57) Sensible heat transfer (H) refers to energy transfer between the air and the surface by
A) turbulent eddies, convection, and conduction.
B) evaporation of water.
C) reflection of insolation.
D) ground heating.
58) When water evaporates from a surface, which of the following occurs?
A) Energy is stored within the water.
B) Energy is released to the surface.
C) The surface is warmed.
D) Heat is transferred back and forth between the air and surface.
59) The highest annual values for net radiation (NET R) occur
A) near the equator.
B) along the Tropic of Cancer.
C) in the midlatitudes.
D) north of the equator in the Arabian sea.
60) When water evaporates, the energy that was used to evaporate the water
A) is stored as sensible heat in the evaporated water.
B) is stored as latent heat in the evaporated water.
C) is transferred to the air by advection when the water evaporates.
D) is conducted into the underlying layer of water.
61) On land, the highest annual values for latent heat of evaporation (LE) occur
A) near the poles.
B) over the subtropics.
C) in the tropics.
D) in the midlatitudes.
62) Which of the following is false?
A) Urbanized surfaces tend to be sealed.
B) Urban surfaces have lower albedos and higher NET R values.
C) The amount of Human-produced heat is not significant in New York City.
D) A city responds much as a desert surface during and after a rainstorm.
63) Which of the following is true regarding anthropogenic heat production in cities?
A) It can contribute 250 percent more heat energy in winter than is contributed by insolation.
B) It contributes little heat energy relative to that arriving from insolation.
C) It is too small to be considered a relevant part of the energy budget.
D) The production of this heat energy contributes very little to air pollution.
64) Which of the following is not associated with urban environments?
A) higher relative humidity than that in surrounding rural areas
B) greatly increased condensation nuclei relative to surrounding rural areas
C) increased precipitation relative to surrounding rural areas
D) lower annual mean wind speeds relative to surrounding rural areas
65)
Following the urban heat island profile from rural areas to a typical downtown urban area, which
of the following is true?
A) Commercial and urban residential areas have the highest late afternoon temperatures.
B) Large urban parks do not mitigate against the urban heat island.
C) On average, urban areas are 1 to 3°C higher than nearby rural areas.
D) The temperature variations between urban and rural environments are negligible.
66) Which of the following is not true of solar energy?
A) The United States receives as much energy in 35 minutes of insolation as we produce by
burning fossil fuels in the United States in a year.
B) It can provide both heat and electricity.
C) Photovoltaic capacity has not increased in recent years.
D) Experimental photovoltaic cells have broken the 40% efficiency barrier.
67) Which of the following is not a strategy used planners and architects to mitigate against the
effects of the urban heat island?
A) planting of urban forests (parks and open spaces)
B) using dark covered asphalt
C) designing rooftop gardens (“green” roofs)
D) using lighter-colored materials on roofs and other surfaces
68) Solar cookers could replace ________ as an affordable source of energy in rural villages in
third world countries.
A) natural gas
B) nuclear power
C) fusion power
D) fire wood
69) A(n) ________ is trapped airborne pollution that can raise temperatures by absorbing
insolation and reradiating heat to the surface.
A) urban heat island (UHI)
B) “cool” roof
C) urban canyon effect
D) dust dome
70)
The time of maximum daily temperature occurs
A) at the same time that maximum insolation occurs, because that is when maximum energy is
available for heating the air.
B) before the time of maximum insolation, because the residual heat energy left over in the
atmosphere from the previous day adds to the energy supplied by insolation.
C) before the time of maximum insolation occurs, because the thermosphere transfers heat
energy to the surface during the early morning hours as the D and E layers in the ionosphere
become active.
D) after the time of maximum insolation, because an energy surplus accumulates in the
atmosphere while the Sun is still high in the sky and reaches a peak in mid-afternoon.
E) after the time of maximum insolation, because the ground starts to reflect heat energy in the
late afternoon, and this creates an energy surplus.
71) Which of the following combinations of NET R terms would be associated with a hot, dry
climate? (LE = latent heat of evaporation; H= sensible heat; G=ground heating and cooling)
A) LE large; H small; G large
B) LE small; H large; G large
C) LE small; H small; G small
D) LE large; H small; G small
72) Which of these cities experiences (on average) the highest annual net radiation (NET R)?
A) Salvador, Brazil
B) Montreal, Canada
C) Edinburgh, Scotland
D) Barrow, Alaska
73) Over the oceans, the highest annual values for latent heat of evaporation (LE) occur
A) near the poles.
B) over the subtropics.
C) in the tropics.
D) in the midlatitudes.
74) Which of the following related to the promise of solar energy is incorrect?
A) The Earth receives 100,000 terawatts of solar energy per hour.
B) The energy produced by fossil fuels in the U.S. in a year is equivalent to 35 minutes of
insolation.
C) The technology for solar energy is not yet available for widespread use.
D) Periods of cloudiness and night are current drawbacks to available solar technology.
75) Which of the following is not responsible for the urban heating effect?
A) Heat generated by homes, vehicles, and factories.
B) Increase in human-made materials that conduct more energy than natural surfaces.
C) Increased albedo of urban environments relative to that of natural landscapes.
D) The concentration of people, machines and heat generating devices adds more heat to the
environment.
E) Increased air pollution that absorbs and reradiates heat to surface.
4.2 True/False Questions
1) The reflective quality of a surface is called its albedo and is expressed as a percentage.
2) Refraction is responsible for rainbows and mirages.
3) Energy that is reflected from Earth’s surface plays a substantial role in heating the atmosphere.
4) High latitudes have a higher albedo in winter than do low latitudes.
5) The greater the albedo of a surface, the less it is heated by insolation.
6) The Moon has an average albedo similar to asphalt and black top.
7) Earth’s blue sky is a result of diffuse reflection called scattering.
8) Heat energy flows from objects that are warmer to those that are cooler.
9) Absorption is the assimilation of radiation and its conversion from one form to another.
10) Global dimming is the general term used to describe decreased insolation during periods of
less solar activity.
11) The principle of Rayleigh scatter states that atmospheric particles larger than the wavelength
of light account for the differential scattering of shorter wavelengths of light.
12) Insolation is the source of energy that is ultimately responsible for heating the atmosphere
and driving weather phenomena.
13) The rougher a surface, the higher its albedo.
14) On a cloudy day, primarily shorter wavelengths of light (e.g. blues and violets) are scattered.
15) Latitudinal energy imbalances drive global circulation patterns.
16) A greenhouse is an imperfect analogy for how the Earth’s atmosphere behaves because
longwave radiation is not trapped in the same way it is in a greenhouse.
17) Clouds, depending on cloud type, altitude, and thickness, can either heat or cool the Earth.