Download GES 100 Exam 2 Review

GES 1000 OL1: Climate and Vegetation – Exam 2 Review
Exam 2 will be conducted Monday April 7 from 4:45 – 7:15 PM in COB 329.
There are 2 exam sessions: 4:45-6:00 PM and 6:00-7:15 PM. You should attend the same exam
session as exam 1.
E-mail me ([email protected]) if you are uncertain about your assigned exam session.
You should arrive promptly at the start of your exam session to ensure you have adequate time
to complete the exam as exams will end right on schedule.
THIS EXAM ONLY: You may bring one 3” x 3” sticky note with formulas (only! – no other notes or
information) on 1 side to use during this exam.
Show it to me as you enter to take an exam, and turn it in attached to your exam upon completion.
Material Covered:
McKnight Text: Chapters 5, 6, 7
Labs 5, 6, 7
There will be both a hard copy portion of the exam and a Blackboard portion of the exam.
Blackboard
The multiple choice and matching sections of the exam are on Blackboard.
Section 1: Multiple Choice on Blackboard (30 points)
There will be 30 multiple choice questions. As you review, pay particular attention to the chapter outlines
(http://web.uccs.edu/geogenvs/ges100-online/outlines.htm) and practice quizzes (on Blackboard).
More than half the multiple-choice questions on the test come directly from the practice quizzes.
Section 2: Matching on Blackboard (20 points)
There will be 20 definitions on the exam taken from the list of terms below. The hard copy of the
exam will include this exact same list of terms. You will match the appropriate term from the list
provided to each of the 20 definitions on Blackboard.
Check the chapter outlines and the glossary (at the back of the text) for the correct definitions.
Knowing the meanings of these terms will help you in all portions of the exam, not just the matching!
atmospheric pressure
barometer
isobar
pressure gradient
Coriolis effect
geostrophic wind
anticyclone
cyclone
Hadley cell
ITCZ
monsoon
katabatic wind
Chinook wind
evaporation
latent heat
evapotranspiration
potential evapotranspiration
relative humidity
absolute humidity
dew point temperature
condensation
stable air
convective precipitation
orographic precipitation
rainshadow
frontal precipitation
isohyet
front
Saffir-Simpson scale
Section 3: The Hardcopy Portion of the Exam - Diagrams and Problems (50 points)
You should be familiar with diagrams and graphs and able to solve problems associated with the
topics treated in this unit. Pay particular attention to the following topics:
1. surface cyclones and anticyclones
a. You should understand and be able to sketch the wind patterns associated with surface
cyclones and anticyclones in both the northern and southern hemisphere.
b. You should understand the forces that determine wind direction, especially the pressure
gradient force and the Coriolis effect.
2. general atmospheric circulation and global surface winds and pressures
a. You should have an understanding of the general atmospheric circulation pattern.
b. You should know the names of the major surface wind belts.
c. You should have an understanding of wind directions in the major wind belts.
3. humidity
a. You should understand the relationship between absolute and relative humidity and be able
to compute associated problems.
4. adiabatic lapse rate
a. You should understand what the adiabatic lapse rate is and be able to complete adiabatic
lapse rate problems.
You are not expected to memorize the values of the different lapse rates – you will be given
them on the exam.
5. air masses that affect North America
a. You should understand the nomenclature for air masses based on their source regions.
b. You should be familiar with and able to locate the air masses that impact North America.
6. cold and warm fronts
a. You should be familiar with the different types of weather fronts.
b. You should be able to draw a simplified cross section of each type.
7. synoptic weather maps
a. You should be able to identify and/or determine the following on a synoptic weather map:
(1) warm and cold fronts
(2) individual weather station data:
(a) temperatures – current and dew point
(b) wind direction (not speed)
(c) barometric pressure
GES 1000 - Exam 2 Review Sheet – p. 2 of 3
Basic Concepts from this Unit You Should Understand
1. Global Winds and Pressures
 pressure gradient: air moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
 Coriolis effect – Because the earth rotates, free moving objects (air, fluids) near the
earth's surface appear to be deflected:
 to the right/clockwise in the northern hemisphere
 to the left/counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere
 pressure centers:
 in a high pressure center or anticyclone air descends and diverges
 in a low pressure center or cyclone air converges and rises
 The following are the major global pressure belts and resultant winds:
 ITCZ (~along equator): warm air rises as part of the Hadley cell circulation system
producing low pressure at the surface
 ~ 30oN and S: air descends producing the subtropical high pressure zone at the
surface where descending air diverges generating the following 2 major wind belts in
both the northern and southern hemispheres:
 northeast or southeast trade winds blowing from the subtropical high toward ITCZ
 westerlies blowing from subtropical high (~30oN/S) toward the poles (~60oN/S)
 ~ 90o N and S: air descends producing the polar high pressure zone at the surface
generating the polar easterlies
2. Relative Humidity
 Relative humidity refers to the actual amount of water vapor in the air compared to the
maximum water vapor air could hold at that temp. It is a ratio expressed as a percentage:
(Actual water vapor in air  Capacity) x 100
 There is an inverse relationship between temperature and relative humidity:
Assuming no change in the amount of water vapor in the air,
 as temperature increases, relative humidity decreases
 as temperature decreases, relative humidity increases
 On a typical day (assuming no change in amount of water vapor in air) the following is true:
 relative humidity is high in the morning when the temperature is lower
 relative humidity declines in the afternoon when the air is warmer
 The dew point temperature is temp at which air reaches saturation (relative humidity = 100%)
3. Adiabatic Lapse Rate
 Adiabatic temperature change applies only to air in vertical movement.
 There are 3 parts to an adiabatic problem:
1. the dry ascent: rising air cools by expansion at a constant rate: 5.5oF/1,000 ft
2. the wet ascent (after the air reaches the dew point temperature): rising air cools by
expansion at a slower, variable rate
3. the dry descent: air warms by compression at a constant rate: 5.5oF/1,000 ft
 Air on a mountain's leeward side arrives drier and warmer than it began = a rainshadow
4. Weather Systems
 Air masses are classified on the basis of their source region: the nature of the surface
correlates with humidity content; latitude correlates with temperature
 A front is the boundary between 2 unlike air masses. Warm air overrides colder air.
 Warm fronts are characterized by gentle slopes, preceding clouds and gentle precipitation.
 Cold fronts are characterized by a steep front, rapid advance, and intense, brief precipitation.
GES 1000 - Exam 2 Review Sheet – p. 3 of 3