Chapter 2: The Earth's Global Energy Balance
Chapter 3: Air Temperature
Chapter 17: Glacier Landforms and the Ice Age
1. The average albedo of the planet Earth is around:
A) 20% B) 30% C) 50% D) 70% E) 80%
2. Which of the following statements best describes latent heat transfer?
A) the absorption of energy from a surface during the process of evaporation
B) the release of energy during the process of condensation
C) the release of heat from a source of evaporation to the atmosphere
D) the transfer of energy from one source of condensation to another
E) the increase in humidity following the release of latent heat
3. Approximately what proportion of the total solar radiation entering the Earth's atmosphere is directly absorbed by the Earth's surface?
A) 27% B) 31% C) 49% D) 69% E) 100%
4. When water evaporates from a surface:
A) energy is liberated and the surface is warmed
B) energy is absorbed and the surface is cooled
C) there is no change in energy
D) the type of surface determines whether heat is lost or gained by the surface
E) only latent heat is involved in the process
5. Which of the following has the longest wavelength?
A) ultra-violet (UV radiation) B) visible light C) x-rays
D) infrared radiation E) gamma radiation
6. Insolation is ______.
A) incoming solar radiation
B) outgoing solar radiation
C) outgoing terrestrial radiation
D) the name given to the blanket-like effect the earth's atmosphere has on global warming
E) the warming effect of clouds
7. The amount of radiation left over when all incoming and outgoing flows have been tallied is called ______.
A) net radiation
B) final insolation
C) greenhouse radiation
D) total radiation
E) counter-radiation
8. Which of the following surfaces would likely have the highest albedo?
A) an area covered by pine forest
B) an asphalt parking lot
C) an area covered by snow
D) an area covered by wet sand
E) an area covered by dry sand
9. The emission of long-wave radiation by the atmosphere towards the Earth's surface is termed:
A) ground heat flow B) latent heat C) direct radiation
D) counter-radiation E) net radiation
10. What is the solar constant?
A) The amount of solar radiation per unit area received at the Earth's surface
B) The amount of solar radiation per unit area received outside the Earth's atmosphere
C) The amount of solar radiation per unit area received emitted at the Sun's surface
D) The amount of solar radiation per unit area received at the equator
E) The amount of solar radiation per unit area received at the pole
11. Which of the following is a consequence of the Sun's relatively higher temperature compared to that of the Earth?
A) The Earth is heated more by solar longwave radiation than by solar shortwave radiation
B) The Earth emits shortwave rather than longwave radiation
C) The Earth emits longwave rather than shortwave radiation
D) The Earth receives more scattered energy than direct radiant energy
E) The Earth receives more direct radiant energy than scattered energy
12. Which of the following locations would receive most incoming solar radiation at noon during the spring equinox?
A) The North Pole B) The Tropic of Cancer C) The Equator
D) The Tropic of Capricorn E) The South Pole
13. The lower solar angles characteristic of high latitude locations leads to lower levels of insolation because:
A) the solar radiation has further to travel and so looses its strength
B) the solar radiation is spread over a larger unit area
C) the solar radiation is spread over a smaller unit area
D) the solar radiation must travel through more volume of atmosphere and so more radiation is reflected back to space
E) the high latitude regions receive solar radiation from the cooler part of the Sun
14. Ozone is concentrated in the stratosphere at an altitude of around:
A) 5 kms B) 10 kms C) 15 kms D) 20 kms E) 25 kms
15. The ozone layer absorbs which of the following wavelengths of radiation?
A) ultraviolet B) visible C) infrared D) near infrared E) gamma radiation
16. All bodies in space:
A) emit light
B) orbit the sun
C) emit electromagnetic radiation
D) have similar orbits
E) attract each other
17. The term “Albedo” refers to:
A) the amount of EMR absorbed by a body.
B) the ability to insulate an object
C) the varying degree of seasonal changes in EMR
D) the ability to add to the greenhouse effect
E) the amount of EMR reflected by a body.
18. Which of the following is not one of the major factors influencing surface temperature?
A) Coastal compared to interior locations B) Suface type C) Elevation
D) Insolation E) Cloudiness
19. Which of the following is the correct formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius?
A) C = 9/5F+32 B) C=5/9F-32 C) C = 9/5F-32
D) C=5/9F+32 E) C=9/5+F32
20. Which of the following is a source of atmospheric carbon dioxide?
A) photosynthesis B) chlorofluorocarbons C) rice fields
D) burning of fossil fuels E) melting ice
21. In which atmospheric layers does temperature increase with altitude?
A) troposphere B) tropopause C) stratosphere
D) stratopause E) mesosphere
22. The greenhouse effect is the result of the atmosphere's ______of ______radiation emitted by the earth.
A) reflection/infrared B) absorption/longwave C) refraction/counter-
D) reflection/shortwave E) absorption /shortwave
23. During a temperature inversion ______.
A) there is no change in air temperature as one ascends through the troposphere
B) there is no change in air temperature as one descends through the troposphere
C) temperatures increase as one ascends through the lower atmosphere
D) temperatures decrease as one ascends through the lower atmosphere
E) the stratosphere is the same temperature as the troposphere
24. Which of the following statements concerning land/water heating differences is correct?
A) The annual range of temperatures at a coastal location is larger than the annual temperature range of a continental interior location
B) The annual range of temperatures at a coastal location is smaller than the annual temperature range of a continental interior location
C) The annual range of temperatures at a coastal location is the same as the annual temperature range of a continental interior location
D) The moderating influence of the ocean at a coastal location is known as the continental effect
E) The moderating influence of the land surface at a continental interior location is known as the maritime effect
25. A parcel of air at the base of a mountain range has a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius . If the parcel of air moved 500 metres up the slope, its temperature would be approximately ______degrees Celsius.
A) 24 B) 27 C) 33 D) 36 E) 40
26. Which of the following statements concerning the urban heat island is correct?
A) the urban heat island only develops where cities are mostly located on islands
B) the urban heat island only develops in hot, dry climates
C) residential areas are affected more than core urban areas
D) park areas in a city can reduce the effect of the urban heat island
E) highly reflective surfaces can be used to reduce the impact of the urban heat island
27. The transmission of sensible heat through matter by transfer of energy from one atom or molecule in the direction of decreasing temperature is:
A) convection B) conduction C) transpiration
D) latent heat transfer E) lapse rate
28. Which of the following is not one of the four important thermal difference between land and ocean surfaces?
A) downwelling of solar radiation that penetrates the water
B) water is slower to heat than land
C) warm water surfaces can mix with cooler water below
D) the greater heat capacity of dry soil
E) open water can be easily cooled by open evaporation
29. An increase in latitude results in:
A) very little day time high temperature change.
B) an increase in elevation.
C) a decrease in annual net temperatures .
D) an increase in annual net temperatures.
E) a change in time zone.
30. Daytime low temperatures generally occur:
A) at sunrise
B) about ½ hour after sunrise
C) about 1 hour after sunrise
D) at midnight
E) about 3:00 am
31. Which of the following types of moraine marks the furthest advance of a glacier?
A) ground B) recessional C) medial
D) terminal E) lateral
32. The granular compacted old snow that forms glacial ice is properly referred to as:
A) ice B) firn C) surge D) basal ice E) crevasse
33. The valley of a tributary glacier results in a discordant junction is referred to as:
A) tarn B) cirque C) truncated spur D) hanging valley E) roche moutonee
34. A narrow, steep-sided, elongated estuary formed from a glacial trough inundated by seawater is referred to as a/an:
A) fiord B) esker C) horn D) arête E) tarn
35. Glacial melt-water deposits of sand and gravel are collectively referred to as:
A) pluvial remains B) ground moraines C) glacial outwash
D) terminal moraines E) recessional moraines
36. A steep-sided depression formed in glacial till that is the result of the melting of a buried block of ice is referred to as a/an:
A) esker B) kettle C) pluvial lake D) nunatak E) kame
37. A smooth hill, modest in size, elliptical in shape and which rises from a till plain is called a/an:
A) esker B) kettle C) drumlin D) kame E) roche moutonee
38. Where is the rate of flow fastest in an alpine glacier?
A) At the surface and closest to actively forming moraines
B) At the surface and toward the edges of the glacier
C) At the bottom and toward the edges of the glacier
D) Near the midline and toward the top of the glacier's surface
E) Near the midline and toward the edges of the headwall
39. The bowl-shaped depression at the upper end of a valley glacier is referred to as a/an:
A) arête B) horn C) cirque D) firn E) col
40. The process that causes rock fragments in an alpine glacier to scrape and grind against the bedrock is referred to as:
A) glacial ablation B) glacial abrasion C) plucking
D) quarrying E) glaciation
41. What is the name given to lakes that form in hollows left behind by prior alpine glaciers?
A) arête B) horn C) cirque D) tarn E) col
42. The most recent deglaciation set in around ______years ago.
A) 25,000 B) 18,000 C) 15,000 D) 1,000 E) 500
43. What is the name commonly given to the most recent glaciation in North American?
A) Laurentide B) Cenozoic C) Pliocene
D) Wisconsinan E) Holocene
44. The last glaciation reached its furthest extent over North America around ______years ago.
A) 25,000 B) 18,000 C) 15,000 D) 1,000 E) 500
45. Which of the following types of till is an unstratified mixture of rock fragments ranging in size from clay to boulders?
A) till B) stratified drift C) ground moraine D) lodgment till E) ablation till
46. Which of the following types of till forms a thin, more or less even cover over the ground surface?
A) till plain B) stratified drift C) ground moraine D) lodgment till E) ablation till
47. A long sinuous ridge of sediment deposited in an alpine glacier's meltwater tunnel is referred to as a/an:
A) till plain B) kettle C) drumlin D) kame E) esker
48. Basin-like hollows interspersed with knobby hills and situated in the terminal moraine are referred to as:
A) till plains B) kettles C) drumlins D) kames E) eskers
49. The warmer interglacial epoch in which we currently find ourselves is referred to as the:
A) Laurentide B) Cenozoic C) Pliocene
D) Wisconsinan E) Holocene
50. Most scientists studying climate change during the Ice Age agree that the primary factor explaining the cycles of the glaciations is ______.
A) polar outbreaks B) global warming C) carbon dioxide
D) cyclic insolation variations E) polarity changes
ESSAYS NEXT PAGE
SELECT THREE (3) OF THE FOLLOWING
USE AT LEAST 5 SENTENCES FOR EACH
-Describe three (3) erosional land forms produced by alpine glaciers, but not found associated with Continental Glaciers.
-Describe three (3) different forms of glacial drift – till.
-Compare and contrast the characteristics and formation of drumlins and rock knob.
-Describe the movement of alpine glaciers
-Describe the formation of a glacial trough and the formation of associated hanging valleys.
-Describe the nature of the radiation budget for college location for a day this week (indicate which day you used).
-Describe why the radiation budget for here varies over the year.
-Describe the passage of a unit of energy from the Sun and its balancing return of radiation emitted by the Earth.
-Compare and contrast any two examples of remote sensing technologies, such as thermal infrared sensing and radar.
-In which ways, might the Earth's energy budget be altered by changes in the land surface.
-Explain how latitude effects the amount of Insolation received.
-Describe and explain how the urban heat island effect influences the local climate.
-It is envisaged that global temperatures will be on average higher than today's by anywhere between 1 and 3.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. Describe the changes that would result from such a change.
-Compare and contrast the characteristics of the troposphere with the stratosphere.