QUIZ 3 REVIEW:

Seasons:

  1. The sun is the ultimate source of the energy that heats the Earth. So, the amount of energy received from the sun will ultimately determine the temperature. What factors affect the amount of sunlight energy that is available for absorption by the Earth/Atmosphere?
  2. What is "the" feature about the Earth that causes the seasons? (Look at the hand-out given in class showing the Earth’s orbit around the sun.)
  3. If each point on the Earth takes 24 hours to rotate around the axis of rotation on June 21, then why would the length of daylight be different between Tucson and Denver?
  4. The rotational axis for the Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees from the vertical with respect to the plane in which the Earth orbits around the sun. (Again, look at the hand-out.) The planet Uranus has its rotational axis tilted 90 degrees from the same vertical. How many seasons would occur on Uranus?
    1. 1; summer
    2. 2; summer & winter
    3. 3; summer, fall, spring
    4. 4; summer, fall, winter & spring
  5. Still on Uranus, what fraction of a Uranus year would any one location be exposed to sunlight (how much daylight would the point get)?
    1. ¼
    2. 1
    3. 2
    4. ½
  6. How many times per year is the noon-time sun directly overhead at a point on the equator?
    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 0
  7. How many times per year is the noon-time sun directly overhead at a point on the Tropic of Cancer?
    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 0
  8. Over the course of the year, how many hours of daylight does Tucson receive? Denver? The North Pole?
  9. How does the energy received from the sun compare between the south-facing slope of a hill and the north-facing slope of the same hill?
  10. In general you should look at the hand-out and understand what the following terms mean:
    1. perihelion
    2. aphelion
    3. equinox
    4. solstice
    5. Northern Hemisphere Vernal equinox
  11. In what direction does the sun rise on June 21 at a location:
    1. 23.5 degrees north of the equator
    2. 32 degrees north of the equator (Tucson)
    3. on the equator
    4. 23.5 degrees south of the equator
    5. 60 degrees south of the equator

 

Global Distribution of Energy Budget

  1. Of the choices listed below, which latitude region of the globe absorbs the largest amount of solar radiation on a yearly basis?
    1. 60-90 degrees North
    2. 30-60 degrees North
    3. 0-30 degrees North
  2. Of the choices listed below, which latitude region of the globe emits the largest amount of radiation to space on a yearly basis?
    1. 60-90 degrees North
    2. 30-60 degrees North
    3. 0-30 degrees North
    4. 30-60 degrees South
  3. Of the choices listed below, which latitude region of the globe absorbs more radiation from the sun than it emits to space on a yearly basis?
    1. 60-90 degrees North
    2. 30-60 degrees North
    3. 0-30 degrees North
    4. 30-60 degrees South
  4. How is the mean annual temperature able to remain much the same for the region in question 3 above?

Global Temperature Distribution:

  1. Look at the figures 3.7 and 3.8 of the text and see if you can discern the patterns and characteristics that were mentioned in class.
  2. What are the underlying causes that produce these patterns and characteristics?
  3. Using figures 3.7 and 3.8, what regions of the globe have the largest difference between the average summer and winter temperatures? Why is this?
  4. Using figures 3.7 and 3.8, what regions of the globe have the smallest difference between the average summer and winter temperatures? Why is this?
  5. What is the definition of specific heat?
  6. What factors determine how much the temperature of an object will increase when energy is input?
  7. Why do the oceans have a smaller temperature fluctuation than the land masses of the Earth?

Daily Temperature:

  1. What factors influence the daily temperature cycle and how?
  2. What is a radiation inversion and how does it occur?
  3. What factors would result in the lowest minimum surface temperature? How does each factor contribute to the cold surface temperature?