Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography, 9e (Christopherson)
Chapter 4 Atmosphere and Surface Energy Balances
4.1 Multiple Choice Questions
1) The passage of shortwave and longwave energy through the atmosphere and water is an
example of
A) absorption
B) transmission.
C) refraction.
D) insolation.
2) For the Earth’s energy budget, ________ is energy income and ________ energy expenditures.
A) transmission; reflection
B) reflection; albedo
C) insolation; radiation to space
D) refraction; scatter
3) Kinetic energy is defined as
A) stored energy.
B) energy flow between molecules.
C) the energy of motion.
D) energy gained or lost when a substance changes states.
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4) Molecule-to-molecule transfer of heat energy is
A) conduction.
B) convection.
C) advection.
D) latent heat.
5) A stove that circulates heated air to uniformly cook food is an example of ________ heat
transfer.
A) conduction
B) convection
C) kinetic
D) latent
6) The science that specifically studies the climate at or near Earth’s surface is
A) astronomy.
B) meteorology.
C) micrometeorology.
D) microclimatology.
7) Which of the following is correct regarding the Northwest and Northeast Passages?
A) Until recently, sea ice blocked the routes, making them unavailable for shipping.
B) They have been used for shipping and circumnavigation since the 1800s.
C) They have been blocked since 2007 by increasing ice.
D) They are expected to remain open until 2015.
8) Earth’s main energy inputs are
A) longwave radiation and ultraviolet light.
B) ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared radiation.
C) near infrared and far infrared (i.e., longwave radiation).
D) gamma rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet radiation.
9) Earth’s main energy outputs are
A) gamma rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet radiation.
B) ultraviolet radiation and visible radiation.
C) visible and infrared radiation.
D) thermal infrared radiation.
10) Conduction refers to
A) strong vertical movement of air in the atmosphere.
B) strong horizontal movement of air in the atmosphere.
C) the molecule-to-molecule transfer of heat energy.
D) the behavior of something.
11) Which of the following is correctly matched?
A) conduction — molecule-to-molecule heat transfer
B) advection — strongly vertical mixing
C) radiation — assimilation and conversion of
D) convection — strongly horizontal mixing
12) A vertical air current that is generated by temperature-induced density differences is an
example of heat transfer by
A) advection.
B) convection.
C) conduction.
D) transmission.
E) diffusion.
13) The insolation received at Earth’s surface is
A) usually low at the equator.
B) generally greater at high latitudes because of daylength.
C) greatest over low-latitude deserts with their cloudless skies.
D) inadequate to sustain life.
14)
Which of the following is true?
A) The poles receive the highest amount of insolation.
B) Th highest levels of insolation occur in the equatorial and tropical latitudes.
C) There is always a very predictable latitudinal gradient of insolation.
D) Insolation is equal at all surfaces across the globe.
15) Which two gases are primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect because of their ability
to absorb infrared energy?
A) oxygen and hydrogen
B) ozone and dust
C) nitrogen and oxygen
D) water vapor and carbon dioxide
16) The principle that explains the differential scattering of shorter wavelength radiation and
accounts for the Earth’s blue sky is
A) mie scattering.
B) refraction.
C) Rayleigh scattering.
D) transmission.
17) Scattering caused by atmospheric particles larger than the wavelengths of light is
A) mie scattering.
B) refraction.
C) Rayleigh scattering.
D) transmission.
18) When light passes from one medium to another, resulting in a change in speed and direction
of insolation,
A) transmission happens.
B) Rayleigh scattering is the predominant effect.
C) refraction occurs.
D) it is usually not affected physically.
19) Refraction results in changes in both ________ and ________ of light.
A) color and reflection
B) conduction and convection
C) Rayleigh scattering and mie scattering
D) albedo and absorption
E) speed and direction
20) An image that appears near the horizon when layers of air are at different temperatures and
densities is a(n) ________ and an example of ________.
A) reflection; albedo
B) Rayleigh scatter; albedo
C) reflection; refraction
D) mirage; refraction
21) The reflective quality of a surface is known as its
A) conduction.
B) absorption.
C) albedo.
D) scattering.
22) The albedo of a surface is a measure of which of the following processes?
A) transmission
B) reflection
C) scattering
D) solar radiation receipt
23) Which of the following has the highest albedo?
A) forests
B) asphalt
C) dry, light sandy soils
D) fresh snow
24) Earth’s average overall albedo is
A) 31 percent.
B) 51 percent.
C) 69 percent.
D) unknown.
25)
Which of the following has the lowest albedo?
A) fresh snow
B) croplands
C) light roof
D) forests
E) the Moon
26) Which of the following is true of the albedo of water?
A) It changes, depending upon the Sun angle.
B) It is greatest when the Sun is low in the sky.
C) It never changes—albedos are constant values.
D) It is less for frozen water than for liquid water.
27) The assimilation of radiation by molecules of matter is
A) refraction.
B) absorption.
C) reflection.
D) transmission.
28) The sky (lower tropopause) appears blue in color because of
A) reflection.
B) scattering.
C) absorption of blue wavelengths of visible light.
D) diffuse radiation.
29) On a cloudy day, Earth’s surface receives
A) direct insolation.
B) diffuse radiation.
C) direct radiation.
D) a reduced daylength.
30) If a surface absorbs insolation,
A) its temperature increases.
B) its temperature decreases.
C) its temperature is unaffected.
D) refraction occurs.
E) diffuse radiation occurs.
31) The general term describing the pollution related decline in insolation to insolation to the
Earth’s surface is
A) greenhouse effect.
B) earthshine.
C) Global dimming.
D) Atmospheric albedo.
32) When a surface assimilates radiation, the process is called
A) absorption.
B) transmission.
C) diffuse radiation.
D) refraction.
33) The Mount Pinatubo eruption in June 1991 affected the atmosphere in all of the following
ways except which?
A) The atmospheric albedo increased.
B) An increase occurred in the amount of energy absorbed in the atmosphere.
C) A worldwide decrease in surface temperatures occurred in the two years after the eruption.
D) A decrease in atmospheric aerosols.
34) Which of the following is a nonradiative transfer of longwave radiation to the atmosphere?
A) The greenhouse effect.
B) Latent heat transfer.
C) Stratospheric ozone radiation.
D) Conduction from the surface.
35) The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines ________ global albedo, resulting in
a temporary ________ of the Earth.
A) increased; cooling
B) decreased; cooling
C) increased; warming
D) decreased; warming
36) Why is a greenhouse an imperfect analogy for how the Earth’s atmosphere behaves?
A) A greenhouse allows longwave radiation to escape and mix with the surrounding air, unlike
the Earth’s atmosphere.
B) The glass of a greenhouse is designed to allow transmission of both longwave and shortwave
radiation, whereas certain atmospheric constituents only allow transmission of shortwave
radiation.
C) It is exceedingly rare for a greenhouse to contain carbon dioxide like the Earth’s atmosphere
contains.
D) Passage of longwave radiation to space is delayed by certain atmospheric constituents, but not
trapped like an actual greenhouse.
37) Which of the following is correctly matched?
A) insolation — shortwave radiation — UV, visible, and near infrared
B) insolation — longwave radiation — thermal infrared radiation
C) terrestrial radiation — shortwave radiation — UV, visible, and near infrared
D) terrestrial radiation — shortwave radiation — thermal infrared radiation
38) Because of the process known as ________ the Sun appears above the horizon ________ it
has actually risen.
A) transmission; before
B) transmission; after
C) refraction; before
D) refraction; after
E) reflection; before
39) If the surface of Earth were to suddenly turn white, the temperature of the planet would
________ because ________ insolation would be absorbed.
A) decrease; less
B) decrease; more
C) increase; less
D) increase; more
40) An increase in the amount of high altitude, thin clouds would
A) cool the planet in a process called cloud-albedo forcing.
B) warm the planet in a process called cloud-greenhouse forcing.
C) have no effect on the planet’s temperature because insolation is constant.
41) A study of jet contrails following the grounding of commercial flights after the September
11, 2001 terrorist attacks found that
A) contrails have a very limited effect on the Earth’s energy budget.
B) contrails reduce diurnal temperature ranges in regions with a high density aircraft.
C) contrails contribute more to cloud-albedo forcing than cloud-greenhouse forcing.
D) contrails are difficult to distinguish from natural cirrus clouds.
42) Which of the following is not a reason for the energy surplus between the tropics?
A) high insolation
B) indirect solar radiation
C) consistent daylength
D) little seasonal variations
43) Which of the following is not a reason for the energy deficit in the polar regions?
A) little seasonal variability
B) low sun angle
C) high albedo due to snow and ice
D) up to six months without insolation
44) Which of the following is true of differences in latitudinal energy?
A) There is an energy balance between energy gains and losses around 36° latitude.
B) There is year-round energy deficit at the Tropic of Capricorn.
C) The equator has an energy balance in the summer, but a deficit in the winter.
D) Energy imbalances betweens the tropics and the poles are negligible.
45) The analogy of a greenhouse is
A) completely unrelated to our Earth-atmosphere system, and should never have been used to
describe global warming.
B) exactly how the Earth-atmosphere system operates.
C) a useful, but inaccurate model since atmospheric gases do not trap, but absorb heat.
D) while it incorrectly describes shortwave energy transmission, it perfectly encapsulates how
longwave terrestrial radiation is trapped.
46) Which of the following is true relative to the Earth-atmosphere radiation system?
A) Averaged over a year, Earth’s surface has an energy budget.
B) Averaged over a year, Earth’s surface has an energy deficit.
C) Averaged over a year, Earth’s atmosphere has an energy budget.
D) The Earth’s energy is never in balance because surface surpluses are greater than atmosphere
deficits.
47)
The relationship between insolation and air temperature through the course of day shows
A) air temperature reaches a maximum at noon when insolation also reaches a maximum.
B) air temperature reaches a maximum afternoon, whereas insolution reaches a maximum at
noon.
C) air temperature maximum and minimums are not related to insolation.
D) air temperature reaches a minimum at midnight when there is no insolation.
48) If the amount of low, thick stratus cloud cover increases, the Earth’s climates would likely
________ due to increased ________.
A) cool; absorption
B) cool; reflectivity
C) warm; absorption
D) warm; reflectivity
49) Differential transmissivity of shortwave insolation and longwave terrestrial radiation by
various atmospheric gases is better known as the
A) global dimming.
B) greenhouse effect.
C) cloud-albedo forcing.
D) global warming.
50) On the average, which of the following is true regarding the distribution of shortwave and
longwave energy at Earth’s surface by latitude?
A) The equatorial zone is a region of net deficits.
B) The polar regions are areas of net surpluses.
C) The distribution shows an imbalance of net radiation from equator to poles.
D) More energy is lost than is gained in the equatorial regions.
51)
The relationship between the insolation curve and the air temperature curve on a graph of daily
surface energy
A) exhibits a lag of several hours between the plotted lines.
B) shows little or no relationship between the two variables.
C) shows that peak temperatures occur near noon, whereas peak insolation receipt is at 3:00 or
4:00 P.M.
D) coincide at noon.
52) Net radiation (NET R) refers to
A) the net energy expended for ground heating and cooling.
B) the balance of all radiation incoming and outgoing at Earth’s surface.
C) the amount of insolation coming into the surface.
D) the amount of insolation not absorbed at the surface.
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53) In the surface energy budget, the term – SW represents
A) heat.
B) incoming energy.
C) surface albedo.
D) NET R.
54) NET R values are positive
A) during the night when +LW is at a maximum.
B) after dusk due to a lag effect of outgoing infrared radiation.
C) during daylight hours, peaking just after noon with the peak of insolation.
D) during the daylight hours, peaking just after sunrise.
55) Which of the following would be true for the net radiation balance in a midlatitude location?
A) Net R is constant throughout the year.
B) There is a surplus of Net R during the summer and a deficit during the winter.
C) There is a deficit of Net R during the summer and a surplus during the winter.
D) The season at which surpluses and deficits occur varies from one year to the next.
56) Longwave radiation (+ LW) arriving at the Earth’s surface
A) comes primarily from infrared energy emitted by the atmosphere.
B) comes directly from the Sun.
C) comes from diffuse solar radiation.
D) comes from UV radiation reflected from the bottoms of clouds.