Atmospheric and Oceanic Processes

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Questions and Answers

Which statement is NOT true regarding deep-ocean water?

  • It has the highest salinity compared to other ocean layers.
  • Its circulation patterns are in the form of gyres within ocean basins. (correct)
  • It is the coldest of all the ocean layers.
  • It originates in the North Atlantic and Antarctica.

What is the most accurate definition of air pressure?

  • The sum of air temperature plus altitude.
  • The weight of air above a given point on Earth's surface. (correct)
  • A measure of the force of horizontal winds.
  • The sum of wind speed plus direction.

Which statement does NOT accurately describe pressure surfaces?

  • They help explain upper-level (geostrophic) wind patterns.
  • They form an undulating isobaric surface with ridges of high pressure and troughs of low pressure in the upper atmosphere.
  • They connect points of equal atmospheric pressure.
  • They represent the vertical interface where two contrasting air masses collide. (correct)

A satellite image showing a concentrated band of heavy rainfall is most likely indicating the presence of what?

<p>Intertropical Convergence Zone (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following accurately describes Mountain-Valley breezes?

<p>During the day, valley air heats rapidly and rises upslope. At night, mountain air cools quicker and moves downslope. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why are regions near subtropical highs, like deserts, typically dry?

<p>Air aloft sinks, compresses, and heats up. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which force influences air movement around high- and low-pressure areas?

<p>All of the above (E)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the Northern Hemisphere, what is the typical pattern of surface winds around areas of low pressure?

<p>converge/counterclockwise (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which factor LEAST LIKELY influences surface water circulation patterns in the oceans?

<p>Seawater evaporation (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where are the polar jet streams typically located?

<p>Near the subpolar low-pressure cells near 60 degrees north and south latitudes where cold and warm air masses meet. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of the combination of the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force acting on upper-level (geostrophic) winds?

<p>flow parallel to isobars (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Considering isobars, wind speeds and pressure, which statement regarding the illustration is correct?

<p>Wind speeds near the high-pressure area (H) are lighter and milder than wind speeds near the low-pressure area to the right that are stronger (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What condition is illustrated in the equatorial Pacific Ocean?

<p>El Nino (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What two factors will most directly cause seawater density to increase?

<p>Cooler temperatures and increased salinity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement does NOT correctly relate to trade winds?

<p>Utilized by ancient mariners sailing from North America to Europe (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Flashcards

Air Pressure

The weight of the air above a particular point on the Earth's surface, pressing down due to gravity.

Subtropical Highs

An atmospheric circulation pattern where air descends, compresses, and warms, leading to dry conditions, like deserts.

Moist Adiabatic Rate

The average rate at which saturated air cools as it rises due to expansion. It is less than the dry adiabatic rate because condensation releases latent heat.

Mountain-Valley Breezes

Winds caused by temperature differences between mountain slopes and valleys. During the day, valley air rises; at night, mountain air descends.

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Surface winds around low pressure (N. Hemisphere)

A circulation pattern where winds converge into a low-pressure zone. In the Northern Hemisphere, this convergence spirals counterclockwise.

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Occluded Front

occurs when cold, dense air pushes warmer, less dense air upward, resulting in the rising air cooling

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Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

The zone where trade winds converge near the equator, characterized by rising air, heavy rainfall, and tropical rainforests.

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Geostrophic Winds

Upper-level winds that result from a balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis effect, flowing parallel to isobars.

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Monsoonal Rains in India

The most intense rainfall in India, it occurs primarily during the summer season. The summer heating produces a low-pressure cell over India, with winds converging into this area bringing significant moisture inland.

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Water Vapor

The most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere overall, essential for maintaining Earth's temperature, but increased concentrations can lead to warming.

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Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide

The most abundant anthropogenic (man-made) gas contributing to the greenhouse effect, released by burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

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El Niño

A climate pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, leading to changes in weather patterns worldwide.

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Derechos

A weather event associated with thunderstorm systems, resulting from strong downbursts of cooler air that blast powerful winds outward across the ground surface.

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Mesocyclone

A localized, column-shaped area of rotation, usually 2-6 miles (3-10 km) wide, within a thunderstorm. Under the right conditions, a Mesocyclone can produce powerful tornadoes

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Ocean acidification

occurs when increased absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide in surface waters of the oceans, which in turn lowers the pH of seawater.

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Study Notes

  • Deep-ocean water does not circulate in gyres within ocean basins.
  • Air pressure equals the weight of air above a given point on Earth's surface.
  • A vertical interface is not consistent with pressure surfaces where two contrasting air masses collide.
  • A satellite image shows a band of heavier rainfall that is consistent with the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
  • At night, valley air cools faster and rises upslope.
  • Regions near subtropical highs, including deserts, tend to be dry because air aloft sinks, undergoes compression, and heats up.
  • All forces including pressure gradient, Coriolis, gravitational, and friction forces, affect the movement of air in and around high- and low- pressure areas.
  • In the northern hemisphere, surface winds converge/counterclockwise in a circulation pattern around areas of low pressure.
  • Circulation patterns of surface water in the ocean are least affected by seawater evaporation.
  • Polar jet streams are located near the subpolar low-pressure cells near 60 degrees north and south latitudes where cold and warm air masses meet.
  • The combination of pressure gradient and Coriolis forces causes upper-level (geostrophic) winds to flow parallel to isobars.
  • Wind speeds near the high-pressure area (H) are milder than wind speeds near the low-pressure area to the right that are stronger.
  • The figure illustrates El Nino conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
  • Cooler temperatures and increased salinity cause seawater to increase in density and sink.
  • Trade winds were utilized by ancient mariners sailing from North America to Europe.
  • Rising air along the ITCZ, once aloft, moves towards the poles because of temperature differences between the equator and poles.
  • Monsoonal rains on the continent of India are most intense during the summer.
  • Stratospheric warming of the polar vortex and overall warming of the Arctic weakens and causes undulations in the polar jet stream, which in turn brings cold Arctic air southward into the United States
  • Areas characterized by year-round rainfall and tropical rainforests are associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone near the equator.
  • Pacific Decadal and North Atlantic oscillations do not occur locally over land only during the summer months.
  • Ice is not denser than liquid water at its freezing temperature.
  • Relative humidity is the mass of water vapor in air divided by the mass of water vapor that the air can hold.
  • The warmer the air, the lower the relative humidity.
  • Water vapor condenses into liquid water, releasing latent heat.
  • An air parcel expands and cools at higher altitudes.
  • The illustration demonstrates adiabatic cooling.
  • A rising air parcel has a higher adiabatic rate than the environmental lapse rate in a stable atmosphere.
  • The given conditions will result in clear skies and stagnant air.
  • The picture is an example of cumulus clouds.
  • Valley fog forms when cool, dense air settles in a valley.
  • The average rate at which ascending, water-saturated air cools by expansion is called the moist adiabatic rate.
  • An air mass classified as maritime polar (mP) will most likely be moist and cold.
  • An occluded front forms when cold, dense air pushes warmer, lower density air ahead of it such that the warmer air rises up and over the cold air.
  • Average storm tracts shift northward into Canada during the winter and southward into the U.S. during the summer (this statement regarding midlatitude cyclones is false).
  • Strong thunderstorms, lightning, and tornadoes are usually associated with cumulonimbus clouds.
  • The figure illustrates the formation of a mid-latitude cyclone.
  • Strong wind aloft shears off the top of the developing cyclone is not one of the steps leading to hurricane formation?
  • Warm front is the atmospheric lifting mechanism that occurs when warmer, lower density air pushes colder, denser air ahead of it that is often associated with slow steady rain or snow..
  • Orographic lifting creates a rain shadow on the leeward side of mountains.
  • Derechos are associated with thunderstorm systems and result from strong downbursts of cooler air that blast powerful winds outward across the ground surface.
  • Groundwater flow LEAST-LIKELY influences Earth's climate system
  • Savanna receives The LEAST amount of annual rainfall in the tropical climates?
  • A continental-arctic (cA) air mass that is very cold and dry would most-likely be characterized by a tundra climate
  • Humid subtropical climate is most-likely in the Gulf coastal region, including Houston
  • Tropical climate is reflected by a climograph that includes a monsoon.
  • Subtropical hot desert can be determined from the climograph results.
  • Increased upwelling of deep ocean water along the west coast of South America is not associated to el nino.
  • Use of fossil fuels show the use of computer models to generate rates of global warming.
  • General Circulation Models are used to predict future climate change.
  • Increasing snow cover on mountains is not a key indicator of climatic warming
  • Positive feedback loop is Arctic sea ice melts as temperature rises.
  • Scientists predict that sea level will rise by 1.4 meters by the end of this century.
  • Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas overall
  • Carbon dioxide is the most abundant anthropogenic (man-made) gas
  • Each of the following factors is contributing to the rise of global temperatures EXCEPT Growth of tropical rainforests.
  • Increased absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide in surface waters of the oceans acid/lowers, forms which in turn the pH of seawater. Carbonic
  • The amount of precipitation in the United States that falls during the heaviest rainfall events has increased over the past few decades due to climate change. True
  • Postive Feedback: Warmer temperatures lead to longer summers and greater microbial activity, which in turn releases more carbon dioxide and methane than is removed from the atmosphere is the progressive thawing of permafrost in the Arctic over the past few decades affect climate change
  • Warmer seawater temperatures over the past few decades have benefited and allowed coral reefs to flourish is false.

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