SEVERE AND UNUSUAL WEATHER - ATM 10
SAMPLE QUESTIONS, MIDTERM EXAM
The correct answer for each multiple-choice question is indicated by bold print.
1. The physics law used to calculate the radiation emitted by an object at known temperature is:
A. the Gas law
B. the Stefan-Boltzmann law
C. Wien's law
D. Newton's second law
2. Warming in the stratosphere is mainly caused by:
A. release of latent heat energy during condensation
B. chemical reactions between ozone and chlorofluorocarbons
C. frictional heating by meteorites
D. absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone
3. The largest energy input for warming the atmosphere comes from:
A. convection from the earth’s surface
B. absorption of solar radiation by the atmosphere
C. the release of latent heat transferred from the surface
D. radiant energy emitted by the earth’s surface
4. The earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect is produced mainly by water vapor and carbon dioxide absorbing and re-emitting:
A. visible radiation
B. infrared radiation
C. ultraviolet radiation
D. solar radiation
5. The largest annual range in temperature is found:
A. in polar latitudes over land
B. in polar latitudes over water
C. at the equator
D. in the Northern Central Plains of the United States
6. The lowest daily temperature is usually observed:
A. at the time of sunset
B. near midnight
C. several hours before sunrise
D. around sunrise
7. The perpendicular or direct ray of the sun:
A. moves between the latitudinal limits represented by the Tropic of Cancer and theTropic of Capricorn
B. delivers more energy per unit area when it is 45 degrees north latitude than when it is 50 degrees north latitude
C. remains at the equator all year, but oblique rays travel as far poleward as 23 1/2 degrees latitude
D. moves across the earth's surface between latitudinal limits that are controlled by the earth's elliptical orbit.
8. In the Northern Hemisphere, if you are facing north and the wind is at your back, disregarding surface effects you should expect:
A. low pressure is to the left or west
B. high pressure is to the left or west
C. low pressure is to your back or south
D. high pressure is to your face or north
9. A map of mean July temperature shows the effects of "continentality" by:
A. isotherms bending poleward as they cross warmer continents in the summer hemisphere
B. a closer spacing of the isotherms than the pattern commonly observed in January
C. gradual decrease in temperature with increasing altitude
D. isotherms bending poleward as they cross colder continents in the winter hemisphere
10. In general terms:
A. relative humidity increases as the absolute vapor pressure decreases
B. relative humidity is the most accurate indicator of the actual quantity of water vapor contained in the air
C. the temperature at which the relative humidity becomes 100 percent is called the dew point
D. relative humidity is a function of air temperature but it is unrelated to available water vapor
11. Knowledge of air stability is important because it determines:
A. the direction of movement of storms
B. the vertical motion of air
C. the movement of high pressure areas
D. seasonal weather patterns
12. The energy balance equation can be written as Rn = LE + SH + G. This relationship indicates that:
A. shortwave energy exchanges are quantitatively greater than longwave energy exchanges within the earth-atmosphere system
B. net radiation for the earth's surface has an average annual value of 116
C. when net radiation is positive, the air will be warmed first
D. a positive value of net radiation provides energy for other forms of energy exchange
Paragraph answers:
1. Explain how seasonal changes in the directness and the duration of solar radiation at the earth’s surface account for differences in the amount of solar radiation received at a given latitude.
2. Moisture in the atmosphere is related to several processes. Explain how and why condensation occurs in the atmosphere.
3. Explain why relative humidity is a commonly misunderstood expression for representing atmospheric moisture.