GY 101 Midterm – Flashcards
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As the zenith angle ____ the amount of energy reaching the surface ____
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increases, decreases
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As one approaches the equator, the angle of incidence ____ and the atmosphere attenuation ______
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increases, decreases
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Which of the following involves energy storage in the water molecule in the form of latent heat?
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melting, evaporation, sublimation
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Electromagnetic radiation is generated from all of the following EXCEPT
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unconfined waves that radiate out in all directions
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Which of the following is true regarding phase changes?
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Energy is released from going from a higher to a lower energy state
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All of the following is true regarding shortwave radiation that reaches the earth's surface EXCEPT.
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heating of the atmosphere by insolation is more effective than heating of the atmosphere by land and water
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On equinox
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tilt is neither inclined toward or away from the sun
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Which ranges for incoming light and UV radiation would be absorbed and scattered the most?
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.02-.03 microns
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During December solstice the
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entire area poleward of the Arctic Circle remains out of sunlight
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Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between molecular motion, wavelength, and temperature?
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as temperature increases, molecular motion increases, wavelength decreases
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Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation are arranged in the proper decreasing order of energy?
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blue light, infrared, AM radio
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All of the following are true regarding sunspot activity EXCEPT
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more sunspot activity means less overall energy emitted from the sun
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Which of the following locations would experience a slight radiative energy deficit?
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The southern states of the US
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Electromagnetic radiation
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is composed of interacting electrical and magnetic fields
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Potential energy would best be expressed when
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changing a liquid to a gas
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Which of the following processes is primarily responsible for the sky's blue color?
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scattering
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Which of the following involves the release of latent heat back into the environment?
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deposition
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What atmospheric layer is the home of weather, has the greatest density of gas molecules, and has a decrease in temperature with height?
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troposphere
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Without greenhouse gases, earth's temperature would be
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-18 C
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During the June solstice, the circle of illumination completely shades out.
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points south of the Antarctic Circle but completely illuminates points north of the Arctic Circle
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Approximately percentage of insolation arriving at the top of the atmosphere is eventually absorbed by the ground?
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50%
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The surface temperatures of a metal plate, piece of wood, and piece of plastic were measured with an infrared thermometer. Air
line above 20°C. Which object's surface recorded the lowest temperature?
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all measured the same
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On what day does the sun have its lowest zenith angle and sets/rises farthest north?
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summer solstice
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All of the following involve the input of energy EXCEPT:
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freezing
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All of the following will warm the local environment EXCEPT.
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evaporation
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An object emits a range of electromagnetic energy wave lengths because
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not all molecules vibrate at the same speed
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Santa Ana winds involve dry
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northeast winds from Mojave desert
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In accordance with Boyle's Law, a gas under constant temperature will ____________ in volume when the pressure is ____________.
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decrease, increase
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Which scenario would create the GREATEST deflection for a wind by the Coriolis effect?
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high latitude, accelerating, fast moving wind
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A mountain or katabatic breeze is created when
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air from higher elevations is cooled more efficiently and sinks, creating a downslope breeze
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A strong trough in a Rossby wave occurs when the jet stream
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bends away from the poles
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jet streams
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blow west to east in both hemispheres
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Which of the following best describes air circulation at high latitudes?
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cold dense air sinks at the poles, flows outward away from the poles, and rises between 60 and 45 degrees latitude
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The Hadley cell is characterized by
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low pressure, rising air over the equator, high pressure, sinking air at 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south
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If a gas is heated to a higher temperature and the pressure does not change
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the density will decrease
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All of the following would contribute to destructive wildfires promoted by Santa Ana winds EXCEPT
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sea breeze
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In the Southern Hemisphere the westerlies are created by the Coriolis Effect acting on air moving
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south from the subtropical high to the subplot low
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Which of the following circulation patterns is characteristic of a cyclone or low pressure in the Southern Hemisphere?
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air flowing inward, clockwise
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Which of the following conditions could best promote drier conditions to the Asian continent?
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1040mb, outward clockwise flow
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A parcel of air at the surface is heated which expands the air and increases the parcel's volume. If the same number of air molecules occupy
the greater volume, density decreases. The increase in volume results in lower pressure. What will happen to the air surrounding this parcel?
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denser air flows in to replace the rising air
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If a gas cools under constant pressure, the molecules within it have ______ kinetic energy (motions) and can therefore
_______________.
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less, be packed into a smaller volume
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To create a sea breeze
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the warm air over the land rises, creating low pressure.
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In accordance with Charles Law, a gas under constant pressure will ____________ when ____________.
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expand, heated
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In the northern hemisphere objects are deflected to the
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right, irrespective of which way its moving
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In the southern hemisphere objects are deflected to the
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left, irrespective of which way its moving
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Which properly describes surface winds within the Tropics?
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winds blowing from the northeast to the southwest in the northern hemisphere
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Which of the following statements is true regarding the relationship between air pressure and altitude?
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as one moves up in the atmosphere, pressure decreases, as one moves closer to the earth's surface, pressure
increases
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Which of the following circulation patterns is characteristic of a cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere?
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dry air flowing from Siberian high
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The strongest katabatic winds form
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mountain breezes in Antarctica and Greenland
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Which of the following circulation patterns is characteristic of an anticyclone or high pressure in the Southern Hemisphere?
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air flowing outward, counterclockwise
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All of the following is true regarding the flow of air aloft in the mid-latitudes EXCEPT.
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east to west flow
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Dynamic forcing of upper air currents will create
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upper air convergence at A that results in surface high pressure
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Regarding pressure, latitude, and water vs land
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air pressure is high over oceans at 30 degrees because descending air warms less over the cool oceans
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More and more wind deflection occurs with height because
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friction decreases with height and deflection by the Coriolis Effect increases with wind speed.
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Atmospheric pressure can be measured in all of the following units EXCEPT
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barometer units
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All of the following are true regarding the polar cell EXCEPT
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weak Coriolis Effect
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The polar cell
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has high pressure center over land in the southern hemisphere
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A true difference between north and south polar areas is
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North pole is over ocean, South pole is over land
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Friction
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is greater near the ground surface
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In accordance with the pressure gradient
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air is more tightly packed in high pressure zones and moves toward low pressure zones
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Urban areas heat up more rapidly than surrounding countryside. This can result in
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low pressure over urban areas with polluted air flowing aloft and then the polluted air sinking over the surrounding countryside
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Which of the following circulation patterns is characteristic of an anticyclone in the Northern Hemisphere?
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dry air flowing from Siberian high
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Which of the following statements is true regarding high or low pressure for a parcel of air at the surface?
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lower temperature, higher density, cold air sinks, higher pressure at surface
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Which of the following best describes the low pressure cell centered for most of the year over the equator?
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consistent insolation, warm temperatures, abundant rainfall
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Winds at high latitudes are out of the
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east
