Deck 4: Atmospheric Pressure, Winds, and Circulation

Question 1

____ is the movement of air in response to atmospheric pressure differences.

A)El Niño
B)A monsoon
C)Wind
D)Rain

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In an anticyclone, the winds ____ at the surface and ____ in the upper atmosphere.

A)converge; converge
B)converge; diverge
C)diverge; converge
D)diverge; diverge

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In general, subsidence is greatest over the ____ side of a subtropical high.

A)northern
B)southern
C)eastern
D)western

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is a semi-permanent pressure system characterized by subsidence?

A)subtropical high
B)equatorial low
C)trade winds
D)westerlies

Question 5

The westerlies have their origin in the ____.

A)polar highs
B)subtropical highs
C)equatorial lows
D)subpolar lows

Question 6

What do closely spaced isobars on a map indicate?

A)strong pressure gradient
B)northerly winds
C)winds of low velocity
D)weak breezes

Question 7

The polar jet stream flows in the ____.

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

Question 8

Where is the Coriolis effect the largest?

A)At the equator
B)At the Tropic of Capricorn and Cancer
C)At latitudes above the Arctic and Antarctic circles
D)At 45 degrees latitude in a hemisphere

Question 9

The sheltered or downwind side of an object is the ____.

A)windward side
B)leeward side
C)prevailing side
D)isobar

Question 10

At a latitude of 80° S, the prevailing surface winds will be ____.

A)easterly
B)southerly
C)westerly
D)northerly

Question 11

In the Northern Hemisphere, the wind circulation in a low-pressure area is ____.

A)counterclockwise, spiraling inward
B)clockwise, spiraling inward
C)clockwise, spiraling outward
D)counterclockwise, spiraling outward

Question 12

The replacement of warmer surface water by colder waters from below is referred to as ____.

A)drifting
B)circulating
C)rechanging
D)upwelling

Question 13

The ____ marks the location where the westerlies and polar easterlies meet.

A)U.S.-Canadian border
B)polar front
C)middle latitude convergence zone
D)Icelandic front

Question 14

The zone of low pressure and calms located near the equator is known as the ____.

A)horse latitudes
B)doldrums
C)easterlies
D)westerlies

Question 15

Chinook winds are ____.

A)cold, moist, and upslope winds
B)warm, dry, and downslope winds
C)cold, dry, and downslope winds
D)warm, moist, and upslope winds

Question 16

The subtropical high pressure regions are centered at approximately ____ degrees north and south latitude.

A)5
B)30
C)45
D)60

Question 17

Lines used on maps to connect points of equal air pressure are called ____.

A)isohyetes
B)isorones
C)isotherms
D)isobars

Question 18

What two factors cause horizontal variations in air pressure?

A)thermal and dynamic
B)thermal and static
C)wind and rain
D)cold air and warm air

Question 19

The monsoon winds in summer ____.

A)move from the oceans over the land
B)occur only on middle latitude west coasts
C)flow from land toward the oceans
D)are a main feature of the world-wide zonal pattern of circulation

Question 20

The broad circulatory patterns of the major surface ocean currents are called ____.

A)streamlines
B)gyres
C)trades
D)upwellings

Question 21

Average temperatures in Great Britain would be much colder if it were not for the ____.

A)East Greenland Current
B)Canary Current
C)North Atlantic Drift
D)Labrador Current

Question 22

The westerlies are the least consistent of the global wind belts.

Question 23

Winds are a response to differences in atmospheric pressure.

Question 24

A mercury barometer is currently the only device available to measure atmospheric pressure.

Question 25

The pressure belts tend to migrate with the sun; that is, they move northward in the summer and southward in the winter.

Question 26

After rising up and over a mountain range, a foehn-type wind will be ____ than it was before it encountered the mountain.

A)warmer and moister
B)cooler and moister
C)warmer and drier
D)cooler and drier

Question 27

The subtropical jet stream is stronger than the polar front jet stream.

Question 28

Air pressure decreases with increasing elevation on Earth and with altitudes above it.

Question 29

The North Atlantic Oscillation is a relationship between the Azores High and Icelandic Low.

Question 30

Both subtropical high-pressure and subpolar low-pressure regions are mainly the result of dynamic air movement.

Question 31

Surface winds always blow from high pressure to lower pressure.

Question 32

The anticyclone over the North Pole is strongest during the summer months.

Question 33

Drainage winds are ____ winds.

A)katabatic
B)foehn-type
C)Chinook
D)tropical

Question 34

The subtropical highs are generally located between ____ and ____ degrees N and S latitude.

A)0o ; 10o
B)10o ; 15o
C)20o ; 25o
D)25o ; 35o

Question 35

The phenomenon of monsoon winds and their seasonal shifting can be best explained by the differential heating of land and water.

Question 36

El Niño involves a ____.

A)warming of ocean waters
B)cooling of the ocean waters
C)very cold current
D)very fast current

Question 37

The polar front jet stream is embedded within the ____.

A)easterlies
B)westerlies
C)trade winds
D)monsoon winds

Question 38

Ocean currents play a significant role in helping to equalize the energy imbalance between the tropical and polar regions.

Question 39

Global circulation systems are essential to the maintenance of Earth's energy balance.

Question 40

The North Atlantic Drift is a warm current.

Question 41

A Chinook is an example of a(n) _______________ wind.

Question 42

A(n) _______________ is a very strong air current imbedded within the upper air westerlies.

Question 43

Explain the causes of land breezes versus sea breezes.

Question 44

How can you determine whether the winds entering a cyclone will be fast or slow on a particular day?

Question 45

Rainfall is heaviest during the _______________ season in a monsoon circulation system.

Question 46

Cloudy, rainy conditions would accompany a(n) _________________ pressure system.

Question 47

From time to time, the upper air westerlies develop oscillations, termed long waves or _______________ waves.

Question 48

_______________ is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.

Question 49

The _______________ refers to the connection between a rise in surface pressure in the eastern Pacific and fall in pressure in the western Pacific and vice versa.

Question 50

Winds that blow toward the south are called _______________ winds.

Question 51

A(n) _______________ ocean current advects warm water poleward.

Question 52

The winds that blow from the subtropical high to the equatorial trough in the Northern Hemisphere are called the _______________.

Question 53

The Bermuda High is also known as the _______________ High.

Question 54

A cell or an area of low pressure is referred to as a(n) _______________.

Question 55

Subtropical high-pressure cells, which are generally centered over the oceans, are much stronger on their western sides than on their eastern sides

Question 56

Anticyclones are characterized by _______________ flow at the surface.

Question 57

_______________ refers to the direction toward which the wind is blowing.