GES 110 Exam 2 Questions and
Answers26
The major gyres discussed in class are - ANSWERS -systems of ocean surface currents driven by
the anticyclonic circulation of winds associated with the subtropical high pressure belts
Major ocean currents in the North Atlantic include - ANSWERS -a warm-water current moving
north along the east coast of North America and a cool-water current moving south along the
coasts of Spain and North Africa
If we look at a vertical temperature profile of the ocean, - ANSWERS -the warmest water is at
the surface and most of the water column is only a few degrees above 0 degrees C.
Which phenomena are associated with Ekman transport? - ANSWERS -ocean surface currents
driven by trade winds in the northern hemisphere veer to the right, producing currents that
move offshore and are replaced by upwelling of cold bottom water
El Nino/Southern Oscillation involves - ANSWERS -weakening of the trade winds in the Pacific
and "sloshing" of warm water from the western to the eastern Pacific, cutting off upwelling and
causing wet conditions along the coast of South America
What drives the thermohaline circulation? - ANSWERS -density differences controlled by
differences in temperature and salinity
How much of the world's water is fresh water? - ANSWERS -< 3%
,The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere - ANSWERS -is only about 1/1000 of 1% of the
total volume of water on the globe, but is important because it cycles through the atmosphere
very rapidly with an average residence time of only 7 to 9 days
T/F: If we could squeeze all the water from the atmosphere at any one time and measure the
average depth around the globe, it would be about one inch. - ANSWERS -True
Phase changes in water
- are associated with breaking of the bonds linking water molecules when ice melts and when
liquid water evaporates
- involve the absorption of latent heat in both melting and evaporation
- involve the release of latent heat in both condensation and freezing
- may include the direct conversion of ice to water vapor or water vapor to ice
- all of the above are true - ANSWERS -all of the above are true
In class we calculated the amount of energy needed to (1) melt a gram of ice at 0 degrees C; (2)
raise the temperature of the water to 100 degrees C; and (3) convert that gram of liquid water
into water vapor. What percent of the total energy involved in these three processes goes into
latent heat rather than sensible heat? - ANSWERS -about 85%
The vast majority of the earth's FRESH water is where? - ANSWERS -glaciers and ice sheets
How much of the world's fresh water is stored in ice sheets and glaciers? - ANSWERS ->75%
The amount of moisture that air can hold - ANSWERS -increases by about a factor of 2 with each
10o C increase in temperature
, Saturation vapor pressure is - ANSWERS -the portion of total atmospheric pressure due to the
weight of water vapor in the air when relative humidity is 100%
Adiabatic cooling - ANSWERS -is independent of the temperature of the surrounding air and is
entirely a result of the expansion of an air mass as it rises and is exposed to lower atmospheric
pressure
Air rises spontaneously - ANSWERS -as long as its temperature is higher than that of the
surrounding air
Assume that the actual amount of water vapor in the air does not change over a 24-hour period
in the summer. How does relative humidity change over this same time period? - ANSWERS -
relative humidity should rise in the evening, reach a maximum in early morning, and gradually
decline to a minimum in mid-to-late afternoon
Temperature inversions
- occur when sinking air from above warms adiabatically and is warmer than air at the surface
- occur when upwelling of cold bottom water along the coast leads to temperatures that are
always cooler than the air above
- occurs when a cool air mass moves in from offshore and pushes its way underneath warmer
surface air
- may trap a layer of air at the surface where pollutants can accumulate
- all of the above are true - ANSWERS -all of the above are true
The dew point is - ANSWERS -the temperature at which air becomes saturated and
condensation begins
What happens to rising air under the conditions illustrated in the figure below?
Answers26
The major gyres discussed in class are - ANSWERS -systems of ocean surface currents driven by
the anticyclonic circulation of winds associated with the subtropical high pressure belts
Major ocean currents in the North Atlantic include - ANSWERS -a warm-water current moving
north along the east coast of North America and a cool-water current moving south along the
coasts of Spain and North Africa
If we look at a vertical temperature profile of the ocean, - ANSWERS -the warmest water is at
the surface and most of the water column is only a few degrees above 0 degrees C.
Which phenomena are associated with Ekman transport? - ANSWERS -ocean surface currents
driven by trade winds in the northern hemisphere veer to the right, producing currents that
move offshore and are replaced by upwelling of cold bottom water
El Nino/Southern Oscillation involves - ANSWERS -weakening of the trade winds in the Pacific
and "sloshing" of warm water from the western to the eastern Pacific, cutting off upwelling and
causing wet conditions along the coast of South America
What drives the thermohaline circulation? - ANSWERS -density differences controlled by
differences in temperature and salinity
How much of the world's water is fresh water? - ANSWERS -< 3%
,The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere - ANSWERS -is only about 1/1000 of 1% of the
total volume of water on the globe, but is important because it cycles through the atmosphere
very rapidly with an average residence time of only 7 to 9 days
T/F: If we could squeeze all the water from the atmosphere at any one time and measure the
average depth around the globe, it would be about one inch. - ANSWERS -True
Phase changes in water
- are associated with breaking of the bonds linking water molecules when ice melts and when
liquid water evaporates
- involve the absorption of latent heat in both melting and evaporation
- involve the release of latent heat in both condensation and freezing
- may include the direct conversion of ice to water vapor or water vapor to ice
- all of the above are true - ANSWERS -all of the above are true
In class we calculated the amount of energy needed to (1) melt a gram of ice at 0 degrees C; (2)
raise the temperature of the water to 100 degrees C; and (3) convert that gram of liquid water
into water vapor. What percent of the total energy involved in these three processes goes into
latent heat rather than sensible heat? - ANSWERS -about 85%
The vast majority of the earth's FRESH water is where? - ANSWERS -glaciers and ice sheets
How much of the world's fresh water is stored in ice sheets and glaciers? - ANSWERS ->75%
The amount of moisture that air can hold - ANSWERS -increases by about a factor of 2 with each
10o C increase in temperature
, Saturation vapor pressure is - ANSWERS -the portion of total atmospheric pressure due to the
weight of water vapor in the air when relative humidity is 100%
Adiabatic cooling - ANSWERS -is independent of the temperature of the surrounding air and is
entirely a result of the expansion of an air mass as it rises and is exposed to lower atmospheric
pressure
Air rises spontaneously - ANSWERS -as long as its temperature is higher than that of the
surrounding air
Assume that the actual amount of water vapor in the air does not change over a 24-hour period
in the summer. How does relative humidity change over this same time period? - ANSWERS -
relative humidity should rise in the evening, reach a maximum in early morning, and gradually
decline to a minimum in mid-to-late afternoon
Temperature inversions
- occur when sinking air from above warms adiabatically and is warmer than air at the surface
- occur when upwelling of cold bottom water along the coast leads to temperatures that are
always cooler than the air above
- occurs when a cool air mass moves in from offshore and pushes its way underneath warmer
surface air
- may trap a layer of air at the surface where pollutants can accumulate
- all of the above are true - ANSWERS -all of the above are true
The dew point is - ANSWERS -the temperature at which air becomes saturated and
condensation begins
What happens to rising air under the conditions illustrated in the figure below?
