the atmosphere is thinner there.
B) Decreases, energy is spread over a larger area.
C) Insolation does not chance since it is from exosphere

Question 6

Map interpretation: Pressure and winds. Use the map to answer this question.


-Identify the center of a low pressure system.

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

Question 7

Map interpretation: Pressure and winds. Use the map to answer this question.


-Where is the greatest wind velocity on the map?

A) Between A and G
B) Between C and D
C) Between A and C
D) Between E and F

Question 8

What is the circulation direction for winds around C?

A) Inward and clockwise
B) Inward and counterclockwise
C) Outward and clockwise
D) Outward and counterclockwise

Question 9

How would the temperature of Earth differ if, on average, there were 50% more clouds?

A) Earth would be cooler
B) Earth would be warmer
C) There would be no change in temperature

Question 10

What happens when a high density air mass pushes a low density air mass?

A) High density air rises and cools.
B) High density air rises and warms.
C) Low density air rises and cools.
D) Low density air rises and warms.

Question 11

What happens to the density of air with increasing elevation in the atmosphere?

A) It increases
B) It decreases
C) It stays the same

Question 12

What is the difference between heat and temperature?

A) Heat deals with total kinetic energy, temperature with average kinetic energy.
B) Heat deals with average kinetic energy, temperature with total kinetic energy.
C) There is no difference; they both deal with kinetic energy.

Question 13

Where is most oxygen located?

A) Troposphere
B) Stratosphere
C) Mesosphere
D) Thermosphere

Question 14

What happens to the thermal gradient in the atmosphere moving upward from the surface toward outer space?

A) The gradient is such that temperature increases continuously.
B) The gradient is such that temperature decreases continually.
C) The gradient varies depending on the altitude.

Question 15

How thick is the atmosphere?

A) About 50 km
B) About 500 km
C) About 5000 km

Question 16

Which of these forms of solar radiation is associated with heat?

A) Ultraviolet
B) Visible light
C) Infrared

Question 17

How much does the greenhouse effect raise temperatures on Earth?

A) 3.3° C
B) 33° C
C) 330° C

Question 18

How much carbon dioxide was present in Earth's atmosphere 4 billion years ago?

A) Much more than now
B) Much less than now
C) About the same amount as now

Question 19

Which change of state of water moves H₂O from a less ordered state to a more ordered state?

A) Deposition of ice
B) Melting of ice
C) Sublimation of ice

Question 20

Explain why temperature does not change when ice transforms from a solid to a liquid (in an ideal case).

A) Specific heat of the ice absorbs energy.
B) Latent heat is required to change states.
C) The statement is incorrect; the temperature must change.

Question 21

Which process releases latent heat?

A) Evaporation
B) Melting of ice
C) Condensation

Question 22

Where is air density the highest?

A) Mount Everest
B) The Great Plains
C) Sea level

Question 23

What is an adiabatic temperature change?

A) One associated with a loss of energy to surrounding air
B) One associated with a gain of energy from surrounding air
C) One associated with no change of energy with surrounding air

Question 24

What happens to rising air?

A) Cools adiabatically
B) Warms adiabatically
C) Does not change temperature adiabatically

Question 25

Why does precipitation form when air moves up a mountain?

A) Temperatures increase causing evaporation.
B) Temperatures increase causing condensation.
C) Temperatures decrease causing evaporation.
D) Temperatures decrease causing condensation.

Question 26

What type of air changes temperature more slowly as it rises?

A) Saturated air
B) Unsaturated air
C) They both change at the same rate

Question 27

How are clouds classified?

A) Size and shape
B) Altitude and shape
C) Altitude and size

Question 28

Which air mass interaction would most likely result in Cumulonimbus clouds?

A) Cold air meets warm humid air mass.
B) Warm air meets warm humid air mass.
C) Cold air meets cold humid air mass.
D) Warm air meets cold humid air mass.

Question 29

Which scenario would cause an air mass to stop rising at the lowest level in the troposphere?

A) When the normal lapse rate and the adiabatic lapse rate intersect.
B) When the normal lapse rate and the adiabatic lapse rate diverge.
C) When the normal lapse rate and the adiabatic lapse rate are parallel.

Question 30

Which surface would have the lowest albedo?

A) Ice pack
B) Desert
C) Rainforest

Question 31

Which systems are more likely to be associated with cloudy conditions and why?

A) Low pressure systems because air rises there.
B) High pressure systems because air rises there.
C) Low pressure systems because air descends there.
D) High pressure systems because air descends there.

Question 32

Which systems are more likely to be associated with clear conditions and why?

A) Low pressure systems because air rises there.
B) High pressure systems because air rises there.
C) Low pressure systems because air descends there.
D) High pressure systems because air descends there.

Question 33

What is the relationship between air pollution and condensation?

A) Increasing pollution decreases condensation in the atmosphere.
B) Increasing pollution increases condensation in the atmosphere.
C) Increasing air pollution has no effect on condensation.

Question 34

What earth system interactions cause auroras?

A) Exosphere-Atmosphere
B) Hydrosphere-Atmosphere
C) Geosphere-Atmosphere
D) Atmosphere-Atmosphere

Question 35

The greenhouse effect is beneficial on Earth.

Question 36

Water can exist as a liquid at 0° C.

Question 37

Absorption of latent heat results in a temperature change.

Question 38

Heat is released when cloud droplets form.

Question 39

Wind directions are from low pressure to high pressure.

Question 40

Wind directions are described based on where the winds originate, not where they are going.

Question 41

Geostrophic winds are parallel to isobars.

Question 42

Oxygen is the most common gas in the atmosphere.

Question 43

Nitrogen is the most common gas in the atmosphere.

Question 44

99% of all air is contained in the troposphere and stratosphere.

Question 45

Earth's atmosphere is divided into layers. Weather systems are found in the stratosphere.

Question 46

Adiabatic temperature changes are a result of changing air pressure.