Vocabulary 1
force generated by the movement of molecules from high pressure areas towards low pressure areas
pressure-gradient force
typically occur around low pressure cyclones where a fast-moving cold front overtakes a slower warm front
occluded fronts
During which process does water vapor change to the liquid state?
a) deposition
b) melting
c) sublimation
d) condensation
d) condensation
The bottom layer of the atmosphere in which we live is called the
a) stratosphere
b) mesosphere
c) troposphere
d) thermosphere
c) troposphere
As you drink an ice-cold drink on a hot day, the outside of the glass becomes wet. Why does this happen?
The cold glass cools the air in contact with it below the air's dew point, and water vapor condenses on the glass.
subtropical high pressure belt surrounding the globe at 30 ̊ N/S
horse latitudes
dry climate whose precipitation is 50-100% of the evapotranspiration level
steppe (semiarid) climate
Which form of radiation from the list below has the longes wavelength?
a) blue light
b) radio waves
c) ultraviolet
d) infrared
b) radio waves
What is the general term for water vapor in air?
a) condensation
b) humidity
c) capacity
d) saturation
b) humidity
Upon analyzing the methane content trapped in air bubbles in a core sample, you find that there is a greater quantity of this greenhouse gas in the air bubble you analyzed. What does this most likely indicate about the climate that existed when the air bubbles were trapped?
The past climate was warmer than the current climate.
name given to the ITCZ by sailors
doldrums
when warm unsaturated air is forced upwards along the side of a mountain or other large geological feature
orographic lifting
The dew point is the temperature at which
a) hailstones are formed
b) liquid water changes to vapor
c) water vapor condenses to liquid
d) cumulus clouds change to cirrus clouds
c) water vapor condenses to liquid
The precession of the earth occurs every
a) 26,000 years
b) 41,000 years
c) 100,000 years
d) 141,000 years
a) 26,000 years
Describe the weather that usually accompanies a drop in barometric pressure and a rise in barometric pressure.
A drop in pressure is associated with converging winds and ascending air and often brings clouds and precipitation. A rise in pressure usually brings fair weather.
variables that have triggered a glacial event
climate forcings
easterly surface winds of Hadley cells which return air towards the equator
trade winds
In a dry climate, yearly precipitation is
a) greater in a desert than a steppe
b) less than that in a polar climate
c) greater than the rate of evaporation
d) less than the rate of evaporation
d) less than the rate of evaporation
The ratio of air's actual water-vapor content to the amount of water needed for the saturation is the
a) relative humidity
b) adiabatic rate
c) water capacity
d) dew point
a) relative humidity
Which isotope of oxygen, 18-O/16-O, would be found in greater proportions within coral layers during periods of glaciation. Why would this occur?
18-O would be more present in coral due to the fact that 18-O is heavier and wouldn't evaporate as easily as the lighter 16-O.
the separation of the various isotopes of an element based upon their mass
fractionation
a change in temperature with altitude within each layer of the atmosphere
environmental lapse rate
Which of the following are examples of climate forcings?
a) insolation of solar energy, sunspots, and greenhouse gasses
b)insolation of solar energy, volcanic eruptions, and greenhouse gasses
c) volcanic eruptions, insolation of solar energy, and sunspots
d) greenhouse gasses, sunspots, insolation of solar energy, and volcanic eruptions
b)insolation of solar energy, volcanic eruptions, and greenhouse gasses
Humid tropical climates always experience
a) warm temperatures
b) severe winters
c) low humidity
d) dry summers
a) warm temperatures
If you are in the Northern Hemisphere and are directly west of the center of a cyclone, what most likely will be the wind direction?
What will the wind direction be if you are west of an anticyclone in the Northern Hemisphere?
If you are west of the center of a cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere, the winds would be northwest or west-northwest.
Winds west of an anticyclone in the Northern Hemisphere would be south to southeast.