Deck 2: Energy: Warming Earth and the Atmosphere

Question 1

The atmosphere near Earth's surface is "heated from below" by heat energy from Earth's interior.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Occasionally, the aurora can be observed in the United States.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Temperature and heat describe the same characteristic of Earth's atmosphere.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Heat is transferred in Earth's atmosphere by radiation.

Question 5

If the temperature of the air is said to be at absolute zero, one might conclude that the ____.

A)motion of the molecules is at a maximum
B)molecules are occupying a large volume
C)molecules contain a minimum amount of energy
D)temperature is 0 degrees Fahrenheit
E)air temperature is 0 degrees Celsius

Question 6

Visible radiation is more successful in dislodging electrons from air atoms and molecules than ultraviolet radiation.

Question 7

Most of the solar wind emitted by the Sun never reaches Earth because of Earth's tilt.

Question 8

A change of 1 degree on the Celsius scale is ____ a change of 1 Kelvin.

A)equal to
B)larger than
C)smaller than
D)in the opposite direction of
E)insignificant in comparison to

Question 9

The aurora usually occurs more frequently above Maine than above Washington state.

Question 10

Carbon dioxide and water vapor are called selective absorbing greenhouse gases.

Question 11

Without water vapor to absorb Earth's emitted infrared radiation, Earth would lose more heat.

Question 12

A temperature of 250 Kelvin is considered extremely hot.

Question 13

The solar wind is not responsible for solar storms. Solar wind and solar storm are simply different names for the same phenomena.

Question 14

Even though Earth is cooler than the Sun, it emits much more radiation than the Sun.

Question 15

Both the Earth and the Sun can be treated as blackbodies.

Question 16

In the atmosphere, convection is horizontal and advection is vertical.

Question 17

Each year, Earth's surface radiates away more energy than it receives from the Sun.

Question 18

The ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum carries the most energy.

Question 19

Good absorbers of radiation are usually poor emitters of radiation.

Question 20

Clouds strongly emit infrared radiation back to Earth's surface.

Question 21

Solar radiation reaches Earth's surface as ____.

A)visible radiation only
B)ultraviolet radiation only
C)infrared radiation only
D)visible and infrared radiation only
E)ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation

Question 22

A vertical exchange of heat is called ____.

A)convection
B)evaporation
C)compression
D)condensation
E)expansion

Question 23

The proper order from longest to shortest wavelength is ____.

A)visible, infrared, and ultraviolet
B)infrared, visible, and ultraviolet
C)ultraviolet, visible, and infrared
D)visible, ultraviolet, and infrared

Question 24

Horizontal transport by the wind is called ____.

A)advection
B)radiation
C)conduction
D)latent heat
E)reflection

Question 25

How do red and blue light differ?

A)Blue light has a higher speed of propagation.
B)Red light has a lower intensity.
C)Red light has a higher intensity.
D)The wavelength of red light is longer.
E)The wavelength of blue light is longer.

Question 26

At which temperature would Earth be radiating energy at the greatest rate or intensity?

A)-5 degrees Fahrenheit
B)-40 degrees Fahrenheit
C)60 degrees Fahrenheit
D)32 degrees Fahrenheit
E)105 degrees Fahrenheit

Question 27

What type of energy has a wavelength longer than that of red light?

A)Green visible radiation
B)Blue visible radiation
C)Infrared radiation
D)Red visible radiation
E)Ultraviolet radiation

Question 28

What is released as sensible heat during the formation of clouds?

A)Deposition
B)Longwave radiation
C)Latent heat
D)Shortwave radiation
E)Sublimation

Question 29

The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called ____.

A)specific heat of evaporation
B)latent heat of fusion
C)latent heat of fission
D)latent heat of condensation
E)specific heat of condensation

Question 30

Which of the following is the poorest conductor of heat?

A)Soil
B)Snow
C)Ice
D)Water
E)Still air

Question 31

Snow will usually melt on the roof of a home that is ____.

A)facing south
B)a good conductor of heat
C)well insulated
D)poorly insulated
E)a poor radiator of heat

Question 32

A lake behind a dam contains energy by virtue of its position. This energy is known as ____.

A)potential energy
B)kinetic energy
C)sensible heat energy
D)static energy
E)latent heat energy

Question 33

To keep an object cool while exposed to direct sunlight, ____.

A)put it inside a brown paper bag
B)wrap it in black paper
C)wrap it in plastic wrap
D)wrap it in aluminum foil with the shiny side facing outward
E)put it inside a clear container

Question 34

The temperature of a rising air parcel ____.

A)always cools due to expansion
B)always warms due to expansion
C)always cools due to compression
D)always warms due to compression
E)remains constant.

Question 35

What determines the type (wavelength)and amount of radiation an object emits?

A)Temperature
B)Thermal conductivity
C)Density
D)Latent heat
E)Specific heat

Question 36

The processes of condensation and freezing ____.

A)both release sensible heat into the environment
B)both absorb sensible heat from the environment
C)do not affect the temperature of their surroundings
D)do not involve energy transport
E)are both negative processes

Question 37

The rising air bubbles from convection are known as ____.

A)advection
B)expansion
C)convection
D)friction
E)thermals

Question 38

Often before sunrise on a clear, calm, cold morning, ice (frost)can be seen on the tops of parked cars, even when the air temperature is above freezing, because the tops of cars are cooling by a loss of ____.

A)conduction
B)convection
C)latent heat
D)radiation
E)condensation

Question 39

When water changes from a solid to a vapor, without going through a liquid state, we call this process ____.

A)freezing
B)condensation
C)sublimation
D)deposition
E)evaporation

Question 40

The amount of heat energy required to bring about a change in temperature in a substance is called the ____.

A)heat capacity
B)dead heat
C)conduction heat
D)latent heat
E)radiative equilibrium

Question 41

If the amount of energy lost by Earth to space each year were not approximately equal to that received, ____.

A)the atmosphere's average temperature would change
B)the length of the year would change
C)the Sun's output would change
D)the mass of the atmosphere would change
E)nothing would change

Question 42

On average, what percentage of solar energy striking the outer atmosphere eventually reaches Earth's surface?

A)5 percent
B)15 percent
C)30 percent
D)50 percent
E)70 percent

Question 43

Which gases are primarily responsible for the atmospheric greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere?

A)Oxygen and ozone
B)Nitrogen and carbon dioxide
C)Ozone and nitrogen
D)Water vapor and carbon dioxide
E)Ozone and chlorofluorocarbons.

Question 44

The main process responsible for warming in the lower atmosphere is ____.

A)the release of latent heat during condensation
B)the conduction of heat upward from the surface
C)the absorption of infrared radiation
D)the direct absorption of sunlight by the atmosphere
E)related to Earth's albedo

Question 45

The albedo of the Moon is 7 percent. This means that ____.

A)the Moon can absorb seven times more energy than Earth
B)7 percent of sunlight striking the Moon is absorbed
C)the Moon emits only 7 percent as much energy as it absorbs from the Sun
D)93 percent of sunlight striking the Moon is reflected
E)7 percent of sunlight striking the moon is reflected

Question 46

As ocean temperatures increase, water vapor greenhouse gas increases and enhances the atmospheric greenhouse effect, thereby illustrating which of the following?

A)Albedo
B)Equilibrium
C)Blackbody effect
D)A positive feedback process
E)A sulfide negative feedback process

Question 47

The combined albedo of Earth and the atmosphere is approximately ____ percent.

A)4
B)10
C)30
D)50
E)90

Question 48

Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature would be ____.

A)higher than at present
B)lower than at present
C)the same as it is now
D)static
E)radiative

Question 49

The Sun emits its greatest intensity of radiation in the ____.

A)visible portion of the spectrum
B)infrared portion of the spectrum
C)ultraviolet portion of the spectrum
D)X-ray portion of the spectrum
E)gamma ray portion of the spectrum

Question 50

Photons of which of the following wavelengths of radiation are the main ones that cause skin tanning?

A)UVC
B)UVB
C)UVA
D)Visible
E)Infrared

Question 51

Suppose last night was clear and calm. Tonight's forecast indicates that low clouds will be present. From this, you would conclude that tonight's minimum temperature will be ____.

A)higher than last night's minimum temperature
B)lower than last night's minimum temperature
C)the same as last night's minimum temperature
D)above freezing
E)below freezing

Question 52

Earth emits radiation with greatest intensity at ____.

A)infrared wavelengths
B)radio wavelengths
C)visible wavelengths
D)ultraviolet wavelengths
E)X-ray wavelengths

Question 53

A feeble atmospheric luminescence known as airglow is detected at ____.

A)±20° latitude and higher
B)±40° latitude and higher
C)±60° latitude and higher
D)±80° latitude and higher
E)everywhere on Earth

Question 54

Most of the radiation emitted by a human body is in the form of ____.

A)ultraviolet radiation and is invisible
B)visible radiation but is too weak to be visible
C)infrared radiation and is invisible
D)the entire electromagnetic spectrum
E)N/A; humans do not emit electromagnetic radiation

Question 55

Sunlight that bounces off a surface is said to be ____ from the surface.

A)radiated
B)absorbed
C)emitted
D)reflected
E)conducted

Question 56

Solar winds are composed of ____.

A)charged particles
B)aerosols and other pollutants
C)water vapor
D)a variety of gases that have no charge
E)electromagnetic waves

Question 57

Which principle best describes why melting occurs first in snow around tree trunks?

A)Snow is a good absorber of infrared energy.
B)Snow is a poor emitter of infrared energy.
C)Snow is a poor reflector of visible light.
D)Snow is a poor absorber of visible light.
E)Snow is a poor absorber of ultraviolet light.

Question 58

Earth's radiative equilibrium temperature is the ____.

A)average temperature at which Earth is absorbing solar radiation and emitting infrared radiation at equal rates
B)average temperature at which Earth is radiating energy at maximum intensity
C)average temperature Earth must maintain to prevent oceans from freezing solid
D)temperature at which rates of evaporation and condensation on Earth are in balance
E)temperature in which humans and animals can survive on Earth

Question 59

Earth's magnetic field protects Earth from some of the ____.

A)pollutants found in the atmosphere
B)dangerous ozone present in the atmosphere
C)dangerous gamma rays emitted by the Sun
D)ultraviolet radiation
E)particles emitted by the Sun in the form of solar winds and storms

Question 60

Clouds form by the process of ____.

A)deposition only
B)condensation only
C)evaporation only
D)both deposition and condensation (not evaporation)
E)deposition, condensation, and evaporation

Question 61

Temperature is a measure of the average speed of ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 62

An ____________________ in cloud cover surrounding Earth would increase Earth's albedo, yet would not necessarily lead to a lower Earth surface temperature.

Question 63

The faster something moves, ____.

A)the greater its kinetic energy
B)the lower its kinetic energy
C)the greater its potential energy
D)the lower its potential energy
E)the lower its temperature

Question 64

Because Earth is ____________________ than the Sun, it emits ____________________ radiation than the Sun.

Question 65

Solar wind is composed of ____________________, or ____________________, travelling through space.

Question 66

Airlines sometimes reroute planes away from polar regions during solar storms because ____.

A)radio communication can be affected by solar storms
B)solar storms decrease air temperature, which can present a danger
C)solar storms increase air temperature, which can present a danger
D)solar storms can lead to severe turbulence
E)the sky can become too bright for safe navigation

Question 67

_______________ is energy in the process of being transferred from one object to another because of the ____________________ difference between them.

Question 68

Trifluoromethyl sulfur pentafluoride, CF₃SF₅, is known as a super greenhouse gas, and pound for pound it absorbs about ____________________ times more infrared radiation than CO₂ does.

Question 69

In the Northern Hemisphere, we call the green-yellow light show observed in the sky the ____________________; its counterpart in the Southern Hemisphere is the ____________________.

Question 70

The lower atmosphere is warmed from the surface upward through longwave radiation from Earth, ____________________, and ____________________.

Question 71

In most of the world, temperature is recorded in ____.

A)Fahrenheit
B)Kelvin
C)Celsius
D)equal proportions - all three scales are used
E)both Kelvin and Celsius

Question 72

____________________ can have adverse effects on electrical systems, satellites, and radio communications.

Question 73

A small increase in temperature results in a large ____________________ in the amount of radiation emitted because doubling the absolute temperature of an object ____________________ the maximum energy output by a factor of 16, or 24.

Question 74

The ability or capacity to do work on some form of matter is called ____.

A)temperature
B)energy
C)specific heat
D)latent heat
E)thermal heat

Question 75

If Earth's average surface temperature were to increase, the amount of radiation emitted from Earth's surface would ____________________, and the wavelength of peak emission would shift toward ____________________ wavelengths.

Question 76

The atmospheric greenhouse effect occurs because the atmosphere allows ____________________ radiation to pass through, but inhibits to some degree the passage of ____________________ radiation leaving Earth's surface.

Question 77

The magnetosphere is ____.

A)composed of greenhouse gases
B)a thin, magnetic layer surrounding the Sun
C)a tear-dropped shaped cavity when it interacts with the solar wind
D)a tiny magnetic field found surrounding the particles in solar winds and storms
E)the Moon's magnetic field

Question 78

What is the lowest possible temperature on any of the three common temperature scales?

A)-273 degrees Fahrenheit
B)0 Kelvin
C)-100 degrees Celsius
D)-273 Kelvin
E)-100 degrees Fahrenheit

Question 79

Normally, solar wind approaches Earth at an average speed of ____.

A)300 km/sec
B)400 km/sec
C)500 km/sec
D)100 km/sec
E)1000 km/sec

Question 80

Earth's surface temperature often ____________________ on a calm night as a low cloud moves overhead.