First Exam - February 27, 1998
Please answer only 10 of the following 12 questions. All questions carry equal weight. Answers should be 1 to 3 complete sentences and should fit in the space provided.
Who are Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland? What was their contribution to the understanding of atmospheric chemical processes?
Name two natural sources and two natural sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Name three weather conditions you would experience when a cold front is about to go through?
Name two anthropogenic sources of methane. Is this gas a more or less effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide?
Where on the Earth and in what season does the so-called ``ozone hole'' occur? What is the trend in size and intensity of this phenomena over the last two to three years?
Name two atmospheric pollutants that originate from the burning of fossil fuels, and describe their effects on human health.
Why do tropical cyclones develop over the oceans and away from the equator?
In what direction, with relation to the locations of high and low pressure, would air move if the Earth did not rotate? What direction does it really move?
On one particular hypothetical day, the air in Tucson and Phoenix contains 5 grams of water vapor per kilogram of air. The temperature in Tucson is 95 degrees F while the temperature in Phoenix is 105 degrees F. Which city has a lower relative humidity? Which city has a lower dew point temperature?
What produces the storm surge during a hurricane?
What factors should be taken into account when assessing trends in the economic impact of damage done by hurricanes (or any other kind of severe weather)?
Name two atmospheric pollutants that are responsible for the acidification of rainfall and snowfall in the Eastern United States.