Geog 1900 Exam 1 Questions and Answers Fully Solved Latest Update 2025-2026
• What are the three most common permanent gases of the atmosphere. Why are they
called permanent? - Answers Nitrogen (72%), oxygen(21%), argon(1%);
they are called permanent because they are always there in the same concentrations
• What are variable gases? Have at least two examples. - Answers spatial-temporal gases can fluctuate,
examples are water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ozone (O3)
• What are aerosols? - Answers solid and liquid material in suspension in the atmosphere
• The vertical distribution of pressure and temperature in the atmosphere. Why is it nonlinear?
In other words, why does pressure change more with elevation near the
surface than at higher elevations? - Answers it is nonlinear because air is compressible, meaning that
most of the air 'sinks' to the bottom, therefore the higher you go in the atmosphere the less pressure
there is and therefore less air molecules to move around, causing a decrease in temperature
• Atmospheric layers. Know the basics (vertical temperature profile, average location,
percentage of total mass) for troposphere and stratosphere. - Answers troposphere: decreases, 80% of
atmospheric mass, heated from below
stratosphere: increases, 20% of atmospheric mass, contains the ozone layer (ozone absorbs UV and
heats from above)
ionosphere: between mesosphere and thermosphere, not temperature-based, ions resulting from
interaction between gases and sunlight
• Vertical temperature profile and stability in the troposphere - Answers vertically stable: heavy air at
the bottom, cool air at the top. the troposphere is unstable, since cooler air is heavier and is located
above the lighter, warmer air
• Ozone layer. Ozone and ultraviolet absorption. - Answers between 10-50 km above surface, ozone
absorbs harmful UV rays from the sun. Human activity has decreased atmospheric ozone by putting CFCs
in the atmosphere
• The ozone hole: causes, consequences impact on surface and stratospheric temperature - Answers the
hole is a decrease of up to 50% by season, which allows more UV through
DOES NOT CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING as UV is only 1% of energy from the sun; actually causes the
stratosphere to cool. Smog ozone which increases GHE near surface causes global warming
• What is the Montreal Protocol? Why and how it has impacted atmospheric ozone
, concentrations. - Answers enacted in 1987 to reduce global CFC production, has greatly increased
amount of ozone in the stratosphere
• What is the most important source of energy for the climate system. - Answers sun
• Electromagnetic radiation: relationship between wavelength and frequency.
Relationship between frequency/wavelength and energy. - Answers for EM radiation, energy increases
with frequency, high frequency=low wavelength
• The Stefan-Boltzmann and Wein's displacement equations. Implications for the
differences in type of radiation and amount of radiative energy emitted by the Sun
and the Earth. - Answers W: max wavelength= Co/T where Co=2.897x10^-3
the max wavelength is inversely proportional to the temperature of the object
S-B: I=oT^4 where o= 5.67x10^-8
the total energy per unit area radiated is proportional to its absolute temperature^4
• Path of radiation through the atmosphere: scattering (different types), reflection,
selective absorption - Answers reflection is when the energy bounces back, specular reflection occurs
when the incident angle=outgoing angle, no energy is absorbed
scattering - Answers scattering is when energy bounces off in any direction: Rayleigh scattering occurs
with scattering agents <1/10 the wavelength of incoming radiation, most effective at scattering blues;
Mie scattering occurs with scattering agents >1/10 the wavelength of incoming radiation, not
wavelength selective, causes haziness; nonselective scattering scatters all colors (usually off water
droplets), therefore making clouds white
selective absorption - Answers particular gases only absorb radiation at specific wavelengths, this tends
to be quantized meaning it occurs at discreet intervals; works by increasing movement of molecules
(KE); is quantized because molecules have a fixed number of stable energy states and the photon must
provide the right amount of energy
• Albedo, surface and atmospheric. How albedo impacts absorption of solar energy and
temperature. - Answers albedo is the reflectivity of a surface, lower=darker, higher=lighter colored; low
albedo absorbs more energy from the sun
• Concepts: aphelion, perihelion, ecliptic, solstice and equinox. - Answers aphelion: our summer, 152km
from sun
perihelion: our winter, 147km from sun
• What are the three most common permanent gases of the atmosphere. Why are they
called permanent? - Answers Nitrogen (72%), oxygen(21%), argon(1%);
they are called permanent because they are always there in the same concentrations
• What are variable gases? Have at least two examples. - Answers spatial-temporal gases can fluctuate,
examples are water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ozone (O3)
• What are aerosols? - Answers solid and liquid material in suspension in the atmosphere
• The vertical distribution of pressure and temperature in the atmosphere. Why is it nonlinear?
In other words, why does pressure change more with elevation near the
surface than at higher elevations? - Answers it is nonlinear because air is compressible, meaning that
most of the air 'sinks' to the bottom, therefore the higher you go in the atmosphere the less pressure
there is and therefore less air molecules to move around, causing a decrease in temperature
• Atmospheric layers. Know the basics (vertical temperature profile, average location,
percentage of total mass) for troposphere and stratosphere. - Answers troposphere: decreases, 80% of
atmospheric mass, heated from below
stratosphere: increases, 20% of atmospheric mass, contains the ozone layer (ozone absorbs UV and
heats from above)
ionosphere: between mesosphere and thermosphere, not temperature-based, ions resulting from
interaction between gases and sunlight
• Vertical temperature profile and stability in the troposphere - Answers vertically stable: heavy air at
the bottom, cool air at the top. the troposphere is unstable, since cooler air is heavier and is located
above the lighter, warmer air
• Ozone layer. Ozone and ultraviolet absorption. - Answers between 10-50 km above surface, ozone
absorbs harmful UV rays from the sun. Human activity has decreased atmospheric ozone by putting CFCs
in the atmosphere
• The ozone hole: causes, consequences impact on surface and stratospheric temperature - Answers the
hole is a decrease of up to 50% by season, which allows more UV through
DOES NOT CAUSE GLOBAL WARMING as UV is only 1% of energy from the sun; actually causes the
stratosphere to cool. Smog ozone which increases GHE near surface causes global warming
• What is the Montreal Protocol? Why and how it has impacted atmospheric ozone
, concentrations. - Answers enacted in 1987 to reduce global CFC production, has greatly increased
amount of ozone in the stratosphere
• What is the most important source of energy for the climate system. - Answers sun
• Electromagnetic radiation: relationship between wavelength and frequency.
Relationship between frequency/wavelength and energy. - Answers for EM radiation, energy increases
with frequency, high frequency=low wavelength
• The Stefan-Boltzmann and Wein's displacement equations. Implications for the
differences in type of radiation and amount of radiative energy emitted by the Sun
and the Earth. - Answers W: max wavelength= Co/T where Co=2.897x10^-3
the max wavelength is inversely proportional to the temperature of the object
S-B: I=oT^4 where o= 5.67x10^-8
the total energy per unit area radiated is proportional to its absolute temperature^4
• Path of radiation through the atmosphere: scattering (different types), reflection,
selective absorption - Answers reflection is when the energy bounces back, specular reflection occurs
when the incident angle=outgoing angle, no energy is absorbed
scattering - Answers scattering is when energy bounces off in any direction: Rayleigh scattering occurs
with scattering agents <1/10 the wavelength of incoming radiation, most effective at scattering blues;
Mie scattering occurs with scattering agents >1/10 the wavelength of incoming radiation, not
wavelength selective, causes haziness; nonselective scattering scatters all colors (usually off water
droplets), therefore making clouds white
selective absorption - Answers particular gases only absorb radiation at specific wavelengths, this tends
to be quantized meaning it occurs at discreet intervals; works by increasing movement of molecules
(KE); is quantized because molecules have a fixed number of stable energy states and the photon must
provide the right amount of energy
• Albedo, surface and atmospheric. How albedo impacts absorption of solar energy and
temperature. - Answers albedo is the reflectivity of a surface, lower=darker, higher=lighter colored; low
albedo absorbs more energy from the sun
• Concepts: aphelion, perihelion, ecliptic, solstice and equinox. - Answers aphelion: our summer, 152km
from sun
perihelion: our winter, 147km from sun
