Part II: Multiple-multiple Choice. Circle the letter of every correct choice, and remember that there may be one, two, three, or four correct choices per question. Two points each.
1. The thermohaline circulation
a. operates only in the Pacific Ocean.
b. is composed of deep and shallow currents.
c. moves heat from one part of the globe to another.
d. might be disrupted by melting of glaciers, causing major climatic changes.
2. Insolation
a. can come only from the sun.
b. can come from the sun and the earth.
c. is short wave energy.
d. can be reflected to space as LW.
3. Energy from the sun
a. is of a longer wave length than energy from the earth.
b. includes visible light.
c. includes invisible energy.
d. includes latent heat.
4. Energy absorbed by the atmosphere includes
a. SW¯.
b. LW.
c. sensible heat
d. latent heat.
5. The average monthly temperature (a temperature normal) of a site is
a. is a valuable predictive statistic.
b. is composed of the average daily temperatures for a month, divided by the days in the month.
c. can be the same for two locations whose climate is very different.
d. is a statistic derived from 30 years of record.
6. The Fahrenheit temperature scale
a. measure sensible heat.
b. has a boiling point for water that is equal to 100o on a Celsius scale.
c. is used in most of the rest of the world.
d. has a freezing temperature of water at 42o.
7. Atmospheric pressure
a. increases with elevation.
b. is 14.7 pounds per square inch at sea level.
c. averages 1013.2 mb at sea level.
d. is 29.92” at sea level.
8. In a region of low pressure at the surface,
a. air molecules rise away from the surface of the ground.
b. air molecules descend toward the surface.
c. temperatures will likely be warmer than they would be in a high pressure region, all else being equal.
d. temperatures will likely be cooler than they would be in a low pressure region, all else being equal.
9. The subtropical highs
a. are caused by cold temperatures.
b. are broken into cells because of land/water differences.
c. send air to the westerlies and the trade winds.
d. are characterized by ascending (rising) air.
10. The Hadley Cells
a. are found between 30o and 60o N and S.
b. are characterized by ascending air at roughly 0o N.
c. form the subtropical high pressure cells at roughly 30o N and S.
d. are created by intense insolation in equatorial areas.
Part III: Definitions. Place the term of value defined in the space provided. Two points each.
1. ___________________ The gas that composes the majority of the earth’s atmosphere.
2. ___________________ The abbreviation for energy from the sun that is reflected back to space by the atmosphere.
3. ___________________ The amount of energy necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water from 14.5o to 15.5oC. at average sea level atmospheric pressure.
4. ___________________ Energy stored in water vapor.
5. ___________________ The instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.
6. ___________________ A line that connects points of equal atmospheric pressure.
7. ___________________ The force that initiates (starts) air moving.
8. ___________________ The core of high speed winds that blow near the trop.
Part IV. Diagrams and Short Answer
1. On the outline of the Pacific Ocean below, draw in the gyres. Two points.
2. On the graph below, show the vertical structure of the earth’s atmosphere. Label each axis, and then label each layer and the boundaries between each layer. Finally, show the variation in pressure (NOT temperature) with increasing elevation. Four points.
3. Reproduce Diagram B of the energy diagrams, showing and labeling the inputs and outputs of energy to the atmosphere, space, and the earth’s surface. Be certain that you label the type of energy involved (SW or ¯, LW or ¯, sensible heat, latent heat) for each arrow, as well as the value of each arrow. Six points.
4. Using both energy diagrams (Diagrams A and B from the text), construct an energy budget for the earth’s surface, showing the inputs of energy to the surface and the outputs of energy from the surface. Be certain that your inputs and outputs balance. Four points.
Inputs to Surface: Outputs from surface:
5. On the graphs below, draw in a line to show the relationship between the variables noted. Two points each.
a.
b.
6. On the diagram below in which the lines represent isobars, draw a geostrophic wind in the northern hemisphere. Then in the space to the right, name the wind. Four points.
1020 mb _______________
1010 mb _______________
1000 mb _______________ Name of wind: _____________
990 mb _______________
7. On the circle below, show and label the major global pressure cells and associated winds. On one side of the circle, show the vertical air motion between the earth’s surface and the tropopause. Ten points.
Part V. Essay. Write an answer to one (and only one) of the following. Please circle the number of the question you choose. Remember – I expect and demand good quality, college level writing and your grade will be determined in part by the quality of your writing since poor writing almost always means that the necessary arguments are not made well.
Take a few minutes to decide which question you can answer best. Then outline your answer, making each major section of your outline correspond to a major point in your essay. Begin your answer with a short introduction. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph. Then bolster that topic sentence with a simple, concise explanation and examples. Diagrams will usually help, and should be included when they do. End your essay with a short conclusion.
Note: Try to write simply and concisely. Don’t try to wow me with flowery language – doing so usually makes your essay sound amateurish and it annoys me. Be certain that whenever you use comparison words such as “more,” “less,” ‘higher,” etc. that you end the comparison by saying more than what, less than what, or higher than what. End the comparison even if your intent seems obvious, because it may be obvious to you but not to me.
Finally, proof read your essay, checking for misspellings, grammar mistakes, and lapses in logic. If you decide to add something and don’t have room to do so in the body of the essay, write that something at the end and put an asterisk in the essay where the addition should be. Make the asterisk big and tell me where the addition is – I’ll find it and insert it in the proper place. If you decide to omit something you have written, simply draw a line through what you wish to omit. Last, proof read a second time to be certain that everything makes sense and flows logically.
BE CERTAIN THAT I CAN
READ YOUR PENMANSHIP, BECAUSE IF I CAN’T YOUR GRADE IS 0 – I CAN’T GIVE CREDIT
FOR WHAT I CAN’T DECIPHER. Twenty
points.
1. Explain what an inversion is and what factors can cause them. Diagram a surface inversion and a mid-level inversion. Finally, explain why inversions can be dangerous.
or
2. Explain the three factors that determine wind direction and how they interact with each other. (Be certain that you explain the factors, not merely list them.) Diagrams are necessary and must be used to illustrate your points.
Amt. of SW¯ ----à
0 100
% Cloud Cover -----à
Temp. Range ----à
Latitude
0o 90o