GEOL 109 Ch.14,15,17 Actual Exam Questions And Verified Correct Answers

One hundred million year old air from the time of the dinosaurs was trapped in amber; chemical analyses indicate that the oxygen concentrations during that time were 40% _________ than today, allowing dinosaurs to have relatively_______ lungs. - correct answers higher, small Some scientists believe that ______________ oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere are thought to have resulted in the ___________ decline of dinosaurs during the end of their reign. - correct answers declining, gradual The upper limits of the Earth's atmosphere is approximately _________ km. above the surface. - correct answers 10,000 Earth's atmosphere is held in place by ___________ force. - correct answers gravitational The most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere is ______________. - correct answers Nitrogen Most incoming solar radiation____________ the atmosphere, and the atmosphere is warmed by _______________. - correct answers passes through, heat from the Earth's surface At sunset a particular location will receive _______ solar radiation than at noon (when the sun is at the top of the sky), due to ____________ absorption or scattering of the suns rays. - correct answers less, increased The _________ in air temperature with ___________ altitude is called the lapse rate. - correct answers decrease, increasing This layer of the atmosphere is at the highest altitude--so high that rocket scientists consider it to be part of "space" (although Earth scientists do not). - correct answers Thermosphere All human activity--barring space travel--takes place in the ___________. - correct answers Troposphere In the troposphere temperature __________ with altitude, whereas in the stratosphere temperature _________ with height. - correct answers decreases, increases CFC's (chlorfluorocarbons) _________ chlorine oxide (ClO), and chlorine oxide ____________ ozone (O3)molecules. - correct answers produce, attacks By 1997 stratospheric chlorine concentrations had __________, and since that time they have _____________. - correct answers peaked, declined Latent heat energy is released by _______________. - correct answers condensation Latent heat energy is absorbed by _______________, - correct answers melting High humidity _________ the evaporation of sweat from the body, __________ its cooling effect. - correct answers decreases, decreasing If moisture is removed from the air relative humidity will ___________, if an air mass is cooled relative humidity will _________. - correct answers decrease, increase The actual quantity of water carried by a parcel of air is known as ________. - correct answers specific humidity Specific humidity is highest at the _________ latitudes. - correct answers tropical (equatorial) On a ________ day, 80% of incoming __________-wavelength radiation will reach the Earths surface. - correct answers clear, short Clouds ___________ incoming solar radiation. - correct answers Both A and B The proportion of incoming solar radiation that is ___________ by a surface is called its albedo, and is measured on a scale of 0 to ___. - correct answers scattered upward, 1 The Earth-atmosphere system reflects about one _______ of the solar radiation it receives back into space. - correct answers third The Earth is warmed by ___________ wavelength radiation. - correct answers Both A and B Counterradiation is _______-wave radiation that is re-radiated __________ the Earth. - correct answers long, away from Clearing forests for agriculture and turning agricultural land into urban and suburban areas _________ surface albedo, which would result in global _________. - correct answers decreases, warming If air pollution causes low, thick clouds to form, ________ shortwave radiation will be reflected back into space, which would cause the Earth to ___________. - correct answers more, cool Increasing condensation trails from aircraft would produce more high thin clouds, which absorb ________ longwave energy than reflect short wave energy. This would make the atmosphere _________. - correct answers more, warmer When air is forced to rise it _____________, and its temperature _________. - correct answers expands, decreases When air is forced to descend it _____________, and its temperature ______________. - correct answers is compressed, increases According to the adiabatic principle as air rises it ____________, and as it sinks it ____________. - correct answers cools, warms up The wet adiabatic lapse rate ________ constant, and operates at relatively __________ altitudes. - correct answers is not, high The dry adiabatic lapse rate ________ constant, and operates at relatively __________ altitudes. - correct answers is, low Cumulus clouds are _______ clouds, and _______ produce thunderstorms. - correct answers low, can Cirrus clouds are ________, ________, wispy clouds that are composed of ice crystals. - correct answers high, thin Cumulonimbus clouds are ________ clouds that ______ produce thunderstorms. - correct answers tall, can In warm clouds, raindrops form by _________, and grow by _________. - correct answers condensation, collision ___________ in warm clouds will cause cloud droplets to ___________, resulting ultimately in the formation of rain. - correct answers Updrafts, form raindrops Ice storms occur when the ground is ________, and the lowest air level is __________ freezing. - correct answers frozen, below In cool clouds _________ take up water and grow by ____________. - correct answers ice crystals, deposition The type of precipitation consisting of pea- to grapefruit-sized lumps of ice is known as ___________. - correct answers hail As warm moist air from the ocean is pushed towards the mountains, the air moves upward on the windward side and _________________, causing _________ on the windward side of the mountain. - correct answers cools, precipitation When orographic precipitation occurs, the leeward side is characterized by having _____, ______ air. - correct answers warm, dry California mountain ranges have a _________ effect on precipitation, with _______ precipitation occurring on the western slopes. - correct answers strong, more Convectional precipitation commonly produced __________ clouds, characterized by __________. - correct answers cumulus, a cauliflower top ___________ convection and ________ air are more likely to produce thunderstorms. - correct answers Strong, unstable Air that is __________ will be more likely to produce thunderstorms. A __________ decrease in temperature with height would also be more likely to produce thunderstorms. - correct answers warm and wet, rapid During the summer, air masses in the ________ and _____________ United States are often unstable. - correct answers central, southeastern A thunderstorm cloud ________ updrafts, and __________ downdrafts. - correct answers has, has Hailstorms are more likely to occur in this state. - correct answers Kansas Ch. 15 - correct answers Which of the following types of extreme weather was not produced by the 1997 El Niño event? - correct answers All of the above were produced by the 1997 El Niño event During El Niño years strong winds do not blow westward in the _________, as they normally do, thus leaving _________, nutrient-poor water off the South American coast. - correct answers Pacific, warm ____________ pulls gas molecules towards the Earth. - correct answers Gravity Air pressure _________ with altitude, and a mass of air will ___________ as it rises. - correct answers decreases, expand Wind is defined as air that blows ___________ over the Earth's surface. - correct answers horizontally On a weather map, lines that connect locations with equal pressure are called __________; a change in pressure or pressure gradient occurs _______ to these lines. - correct answers isobars, perpendicular In Southern California ___________ winds drive raging wildfires, whereas warm dry _______ winds form where the Canadian Rockies and the Great Plains meet various mountain ranges. These are good examples of local winds. - correct answers Santa Ana, Chinooks Land surfaces heat _______ rapidly than water, and cool _________ rapidly then water. - correct answers more, more Along the coast, during the day as the land heats up, a convection loop may form, and produce __________ _____________ breezes. - correct answers cool, sea Along the coast, at night, as radiation cooling occurs over the land, a reversed convection loop may form, and produce __________ _____________ breezes. - correct answers warm, land Local winds are produced by the ________ heating of the atmosphere, setting up ______________ loops. - correct answers uneven, convection The Coriolis effect causes an object in the Northern hemisphere to appear to be deflected to the _________, and an object in the Southern hemisphere to appear to be deflected ___________. - correct answers right, left The strength of the Coriolis "force" ___________ with speed of motion, but ________ with latitude. - correct answers increases, decreases For a low pressure cell the pressure gradient is _________ center, and for a high pressure cell the pressure gradient is ____________ center. - correct answers inward to the, outward from the Cyclones are _________ pressure centers, with __________-spiraling air motion called convergence. - correct answers low, inward Anticyclones are _________ pressure centers, with __________-spiraling air motion called convergence. - correct answers high, outward Low pressure cells, or _________, are often associated with _________ weather. - correct answers cyclones, cloudy or rainy _________ air that is adiabatically __________ is associated with high pressure cells. - correct answers Descending, warmed During the spring and fall equinoxes the maximum solar energy falls on the ________. - correct answers equator _________ air rises near the equator, creating a _________-pressure zone called the intertropical converence zone (ITCZ). - correct answers Warm, low Cool, high-altitude air starts to sink at ___________. - correct answers Both B and C The trade winds __________ and blow ________ the intertropical convergence zone. - correct answers converge, towards Which of the following sets of convecting cells is the least well defined? - correct answers Ferrel cells Pressure decreases _______ rapidly with height in warmer air than colder air. Therefore a pressure gradient is formed which pushes air to the _______. - correct answers less, poles Which of the following forces does not affect upper air parcels? - correct answers Frictional A band of weak _______ upper-air winds is prevalent in the equatorial zone, and belts of ______ pressure exist near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. - correct answers easterly, high Rossby waves are upper-air _______________ that travel in ___________. - correct answers westerlies, meanders Jet streams are wind streams that reach great speeds in ______ zones at a ______ altitude. - correct answers narrow, high Air masses are found in the ___________. - correct answers Troposphere Air masses are characterizes by their _________ content and _________. - correct answers moisture, temperature ___________________ air masses bring hot sultry summer weather to the eastern United States. - correct answers Maritime tropical _________________ air masses bring cold rain to the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. - correct answers Maritime polar Which of the following air masses has the least effect on the weather of the Eastern United States. - correct answers Continental tropical Stratus clouds, cumulonimbus clouds, and the forcing upward of warm air over a ramp of cold air below are associated with __________ fronts. - correct answers warm The violent disturbances of the atmosphere that mark severe weather and storms mostly occur along _________ fronts. - correct answers cold Carefully examine the below front where the abrupt lifting of warm air by denser cold air produces precipitation. This is a(n) _____________ front. - correct answers occluded In North America most thunderstorms are associated with ________ fronts and marine ___________ air masses. - correct answers cold, tropical Wave cyclones are the ________ that meteorologists show on weather forecasts, and form when two large __________ meet at a polar front. - correct answers lows, anticyclones Tornadoes are violent windstorms produced by a spiraling column of air that extends downward from a ____________ cloud. - correct answers cumulonimbus Tropical cyclones are spawned in areas where the Coriolis effect is ________, that is, regions ______________ than about latitude 5o. - correct answers stronger, greater The eye of a tropical cyclone has __________ winds, and the eye wall has __________ winds. - correct answers weak to no, strong At Galveston, Texas in 1900 about 6000 people were killed by a severe hurricane. This represents the largest death toll in a natural disaster yet experienced within the United States. Most of the people killed by this hurricane met their demise from ______________. - correct answers storm surge During hurricanes, earth flows and landslides are usually triggered by ___________. - correct answers rain Since 1995, sea surface temperatures in the northern Atlantic from August to October have averaged about 0.5oC (about 1oF) __________ than during , resulting in __________ hurricane activity. - correct answers higher, more Recent scientific evidence suggest that global __________ will increase the intensity of tropical cyclones and hurricanes, which will _________ the amount of mixing of cooler deep water with warmer surface waters, resulting in the weakening of storms. - correct answers warming, increase Wave cyclones are common features of _____-latitude weather, and off the eastern North American coast are known as _____________. - correct answers mid, nor'easters Tropical cyclones form over _______ _________ oceans. - correct answers warm, tropical Tropical cyclones are typically carried ___________ by _______________ trade winds. - correct answers westward, easterly In the Indian Ocean tropical cyclones are called _____________. - correct answers cyclones Ch.17 - correct answers In 2006, Pluto was re-classified as ______________. - correct answers a dwarf planet Aristotle believed in a ___________ universe, whereas most modern day scientists recognize a __________ universe. - correct answers geocentric, heliocentric By the 16th century a__________ universe had come to be accepted as divine fact by the ____________ church. - correct answers geocentric, Catholic Nicholas Copernicus believed that a ___________ system could easily explain retrograde motion, and that the planets revolved around the Sun in _____________ orbits. - correct answers heliocentric, circular Mars has a __________ retrograde motion than Saturn, and is therefore ___________ the Earth. - correct answers larger, closer to The Foucault pendulum was used to prove that ________________. - correct answers the Earth spins on its axis Nicholas Copernicus believed that the Earth __________ spin on its axis, and that this _______ explain the seasons. - correct answers does, can The north end of Earth's axis is tilted away from the sun during the __________________. - correct answers winter solstice According to Kepler's second law, called the law of equal areas, planets move _____________. - correct answers rapidly when close to the Sun and slower farther from the Sun. "The orbit of each planet is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus" is Kepler's __________ law. - correct answers 1st ___________ was a Danish astronomer who was skeptical of the heliocentric hypothesis of Copernicus, and collected the most accurate planetary data of the time from an astronomical observatory that was built in the year 1572 on the Danish island of Hven. - correct answers Tycho Brahe Johannes Kepler noted that for any planet, the distance of the planet from the Sun is related to the Period of the planet's orbit around the sun. This is known as Kepler's ________ law. For example, Earth's period is 1 year, and the Earth is _________ AU's from the Sun. - correct answers 3rd, 1 _____________ was the first man to construct a telescope for astronomical purposes, and with this device he helped to put to rest the notion of a ______________ universe. - correct answers Galileo Galilei, geocentric Galileo Galilei discovered that Venus ___________ have phases just like the Moon, and its apparent size ________ change in the night sky as seen from Earth, indicating that both Venus and the Earth orbit around the Sun. - correct answers does, does ____________ was the first person to determine that the gravity force must also extend "to the orb of the moon". - correct answers Sir Isaac Newton The terrestrial planets are not _______________. - correct answers gaseous The planets revolve around the Sun on___________, and the Sun and most of the planets rotate in the same _______________ direction (as viewed from the North Pole). - correct answers the same plane, counterclockwise The jovian planets are ________ dense, larger and __________ than the terrestrial planets. - correct answers less, colder Most scientists believe that heavy elements were produced by the ____________, and light elements were created by the___________. - correct answers stars, big bang Most of the hydrogen and helium can be found in the ___________ planets, and most of the heavy elements such as iron, aluminum and silica are found in the ___________ planets. - correct answers jovian, terrestrial The Sun contains ______% of the mass of the solar system, and primarily consists of the element ____________. - correct answers 98, hydrogen Energy in the core of the Sun is primarily transferred by __________, while in the upper 200,000 km of the Sun, energy is mostly transferred by ______________. - correct answers radiation, convection Energy generated in the core takes ____________ of years to reach the Sun's swirling surface. - correct answers hundreds of thousands The photosphere, as seen in the below photo, is the part of the surface layer of the sun that emits the most ______________; the dark spots in the photosphere are called sunspots and are regions of slightly __________ gas. - correct answers light, cooler The outermost portion of the solar atmosphere forms an envelope of gas, reaching millions of kilometers from the Sun, called the ________________. - correct answers corona ____________ are explosive ejections of particles that last about an hour and heat solar gas to tens of millions of degrees Celsius. These particles approach the speed of light and when they reach the Earth they can disrupt radio communications. - correct answers Solar flares The most common features seen in the chromosphere are __________, flame-like structures that jut out to about 10,000 km, like blades of grass. - correct answers Spicules Which of the following is not a terrestrial planet? - correct answers Jupiter Mercury has a relatively __________ core for its size, and has _________ craters. - correct answers large, many Mercury has ___________ atmosphere, and ___________. - correct answers no, great temperature extremes Venus is sometimes called "Earth's Twin", but its atmosphere is much different, its atmosphere contains _____ carbon dioxide, and its surface reaches _________°C), making it inhospitable to life. - correct answers 97%, 475 The Earth has a _________ lithosphere than the other terrestrial planets, and is the _________ dynamic of these planets. - correct answers thinner, most The wind on Jupiter is driven by heat from the ______________, and storms are ____________. - correct answers planet's interior, common Pressure in the interior of the Jovian planets is much ___________ than that of the terrestrial planets, so their interiors may contain liquid _____________. - correct answers greater, hydrogen The pressure in ___________ may be so high that solid metallic hydrogen may form a sheath around the icy core. - correct answers Jupiter Which of the following planets has a ring system? - correct answers All of the above The 2006 Cassini space probe confirmed that Saturn's rings are comprised of frozen ________________ molecules. - correct answers water The atmosphere of Uranus contains a small amount of ____________ which gives it its blue-green color - correct answers methane Which of the following is thought to have been created from an impact? - correct answers All of the above The orbits of most comets are ________________, and their tails _____ produced by the vaporization of their frozen gases by the Sun. - correct answers extremely elongated, are Blue stars are _________ than red stars, and super giants have a __________ energy output than white dwarfs. - correct answers hotter, greater Our Sun _______ a hydrogen burning star, and________ classified as being a main sequence star. - correct answers is, is Brown dwarfs are much ________ than our sun in terms of mass, and burn for a much __________ amount of time than our Sun. - correct answers smaller, longer Very large stars with Carbon formed from fusion will continue with more fusion to produce _________ elements like iron; when the core becomes filled with iron, a supernova __________ will occur. - correct answers heavier, explosion The aftermath of a supernova has a very strong magnetic field and can spin at 1000 times a second, and is called a ________________ - correct answers neutron star Black holes are formed from the collapse of ___________ stars, and ___________ be directly viewed through telescopes. - correct answers very large, cannot According to Hubble's Law other galaxies are __________ Earth, and more distant galaxies are doing so _____________. - correct answers moving away from, faster The lighter elements were formed _____________, and the heavier ones were formed ____________. - correct answers by the big bang, in stars The best estimate as to the age of the universe using cosmic background radiation data is about _____________ years - correct answers 13.7 billion Our galaxy, the "Milky Way", is classified as a _________ galaxy. - correct