Deck 5: Atmospheric Circulation

Question 1

The atmospheric circulation cells that operate in the mid-latitudes are called cells.

A) Hadley
B) Ferrel
C) polar
D) trade wind

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Winds generally move across the United States from .

A) north to south
B) east to west
C) south to north
D) west to east

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to the atmospheric circulation model developed in the text, air tends to .

A) rise at 30 ° north and fall at 60 ° north
B) rise at 60 ° north and fall at 30 ° north
C) rise at 30 ° north and fall at 0 ° north
D) rise at 30 ° north and rise at 60 ° north

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Calm equatorial areas of low pressure are referred to as the .

A) doldrums
B) horse latitudes
C) trade winds
D) westerlies

Question 5

The turbulent layer of Earth's atmosphere in which nearly all weather occurs is called the .

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

Question 6

If you were standing on top of a high mid-Pacific island at 15 ° north latitude, from which direction would you expect the wind to come? (Hint: Don't  forget to consider the Coriolis effect!)

A) north
B) south
C) northwest
D) northeast

Question 7

There are major atmospheric circulation cells in each hemisphere of Earth.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 8

The long-term statistical sum of weather in a geographic region is called .

A) weather
B) cyclonic circulation
C) the Coriolis Effect
D) climate

Question 9

The most abundant gaseous components of Earth's atmosphere are .

A) carbon dioxide and oxygen
B) nitrogen and hydrogen
C) nitrogen and carbon dioxide
D) nitrogen and oxygen

Question 10

Weather may be defined as .

A) long-term temperature and rainfall trends
B) short-term, localized states of the atmosphere
C) long-term changes in the composition of the atmosphere
D) short-term changes in the composition of the atmosphere

Question 11

Sunlight strikes polar latitudes at a angle, spreading the incoming heat over a large area.

A) low
B) high
C) near vertical
D) perpendicular

Question 12

Which statement is true regarding the solar heating of Earth?

A) The heating of Earth is uniform across all latitudes.
B) Ice absorbs almost all of the solar energy that reaches the poles.
C) At the poles, more incoming solar radiation is absorbed than is reflected.
D) At the equator, more incoming solar radiation is absorbed than is reflected.

Question 13

The Coriolis effect causes objects moving in the northern hemisphere to veer off course .

A) to the right, or clockwise when viewed from above
B) to the left, or counterclockwise when viewed from above
C) in an upward direction
D) in a downward direction

Question 14

Seasons are caused by .

A) changes in the weather
B) annual variation in the energy output of the sun
C) Earth's orbital tilt relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun
D) our being closer to the sun in summer

Question 15

Warm air and cool air .

A) expands and sinks; expands and rises
B) contracts and rises; expands and sinks
C) expands and rises; contracts and sinks
D) expands and rises; expands and sinks

Question 16

In the world model of atmospheric circulation, the cells are located nearest to the equator.

A) Doldrums
B) Polar
C) Ferrel
D) Hadley

Question 17

The dependable surface winds of Earth centered at about 15 ° north and south latitudes are called the .

A) westerlies
B) northerlies
C) trade winds
D) doldrums

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true with regard to air?

A) Cold air can hold more water vapor than warm air.
B) Humid air is denser than dry air.
C) Warm air is less dense than cold air.
D) Water vapor in air can occupy up to 30% of air's volume.

Question 19

One of the driving forces of atmospheric circulation is .

A) Earth's uneven solar heating
B) alternating high and low pressures
C) evaporation and condensation
D) the  Coriolis effect

Question 20

The volume of gases, water vapor, and airborne particles that envelops Earth is the .

A) weather
B) atmosphere
C) Coriolis Effect
D) biosphere

Question 21

The power for tropical cyclones comes from .

A) static electricity
B) warm and cool air masses colliding
C) the Coriolis effect
D) the condensation of warm, moist air

Question 22

When air masses come together .

A) very little weather activity results
B) a tropical cyclone forms
C) the denser air mass slides beneath the lighter air mass forming a front.
D) the lighter air mass slides beneath the denser air mass forming a storm surge

Question 23

Tropical cyclones are most common in the equatorial South Atlantic.

Question 24

Extratropical cyclones typically form .

A) near the equator
B) at high latitudes, at the north or south pole
C) at high latitudes, at the junction between the polar cells and the Ferrel cells
D) in the tropics

Question 25

The uneven heating of the surface of Earth results in atmospheric convection currents.

Question 26

When viewed from above, tropical cyclones rotate in the Southern Hemisphere.

A) clockwise
B) counterclockwise
C) in either direction depending on the storm
D) poleward

Question 27

Air is never completely dry.

Question 28

The boundary between two air masses of different densities  is called a .

A) Hadley line
B) ITCZ
C) Hadley cell
D) front

Question 29

The most intense summer monsoons occur in Asia.

Question 30

Tropical cyclones are also called in the North Atlantic and eastern Pacific.

A) monsoons
B) tornadoes
C) hurricanes
D) nor'easters

Question 31

Which of the following conditions contributed most to the destructive nature of Hurricane Katrina?

A) a severe drop in temperature after the storm
B) very strong winds, up to 125 miles per hour
C) its pass over cooler waters before making landfall, causing the storm to strengthen
D) an exceptionally cold pocket of water over the Gulf of Mexico

Question 32

Oxygen is the primary component of air.

Question 33

Hadley atmospheric circulation cells are found at the mid-latitudes.

Question 34

Superstorm Sandy was the result of a collision between a nor'easter and an extratropical cyclone.

Question 35

Due to the Coriolis effect, objects are deflected to the right or clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 36

A is a pattern of wind circulation that changes with the seasons and generally results in wet summers and dry winters in parts of Africa and Asia.

A) monsoon
B) typhoon
C) hurricane
D) cyclone

Question 37

The area of high pressure and little surface wind, located at 30 °  latitude, is referred to as the .

A) subtropical low
B) intertropical convergence zone
C) horse latitudes
D) doldrums

Question 38

The change in the angle of the sun with latitude does not influence heating at Earth's surface.

Question 39

Cyclonic storms can form within or between air masses (a large body of air with a uniform density throughout).

Question 40

Most of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina was due to .

A) heavy rains
B) a huge storm surge
C) the low winds
D) the high temperatures

Question 41

With an understanding of global air circulation, world deserts are mostly found at which latitude?

A) 90° N&S
B) 60° N&S
C) 0°
D) 30° N&S

Question 42

Most pilots like to fly in the calm where airflow is less turbulent.

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

Question 43

Explain the distribution of solar heating across Earth. How does it vary? How are these variations balanced?

Question 44

If coastal winds are blowing offshore producing a land breeze, the time of day is most likely .

A) just after sunset
B) late morning
C) afternoon
D) noon

Question 45

An El Niño causes a reversal in the distribution of atmospheric pressure in what ocean?

A) along the equator of the Pacific and Atlantic
B) between the eastern and western Pacific
C) the Indian Ocean
D) between the eastern and western Atlantic

Question 46

The intensity and location of the monsoon activity depend on the position of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Monsoons follow ITCZ in the Northern Hemisphere's winter and in its summer.

A) east; west
B) north; south
C) south; north
D) west; east

Question 47

Which is the highest atmospheric layer gradually giving way to space?

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

Question 48

With regards to convection currents and installing a heater in a room, it would be best to place it .

A) along the west wall because atmospheric circulation moves from west to east
B) near the ceiling because warm air is more dense and will sink
C) near the floor because warm air will rise and circulate
D) anywhere because the warm air diffuses in all directions

Question 49

Approximately how much energy radiated toward Earth from the sun is absorbed?

A) 97%
B) 85%
C) 50%
D) 12%

Question 50

The inclination of Earth's axis causes the days to become in June and in December in the Southern Hemisphere.

A) longer; longer
B) shorter; longer
C) longer; shorter
D) shorter; shorter

Question 51

Which statement is true with regards to sea breezes?

A) Cooler inland rocks cause air to sink and push toward the sea.
B) Warmer ocean water causes air to rise and expand allowing cooler air over the land to move toward the sea.
C) Warmer inland rocks cause air to expand and rise allowing cooler air over the sea to move toward land.
D) Cooler ocean water causes warm air above to rise and move toward the upper layers of the land.

Question 52

At approximately which latitudes do air masses sink?

A) 0° and 45° N&S
B) 0° and 60° N&S
C) 30° N&S and 90° N&S
D) 30° N&S and 60° N&S

Question 53

Describe atmospheric convection.

Question 54

Explain how the relationship between the atmosphere and the ocean affects weather and climate.

Question 55

Earth's atmosphere and ocean are .

A) intertwined where their gases and waters exchange freely
B) two separate entities where their waters and gases stay within their own region
C) one structure that are indistinguishable
D) separated by their fresh and saline water bodies

Question 56

Buffalo, New York and Quito, Ecuador lie along the same line of longitude at 70°W. Buffalo lies closer to the North Pole; therefore, Buffalo travels than Quito when making one complete rotation.

A) slower and farther
B) faster and farther
C) slower and shorter
D) faster and shorter

Question 57

Explain the Coriolis Effect.

Question 58

Humid air is than dry air because molecules of water vapor than molecules of nitrogen and oxygen at the same temperature.

A) more dense; weigh more
B) less dense; weigh less
C) more dense; weigh less
D) less dense; weigh more

Question 59

When an air parcels rises, it .

A) cools and expands
B) contracts and warms
C) compresses and cools
D) expands and warms

Question 60

What is a hurricane and how does it form?

Question 61

The dependable surface winds of Ferrel cells centered at about 45° N&S latitudes are called trade winds.

Question 62

How do air masses cool and warm without removing or adding heat energy to it?

Question 63

When cooler air over the sea moves toward land to take the place of rising warm land air, it is called a sea breeze.

Question 64

As air sinks at the equator, it becomes drier caused by compression and heating.

Question 65

Over long periods of time the total incoming heat (plus that from earthly sources) equals the total outgoing heat.

Question 66

How does the temperature and water content of air influence its density?

Question 67

Why do tropical rainforests occur along the equator and world deserts occur near 30° N&S latitudes?

Question 68

How does the movement of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) influence monsoons?

Question 69

Differentiate between sea breezes and land breezes.

Question 70

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a specific time and place; climate is the long-term statistical sum of weather in an area.