Deck 12: Climate Change

Question 1

Microclimate refers to the ____.

A) climate of a valley or forest
B) climatic conditions inside a house or building
C) climatic changes that occur over a short period of time
D) small climatic region near the ground

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When the average temperature of the warmest month of a region averages above freezing, but below 50 ° F, you might expect to observe what type of vegetation there?

A) savanna grass
B) tundra
C) taiga
D) no vegetation; the temperatures are too low for growth

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The climate of an area about the size of a town would be described as a(n) ____.

A) mesoclimate
B) macroclimate
C) microclimate
D) urban climate

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which section of the United States is most likely to experience a persistent subsidence inversion during the summer?

A) Pacific Coastal regions
B) Central Plains
C) Southern Florida
D) Atlantic Coastal regions

Question 5

The rainiest places in the world are usually located ____.

A) downwind from mountain ranges
B) on the windward side of mountains
C) in the middle of continents
D) along the western side of continents

Question 6

The lowest mean temperatures in the world occur in ____.

A) Northwestern Europe
B) the Arctic
C) the Antarctic
D) Northern Siberia

Question 7

The Köppen scheme for classifying climates employs annual and monthly averages of ____.

A) temperature and precipitation
B) precipitation and stream runoff
C) ocean levels and surface pressure
D) sunshine and soil type

Question 8

Most of Canada lies within which climatic type?

A) B
B) C
C) D
D) E

Question 9

In Köppen's system of classifying climates, dry climates are designated by the letter ____.

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 10

To be considered a moist continental climate, ____.

A) winter snowfall must exceed summer rainfall
B) monthly average temperatures must fall below 27 ° F during the winter
C) total rainfall must exceed 60 inches
D) a region must be located more than 500 miles from the nearest ocean

Question 11

The highest temperatures on the earth occur in ____.

A) tropical rainforests
B) subtropical deserts of the Northern Hemisphere
C) subtropical deserts of the Southern Hemisphere
D) west coast climates found at mid-latitudes

Question 12

Factors that produce the climate in any given place are called ____.

A) climatic pressures
B) climatic changes
C) climatic controls
D) weather controls

Question 13

Deserts that experience low clouds and drizzle tend to be found mainly ____.

A) in the center of continents
B) in the rain shadow of a mountain
C) on the eastern side of continents
D) on the western side of continents

Question 14

Average monthly temperatures that exceed 32 ° F but remain below 50 ° F is characteristic of ____.

A) the polar ice cap (EF) climate zone
B) the subpolar (Dfc) climate zone
C) the polar tundra (ET) climate zone
D) the alpine (An) climate zone

Question 15

Which climate type normally has the largest annual range in temperature?

A) tropical climates
B) humid-subtropical climates
C) subpolar climates
D) dry

Question 16

Thawing of an upper layer of permafrost would most likely be observed in which climatic type?

A) polar ice cap
B) humid continental with warm summers
C) humid subtropical
D) polar tundra

Question 17

A taiga forest would be found in which climatic type?

A) tropical rainforest
B) polar tundra
C) humid subtropical
D) subpolar

Question 18

Which letter represents an area where rapid changes in elevation produce sharp changes in climate, making the delineation of climatic regions impossible in Köppen's climate classification system?

A) A
B) C
C) E
D) H

Question 19

A region with long, very cold winters and average temperatures that exceed 50 ° F only one or two months during the summer would have ____ climate.

A) a subpolar (Dfc)
B) a polar tundra (ET)
C) a polar ice cap (EF)
D) an alpine (An)

Question 20

A rainshadow desert is normally found ____.

A) in the center of a large surface anticyclone
B) on the back (western) side of a large thunderstorm
C) in polar regions where the air is cold and dry
D) on the downwind side of a mountain range

Question 21

The earth's rainforests are found in ____.

A) humid subtropical (Cfa) climates
B) tropical wet (Af) climates only
C) tropical wet and dry (Aw) climates
D) tropical dry (Aw) climates only

Question 22

Savanna grass would most likely be associated with which climate type?

A) tropical rainforest (Af)
B) tropical monsoon (Am)
C) semi-arid (BS)
D) tropical wet-and-dry (Aw)

Question 23

Which climate type would normally have the highest afternoon temperatures during the summer?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Question 24

One would most likely see xerophytes in which climatic type?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) E

Question 25

The term monsoon refers to ____.

A) the short summer rainy season observed in some locations
B) a short dry season
C) a period of heavy rainfall produced by thunderstorms
D) a seasonal reversal of winds

Question 26

One would most likely experience steppe vegetation in a ____.

A) semi-arid climate
B) humid subtropical climate
C) subpolar climate
D) tropical wet-and-dry climate

Question 27

When the average temperature of the warmest month averages 32 ° F or below, Köppen classified this as a(n) ____ climate.

A) subpolar
B) polar ice cap
C) polar tundra
D) arctic

Question 28

A city on the west coast of the United States with mild winters and a long cool summer would have a ____ climate.

A) moist subtropical (Cfb)
B) tropical wet and dry (Aw)
C) moist continental (Dfa)
D) semi arid (BS)

Question 29

The climate of a city situated high in the mountains of the middle latitudes would, according to Köppen, be classified as ____.

A) tundra
B) subpolar
C) alpine
D) highland

Question 30

Locations at middle latitudes with monthly average temperatures in the coldest months that are below 64 ° F, but above 27 ° F have ____ climates.

A) humid subtropical
B) moist continental
C) semi arid
D) steppe

Question 31

A city located on the east coast of the United States with hot, muggy summers and mild winters (the average temperature of the coldest month is above 27 ° F) has a ____ climate.

A) moist subtropical (Cfa) climate
B) Mediterranean (Cs) climate
C) tropical wet and dry climate (Aw)
D) moist continental (Dfa)

Question 32

According to the Köppen classification scheme, which climate type occupies the most land area in the world?

A) moist tropical climates
B) dry climates
C) moist subtropical mid-latitude climates
D) moist continental climates

Question 33

In a dry climate, ____.

A) potential evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation
B) there are no plants
C) air temperatures seldom drop below freezing and days are always hot
D) winters are short, but cold

Question 34

The tropical wet-and-dry climate is influenced mainly by the ____.

A) polar front and the subtropical highs
B) polar front and the ITCZ
C) subtropical highs and polar front
D) ITCZ and subtropical highs

Question 35

In a tropical wet-and-dry climate, the dry season occurs with the ____.

A) high sun period (summer)
B) low sun period (winter)
C) close proximity of the ITCZ
D) subtropical lows

Question 36

According to Köppen's classification of climates, marine climates are observed in the United States mainly along ____.

A) the Pacific Northwest coast
B) coastal areas of the middle Atlantic states
C) the coast of New England
D) the Gulf Coast

Question 37

Which climatic region will likely have the largest daily temperature range?

A) tropical wet climate
B) arid climate
C) east coast marine climate
D) Mediterranean climate

Question 38

The climate classification for a region where copious rains fall throughout much of the year, except for a short one or two month dry period, would probably be ____.

A) tropical wet (Af)
B) moist subtropical (Cs)
C) tropical monsoon (Am)
D) humid continental (Dfa)

Question 39

A humid subtropical climate is found in what region of the United States?

A) Southwest
B) Southeast
C) Central Plains
D) Southern California

Question 40

Mediterranean climates are characterized by ____.

A) mild, wet winters and mild to hot, dry summers
B) cold, wet winters and hot, humid summers
C) cold, relatively dry winters and mild, humid summers
D) mild, wet winters and mild, humid summers

Question 41

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Would LONGITUDE or LATITUDE generally have the greatest effect on a region's climate?

Question 42

The climate of a large state or small nation is called a mesoclimate.

Question 43

The topmost part of soil will thaw out and become swampy and muddy in a region with a polar tundra climate.

Question 44

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Along the West Coast of the United States, the greatest precipitation amounts occur during the WINTER | SUMMER.

Question 45

Why do mountain ranges pose a problem for a generalized climate classification system?

Question 46

What is a monsoon?

Question 47

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Sinking air is best established and the driest conditions are found on the EASTERN | WESTERN side of a subtropical high pressure center.

Question 48

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Landmasses heat up and cool off MORE | LESS quickly than large bodies of water.

Question 49

What is permafrost?

Question 50

Why are there greater variations in temperatures between summer and winter over continental interiors versus coastal regions?

Question 51

The Köppen system classifies the world's climate regions based on dominant vegetation types and monthly average precipitation.

Question 52

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. You might expect to find record TEMPERATURES | PRECIPITATION in a mountainous region in the tropics.

Question 53

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. The Pacific high found off the West Coast of the United States moves NORTH | SOUTH in the summer.

Question 54

Despite the fact that the average monthly temperature never rises above freezing, a variety of plant types are able to survive in a polar ice cap climate.

Question 55

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Is the greatest summer/winter temperature variation found in the INTERIOR of a continent or along a COASTLINE?

Question 56

Regions where potential evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation are classified as dry climates.

Question 57

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. The coldest region on earth is the NORTH | SOUTH pole.

Question 58

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Do the isotherms on a map of mean annual temperatures usually lie in a NORTH-SOUTH or an EAST-WEST orientation?

Question 59

What do the terms microclimate, mesoclimate, and macroclimate mean?

Question 60

Instructions: Choose one answer from each pair or group of selections. Precipitation is ABUNDANT | SCARCE in polar regions.

Question 61

Explain why it is not necessary to visit the earth's North Pole or South Pole to experience a polar environment.

Question 62

Compare the characteristics of savanna versus steppe regions.

Question 63

Temperatures across the United States have been warming in recent decades, which may cause climate boundaries to shift in some areas. Discuss how to assess this situation.

Question 64

There are certain regions of the world that stand out as being wet or dry. Where do we find the wettest and driest climates of the world? Explain why these global precipitation patterns occur.

Question 65

Describe what a drought is. What was the "Dust Bowl" of the United States and how was it created?