Midterm Review

Question 1

What are Spatial Patterns?

Answer 1

Patterns between systems (eg. climate regions and biomes).

Question 2

What is Atmosphere?

Answer 2

the earth’s system of weather and climate.

Question 3

What is Weather?

Answer 3

Atmospheric conditions at a given time and place.

Question 4

What is Climate?

Answer 4

Weather that us expected based on the past 30 years of measurement.

Question 5

What is described as a thin envelope surrounding our earth held by gravity and suspending particulates?

Answer 5

Atmosphere

Question 6

What is the Earth’s Radius?

Answer 6

6,730 KM

Question 7

What is matter?

Answer 7

Mass with volume

Question 8

What is an Atom

Answer 8

The physical manifestation of an element

Question 9

Which law dictates that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, but can change phases?

Answer 9

The conservation of mass

Question 10

What is a particulate?

Answer 10

A solid and liquid suspended in air

Question 11

Oxygen makes up what percentage of our atmosphere?

Answer 11

21%

Question 12

Nitrogen makes up what percentage of our atmosphere?

Answer 12

78%

Question 13

Argon makes up what percentage of our atmosphere?

Answer 13

.9%

Question 14

Ozone makes up how much of our atmosphere?

Answer 14

10 PPB

Question 15

How much Ozone can be found in the stratosphere?

Answer 15

1,000 PPB

Question 16

What does Ozone do in our atmosphere?

Answer 16

Act as foil to reflect heat and radiation

Question 17

Carbon Dioxide makes up how much of our atmosphere?

Answer 17

400 PPM

Question 18

Who started recording CO2 emissions in Mauna Loa, HI?

Answer 18

Charles Keeling

Question 19

How much methane is in our atmosphere?

Answer 19

1800 PPB

Question 20

Where does most atmospheric absorption take place?

Answer 20

Troposphere

Question 21

What is the name of the point where the sun is directly overhead?

Answer 21

Subsolar Point

Question 22

What is the name of the angle where the sun hits you at exactly 90 degrees

Answer 22

Noon Sun Angle

Question 23

What is the name of the latitude of the subsolar point

Answer 23

Declination

Question 24

What is Advection?

Answer 24

horizontal mixing

Question 25

What causes season changes?

Answer 25

Change in noon sun angle, day length, and axial tilt.

Question 26

What is the rate of vertical temperature decrease?

Answer 26

6.5 degrees Celcius per KM

Question 27

What is the top of the troposphere called?

Answer 27

The Tropopause.

Question 28

What is the top of the stratosphere called?

Answer 28

Stratopause.

Question 29

What elevation are surface air temps taken at?

Answer 29

1.5-2 M above the surface

Question 30

What are the factors that control surface temperature patterns?

Answer 30

Latitude, Land water heating difference, surface ocean currents, elevation, and cloudiness.

Question 31

What phase of water has the most hydrogen bonds?

Answer 31

Solid

Question 32

What phase of water has no hydrogen bonds 🤨

Answer 32

Vapor

Question 33

What is the measure of vapor content in the air?

Answer 33

Humidity

Question 34

What does Specific Humidity measure?

Answer 34

The amount of water in the air

Question 35

What does Specific Saturated measure?

Answer 35

The maximum amount of water in the air

Question 36

What does Dew Point measure?

Answer 36

The temperature at which air saturates

Question 37

What is Relative Humanity?

Answer 37

How close the air is to being saturated in a percent

Question 38

How do clouds form?

Answer 38

Condensation or deposition of vapor in the air

Question 39

What is essential to clouds forming?

Answer 39

Saturated air (RH of 100)

Question 40

How does air saturate?

Answer 40

air cooling to dew point

Question 41

What is Diabatic Cooling

Answer 41

cooling due to loss of heat

Question 42

What is Adiabatic Cooling?

Answer 42

cooling due to the expansion of air

Question 43

What is the diabatic rate at which air cools?

Answer 43

1 Degree Celcius per 100 Meters

Question 44

What is the Moist Adiabatic Rate rate at which air cools?

Answer 44

.6 degrees per 100 Meters

Question 45

Why does air rise?

Answer 45

Orographic lifting, Convergant Lifting, Frontal Lifting, Convectional Lifting

Question 46

What is Orographic lifting

Answer 46

wind hitting a topographic obstacle

Question 47

What is Convergant Lifting?

Answer 47

Air converging on the same place causing it to go up

Question 48

What is Frontal Lifting?

Answer 48

cold air masses advancing on warm are or vice versa.

Question 49

What is Convectional Lifting?

Answer 49

Bubbles of Warm Air Rising

Question 50

What do precipitation-producing clouds need?

Answer 50

Humid air, persistent lifting mechanism, and water vapor

Question 51

What causes wind?

Answer 51

Horizontal pressure.

Question 52

What is the weight of the atmosphere at sea level?

Answer 52

14.7 lbs per square inch

Question 53

What a cyclone?

Answer 53

a circular area of low pressure

Question 54

what is an anti-cyclone?

Answer 54

a circular area of high pressure

Question 55

What is the Coriolis Effect?

Answer 55

The curving from the center to the edge of a spinning circle.

Question 56

what direction will wind veer in the Northern Hemisphere?

Answer 56

Right

Question 57

The Coriolis effect increases with what?

Answer 57

latitude and wind speed

Question 58

Where is the Coriolis effect strongest?

Answer 58

T H E P O L E S

Question 59

Where air is warmer, will air pressure be higher or lower?

Answer 59

lower

Question 60

What are the winds that blow from the NE and SE toward the equator?

Answer 60

Trade Winds

Question 61

What is the place where trade winds converge and rise?

Answer 61

The Intertropical convergence zone.

Question 62

What circulates air from the equator to 30 degrees latitude?

Answer 62

Hadley Cells

Question 63

What blow opposite of trade winds

Answer 63

Westerlies

Question 64

What is the boundary above 60 degrees that separates warm and cold air?

Answer 64

polar front

Question 65

what is the high-speed air wave that follows the polar front from west to east?

Answer 65

Polar Jet Stream