SECOND MIDTERM, SPRING 2010
GEOG 204 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(April 14, worth 15% of your final grade)
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Read each question carefully before you answer. If more than one answer seems correct, choose the BEST answer. Put all these answers on your SCANTRON.(1 pt each)
1. Which of the following is a mechanism that can lead to the development of clouds and precipitation?
a. Coriolis effect b. cooling from below c. orographic uplift d. temperature inversion
2. An air mass that formed over the Northern Pacific ( Aleutian Islands) in winter would
a. have a designation of mT c. tend to advect over Northern Mexico e. tend to be high pressure
b. be drier than an cP air mass. d. tend to be cold and moist.
3. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. Cold fronts tend to move across an area faster than warm fronts.
b. Due to their steep upward slope, warm fronts are often associated with brief, heavy rainfall .
c. A front is a boundary between air masses of different temperature and moisture characteristics.
d. Frontal precipitation is often associated with westerly cyclonic storms
e. Fronts are zones marked by transitions in air density, humidity and particularly temperature.
4. The kind of fog that forms over a moist surface on a cool, clear night is called
a. radiation fog b. advection fog c. steam fog d. upslope fog e. ice fog
5. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. Air that is rising cools due to expansion as it rises into less dense air.
b. An example of convection is air rising over a hot parking lot.
c. An example of a steep lapse rate, associated with unstable conditions, is 12 oC per 1000 m.
d. The environmental lapse rate is the actual change in temperature with elevation.
e. Descending air cools due to compression.
6. The greatest percentage of fresh water on earth is
a. stored in ice caps on Greenland and Antarctica. c. in large lakes and rivers on the continents.
b. stored in vast aquifers beneath the continents. d. in water vapor circulating in the atmosphere.
7. Relative humidity
a. is actual water vapor in the air divided by water vapor in the air when it is saturated.
b. varies with air temperature. d. increases as air temperature rises
c. is expressed as a percentage. e. only (d) is incorrect.
8. Near the surface of the earth, what type of weather is associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?
a. Subsiding air, high pressure, and clear, sunny skies. c. Low pressure and frequent thunder storms.
b. Westerly cyclonic storms. d. Frequent snow storms.
9. In Sonoma County, winter rains are brought by
a. cyclonic storms embedded in the polar jet stream. c. monsoon wind patterns.
b. convective storms carried in the westerlies. d. low pressure systems in the ITCZ.
10. Land-sea breezes
a. are breezes that occur in mountainous locations
b. are caused by differences in heating and cooling of land compared with water
c. occur primarily in the afternoons because of high pressure over land
d. occur only at night, when the ocean is cooler than the land.
11. Which of the following refers specifically to tropical atmospheric circulation?
a. Polar Front b. ITCZ c. Hadley Cell d. Subtropical Highs e. all but (a) are correct.12. In winter the ____ become(s) stronger and wider and move(s) equatorward; in summer it become(s) fragmentary and weak, moving poleward.
a. Polar jet stream b. Trade winds c. El Niño d. doldrums e. Polar lows
13. Which of the following causes ocean currents on the west coasts of continents to pull offshore, creating cold water upwelling?
a. thermohaline circulation b. Coriolis effect c. Gulf Stream d. pressure gradient force e. subtropical gyres
14 . Which of the following is NOT a hazard that may be associated with severe thunderstorms?
a. downbursts b. hail c. flooding d. lightning strikes e. all of these may be associated with thunderstorms.
15 . Which of the following cloud types would be likely to develop from turbulent or abruptly rising air?
a. nimbostratus b. altocumulus c. cirrus d. stratus e. lenticular.
16. The ______, flowing north along the east coast of North America and across the north Atlantic, is responsible for keeping western Europe warm even in winter.
a. Gulf Stream Current b. Humboldt Current c. California Current d. Peru Current e. Equatorial Current
17. A weather phenomenon that forms only over very warm ocean water is called:
a. typhoon b. cyclone c. hurricane d. water spout e. only (d) is incorrect.
18 . The primary characteristics that define the climate of a location are
a. air masses, wind patterns c. average temperature and precipitation e. high and low pressure cells
b. continentality, elevation d. general atmospheric circulation patterns
19 . Which of the following statements regarding midlatitude cyclones is FALSE? These storms:
a. travel west to east, embedded in the polar jet stream c. form along the polar front. e. bring winter rains to California.
b. bring warm rains to the South in summer. d. often consist of a cold front and a warm front.
20 . What climate factors can cause deserts to form?
a. sinking air associated with the Hadley cell c. extreme continentality, far from oceans
b. the rain shadow effect, places on the leeward side of mountains d. all of the above are correct.
Match the answer to each of the following questions with one of the words or phrases listed below . Put answers on Scantron.
a. Polar jet stream c. stable air e. unstable air ac. nimbostratus ae. Chinook
b. midlatitude cyclone d. cold front ab. cirrus ad. monsoons bc. Cumulus
a____21. The ___ is driven by the strong temperature gradient across the Polar Front.
ac____22. These kinds of clouds are often found directly ahead of a warm front (closest to front).
ae____23. These winter winds are also known as “snow eaters” because they are relatively warm and dry.
ad____24. This is the type of system that brings intense rainfall in summer to certain parts of the world.
c____25. The sinking (descending) part of the Hadley Cell is associated with _____.
Match the answer to each of the following questions with one of the words or phrases listed below . Put answers on Scantron.
a. thunderstorm c. tornado e. hail ac. updraft ae. downburst
b. hurricane d. air mass ab. orographic ad. storm surge bc. cumulonimbus
b____ 26. This phenomenon is known as a typhoon in the western Pacific and a cyclone in the Indian Ocean.
ab____ 27. This mechanism can bring precipitation to the windward side of a mountain.
a____ 28. Florida experiences the greatest number of these storms per year of anywhere in the U.S.
e____ 29. This phenomenon can create polka-dot cars and ruined field crops.
ae____ 30. This phenomenon has caused commercial airliners to crash.
SKETCHES: (Draw in your Blue Book, one page for each drawing) (five points each)
1. Draw and fully label a sketch of the Global Atmospheric Circulation. Include the three major wind belts, major semipermanent high and low pressure cells, the Hadley cell system, and the Polar Front.
2. Draw in Cross Section, and fully label (a) a cold front, and (b) a warm front, showing the direction of air movement, types of associated clouds, and differences in temperature
SHORT ESSAY. Pick ONE of the following topics to answer in a few brief, well-planned paragraphs. Please use full sentences and proper grammar and spelling. Use well-labeled sketches or diagrams where requested or helpful. (30 pts)
1. What are the main elements that characterize the climate of a place? (i.e. what is “climate”?) What are the major factors (in air, water, land) that influence the climate of a particular place? (Describe as many as possible from the list.) Include two or more contrasting examples of different locations to illustrate your answer, using the general names of each type of climate in your examples.
BONUS QUESTION (1 pt) Is the Atmosphere outside right now Stable or Unstable? Justify your answer (why do you think so?)