GEO2200 Exam 1 (Quizzes 1-5)

A dynamic system refers to a system in which

0° of latitude is found at the ______ and the 90° of latitude is found at the _____.

The difference between open and closed systems is that

The significance of any great circle is that it always

The most direct example of an atmosphere-lithosphere exchange is

If two places have the same latitude but different longitudes,

Geographic factors are important when considering environmental issues or when evaluating potential sites for a new agricultural area or business because

One of the main roles of plants in biogeochemical cycles is to

The concept of overlay in geographic information systems (GIS) refers to the

When you shake fish food into in an aquarium, you are contributing to a(n)

A snowball that rolls down a hill, gradually gaining more and more mass and rolling faster and faster as it continues, would be an example of a(n)

All of the following are likely effects of deforestation except

Which of the following is true of meridians?

Which of the following is an example of a small circle?

When the lithosphere and biosphere interact,

The lithosphere refers to the

What types of remote sensing are used by geographers?

If a researcher wanted to identify and map healthy vegetation using remote sensing, she would be most likely to use data that detects what type of energy?

The only temperature scale that relates changes in internal energy to the absolute amount of heat gained or lost by a system is the

All of the following involve the input of energy EXCEPT:

What atmospheric layer is the home of weather, has the greatest density of gas molecules, and has a decrease in temperature with height?

All of the following is true in regard to the earth's radiation balance EXCEPT.

Latent heat is the energy which is required to change the state of matter. For water, it is the energy required to change its phase, such as melting ice or boiling water.

The most important greenhouse gas for retaining a variety of outgoing longwave radiation is

Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between molecular motion, wavelength, and temperature?

Which of the letters represents the summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere?

In regard to the shortwave energy entering the earth's atmosphere, most is.

Land heats and cools more rapidly than the ocean because of its

Land heats and cools more rapidly than oceans because of

Which of the following letters represents when the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn?

As the zenith angle _____ the amount of energy reaching the surface _____.

Which of the water columns would experience the greatest temperature differences with depth?

On June 21st which location will be receiving 24 hrs of daylight?

Which of the following processes is primarily responsible for the sky's blue color?

Below, you are given the mean monthly temperatures for Memphis, San Francisco, Irkutsk (Russia) and Santos (Brazil). The annual ranges of temperature in Memphis and San Francisco are quite different (calculate them to see the magnitude). Which of the following BEST explains the difference in these ranges? You can refer to a map if you are unfamiliar where any of cities are located.

The Earth is "constantly" bathed in solar radiation. On average, the Earth receives 345 W/m2 of solar radiation at the outer edge of the atmosphere. This quantity is called the "solar constant". However, the actual quantity that reaches the Earth's surface varies from place to place and day to day because of the orientation of the Earth with respect to the Sun and the spherical geometry of the Earth and its atmosphere. Insolation at the Earth's surface is the amount of radiant energy from the Sun that makes it through the Earth's atmosphere and impacts upon a unit surface area of the Earth over a given period of time. The amount of insolation received at the surface depends on a few variables, including 1) the zenith angle, 2) length of day, 3) path length through the atmosphere, and 4) atmospheric conditions (clear, foggy, hazy, cloudy, etc). Seasonal and daily temperature changes are largely controlled by changes in insolation. We learned about zenith angle, which determines intensity of solar radiation reaching the top of Earth's atmosphere. Something to think about: Why is zenith angle so important, and why are we studying zenith angle in physical geography? Please study the following figure and choose the BEST answer.

A small zenith angle means what?

At the equator (0°), which of the following is TRUE? Select the best answer.

Which of the following statements are TRUE? Select all of the correct statements. 1. The Earth is closest to the sun during the perihelion. 2. The Earth is closest to the sun during the aphelion. 3. Both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience summer at the same time. 4. The Earth is closest to the sun during Northern Hemisphere winter. 5. The tilt in the Earth's axis is what causes Earth's seasons. 6. Earth's proximity to the sun is what causes Earth's seasons.

What two factors, both resulting from the earth's tilt, are most important in contributing to the seasons? Together, these two factors determine the total amount of solar radiation incident on the top of Earth's atmosphere. Please choose TWO correct answers.

The Earth receives energy in the form of electro-magnetic radiation from the Sun. Select all of the following statements that are TRUE. 1. The Earth receives energy in mostly short wave radiation around 0.5 microns, and also the Earth itself emits energy in mostly long wave radiation (10 microns). 2. The Earth receives energy from Sun, which is then trapped forever within the Earth's atmosphere. 3. The Earth receives energy in mostly long wave radiation around 10 microns, and then the Earth itself emits energy in mostly short wave radiation (0.5 microns). 4. Most of the energy received from the Sun is in the visible light spectrum. 5. Earth's atmosphere blocks the shortest wave radiation such as gamma rays, x-rays, and some ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface of the Earth.

Which of the following best describes the low pressure cell centered for most of the year over the equator?

More and more wind deflection occurs with height because.

A mountain or katabatic breeze is created when

In the Northern hemisphere, winds are deflected to the right due to the Coriolis force. As a result, winds blow counterclockwise around low pressure systems and clockwise around high pressure systems. Due to the combination of pressure gradient and Corolis forces, from what direction would you expect the winds to be blowing at A, in the Gulf of Mexico to the west of the low pressure system? (Remember that wind direction is named for the direction from which it is blowing!)

In the northern hemisphere objects are deflected to the

Atmospheric pressure can be measured in all of the following units EXCEPT.

Which properly describes surface winds within the Tropics?

Coriolis effect is the _____ deflection of objects moving across the surface of the Earth from their ______ path.

Which of the following BEST explains the descending air at 30 °N (the descending branch of the Hadley cell in the Northern Hemisphere)?

Jet streams.

Using the insolation diagram, name the correct sequence of surface pressure zones associated with latitude zones. Start from the equator and move toward the poles.

"N" on the globe represents the northern hemisphere; "S" on the globe represents the southern hemisphere; ITC stands for the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Where will the ITC shift in July?

In accordance with the pressure gradient

Which of the following best describes air circulation at high latitudes?

The less mass an object has, the stronger the Coriolis effect will be for that object.

If a gas cools under constant pressure, the molecules within it have ______ kinetic energy (motions) and can therefore _______________.

Regarding pressure, latitude, and water vs land.

This diagram features a

Which of the following statements is true regarding the relationship between air pressure and altitude?

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?

Given the prevailing wind direction indicated by the arrow, where would you expect temperatures to be warmest and the humidity lowest?

Given the prevailing wind direction indicated by the arrow, where would you expect air to be cooling at the saturated adiabatic lapse rate?

Convergence resulting in rising atmospheric motion at the surface can occur in all of the following settings EXCEPT

At what point on this water vapor saturation curve graph will water vapor be deposited on ice crystals while liquid water droplets will evaporate?

An important property of water is its ability to act as a good solvent. This could best be explained by water's

A tropical cyclone will be weakened by

Which phenomena involves the most equations in weather forecasting models?

A tropical cyclone will be strengthened by

A tropical cyclone in the southern hemisphere rotates __________ and has a storm track turning ____________

On weather maps, cold fronts are depicted by_____.

The molecular structure of water has an asymmetrical arrangement of hydrogen atoms causing

The specific humidity of air changes when there is a change in

The east coasts of mid-latitude continents are generally

For precipitation to occur

Which of the following is true about the important Bergeron precipitation process?

If a storm can survive the west side of an easterly wave, there is a chance it can intensify into a hurricane. Which of the following is correct regarding an easterly wave?

Which of the following is true concerning the Saffir-Simpson scale EXCEPT:

Cold fronts are associated with

When contrasting a weather warning, with a weather watch, the warning is usually designated for a _____________ area and means you should ________________

Most Atlantic tropical cyclones have their origin in

Which of the following locations would be characterized by drier and warmer conditions during a La Niña?

With height, wind speed in the atmosphere would _______________. With depth, the effect of wind on the water column would _________________.

In the Northern Hemisphere cold currents tend to flow from the ____________. In the Southern Hemisphere warm currents tend to flow from the ________________:

Which gives rise to equatorial upwelling?

A Kelvin wave develops when:

Subtropical waters are typically more saline than equatorial waters because of

At what point on the graph does the density of water begin to decrease? ______ The temperature at this point is _______°C.

The dominant control in global sea surface temperature is

During the warm phase of ENSO, warmest waters are found along the

In regard to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is air mainly descending at ____, and rising at ___.

Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) are warmest

Warm oceanic pools form in areas of

During a La Niña phase, excess warm water accumulates in

During the warm phase of ENSO, a belt of much warmer than normal water appears along the_____.

In regard to ocean salinity, temperature, and density:

Water's salinity can be increased by

The air above this current is characterized by extremely strong pressure gradients and relative lack of land interruptions which induce extremely strong westerly winds.

During the warm phase of the El Nino, the ITCZ is drawn south and west of its normal position. This has the effect of

A strong positive index for the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) usually means that there is a ________ Bermuda (subtropical) high that results in _____________ than average temperatures over the northern U.S. and northwest Europe

All of the following impact sea surface temperature (SST) EXCEPT: