Section 1. True/False (5 pts each)
Hydrogen and ozone are only minor constituents (with
concentrations below 1% per volume) of the air.
True
False
Water vapor warms the Earth's atmosphere through the
greenhouse effect.
True
False
Ozone is only found in one region of the atmosphere,
the ozone layer.
True
False
The stratopause is an isothermal layer separating the
mesosphere from the stratosphere.
True
False
Conduction is the transfer of heat by the mass movement
of a fluid (liquid or gas).
True
False
Atmospheric pressure always decreases with height.
True
False
Horizontal differences in pressure cause the air to
move, hence, the wind to blow.
True
False
A cloud is a visible assemblage of small water
droplets or ice crystals.
True
False
Milutin Milankovitch, a Serbian scientist, believed
that positive feedback mechanisms were the cause of the ice
Ages.
True
False
High atmospheric concentrations of CO2 in
the past have usually coincided with periods of colder than
normal temperatures.
True
False
Section 2. Multiple Choice Questions (5 pts. each)
Two natural sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide are:
respiration and
photosynthesis
respiration and biomass
burning
photosynthesis and
transpiration
photosynthesis and
decomposition
transpiration and
decomposition
The equations
O2 + UV radiation --> O + O
O2 + O --> O3
O3 + UV radiation --> O2 + O
represent the process of:
destruction of ozone in
the stratosphere
formation of the ozone hole
respiration by plants
production and
destruction of ozone
Scientists believe that Earth was formed:
4.5 billion years ago
45 billion years ago
45 million years ago
4.5 million years ago
The small force exerted each time an air molecule bounces
against an object divided by the area on which it pushes is
called:
relative humidity
sea level pressure
air force
air pressure
air density
Air with a 50 percent relative humidity
contains one-third the
amount of water vapor required for saturation
is saturated
contains one-half the
amount of water vapor required for saturation
is uncommon close to the
Earth's surface
will become saturated if
warmed sufficiently
Orographic uplift is
the downward motion
outside a cumulus cloud
the upward movement along
a cold front
the forced lifting along
a topographic barrier
the widespread accent due
to the flowing together of surface air
One major cause of hurricane damage is storm surge. The
storm surge is the rising of the sea level. This process is
not due to:
the low pressure
associated with the hurricane
the high winds associated
with the hurricane
the high waves associated
with the hurricane
expansion of sea water
with temperature
Differences in latitude on the surface of the Earth do
not influence:
the amount of solar
radiation reaching the Earth's surface
the seasonal changes in
incoming solar radiation
the length of the day
the changes in the tilt
of the Earth's axis
Near the surface between the equator and 30 degrees North
you should expect the average winds to blow from the:
northeast
south
southwest
west
northwest
The variations in the shape of the Earth's orbit from less
elliptical than it is at present to significantly more
elliptical is referred as:
changes in eccentricity
changes in obliquity
the precession of the
equinoxes
none of the above
The Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs are the only two epochs that
compose:
the Cenozoic Era
the Mesozoic Era
the Tertiary Period
none of the above
A positive feedback mechanism:
causes a positive change
only
causes a negative change
only
acts to reinforce an
initial change
acts to weaken or oppose
an initial change
The Viking colony in Greenland perished during:
the Pleistocene epoch
the climatic optimum
the Little Ice Age
the explosion of
Mt. Pinatubo
Which below is not one of the possible consequences
of global warming predicted by climate models?
a reduction in average
precipitation over certain areas
lowering of sea
levels
an increase in crop
yields in northern latitudes
changes in the ocean
circulation
Sunlight that bounces off a surface is said to be
______ from the surface.
radiated
absorbed
emitted
reflected
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is produced mainly by the:
absorption and
re-emission of visible light by the atmosphere
absorption and
re-emission of ultraviolet radiation by the atmosphere
absorption and
re-emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere
absorption and
re-emission of visible light by clouds
absorption and
re-emission of visible light by the ground
Consider these climatic periods:
a. Little Ice Age
b. Medieval optimum
c. Twentieth Century
d. Holocene optimum
e. Younger Dryas event
f. Last major glacial period
What is the correct time sequence (from earliest to most recent) of
the climatic periods above:
a, e, d, f, b, c
f, e, d, b, a, c
f, e, d, a, b, c
a, f, d, b, e, c
none of the above
The climate periods above can be classified as warmer or colder
than the climate of the last 10,000 years in the following
manner:
a: cold; b: cold; c:
warm; d: warm; e: cold; f: cold
a: cold; b: warm; c:
cold; d: warm; e: warm; f: cold
a: cold; b: warm; c:
warm; d: warm; e: cold; f: cold
a: cold; b: cold; c:
warm; d: cold; e: warm; f: cold
Short Answer Questions (10 points each)- Note: These
cannot be submitted!!!
Name two possible short-term (1-3 years) impacts of explosive
volcanic eruptions on the Earth's climate.
In addition to carbon dioxide, name three other gases that may
contribute to the problem of global warming.
Ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland are a powerful tool
for examining past climates. Name three types of climate
information contained in ice core layers.
Longer Answer Questions (20 points each)- Note: These
cannot be submitted!!!
Explain the difference between the concepts of weather and
climate.
Explain how the annual growth of trees can be used to
reconstruct past climates.
What climate condition allowed for the migration of human
populations from Asia to North America? Why? (be complete in
your answer).
Give two specific examples in which climate fluctuations can affect
human affairs in two of the following four areas: a)
Agriculture, b) species and natural areas, c) water resources, d)
coastal areas.
Explain what is meant by the terms ``heat index'' and ``wind
chill factor''.
Explain how historical and archaeological data can be used to
reconstruct past climates.
At the end of the last glacial period large amounts of of
cold fresh water spread into the North Atlantic. What caused
this phenomenon and under what name is this period usually
referred?
Explain the difference between the concepts of weather and
climate, and give two examples of each.
Scientists believe that regional changes in climate might
have contributed to past human developments. Explain
what were these changes and how they
contributed to:
(a) the development of agriculture by the natufians of Palestine,
OR
(b) the development of the Egyptian civilization along the river
Nile.