Final Examination - Spring 2013 Flashcards
Study for Final Exam
What kind of energy refers to the energy in motion?
kinetic energy
As the kinetic energy of the air increases, its ____________________ may either increase or decrease depending upon the circumstances.
temperature
The principle controls and influences of temperature patterns include __________, altitude, land-water differences, cloud, cover, ocean currents, and surface conditions.
latitiude
The single most important control on temperature in the atmosphere is ____________.
latitude
What happens to the average annual insolation as distance from the subsolar point increases?
It decreases.
What happens to the average annual temperature as the distance from the subsolar point increases?
It decreases.
What does 6.4 degrees per 1000 meters refer to?
It refers to the normal lapse rate.
If the temperature at the surface of the earth at seal level is 40 degrees, what is the temperature at 2000 meters if the normal lapse rate is 6.4 degrees per 1000 meters?
27.2 degrees C.
What is the temperature control that includes the heat capacity of a substance?
It is specific heat.
Clouds act like act like insulation in that they have a moderating influence on ____________________.
temperatures
What temperature control tends to lower temperatures more over water bodies than over land?
evaporation
The land surface cools off more rapidly at night than water does because the energy is stored in a ____________________ near the surface of the land, and so it can be radiated away faster.
shallow layer
As a result of the characteristics of water, cities located near a coast should epxerience a temperature range that is ____________________ those of cities located in the interior at the same latitude.
smaller than
During summer, cities located near the coast are ____________ than those in the interior at the same latitude, while in the winter they are ______________.
cooler; warmer
If the Gulf Stream shifted away from Iceland and England, winter temperatures in these locations would become ___________, thereby decreasing the average winter temperature.
cooler
Which of the following would experience the least continentality: 200 km inland from the Gulf of Mexico, north central Asia, central Nevada, a tropical island?
a tropical island
Which of the following experiences the greatest continentality: 200 km inland from the Gulf of Mexico, California’s Great Central Valley, north central Asia, a tropical island?
north central Asia
What is an isloline that connects all points of the same temperature on a map called?
An isotherm.
The thermal equator duringt he month of July trends poleward over _____________ and equatorward over the _____________.
continents; oceans
The general circulation of the atmosphere refers to _____________ circulation.
primary
The migratory high and low pressure systems refers to ______________ circulation.
secondary
Land-sea breezed refers to _____________ circulation.
tertiary
Air flow is intiated by the ________________ force.
pressure gradient
What is the horizontal movement of air called?
wind
The ________________ force drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure.
pressure gradient
What is an isoline of equal pressure plotted on a weather map called?
An isobar.
Air flows from _____________ a surface high pressure area because the density of the air in the high pressure zone is _____________ than that of the surrounding air.
out of; more dense
Air flow into a low pressure ____________ and ________________.
converges; ascends
The closer the spacing of the isobars, the _______________ the wind blows.
faster
The ___________ force causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path.
Coriolis
_________ factors produce the equatorial low and polar high.
Thermal
The intertropical convergence zone is characterized by the _____________ and uplift of warm surface air.
convergence
What dominant surface winds are formed by air movement from the subtropics to high latitudes?
The westerlies.
Cyclones are ____________ pressure cells.
low
Air flow in the Northern hemisphere high pressure zone is downward, outward, and ______________.
clockwise
The ______________ convergence zone is associated with the equatorial low-pressure trough.
intertropical
__________ cells appear most vertically symmetrical on either side of the equator at the equinoxes.
Hadley
For North America, the Aleutian and Icelandic lows are strongest during the winter months because the ocean temperatures are _____________ than land temperatures at the same latitude.
warmer
What direction do jets streams flow?
West to east.
Land-sea breezes are caused by onshore (toward land) air flows that develop in the afternoon as the lands ____________ faster than neighboring water surfaces.
heats
Mountain-valley breezes are caused by ___________ air rising upslope during the day and _____________ air descending the slopes at night.
warm; cooler
A monsoon climate is characterized by ____________ summers and __________ winters.
wet; dry
Ocean currents are produced by Coriolis force, water density differences, and the frictional drag of _________.
winds
Where is the largest portion of fresh water found on the earth?
Ice caps and glaciers.
The Earth’s oceans possess _____________ percent of Earth’s waters.
ninety-seven
What is the heat energy involved in the change of state, or phase, in water?
Latent heat.
When water evaporates, it ___________ heat energy and __________ the surrounding air.
absorbs; cools
What is the amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature expressed as a percentage of the water vapor capacity of the air called?
Relative humidity.
The ____________ temperature occurs when an air mass becomes saturated.
dew-point
The elevation at which the bottom of clouds begin to form represents the elevation at which relative humidity reaches __________ percent and _______________ occurs.
100; dew point
What general term refers to the tendency of a parcel of air to either remain in place or change its initial position?
Stability.
What is the lapse rate of air that is not saturated as it rises or descends?
10 degrees Celsius per 1000 meters.
As air rises up the windward side of a mountain, it will move into a region of _______________ air pressure and will therefore be cooled by _____________.
lower; expansion
What are the type of clouds that have vertical development and produce thunderstorms?
Cumulonimbus.
What type of fog is produced by the cooling of a surface overnight that chills the air layer directly above the surface?
Radiation.
What is the short-term condition of the atmosphere called?
Weather.
A mT air mass forms over an _________ and is usually more __________ than a cT air mass.
oceans; humid
What kind of lifting of an air mass refers to the forced uplift of the air over a physical barrier?
Orographic.
The wetter, intercepting slope of a mountain is termed the ____________ slope, whereas the drier, downward slope is termed the ___________ slope.
windward; leeward
What concept refers to the dry regions on the leeward side of mountain ranges?
Rain shadow.
Storm tracks across the U.S. and Canada generally shift to the _________ in winter, and toward the __________ in summer.
south; north
Thunderstorms will not develop under areas of strong __________ pressure.
high
Tornadoes in the U.S. occur as a result of the interaction of warm, moist __________ air masses with cold, dry __________ air masses, respectively.
mT; cP
Hurricanes derive their energy from the ____________________ of condensation.
latent heat
The winds in a hurricane and tornado are very strong because pressure at the center of the storm is very low, tremendous amounts of ____________ that occurs at the center of the storm, and a strong pressure gradient.
condensation
What concept is used to refer to rain, sleet, snow, and hail?
Precipitation.
The hydrological cycle includes water on the surface, in the _________________, and below the surface.
atmosphere
What concept in the water budget refers to the amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available?
Potential evapotranspiration.
What concept refers to the outward movement of water from plant leaves?
Transpiration.
Concerning the water budget, what condition occurs if precipitation and soil moisture are inadequate to meet potential evapotranspiration demands?
Deficit.
Overland flow is an example of what term in the water budget?
Surplus.
What term refers to a water-bearing rock strata?
Aquifer.
An area defined by characteristic, long-term weather patterns is called a __________________.
climactic region
Generally, what happens to the seasonal variation in temperature as distance from the equator increases?
It increases.
The annual temperature range of places located in the interior of a continent is _________________ than those along the coast at the same latitude.
greater
Which side of a mountain range experiences least amount of precipitation?
The leeward.
“Hot and wet” temperature and precipitation patterns are characteristic of rain forests in the equatorial ___________.
tropics
The mean annual temperature and precipitation are examples of what category of factors in classifying climate?
Empirical.
What kind of lifting is responsible for most of the rainfall that occurs in the tropical rain forest climate?
Convectional uplift.
The dry season in the tropical monsoon climate occurs when the ____________ is not overhead.
ITCZ
For marine west-coast climates, air masses are unstable, are dominated by __________ air masses, and the weather is quite unpredictable.
mP
What is responsible for the dry conditions in summer in the mediterrranean dry-summer climate?
A subtropical high is overhead.
A tundra climate experiences no true ____________, precipitation in excess of potential evapotranspiration, and the land is under snow cover for 8-10 months.
summer
Is volcanism an example of endogenic or exogenic forces?
Endogenic.
What gas is thought to be responsible for most of the anthropogenic atmospheric warming?
Carbon dioxide.
Is weathering an example endogenic or exogenic forces?
Exogenic.
What theoretical principle assumes the same physical processes we see today are a key to understanding the processes that have been operating throughout geologic time?
Uniformitarianism.
A correct sequence of the earth’s layers, from the surface to the center, is crust, aesthenopshere, mantle, and finally the _________ at the center.
core
What layer of the earth is best described as plastic-like?
The aesthenosphere.
The Earth’s crust is roughly made up of ________ plates capable of movement.
14
The majority of the Earth is composed of _____________ rock.
igneous
What geologic principle refers to buoyancy and balance, when applied to the Earth’s crust, and helps us explain fluctuations in the Earth’s crust?
Isostacy.
The _________ cycle refers to the three types of rock-forming processes.
rock
What concept is used to refer to the heat energy and new materials that are brought to the surface from the interior?
The tectonic cycle.
What term term is used to refer to an element or combination of elements that forms an inorganic, natural compound?
Mineral.
What minerals are characterized by dark color and high density?
Mafic.
What is an assemblage of minerals bound together called?
A rock.
What type of rock is derived from the solidification of molten materials?
Igneous.
What type of rock is derived from the bits and pieces of former rocks?
Sedimentary.
What type of rock is transformed from any other rock through extreme heat and/or pressure?
Metamorphic.
The sequential order leading to the formation of clastic sedimentary rocks is erosion, transportation, deposition, and __________________.
cementation
Limestone is a type of _____________ rock that forms when ________________ precipitates.
sedimentary; calcium carbonite
The occurrence of contact metamorphism would be direct evidence for the local intrusion of ____________.
magma
The midocean ridges contain ___________.
volcanoes
What process occurs along collision zones between continental and oceanic plates?
Subduction.
The ocean floor subducts under continents because the ocean floor is made of mafic material and is therefore more ________ than continental material.
dense
Sea-floor spreading is characteristic of ________________ plate boundaries.
divergent
___________ faults are typically found along sea-floor spreading centers and the lateral motion of plates.
Transform
Rifting, volcanoes, earthquakes, and subduction are associated with ______________________.
plate boundaries
What term is used to refer to the vertical elevation differences in a local landscape?
Relief.
What term refers to the undulating form that gives the Earth’s surface its character and general configuration?
Topography.
What is the most detailed order of relief?
Third.
The Canadian and American Rockies are an example of what order of relief?
Second.
The nucleus of old crystalline rock in each of the continental land masses is called a _____________________.
continental shield, or craton
Magma formed from subduction has a higher silica content, more violent volcanic eruptions, and may form ___________ from the rising magma.
batholiths
Which is incorrectly matched: compression - shortening; shearing - stretching or faulting; tension - stretching or faulting; strain - stress-induced?
shearing - stretching or faulting
Concerning the layers of rock that form a wavelike pattern of crests and troughs, what is formed near the crest?
An anticline.
When a rock strata is strained beyond its ability to remain intact, what occurs?
Faulting.
Concerning the folded layers of rock that form a wavelike pattern of troughs and crests, what is formed near the trough?
A syncline.
___________ faults are associated with tensional forces.
Normal
What kind of fault is associated with the San Andreas and North Anatolian faults?
Right-lateral strike-slip faults.
What is the general term that is used to refer to a mountain-building episode that thickens the continental crust?
Orogenesis.
What kind of fault is produced from compressional stresses that result in a dropped footwall block relative to the hanging-wall side?
Reverse fault.
Plate collisions, volcanic activity, faulting, and the exposure of plutons by erosion can lead to the formation of ______________.
mountains
What term is used to refer to the area at the surface directly above the subsurface location where seismic waves are intiated?
Epicenter.
Molten rock that pours forth on the Earth’s surface is called _________.
lava
Volcanic activity occurs in association with sea-floor spreading centers, along the Pacific rim, and _____________ over plumes in the mantle.
hot spots
_______________ eruptions are associated the volcanic activity in Hawaii and with magma of 50 percent or lower of silica and rich in iron and magnesium.
Effusive
What type of volcanoes are formed from explosive eruptions?
Composite.
What kind of rock are pulverized, clastic materials that are ejected from violent and explosive eruptions?
Tephra, or pyroclastics.
Regarding volcanoes, harmonic tremors are produced by the sub-surface movment of ________________.
magma
