Deck 6: Atmospheric Moisture

Question 1

Evaporation ________.

A) is a heating process
B) is a cooling process
C) is a process not requiring energy
D) releases latent heat in the air
E) has its greatest rates when the air is already humid

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a measure of water vapor in the atmosphere?

A) dew point
B) absolute humidity
C) specific humidity
D) potential evapotranspiration
E) relative humidity

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The transfer of moisture from land to air is termed ________.

A) evapotranspiration
B) condensation
C) evaporative cooling
D) dew point
E) specific humidity

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Liquid converts to gas when ________.

A) a crystalline structure is created
B) molecules break loose from the liquid
C) cooling reaches the dewpoint
D) the liquid heats to freezing
E) it is good and ready

Question 5

________ refers to water vapor leaving the Earth's surface through plants.

A) Evaporation
B) Potential evapotranspiration
C) Transpiration
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 6

Which of the following would SLOW evaporation from a water surface?

A) high air temperatures
B) air with low relative humidity
C) calm air
D) warm water temperatures
E) turbulence of air molecules

Question 7

Water that stays in liquid form at temperatures below freezing is ________.

A) at the dew point
B) exhibiting vapor pressure
C) white frost
D) releasing the latent heat of vaporization
E) supercooled

Question 8

Air containing all of the water vapor it can hold is ________.

A) adiabatic
B) saturated
C) dew point
D) unstable
E) convective

Question 9

Grams per cubic meter would be the measurement units used to describe ________.

A) vapor pressure
B) relative humidity
C) saturation
D) evapotranspiration
E) absolute humidity

Question 10

The total amount of water vapor leaving the Earth's surface is called ________.

A) evaporation
B) latent heat
C) evapotranspiration
D) transpiration
E) runoff

Question 11

Vapor pressure is ________.

A) the pressure exerted by the air
B) highest when the air is not close to saturation
C) highest when temperatures are lowest
D) the force of raindrops as they strike Earth
E) maximized during saturation

Question 12

In terms of the lower part of the troposphere, more than ________% of all water vapor is found within 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) of the Earth's surface.

A) 1
B) 10
C) 50
D) 75
E) 95

Question 13

Atmospheric water vapor can be described as ________.

A) composing most of the mass of the atmosphere in wet climates
B) having an erratic distribution
C) fairly evenly distributed by altitude
D) most plentiful in the colder regions of Earth
E) fairly evenly distributed over time in most locations

Question 14

The state of water that is the most important yet least obvious in the atmosphere is ________.

A) evaporation
B) hail
C) water vapor
D) ice crystals
E) rain

Question 15

Potential evapotranspiration is ________.

A) usually not as great as actual evapotranspiration
B) very small when the atmosphere is warm
C) usually about the same as actual evapotranspiration
D) an amount much less than transpiration
E) not described by any of the above

Question 16

The hydrologic cycle refers to the ________.

A) totality of forms of precipitation
B) unending circulation of Earth's water supply
C) flow of rivers
D) groundwater flow to the surface
E) latent heat of vaporization

Question 17

Water is unique because no other substance occurs in ________.

A) solid form
B) liquid form
C) gaseous form
D) in the atmosphere
E) all three states of matter

Question 18

Which of the following promotes evaporation?

A) warm water
B) cold air
C) rising air
D) already-humid air
E) slow-moving air

Question 19

The saturated adiabatic lapse rate is a lesser lapse rate than the dry adiabatic lapse rate. This is because ________.

A) rain is occurring
B) "wet" air doesn't rise
C) the air must be stable
D) latent heat is being released
E) unsaturated air is descending

Question 20

Water vapor can be described by all but one of the following.

A) odorless
B) tasteless
C) energy-rich
D) light blue color
E) a small fraction of the atmosphere's volume

Question 21

How warm or cold it feels to us is the ________ temperature.

A) dewpoint
B) sensible
C) latent
D) common
E) adiabatic

Question 22

If air's capacity for holding water vapor is diminished, then the relative humidity will ________.

A) rise
B) fall
C) be unchanged
D) double
E) none of the above

Question 23

Which measure of humidity is a mass to mass comparison?

A) absolute humidity
B) specific humidity
C) dew point
D) relative humidity
E) saturation

Question 24

Liquid water that has cooled below the dew point becomes ________.

A) stable
B) supercooled
C) unstable
D) foggy
E) violent

Question 25

Usually, the highest relative humidity is ________.

A) at dawn
B) in the evening
C) at sunset
D) in the late afternoon
E) at midnight

Question 26

Relative humidity is ________ related to air temperature.

A) positively
B) not
C) sometimes
D) unevenly
E) inversely

Question 27

The amount of water vapor expressed as the mass of water vapor in a given volume of air is ________.

A) relative humidity
B) specific humidity
C) dew point
D) absolute humidity
E) pressure gradient

Question 28

In the atmosphere, liquid water collects around minute particles called ________.

A) condensation nuclei
B) raindrops
C) fog
D) cloud droplets
E) ice crystals

Question 29

The rising and subsequent cooling of air at the rate of 10°C per 1,000 meters is called ________.

A) supercooling
B) the dry adiabatic lapse rate
C) the wet adiabatic lapse rate
D) the dew point
E) the latent heat of condensation

Question 30

In order for atmospheric condensation to take place, ________.

A) air has to be near sea level
B) the relative humidity must be low
C) plenty of "surfaces" need to be present in the atmosphere
D) the temperature must be above freezing
E) air must be very cold

Question 31

Which of the following is SMALLEST?

A) a small raindrop
B) raindrops in a convection storm
C) a small piece of hail
D) an average pellet of sleet
E) a condensation nucleus

Question 32

The release of latent heat from water molecules is called ________.

A) vapor pressure
B) evaporative cooling
C) specific humidity
D) condensation
E) sublimation pressure

Question 33

________ is the critical temperature at which saturation is reached.

A) Absolute humidity
B) The dew point
C) The flash point
D) Specific humidity
E) Relative humidity

Question 34

Maximum absolute humidity is governed by ________.

A) vapor content
B) temperature
C) the adiabatic rate
D) the hydrologic cycle
E) proximity to water surface

Question 35

In the atmosphere, some liquid water exists until the temperature lowers below ________ degrees Celsius.

A) 40
B) 10
C) -0
D) -10
E) -40

Question 36

The capacity of air to hold water ________.

A) increases as temperature increases
B) is a constant
C) decreases as evaporation decreases
D) increases as temperature decreases
E) is not related to temperature

Question 37

A certain volume of air holds 20 grams of water vapor. At that temperature, the maximum amount the air can contain is 100 grams. What is the relative humidity?

A) 100%
B) 20 grams
C) 20%
D) 100 grams
E) More information must be supplied.

Question 38

The relative humidity would be ________% if the actual water vapor in the air was 10 grams per cubic meter, the air's capacity to hold water vapor was 20 grams per cubic meter and the dewpoint temperature was 20 degrees Celsius.

A) 10
B) 20
C) 50
D) 2
E) 200

Question 39

If the ________ of air changes, the value of the absolute humidity changes even though there is no change in the actual amount of water vapor present.

A) temperature
B) color
C) wind speed
D) volume
E) rate of emission of electromagnetic energy

Question 40

Relative humidity is "relative" to ________.

A) moisture
B) temperature
C) vapor pressure
D) saturation
E) evaporation

Question 41

Any buoyant parcel of air is said to exhibit ________.

A) advection
B) stability
C) instability
D) the moist adiabatic lapse rate
E) the dry adiabatic lapse rate

Question 42

Among cloud types, those that occur at the highest altitudes are the ________.

A) cumulus
B) altocumulus
C) stratus
D) cirrus
E) stratocumulus

Question 43

In degrees Celsius, how much GREATER is the dry adiabatic lapse rate than the saturated adiabatic lapse rate over 1,000 meters?

A) almost 0
B) averages around 4
C) a bit above 15
D) exactly 30
E) almost 45

Question 44

Clouds of vertical development include the type called ________.

A) cirrus
B) cumulonimbus
C) stratocumulus
D) altocumulus
E) fog

Question 45

Saturated air is forced down the leeward side of a mountain. On its way down the air undergoes warming because of compression. What is the rate at which the air will heat up?

A) 20°C per 1,000 m of descent
B) 10°C per 1,000 m of descent
C) 6°C per 1,000 m of descent
D) 1°C per 1,000 m of descent
E) unknown in advance

Question 46

Most of the Earth's cloudiness results directly from ________.

A) sublimation
B) evaporation
C) air pollution
D) vertical temperature gradient
E) adiabatic cooling

Question 47

Clouds form if air is ________.

A) cooled to the dew point
B) below freezing
C) stable
D) unstable
E) windy

Question 48

Which of the following occurs because water is added to atmosphere?

A) radiation fog
B) advection fog
C) upslope fog
D) orographic fog
E) evaporation fog

Question 49

The altitude at which rising air reaches the dew point temperature is the ________.

A) lifting condensation level
B) upslope fog
C) precipitation level
D) isohyet
E) adiabat

Question 50

In the United States, fog occurs LEAST often in the ________ states.

A) Pacific Coast
B) Gulf Coast
C) Southwestern
D) New England
E) Great Plains

Question 51

The average lapse rate in the troposphere ________.

A) is 10°C per 1,000 m
B) is quite variable by time and region
C) describes temperatures in adiabatic air
D) is proof that temperatures usually increase with altitude
E) is about the same as the dry adiabatic lapse rate

Question 52

Showery weather and cumuliform clouds point to the presence of ________.

A) orographic lift of air
B) anticyclonic descent of air
C) instability
D) relatively few condensation nuclei
E) atmospheric equilibrium

Question 53

A lack of atmospheric buoyancy is called ________.

A) stability
B) instability
C) pseudoadiabat
D) coalescence
E) dew point

Question 54

Cold air moving over a warmer lake surface will result in a(n) ________ type of fog.

A) advection
B) radiation
C) evaporation
D) convection
E) none of the above

Question 55

White frost is simply a cold weather form of ________.

A) a cloud
B) radiation fog
C) hail
D) dew
E) advection fog

Question 56

Rising air, warmed by the release of latent heat, cools at a rate called ________.

A) stability
B) the average lapse rate
C) the dry adiabatic lapse rate
D) the saturated adiabatic lapse rate
E) the variable lapse rate

Question 57

Buoyant air will rise until it ________.

A) reaches the stratopause
B) becomes unstable
C) makes clouds
D) becomes warmer
E) reaches the temperature of the surrounding air

Question 58

Air that resists vertical movement is said to be ________.

A) unstable
B) stable
C) cyclonic
D) anticyclonic
E) adiabatic

Question 59

When air is heated enough so that it is warmer than the surrounding air, it is ________.

A) unstable
B) stable
C) convective
D) saturated
E) none of the above

Question 60

Which of the following cloud types has the greatest height (from top to bottom)?

A) cirrus
B) cumulus
C) altostratus
D) stratus
E) cumulonimbus

Question 61

In the "Ice Crystal Formation" process, precipitation occurs because ice crystals ________.

A) melt as they fall
B) form from raindrops
C) grow at the expense of raindrops
D) hook together
E) have a low specific heat

Question 62

Which of the following is most closely associated with stable air?

A) very moist air
B) cooling of rising air
C) rising air
D) fast wind speeds in the air
E) descent of air

Question 63

Conditional instability is when the lapse rate of an air parcel is ________.

A) greater than the wet adiabatic lapse rate
B) greater than the dry adiabatic lapse rate
C) less than the wet adiabatic lapse rate
D) less than the dry adiabatic lapse rate
E) between the wet and dry adiabatic lapse rate

Question 64

The net effect of global dimming has been to ________ the effect of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

A) double
B) completely negate
C) slightly lessen
D) reduce by half
E) slightly increase

Question 65

By definition, which of the following freezes after it reaches the ground?

A) rain
B) hail
C) snow
D) sleet
E) glaze

Question 66

Hail becomes larger because it collides with ________.

A) ice crystals
B) raindrops
C) sleet
D) supercooled water
E) water vapor

Question 67

Which of the following DOES NOT comprise common hygroscopic nuclei?

A) dust
B) pollen
C) sea salt
D) bacteria
E) hail stones

Question 68

In terms of annual average precipitation, the rainiest region of the continental United States is the ________.

A) northeast
B) northwest
C) southeast
D) southwest
E) Great Plains

Question 69

The sky is covered with stratiform clouds and drizzle is falling. Without measuring, one could reliably guess the atmosphere is ________.

A) stable
B) unstable
C) about to produce much rain
D) metastable
E) conditionally unstable

Question 70

The most common and widespread form of precipitation is ________.

A) rain
B) snow
C) fog
D) sleet
E) hail

Question 71

A piece of unsaturated air is forced to rise. The lapse rate in the surrounding air is much less than the rate in change of temperature in the rising air. The rising air is said to be ________.

A) stable
B) unstable
C) about to produce much rain
D) metastable
E) conditionally unstable

Question 72

Which is NOT among the main types of atmospheric lifting and precipitation?

A) convective
B) orographic
C) frontal
D) advective
E) convergent

Question 73

The Bergeron process is also known as the ________ process.

A) acid rain formation
B) ice crystal formation
C) collision/coalescence
D) hail
E) glaze

Question 74

Which of the following lapse rates represents the greatest temperature change over altitude?

A) wet adiabatic
B) dry adiabatic
C) average environmental lapse rate
D) They are all close to being the same rate.
E) They are all the same rate.

Question 75

Global dimming is caused by ________.

A) a lessening of solar output
B) human release of aerosols
C) ozone
D) carbon dioxide
E) poor scores on physical geography exams

Question 76

Most of the wettest areas around the world are located in the ________.

A) Tropics
B) continental interiors
C) midlatitude west coasts
D) Southern Hemisphere
E) polar mountains

Question 77

When or where is air most likely unstable?

A) over the poles
B) during the night
C) during the winter
D) during the afternoon
E) in stratiform clouds

Question 78

________ is the term used in the United States for small raindrops that freeze while falling and reach the ground as small pellets of ice

A) Snow
B) Hail
C) Sleet
D) Fog
E) Frost

Question 79

The number of condensation nuclei in a raindrop is on the order of ________.

A) 1
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 100,000
E) 1,000,000

Question 80

Showery precipitation is most closely associated with ________.

A) cirrus clouds
B) stable air
C) non-buoyant air
D) sinking air
E) unstable air