Ch 4 Test

Question 1

two variables that determine an area’s climate

Answer 1

precipitation and temperature

Question 2

what factors affect precipitation and temperature?

Answer 2

prevailing winds, geography/mountains (rain shadow effect), latitude, altitude, distance from sea, etc

Question 3

layers of the atmosphere

Answer 3

1) troposphere
2) stratosphere
3) mesosphere
4) thermosphere

Question 4

layer of the atmosphere that has good ozone

Answer 4

stratosphere

Question 5

what is the importance of good ozone?

Answer 5

filters harmful UV rays

Question 6

as altitude increases, temperature:

Answer 6

1) troposphere - decreases
2) stratosphere - increases
3) mesosphere - decreases
4) thermosphere - increases

Question 7

as Earth angle increases, light intensity _____

Answer 7

decreases (shines most intensely on equator and least on poles)

Question 8

albedo

Answer 8

a measure of a surface’s reflectivity

Question 9

what is the Earth’s tilt?

Answer 9

23.5 degrees

Question 10

what latitude is associated with 90 degree incoming solar energy?

Answer 10

23.5 degrees N, related to Earth’s tilt

Question 11

what layer of the atmosphere has the Northern Lights in it?

Answer 11

thermosphere

Question 12

which temperature of air can hold more water, warm or cold?

Answer 12

warm has a higher saturation point

Question 13

what are some examples of surfaces with high albedos vs examples of surfaces with low albedos?

Answer 13

high - snow, sand, ice, concrete/light colored stone
low - water, forest, grass

Question 14

what is adiabatic heating and cooling?

Answer 14

changes in temperature simply caused by expansion or compression of a body of air as it rises or descends in the atmosphere

Question 15

in terms of adiabatic heating and cooling, does expansion of a body of air cause heating or cooling? and does compression of a body of air cause heating or cooling?

Answer 15

expansion = cooling
compression = heating

Question 16

what is latent heat release and when does it occur?

Answer 16

the release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water

Question 17

why does it rain so much at the equator?

Answer 17

the equator receives more direct sunlight resulting in more evaporation and therefore more precipitation once it condenses

Question 18

ITCZ

Answer 18

intertropical convergence zone - lies near the equator

Question 19

what is the weather like at the ITCZ?

Answer 19

frequent thunderstorms and heavy rain

Question 20

the “reason for the seasons”

Answer 20

the tilt of the Earth (23.5 degrees)

Question 21

greenhouse effect (good)

Answer 21

greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere trap some of the heat radiated from the planet’s surface

Question 22

climate change (bad)

Answer 22

too many greenhouse gases trap too much heat and result in overheating and increased climate temperatures

Question 23

what are the boundaries in the atmosphere?

Answer 23

tropopause, stratopause, mesopause, thermopause

Question 24

prevailing winds

Answer 24

winds that blow a single direction over a specific area of the Earth (WI usually come from the W)

Question 25

convection currents

Answer 25

heat driven cycles - hot air rises, cool air rushes in, the previous hot air cools as it rises and sinks to replace where the cold air previously was

Question 26

summer solstice (June 21)

Answer 26

suns rays directly over Tropic of Cancer

Question 27

winter solstice (December 21)

Answer 27

suns rays directly over Tropic of Capricorn)

Question 28

polar cells

Answer 28

between 60-70 degrees N and S, air sinks at poles and flows towards the lower latitudes

Question 29

Hadley cells

Answer 29

30 degrees N and S, air rises at equator and sinks at mid latitudes

Question 30

do all spots on the globe rotate at the same speed?

Answer 30

no, equator rotates the fastest and the poles rotate the slowest. equator has more surface area to make it around in the same period of time that the smaller surface area of the poles has.