Question 1

Suppose you travel to and from work on a street that runs due east to west. At which of the following times will the sun most likely shine directly in your eyes?

Accepted Answer

During the autumnal equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west, making it more likely to shine directly in your eyes when traveling on an east-west street.

Question 2

Which of the following explains the cause of the forcing associated with forced convection?

Accepted Answer

Forced convection is caused by external forces such as wind, which moves the fluid (air or water) and enhances the heat transfer process.

Question 3

During summer, how do the daily temperature ranges of humid regions typically compare to drier regions?

Accepted Answer

Humid regions typically have higher relative humidity, which means that the air is already moist and cannot hold as much heat. This results in smaller daily temperature ranges compared to drier regions, where the air is drier and can absorb more heat during the day and release more heat at night.

Question 4

Which of the following is the best time to reset a minimum thermometer?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is the best...

Question 5

Which of the following statements characterizes an equinox?

Accepted Answer

An equinox is characterized by the days and nights being of equal length, except at the poles. This occurs twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is directly lined up with the sun, causing equal amounts of sunlight to fall on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Question 6

If you are located at 40°N latitude, on which of the following dates would you be most concerned about sunburn?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you are located at 40°N latitude,...

Question 7

At Lima, Peru (latitude 12°S), on which of the following days is the sun overhead?

Accepted Answer

The sun is directly overhead at the equator (0° latitude) during the equinoxes, around March 21 and September 23. As Lima is located at 12°S latitude, the sun can only be directly overhead between these dates as it moves towards the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S latitude) until the December solstice. February 4 falls within this range, making it the correct choice.

Question 8

Which of the following approaches is the most effective to protect fruit trees from frost?

Accepted Answer

Spraying the trees with a fine mist of water protects them from frost by utilizing the latent heat released when water freezes. This heat can help keep the temperature around the tree above the critical temperature at which damage occurs.

Question 9

Which of the following times of day does radiation temperature inversion best develop?

Accepted Answer

Radiation temperature inversion occurs when the surface cools faster than the air, leading to a layer of cool air close to the ground. This generally happens at or near sunrise, when the ground has had all night to lose heat through radiation. In the afternoon and at noon, the sun is still providing warmth to the ground, making it less likely for radiation temperature inversion to occur. Sunset may also lead to an inversion, but it is not as strong as the one at sunrise.

Question 10

On which of the following days at the North Pole will the sun set below the horizon?

Accepted Answer

At the North Pole, the sun sets below the horizon once a year, marking the start of six months of darkness. This occurs around the September equinox, which is approximately September 23.

Question 11

Which of the following statements explains why there is less incoming solar radiation in middle latitudes in winter than in summer?

Accepted Answer

In winter, the Earth's tilt means that the sun's rays have to pass through more of the Earth's atmosphere to reach the surface at middle latitudes. This increased atmospheric thickness scatters and absorbs more of the solar radiation, reducing the intensity of sunlight that reaches the ground.

Question 12

When comparing the climates of Winnipeg and Vancouver, which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

Winnipeg has a continental climate, characterized by hot summers and bitterly cold winters, whereas Vancouver has an oceanic climate that is mild and moist throughout the year. Winnipeg experiences a higher annual range of temperature due to its continental climate, where the temperature can sometimes drop to -40°C in winter and peak at 35°C in summer. In contrast, Vancouver's temperature doesn't experience such a wide range throughout the year.

Question 13

Under which of the following conditions are orchard heaters and wind machines most useful for preventing damaging low temperatures at ground level?

Accepted Answer

Orchard heaters and wind machines are most effective in clear and calm nights as they work by preventing the formation of frost on plants. The heaters warm up the air around the plants, while the wind machines circulate the warmer air from higher up in the atmosphere down to the ground. In cloudy and snowy nights, the cloud cover acts as insulation, preventing the escape of heat from the ground. In windy nights, the heaters and wind machines are less effective as the wind causes the warm air to disperse, making it harder to maintain a warm microclimate around the plants.

Question 14

Which of the following is the name for lines connecting points of equal temperature?

Accepted Answer

Isotherms are lines connecting points of equal temperature. Isobars are lines connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure, thermographs are instruments used to measure temperature, and thermals are columns of warm air rising from the ground.

Question 15

Which of the following statements describes what tends to happen on the north-facing side of a hill in a mountainous region in Canada?

Accepted Answer

The north-facing side of a hill in a mountainous region in Canada receives less direct sunlight, which causes snow to remain on the ground for a longer period of time in winter, compared to the south-facing side. This can create different ecological conditions and plant species on each side.

Question 16

Which of the following instruments is usually a liquid-in-glass thermometer?

Accepted Answer

A liquid-in-glass thermometer is a type of thermometer in which a liquid (usually mercury or alcohol) expands or contracts as the temperature changes and is measured using a glass tube. The minimum thermometer is a type of liquid-in-glass thermometer that uses a constriction in the tube to trap the liquid at the lowest temperature reached, making it a good option for measuring the lowest temperature of the day. The radiometer is a device that measures the intensity of electromagnetic radiation, and is not a type of thermometer. Thermistors and electrical resistance thermometers are types of electronic thermometers that use changes in electrical resistance to measure temperature.

Question 17

Which of the following gives the most important reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are cooler than summers in the Northern Hemisphere?

Accepted Answer

The Southern Hemisphere has more water coverage than the Northern Hemisphere, which moderates temperatures and generally leads to cooler summers. Water has a higher heat capacity than land, absorbing more heat without a significant increase in temperature.

Question 18

Which of the following describes the length of days during late July at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere?

Accepted Answer

During late July at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are indeed more than 12 hours long. However, after the summer solstice (around June 21), the length of daylight gradually decreases each day, leading to shorter days as the year progresses towards autumn and winter.

Question 19

Suppose the minimum temperature reported in the newspaper is 2°C, but you notice ice crystals (frost) on the grass in the morning. Which of the following describes the most likely reason for this apparent discrepancy?

Accepted Answer

Temperature readings for official weather reports are typically taken in shelters about 1.5 metres above the ground to standardize measurements and reduce the impact of direct sunlight or surface radiation. This can lead to higher readings than the actual ground or grass surface temperature, where frost can form if the temperature drops to the freezing point or below, even if the official air temperature is reported to be above freezing.

Question 20

Which of the following describes the relationship between the annual variation of Earth-sun distance and seasonal weather changes?

Accepted Answer

The variation in Earth-sun distance over the course of a year is not the primary cause of seasonal weather changes. Instead, seasons are primarily due to the tilt of Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane, which changes the angle and intensity of sunlight received at different latitudes throughout the year.

Quiz 3: Seasonal and Daily Temperatures