Question 1

Atmospheric convection of heat radiated from the Earth's surface and the variety of phenomena we call weather occur within which layer of the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)   the mesosphere
B)   the stratosphere
C)   the thermosphere
D)   the troposphere

Question 2

Which layer of the atmosphere has the lowest density?

Accepted Answer

A)   the mesosphere
B)   he stratosphere
C)   the thermosphere
D)   the troposphere

Question 3

Within the troposphere,what happens to pressure and temperature as elevation increases? Is the same true of all atmospheric layers?

Accepted Answer

Within the troposphere,pressure and temp...

Question 4

In which layer of the atmosphere does temperature decrease with altitude because most of its heat is derived from the atmospheric layer immediately below it?

Accepted Answer

A)   the mesosphere
B)   the stratosphere
C)   the thermosphere
D)   the troposphere

Question 5

The two main mechanisms of rain and snow formation within clouds are ________ and ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   evaporation; precipitation
B)   collision and coalescence; precipitation
C)   collision and coalescence; the Bergeron process
D)   phase change; the Bergeron process

Question 6

Winds form where ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   gravity pulls air masses downhill
B)   pressure gradients exist
C)   convective lifting occurs
D)   the Coriolis effect is greatest

Question 7

Because of the Coriolis effect,air that is spread northward from the equator is deflected ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   directly back to the equator
B)   to the east
C)   to the west
D)   upward,to the tropopause

Question 8

High-pressure systems are associated with weather that is ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   cool and damp
B)   extremely wet
C)   warm and moist
D)   clear and dry

Question 9

The development of cyclones and anticyclones in high- and low-pressure regions is a result of the deflection of air currents by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   solar wind
B)   the stratosphere
C)   the Coriolis effect
D)   ion beams originating in the ionosphere

Question 10

As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   an increase in temperature because of adiabatic heating
B)   a decrease in temperature because of adiabatic cooling
C)   an increase in temperature because of increasing proximity to the Sun
D)   no change in temperature

Question 11

The boundary between two bodies of air with differing characteristics (such as temperature,pressure,and relative humidity) is termed a ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   contact
B)   front
C)   jet stream
D)   Gruber surface

Question 12

What is orographic lifting? How does this happen? What is the result?

Accepted Answer

Orographic lifting happens when moisture...

Question 13

Consult the figure below.During which part of the Earth's history was the oxygen saturation in the atmosphere highest?

Accepted Answer

A)   Cambrian and Ordovician
B)   Carboniferous and Permian
C)   Triassic and Jurassic
D)   Tertiary and Quaternary

Question 14

To an observer traveling outward from the Earth's surface into outer space,the temperature of the atmosphere ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   uniformly decreases because of atmospheric thinning
B)   uniformly increases because of increasing proximity to the Sun
C)   fluctuates depending on the atmospheric layer
D)   remains relatively constant until the very edge of the atmosphere,where the observer would experience the very cold vacuum that is interplanetary space

Question 15

Hurricanes pose extreme danger and can cause damage in numerous ways.Explain three ways in which hurricanes cause destruction.

Accepted Answer

Student answers should include three of ...

Question 16

The Earth has had three atmospheres since its formation 4.54 Ga ago.Contrast the Earth's first atmospheric gases with the Earth's current atmosphere.What gas,essential for life,was missing in the first atmosphere? What led to its emergence?

Accepted Answer

When the Earth first formed,4.56 Ga ago,...

Question 17

Most atmospheric ozone occurs in which layer of the Earth's atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)   the mesosphere
B)   the stratosphere
C)   the thermosphere
D)   the troposphere

Question 18

Prevailing surface winds are named for the ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   latitudinal belt in which they form
B)   direction from which they blow
C)   direction to which they blow
D)   level of the atmosphere in which they form

Question 19

The long-term buildup of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere is a result of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   volcanic outgassing
B)   photosynthesis
C)   limestone formation in the ocean
D)   solar radiation splitting molecules of ozone in the stratosphere

Question 20

Incoming solar energy is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   latent heat
B)   coalescence
C)   insolation
D)   adiabatic heating

Exam 20: An Envelope of Gas: the Earths Atmosphere and Climate

To an observer traveling outward from the Earth's surface into outer space,the temperature of the atmosphere ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Prevailing surface winds are named for the ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Earth has had three atmospheres since its formation 4.54 Ga ago.Contrast the Earth's first atmospheric gases with the Earth's current atmosphere.What gas,essential for life,was missing in the first atmosphere? What led to its emergence?

Correct AnswerverifiedWhen the Earth first formed,4.56 Ga ago,...View AnswerShow Answer

As an air mass rises,it generally experiences ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

High-pressure systems are associated with weather that is ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In which layer of the atmosphere does temperature decrease with altitude because most of its heat is derived from the atmospheric layer immediately below it?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Because of the Coriolis effect,air that is spread northward from the equator is deflected ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Consult the figure below.During which part of the Earth's history was the oxygen saturation in the atmosphere highest?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which layer of the atmosphere has the lowest density?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Atmospheric convection of heat radiated from the Earth's surface and the variety of phenomena we call weather occur within which layer of the atmosphere?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The boundary between two bodies of air with differing characteristics (such as temperature,pressure,and relative humidity) is termed a ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Within the troposphere,what happens to pressure and temperature as elevation increases? Is the same true of all atmospheric layers?

Correct AnswerverifiedWithin the troposphere,pressure and temp...View AnswerShow Answer

The long-term buildup of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere is a result of ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Incoming solar energy is known as ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Winds form where ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The two main mechanisms of rain and snow formation within clouds are ________ and ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The development of cyclones and anticyclones in high- and low-pressure regions is a result of the deflection of air currents by ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is orographic lifting? How does this happen? What is the result?

Correct AnswerverifiedOrographic lifting happens when moisture...View AnswerShow Answer

Most atmospheric ozone occurs in which layer of the Earth's atmosphere?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Hurricanes pose extreme danger and can cause damage in numerous ways.Explain three ways in which hurricanes cause destruction.

Correct AnswerverifiedStudent answers should include three of ...View AnswerShow Answer

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When the Earth first formed,4.56 Ga ago,...
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Within the troposphere,pressure and temp...
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The two main mechanisms of rain and snow formation within clouds are and .

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Orographic lifting happens when moisture...
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Student answers should include three of ...
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