Deck 6: The Atmosphere and the Oceans

Question 1

In the Northern Hemisphere, the air circulation about a high pressure cell is clockwise.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the Southern Hemisphere, the atmospheric low pressure belt centered on 60°S remains nearly continuous around the world at all seasons of the year.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

In the stratosphere, temperature increases with increased elevation.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Hurricanes form over tropical landmasses.

Question 5

Identify which of the following gases have variable concentration in the atmosphere.

A) Nitrogen
B) Methane
C) Hydrogen
D) Carbon dioxide
E) Water vapor
F) Oxygen
G) Argon
H) Ozone

Question 6

Earth's weather is formed primarily in the troposphere.

Question 7

Castle bergs are formed from the continental ice sheets of Antarctica.

Question 8

The atmospheric pressure bands that circle Earth do not change very much with the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 9

Intense low pressure atmospheric storms in the Western Pacific Ocean are called ________.

Question 10

In the Southern Hemisphere, the circulation of air about a low pressure system is clockwise.

Question 11

The leeward side of a mountain range usually has higher precipitation than the windward side.

Question 12

When sea ice forms, the surface water beneath the ice becomes less dense.

Question 13

The prevailing westerlies of the Northern Hemisphere are more steady in strength and direction than the trade winds.

Question 14

If the world's sea ice melted, sea level would rise.

Question 15

The greenhouse effect is caused by the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere allowing outgoing radiation to exceed incoming radiation.

Question 16

Intense low pressure atmospheric storms in the Atlantic Ocean are called ________.

Question 17

Maximum sea surface elevation along a coast occurs when storm surge coincides with high tide. This is called ________.

Question 18

The greenhouse effect decreases the longwave radiation lost by the Earth's surface and increases the shortwave radiation lost by the atmosphere.

Question 19

The tabular icebergs are formed from sea ice.

Question 20

The annual variation in atmospheric carbon dioxide is caused primarily by seasonal photosynthesis on land in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 21

If there were no clouds, Earth would cool.

Question 22

La Niña indicates warmer than normal surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.

Question 23

Clouds can either heat or cool Earth.

Question 24

Hurricanes commonly form at the equator.

Question 25

The temperature of the troposphere increases with elevation.

Question 26

The annual range of temperatures will be greater closer to the ocean than at inland locations.

Question 27

Storm tides are caused by the low atmospheric pressure and winds associated with hurricanes and typhoons.

Question 28

A low pressure system develops over India during the wet phase of the south Asian monsoon.

Question 29

Decreasing the atmospheric pressure increases the density of air.

Question 30

In June, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) tends to shift south into the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 31

El Niño is an oceanic and atmospheric system that moves across the central Pacific from Asia toward Peru.

Question 32

Increasing water vapor content decreases the density of air.

Question 33

A local shore wind controlled only by daily temperature variation between land and water will blow ________ during the night.

A) 45 degrees to the right
B) parallel to the shore
C) onshore
D) offshore
E) 45 degrees to the left

Question 34

The greenhouse effect is a product of increasing oxygen concentration in the troposphere.

Question 35

Ozone absorbs ultraviolet radiation in the troposphere.

Question 36

In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, a ________ pressure cell develops over the ocean in winter and a ________ pressure cell develops in summer.

A) high; low
B) low; high
C) low; low
D) high; high
E) Either high; low or low; high can occur.

Question 37

In the Northern Hemisphere, CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere tends to decrease in the spring and early summer.

Question 38

Winds are named for the direction to which they blow.

Question 39

The latitudes between approximately 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south have a heating deficit over the course of a year.

Question 40

Rain shadows develop on the leeward side of topographic barriers.

Question 41

Earth's surface winds are caused by air moving from a region of ________ to a region of ________.

A) low pressure; high pressure
B) surface convergence; surface divergence
C) high pressure; low pressure
D) low elevation; high elevation
E) high elevation; low elevation

Question 42

The wind band between the horse latitudes and the doldrums is called the ________ in the Southern Hemisphere.

A) westerlies
B) northeast trade winds
C) southeast trade winds
D) polar easterlies
E) seasonal monsoon

Question 43

The Northern Hemisphere polar jet stream ________.

A) lies above the boundary between the polar easterlies and the westerlies
B) flows rapidly eastward
C) alters the weather patterns at Earth's surface
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 44

A wind blowing from the northwest to the southeast is called a ________ wind.

A) northwest
B) northerly
C) southeast
D) southerly
E) east-west

Question 45

The doldrums are found ________.

A) around the poles
B) at 30°N and S
C) between the trade winds and the westerlies
D) between the northeast trade winds and the southeast trade winds
E) at 60°N and S

Question 46

El Niño events are associated with ________.

A) high pressure in the western Pacific
B) high pressure in the eastern Pacific
C) dry conditions in Australia and Indonesia
D) coastal upwelling in the western Pacific
E) descending air over Indonesia

Question 47

Which statement(s) about El Niño is(are) true?

A) It produces warm surface water along the Peru-Ecuador coast.
B) It interrupts the southeast trade winds and displaces the doldrums.
C) It is associated with a displacement of the jet stream.
D) It is also known as La Niña.
E) It produces warm surface water along the Peru-Ecuador coast, it interrupts the southeast trade winds and displaces the doldrums, and it is associated with a displacement of the jet stream.

Question 48

The Coriolis effect arises primarily from the ________.

A) curvature of Earth's surface
B) rotation of Earth around its axis
C) rotation of Earth around the sun
D) effect of winds high in the atmosphere
E) motion of the oceans in their basins

Question 49

Hurricanes derive their energy from ________ pressure zones in the ________ latitudes.

A) high; tropical
B) low; tropical
C) high; mid
D) low; mid
E) None of these is correct.

Question 50

Air becomes less dense and rises when ________.

A) the air warms
B) the water vapor content increases
C) atmospheric pressure decreases
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 51

The most abundant gas in the atmosphere is ________.

A) argon
B) oxygen
C) carbon dioxide
D) water vapor
E) nitrogen

Question 52

Ozone destruction appears to be related to increasing levels of ________ in the atmosphere.

A) carbon dioxide
B) chlorine
C) sulfur
D) water vapor
E) dimethyl sulfide

Question 53

Clouds ________ radiation.

A) absorb shortwave
B) reflect shortwave
C) intercept longwave
D) radiate longwave
E) All of these are correct.

Question 54

A parcel of air from the South Pole moves due north along the prime meridian; its motion is independent of Earth's rotation. Over what longitude will it be found four hours later?

A) 60°W
B) 60°E
C) 0°
D) 40°E
E) 40°W

Question 55

A storm tide is due to the ________.

A) low atmospheric pressure at a storm's center
B) strong offshore winds
C) strong winds creating a surface flow toward the shore
D) low atmospheric pressure at a storm's center and strong winds creating a surface flow toward the shore
E) All of these are correct.

Question 56

The Coriolis effect ________.

A) deflects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
B) deflects to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
C) has no effect at the equator
D) deflects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and deflects to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
E) deflects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, deflects to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, and has no effect at the equator

Question 57

During the Indian wet monsoon, the prevailing winds blow ________ in the ________.

A) onshore; winter
B) onshore; summer
C) offshore; winter
D) offshore; summer
E) onshore; summer and winter

Question 58

The effect of ozone destruction is most severe ________.

A) at polar latitudes
B) at temperate latitudes
C) at equatorial latitudes
D) in terrestrial desert areas
E) All of these are equally affected.

Question 59

The winds that begin the polar high pressure zones are called ________.

A) polar westerlies
B) polar easterlies
C) westerlies
D) easterlies
E) northerlies and southerlies (depending on the pole)

Question 60

Along the west coast of India, the prevailing wind during the winter blows ________ and produces the ________.

A) offshore; dry monsoon
B) onshore; wet monsoon
C) offshore; wet monsoon
D) onshore; dry monsoon

Question 61

La Niña conditions along the Equatorial Pacific are characterized by ________.

A) lower sea surface temperatures in the east and higher in the west
B) higher sea surface height in the east and lower in the west
C) cooler surface-water temperatures in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific than during an El Niño event
D) All of these are correct
E) None of these is correct

Question 62

The Earth's troposphere extends to how many kilometers above the Earth's surface?

A) 10
B) 30
C) 90
D) 140
E) 180

Question 63

Atmospheric pressure is greatest in the ________.

A) thermosphere
B) mesosphere
C) stratosphere
D) troposphere
E) atmosphere

Question 64

The oceans are heated primarily from below by volcanic activity along ocean ridges.

Question 65

Approximately what percentage of incoming solar radiation is absorbed by the surface of the Earth?

A) 4%
B) 31%
C) 47%
D) 80%
E) 100%

Question 66

Solar radiation is more likely to be reflected back to space than absorbed by ________.

A) clouds
B) ice
C) bare land (desert)
D) None of these is correct
E) All of these are correct

Question 67

The maximum actual solar radiation that reaches Earth's surface is slightly less than the solar constant because ________.

A) Earth's axis of rotation is tilted.
B) the atmosphere absorbs some energy.
C) the atmosphere reflects some energy.
D) of the uneven distribution of continents and ocean basins.
E) the atmosphere absorbs some energy and the atmosphere reflects some energy.

Question 68

Deserts typically are centered around 30°N or 30°S because of ________.

A) predominant high-pressure systems
B) the Doldrums
C) the ITCZ
D) the trade winds
E) predominant low-pressure systems

Question 69

The low pressure area near the equator is known as the ________.

A) Intertropical Convergence Zone
B) horse latitudes
C) polar easterlies
D) westerlies
E) trade winds

Question 70

Most of the weather happens in the ________.

A) thermosphere
B) mesosphere
C) stratosphere
D) troposphere
E) atmosphere

Question 71

The Coriolis effect deflects objects in the Northern Hemisphere to the ________ relative to their direction of motion.

A) east
B) west
C) north
D) right
E) left

Question 72

An El Niño event means ________.

A) higher surface-water temperatures in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific
B) lower nutrient concentrations in surface waters of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific
C) a bad fishing year off the coast of Peru
D) All of these are correct
E) None of these is correct

Question 73

The key property that determines whether fluid (air or water) sinks or rises is ________.

A) sound
B) salinity
C) temperature
D) density
E) chemical composition

Question 74

Wind belts that blow from east to west over most of the areas between 30°N and 30°S are called ________.

A) westerlies
B) polar easterlies
C) trade winds
D) horse latitudes
E) doldrums

Question 75

On December fifteenth, which of the following locations will receive the highest value of solar radiation?

A) 0°
B) 30°N
C) 30°S
D) 60°N
E) 60°S

Question 76

Which of the following is true regarding the Coriolis effect?

A) It is caused by the Earth spinning around its axis.
B) It causes northerly (north-to-south), winds to turn toward the West in the Southern Hemisphere.
C) It causes trade winds in the Southern Hemisphere to blow toward the northwest.
D) All of these are correct.
E) None of these is correct.

Question 77

The greatest concentration of ozone is in the ________.

A) thermosphere
B) mesosphere
C) lithosphere
D) troposphere
E) stratosphere

Question 78

Heat energy gained at low latitudes is redistributed to higher latitudes by ________.

A) atmospheric circulation
B) low pressure systems
C) ocean currents
D) atmospheric circulation and ocean currents
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 79

Seasonal variations in temperature due to variations in solar radiation input are highest in ________.

A) polar regions
B) temperate latitudes
C) the tropics
D) the Equator
E) the Doldrums

Question 80

The annual range of surface temperature is greater on land than at sea because ________.

A) the specific heat of water is less than that of land
B) the specific heat of water is greater than that of land
C) the heat capacity of water is greater than that of land
D) the heat capacity of water is less than that of land
E) there is more land area in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere