Meteorology Test 1

Front 1

Atmospheric humidity can be measured with?

Back 1

a psychrometer

Front 2

An infrared thermometer measures the temperature of an object based on?

Back 2

the amount of longwave radiation emitted by the object

Front 3

What are considered the greenhouse gases?

Back 3

Water Vapor, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Ozone

Front 4

The most abundant gas in the troposphere is?

Back 4

Nitrogen

Front 5

The highest concentrations of ozone are found in the...

Back 5

Statosphere

Front 6

What determines the kind (wavelength) and amount of radiation that is emitted by an object?

Back 6

temperature

Front 7

The greenhouse effect occurs because the earth's atmosphere...

Back 7

is a good absorber of infrared radiation.

Front 8

The midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have cold winters because...

Back 8

The sun is lower in the sky and the days are shorter.

Front 9

Typically, water vapor occupies about what percent by volume of air near the earth's surface?

Back 9

Less than 4%

Front 10

On average, about what percent of the solar energy that strikes the outer atmosphere is reflected back into outer space?

Back 10

30%

Front 11

Which of the following has the highest albedo? Forests, Dry Sand, Grass, Wet Sand, and Asphalt?

Back 11

Dry Sand

Front 12

The solar declination latitude ranges between...

Back 12

23.5 degrees south and 23.5 degrees north

Front 13

On average, equaltorial latitudes receive more or less energy from solar radiation than they emit in the form of longwave radiation?

Back 13

More

Front 14

During January, if we compare the average temperature in Minnesota to the average temperature at the same latitude over the Atlantic Ocean, we will find that...

Back 14

The temperature over the ocean is warmer than the temperature over land

Front 15

In regards to radiation, if the tilt of earth's rotation axis decreased from 23.5 degrees to 10 degrees, in Minnesota we would expect (compared to the present)...

Back 15

More solar radiation in the winter and less in the summer.

Front 16

The transfer of sensible heat (energy) between the earth's surface and the atmosphere is smaller than, larger than, or the same as the energy transfered by latent heat?

Back 16

Smaller than

Front 17

Suppose last night the sky was clear. Tonight the skies are overcast. From this you would expect that tonight's minimum temperature would be higher, lower, or the same as last night's minimum temperature?

Back 17

Higher than.

Front 18

The earth's "atmospheric window" is the .......... Wavelengths?

Back 18

infrared

Front 19

As the sun cools, the total amount of energy it emits will ......... and the wavelength at which the most energy is emitted will shift to a .......... wavelength.

Back 19

decrease, longer

Front 20

An energy transfer accomplished by the horizontal motion of air containing latent and sensible heat is called?

Back 20

advection

Front 21

The major energy input to the troposphere is...

Back 21

absorption of longwave radiation emitted by the earth.

Front 22

The energy associated with changing the phase of water from a vapor to a liquid is called...

Back 22

latent heat of condensation

Front 23

If very cold air is brought indoors and warmed without changing the moisture content, the relative humidity of this air will...

Back 23

Decrease

Front 24

The temperature to which air must be cooled in order to become saturated is the....

Back 24

dew point temperature

Front 25

Which of the following environmental lapse rates would represent the most unstable atmosphere in a layer of unsaturated air?
0.1C per 100m
0.3C per 100m
0.7C per 100m
1.2C per 100m

Back 25

1.2C per 100m

Front 26

What kind of instability often occurs in the atmosphere over the southern plains of the United States (e.g., Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas)?

Back 26

Convective instability

Front 27

The rate at which the actual (measured) air temperature changes with increasing height above the surface is referred to as the....

Back 27

Environmental lapse rate

Front 28

A rising parcel of Saturated air would cool most Rapidly when its temperature is...
-5C
0C
10C
20C
40C

Back 28

-5C

Front 29

TF
The earth and the atmosphere both emit longwave radiation.

Back 29

True

Front 30

TF
At the equator at solar noon on June 21, you would look south to face the sun.

Back 30

False

Front 31

TF
More than 50% of solar radiation is in the ultraviolet wavelengths.

Back 31

False

Front 32

TF
The atmosphere is heated primarily by direct absorption of solar radiation by clouds, water vapor, and air molecules.

Back 32

False

Front 33

TF
Water warms and cools more slowly than does the air.

Back 33

True

Front 34

TF
The planetary albedo is about 30%

Back 34

True

Front 35

The solar elevation angle is the angle between the horizon and the sun's position in the sky.

Back 35

True

Front 36

TF
At night, radiational cooling acts to decrease the atmospheric stability.

Back 36

False

Front 37

Define the Stefan-Boltzmann Law.

Back 37

Atmospheric radiation is equally proportionate to temperature. If temperature increases, so does radiation.

Front 38

Which would have the greatest effect on the earth's greenhouse effect: removing all of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or removing all of the water vapor? Why?

Back 38

Water Vapor, because there is much more water vapor in the atmosphere than there is carbon dioxide.