Weather, Climate, and Society - ATMO 336

First Exam, Fall 1999

    Section 1. True/False (5 pts. each)

  1. The terms ``Greenhouse Effect'' and ``Global Warming'' refer to the increase in temperatures due to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
    True False

  2. Conduction is the transfer of heat by the mass movement of a fluid (liquid or gas).
    True False

  3. Water vapor warms the Earth's atmosphere through the greenhouse effect.
    True False

  4. The stratopause is an isothermal layer separating the mesosphere from the stratosphere.
    True False

  5. Nitrogen oxide (NO2) reacts with water vapor in the atmosphere to form nitric acid, one of the main ingredients of acid rain.
    True False

  6. The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called latent heat of condensation.
    True False

  7. The order of the layers of the atmosphere from lowest to highest is: troposphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, thermosphere.
    True False

  8. Hydrogen and ozone are only minor constituents (with concentrations below 1% per volume) of the air.
    True False

  9. Ozone is only found in one region of the atmosphere, the ozone layer.
    True False

    Section 2. Multiple Choice Questions (5 pts. each)

  10. In a volume of air near the earth's surface, ______ occupies 78 percent and ______ nearly 21 percent.
    nitrogen, oxygen
    hydrogen, oxygen
    oxygen, hydrogen
    nitrogen, water vapor
    hydrogen, helium

  11. The gas that shows the most variation from place to place and from time to time in the lower atmosphere:
    ozone
    carbon dioxide
    water vapor
    methane
    argon

  12. The term ``ozone hole'' refers to a _______ decrease in ozone concentration.
    permanent
    seasonal
    monthly
    daily

  13. The 1978, the United States banned the non-essential use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This was because:
    CFCs are a principal component of photochemical smog
    CFCs are a toxic gas
    CFCs reduce the ozone concentration in the stratosphere
    CFCs react with water vapor to form acid rain

  14. Plant photosynthesis and respiration are two processes in the:
    carbon, water, and nitrogen cycles
    carbon, water, and oxygen cycles
    nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen cycles
    carbon, methane and ozone cycles

  15. Most of the radiation emitted by a human body is in the form of:
    ultraviolet radiation and is invisible
    visible radiation but it is too weak to be visible
    infrared radiation and is invisible
    humans do not emit electromagnetic radiation

  16. Of the gases listed below, which is not believed to be believed to be responsible for enhancing the earth's greenhouse effect?
    chlorofluorocarbons
    molecular oxygen
    nitrous oxide
    carbon dioxide
    methane

  17. If the amount of energy lost by the earth to space each year were not approximately equal to that received:
    the atmosphere's average temperature would change
    the length of the year would change
    the sun's output would change
    the mass of the atmosphere would change

  18. Erosion of limestone buildings, fountains, and sculptures is being caused largely by:
    acid rain
    ozone
    vibrations caused by automobile traffic
    urban heat island

Short Answer Questions (10 pts. each) - Note: These cannot be submitted!!!


  1. List three atmospheric pollutants. What are the most important sources environmental or health effects of these pollutants?

  2. Describe three processes that release or remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

  3. Who was Mario Molina and what was his contribution to the ozone hole issue?

  4. Name three reservoirs of water in the earth-atmosphere system. Name at least three processes that move the water in these reservoirs from one to another.

Andrea Hahmann
http://www.atmo.arizona.edu
Last modified: Wed Jan 26 13:27:41 MST 2000