Download it cools in the upper atmosphere

1. The land at the equator has the highest
average annual temperatures primarily due
to the fact that
A. It is closer to the sun
B. The midday sun is at a more
direct angle (closer to 90°) on
average.
C. It has the highest humidity
level
D. It has the highest air pressure
2. On December 21 at midday, the sun is
directly over head which latitude?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
30 °N
23.5 °N (Tropic of Cancer)
0 ° (the Equator)
23.5 °S (Tropic of Capricorn)
30 °S
3. Which of the following is correct about how cooling
air, such as with an air conditioner, and heating air, such
as with a furnace, affects the relative humidity of the
air?
A. Air conditioners decrease
the relative humidity and
furnaces increase it.
B. Air conditioners increase
the relative humidity and
furnaces decrease it.
C. Both increase
D. Both decrease
Cold air =
lower water
vapor
capacity
Relative Humidity= the percentage of water vapor in
the air as a percentage of the maximum it can hold at
that temperature.
10 °C air can hold
8 g/kg
20 °C air can hold
15 g/kg
If 7 g/kg then 88%
relative humidity
for 10 ° C.
7 g/kg is 47 %
relative humidity in
20 °C air.
Cooling increases
relative humidity
and can lead to
precipitation if
increases above
100%
30 °C air can hold
27 g/kg
7 g/kg is 26%
relative humidity
for 30 ° C air.
Heating decreases
the relative
humidity, if no
additional source
of water vapor.
4. Which type of air pressure is often associated
with precipitation, and why?
A. Low pressure air; air rises and cools
in the upper troposphere
B. Low pressure; air sinks and cools as
it moves closer to Earth
C. High pressure; air rises and cools in
the upper atmosphere
D. High pressure; air sinks and cools as
it moves closer to Earth.
Low pressure zones are created when hot
air rises. (As air rises there is less
pressure at the Earth’s surface).
But as that warm air rises, it cools in the
upper atmosphere. The colder air can no
longer hold as much moisture, which can
result in precipitation.
At an altitude of 10 km in the troposphere, the average temperature is – 60 °C.
COOLING in the Upper Atmosphere leads to
Condensation and Precipitation
HEATING at the Surface of the Earth leads to air
expanding and rising creating a LOW PRESSURE
zone.
5. Water has a _____ specific heat, which means that
compared to most other substances it require
________ energy to increase its temperature.
A.
B.
C.
D.
low; less
low; more
high; less
high; more
6. The temperature of water will increase
_______ compared to most other substances
given an equal amount of energy and it tends to
______ temperatures.
A.
B.
C.
D.
more; moderate
less; moderate
more; amplify
less; amplify
7. At a lake during the daytime, the wind usually
blows _____ because of ______ pressure over the
land.
A.
B.
C.
D.
from the lake (sea breeze); low
from the lake (sea breeze); high
from the land (land breeze); low
from the land (land breeze); high
The land is warmer than water during the day. (sand/soil have lower specific heat- take
less energy to heat than water/ greater temperature change with equal energy). This
differential in heating results in lower pressure over the land. Air moves towards this
lower pressure.
At night, the water does not cool off as quickly as the land (retains its heat). Thus there
is lower pressure over the sea at night.
8. In the Hadley convection cell, air _____ at the
equator, creating a _____ pressure zone at the
equator.
A.
B.
C.
D.
sinks; high
sinks; low
rises; high
rises; low
9. In the Hadley convection cell, air begins to sink
at latitudes of ____ N and S. Sinking air warms as it
moves closer to the Earth and therefore
precipitation is ________ likely at these latitudes.
A.
B.
C.
D.
23. 5 °; more
23. 5 °; less
30 °; more
30 °; less
10. The term westerly winds comes
from the fact that these winds
A.
B.
C.
D.
originate in the west
move towards the west
are named after John Westerly
are depicted in many cowboy
movies
11. The Coriolis Effect causes wind
and ocean currents to be deflected
A. to the right in the northern
hemisphere and the left in
the southern hemisphere.
B. to the left in the northern
hemisphere and the right
in the southern
hemisphere
C. to the right in both
hemispheres
D. to the left in both
hemispheres
On a piece of paper
• Draw a sphere
• Draw lines for the equator, 30° N and S, 60 ° N and S
• Discuss with the person next to you how to draw the 6
major bands of prevailing winds
Hints: Remember that the Coriolis effect deflects to the
right in the Northern hemisphere
To draw the bands between 0-30 °, remember that there is a
LOW Pressure zone at the equator (due to Hadley cell)
To draw the bands between 30 °-60 °, remember there is a
high pressure zone at 30 °.
12. Recall the direction of the wind along the
surface of the earth between 0 and 30 N (Hadley
cell) and the deflection of the Coriolis effect. These
combine for ________ winds in the 0- 30 N zone.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Northwesterly
Northeasterly
Southwesterly
Southeasterly
13. The Great Barrier Mountain Range in Australia is
at a latitude of about 25° S. You would expect
the _______ side of this mountain range to be
rainier because it is on the ______ side.
A.
B.
C.
D.
west; leeward
west; windward
east; leeward
east; windward
Note- in Australia (at 25S) the direction of the winds would be reversed from the diagram
above since it is in the trade winds zone. See diagram below.
Between 30 S and the equator- east side of mountains is the windward side.
14. The tropical rainforest has ___ soil
due to _______.
A. rich; fast
decomposition of dead
organisms
B. poor; slow
decomposition of dead
organisms
C. poor ; fast recycling of
nutrients
D. poor; slow recycling of
nutrients
E. rich; fast recycling of
nutrients
The hot, moist conditions in a tropical rainforest allow many
living things, including decomposers, to thrive. Organic
matter is quickly decomposed. However, these nutrients are
quickly recycled into all living things. Thus most of the
nutrients in a tropical rainforest are found in the living
organisms.
Note the very thin layer of dark organic matter in this tropical
rainforest soil profile.
15. Which biome typically has the
richest soil?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Taiga
Chaparral
Grasslands
Temperate
Deciduous Forest
E. Tundra
16. The two biomes with the lowest precipitation
are the desert and the ________________
1. grasslands
2. tundra
3. temperate
deciduous forest
4. chaparral
Cold air can not hold much moisture. Due to
this fact the tundra (and also to a lesser extent
the taiga) receive very little precipitation. But
due to the year round cold temperatures, the
snow that does fall accumulates.
17. A TROPICAL deciduous forest is one that
______________ in order to conserve water in the
___________________ .
A. has needles instead of leaves ;
colder season
B. has needles instead of leaves ;
drier season
C. sheds its leaves annually;
colder season
D. sheds its leaves annually; drier
season
Deciduous means to shed leaves.
Tropical rainforests have broad leaved trees that are evergreen (do not shed their
leaves) Note that we often use the terms coniferous and evergreen as synonyms
since they are the cone-bearing trees are generally the only evergreen trees at our
latitude. But these two terms are not the same.
At latitudes near the tropics (23.5
N or S), where the temperatures
are quite hot year round, but
there is a more pronounced dry
season. Tropical deciduous
forests are often found near
these latitudes.
18. What is the
approximate relative
humidity of air that is 40 °C
and has 10 g/m3 of water
vapor?
A.
B.
C.
D.
75%
25 %
20 %
10 %
19. If the air cools to 10
C, (but still has 10 g/m3
of water vapor) its
relative humidity
A.
B.
C.
D.
Increases to 100 %
Increases to 66%
Stays the same
Decreases to 10 %
20. When viewed from the North Pole the Earth
rotates _________ and when viewed from the South
Pole, the Earth rotates _________ .
A. Clockwise;
Counterclockwise
B. Counterclockwise;
Clockwise
C. Clockwise for both
D. Counterclockwise for
both
21. An missile moving towards the equator in
the Southern hemisphere, would have a _______
rotational velocity than the ground below it. This
difference would cause an apparent deflection to
the _____________ .
A.
B.
C.
D.
Faster; right
Slower; right
Faster; left
Slower; left
Remember that the East/West direction of a leftward deflection in
the Southern Hemisphere depends on North/South motion. When
an object moves south in the Southern Hemisphere it s rotational
velocity is faster than the ground’s.
1. B
2. D
3. B
4. A
5. D
6. B
7. A
8. D
9. D
10.A
11.A
12.B
13.D
14.C
15.C
16.B
17.D
18.C
19.A
20.B
21.D