1. The land at the equator has the highest average annual temperatures primarily due to the fact that

A. It is closer to the sunB. The midday sun is at a more

direct angle (closer to 90°) on average.

C. It has the highest humidity level

D. It has the highest air pressure

2. On December 21 at midday, the sun is directly over head which latitude?

A. 30 °NB. 23.5 °N (Tropic of Cancer)C. 0 ° (the Equator)D. 23.5 °S (Tropic of Capricorn)E. 30 °S

3. Which of the following is correct about how cooling air, such as with an air conditioner, and heating air, such as with a furnace, affects the relative humidity of the air?

A. Air conditioners decrease the relative humidity and furnaces increase it.

B. Air conditioners increase the relative humidity and furnaces decrease it.

C. Both increase D. Both decrease

Cold air = lower water vapor capacity

Relative Humidity= the percentage of water vapor in the air as a percentage of the maximum it can hold at that temperature.

10 °C air can hold 8 g/kg

If 7 g/kg then 88% relative humidity for 10 ° C.

20 °C air can hold 15 g/kg

30 °C air can hold 27 g/kg

7 g/kg is 47 % relative humidity in 20 °C air.

7 g/kg is 26% relative humidity for 30 ° C air.

Cooling increases relative humidity and can lead to precipitation if increases above 100%

Heating decreases the relative humidity, if no additional source of water vapor.

4. Which type of air pressure is often associated with precipitation, and why?

A. Low pressure air; air rises and cools in the upper troposphere

B. Low pressure; air sinks and cools as it moves closer to Earth

C. High pressure; air rises and cools in the upper atmosphere

D. High pressure; air sinks and cools as it moves closer to Earth.

At an altitude of 10 km in the troposphere, the average temperature is – 60 °C.

Low pressure zones are created when hot air rises. (As air rises there is less pressure at the Earth’s surface).

But as that warm air rises, it cools in the upper atmosphere. The colder air can no longer hold as much moisture, which can result in precipitation.

COOLING in the Upper Atmosphere leads to Condensation and Precipitation

HEATING at the Surface of the Earth leads to air expanding and rising creating a LOW PRESSURE zone.

5. Water has a _____ specific heat, which means that compared to most other substances it require ________ energy to increase its temperature.

A. low; lessB. low; moreC. high; lessD. high; more

6. The temperature of water will increase _______ compared to most other substances given an equal amount of energy and it tends to ______ temperatures.

A. more; moderateB. less; moderateC. more; amplifyD. less; amplify

7. At a lake during the daytime, the wind usually blows _____ because of ______ pressure over the land.

A. from the lake (sea breeze); lowB. from the lake (sea breeze); highC. from the land (land breeze); lowD. from the land (land breeze); high

The land is warmer than water during the day. (sand/soil have lower specific heat- take less energy to heat than water/ greater temperature change with equal energy). This differential in heating results in lower pressure over the land. Air moves towards this lower pressure.

At night, the water does not cool off as quickly as the land (retains its heat). Thus there is lower pressure over the sea at night.

8. In the Hadley convection cell, air _____ at the equator, creating a _____ pressure zone at the equator.

A. sinks; highB. sinks; lowC. rises; highD. rises; low

9. In the Hadley convection cell, air begins to sink at latitudes of ____ N and S. Sinking air warms as it moves closer to the Earth and therefore precipitation is ________ likely at these latitudes.

A. 23. 5 °; moreB. 23. 5 °; lessC. 30 °; moreD. 30 °; less

10. The term westerly winds comes from the fact that these winds

A. originate in the westB. move towards the westC. are named after John WesterlyD. are depicted in many cowboy

movies

11. The Coriolis Effect causes wind and ocean currents to be deflected

A. to the right in the northern hemisphere and the left in the southern hemisphere.

B. to the left in the northern hemisphere and the right in the southern hemisphere

C. to the right in both hemispheres

D. to the left in both hemispheres

On a piece of paper• Draw a sphere• Draw lines for the equator, 30° N and S, 60 ° N and S• Discuss with the person next to you how to draw the 6

major bands of prevailing winds

Hints: Remember that the Coriolis effect deflects to the right in the Northern hemisphereTo draw the bands between 0-30 °, remember that there is a LOW Pressure zone at the equator (due to Hadley cell)To draw the bands between 30 °-60 °, remember there is a high pressure zone at 30 °.

12. Recall the direction of the wind along the surface of the earth between 0 and 30 N (Hadley cell) and the deflection of the Coriolis effect. These combine for ________ winds in the 0- 30 N zone.

A. NorthwesterlyB. NortheasterlyC. SouthwesterlyD. Southeasterly

13. The Great Barrier Mountain Range in Australia is at a latitude of about 25° S. You would expect the _______ side of this mountain range to be rainier because it is on the ______ side.

A. west; leewardB. west; windwardC. east; leewardD. east; windward

Between 30 S and the equator- east side of mountains is the windward side.

Note- in Australia (at 25S) the direction of the winds would be reversed from the diagram above since it is in the trade winds zone. See diagram below.

14. The tropical rainforest has ___ soil due to _______.

A. rich; fast decomposition of dead organisms

B. poor; slow decomposition of dead organisms

C. poor ; fast recycling of nutrients

D. poor; slow recycling of nutrients

E. rich; fast recycling of nutrients

The hot, moist conditions in a tropical rainforest allow many living things, including decomposers, to thrive. Organic matter is quickly decomposed. However, these nutrients are quickly recycled into all living things. Thus most of the nutrients in a tropical rainforest are found in the living organisms. Note the very thin layer of dark organic matter in this tropical rainforest soil profile.

15. Which biome typically has the richest soil?

A. TaigaB. ChaparralC. GrasslandsD. Temperate

Deciduous ForestE. Tundra

16. The two biomes with the lowest precipitation are the desert and the ________________

1. grasslands2. tundra3. temperate

deciduous forest4. chaparral

Cold air can not hold much moisture. Due to this fact the tundra (and also to a lesser extent the taiga) receive very little precipitation. But due to the year round cold temperatures, the snow that does fall accumulates.

17. A TROPICAL deciduous forest is one that ______________ in order to conserve water in the ___________________ .

A. has needles instead of leaves ; colder season

B. has needles instead of leaves ; drier season

C. sheds its leaves annually; colder season

D. sheds its leaves annually; drier season

Deciduous means to shed leaves.Tropical rainforests have broad leaved trees that are evergreen (do not shed their leaves) Note that we often use the terms coniferous and evergreen as synonyms since they are the cone-bearing trees are generally the only evergreen trees at our latitude. But these two terms are not the same.

At latitudes near the tropics (23.5 N or S), where the temperatures are quite hot year round, but there is a more pronounced dry season. Tropical deciduous forests are often found near these latitudes.

18. What is the approximate relative humidity of air that is 40 °C and has 10 g/m3 of water vapor?

A. 75%B. 25 %C. 20 %D. 10 %

19. If the air cools to 10 C, (but still has 10 g/m3 of water vapor) its relative humidity

A. Increases to 100 %B. Increases to 66%C. Stays the sameD. Decreases to 10 %

20. When viewed from the North Pole the Earth rotates _________ and when viewed from the South Pole, the Earth rotates _________ .

A. Clockwise; Counterclockwise

B. Counterclockwise; Clockwise

C. Clockwise for bothD. Counterclockwise for

both

21. An missile moving towards the equator in the Southern hemisphere, would have a _______ rotational velocity than the ground below it. This difference would cause an apparent deflection to the _____________ .

A. Faster; rightB. Slower; rightC. Faster; leftD. Slower; left

Remember that the East/West direction of a leftward deflection in the Southern Hemisphere depends on North/South motion. When an object moves south in the Southern Hemisphere it s rotational velocity is faster than the ground’s.

1. B2. D3. B4. A5. D6. B7. A8. D9. D10.A11.A12.B13.D14.C15.C16.B17.D18.C19.A20.B21.D