Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography, 9e (Christopherson)
Chapter 6 Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations
6.1 Multiple Choice Questions
1) A(n) ________ is an instrument used to measure wind speed.
A) anemometer
B) wind vane
C) barometer
D) sling psychrometer
2) In 2006, a wayward oil platform was carried via ocean and wind currents to the remote island
of Tristan da Cunha, bringing with it
A) 30,000 rubber ducks, turtles, and frogs.
B) a massive oil spill.
C) 62 non-native marine species.
D) much needed food and other supplies.
3) The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991
A) demonstrated that localized circulation can curtail widespread dispersal of aerosols.
B) erupted unexpectedly, inhibiting scientists from monitoring its effects.
C) had little global affects and was mostly isolated to the Philippines.
D) provided a unique opportunity to assess the dynamics of global atmospheric circulation.
4) The horizontal motion of air relative to Earth’s surface is
A) barometric pressure.
B) wind.
C) convection flow.
D) a result of equalized pressure across the surface.
5) Evangelista Torricelli, a pupil of Galileo, determined
A) atmospheric pressure is uniform in the troposphere.
B) winds flow from airs of high to low pressure.
C) large-scale circulations of winds.
D) air pressure varied with weather conditions.
6) Normal sea level pressure has a value of
A) 1013.2 millibars.
B) 28.50 inches of lead.
C) 32.01 millibars of mercury.
D) 500 mb.
7)
The normal range for air pressure at sea level is
A) 500 to 1000 mb.
B) 100 to 650 mb.
C) 980-1050 mb.
D) 1060-2010 mb.
8)
The highest surface air pressure ever recorded occurred when the air was
A) very cold.
B) very warm.
C) very wet.
D) very high above the surface of Earth.
9) An aneroid barometer
A) uses a meter long tube for measuring air pressure.
B) uses a chamber that expands or contracts with changes in air pressure.
C) requires the use of mercury.
D) is a hypothetical instrument for measuring air pressure.
10) Evangalista Torricelli developed the first
A) aneroid barometer.
B) mercury barometer.
C) anemometer.
D) water-based barometer.
E) vacuum pump barometer.
11) The average height of a column of mercury (Hg) in a barometer at sea level is
A) 760 mm (76 cm).
B) 1013 inches.
C) something that can not be determined without knowing air temperature.
D) 29.00 millibars.
12) An instrument used to measure air pressure is
A) a wind vane.
B) an aneroid barometer.
C) a mercury thermometer.
D) an anemometer.
13) An increase in air pressure will cause the mercury in a barometer to
A) rise.
B) fall.
C) freeze.
D) boil.
14) ________ is used in a barometer because ________.
A) Water; it is liquid at normal air temperature
B) Water; it is denser than mercury
C) Mercury; it will rise more than water will under the same air pressure
D) Mercury; it is denser than water
15) Airplanes measure their altitude using
A) a mercury barometer.
B) an anemometer.
C) a hygrometer.
D) an aneroid barometer.
E) sextants.
16) A(n) ________ is an instrument used to measure wind direction.
A) anemometer
B) wind vane
C) barometer
D) sling psychrometer
17) Winds are named based on
A) the direction from which they originate.
B) the direction in which they are blowing.
C) the scientist who first described them.
D) the altitude at which they occur.
18)
If a wind is blowing from a compass direction of 202.5°, the wind is from the
A) north (N).
B) south (S).
C) northwest (NW).
D) south-southwest (SSW).
E) north-northeast (NNE).
19) The Beaufort wind scale measures wind speed
A) with an anemometer.
B) by observed effects.
C) using satellites.
D) with a wind vane.
20) Air flow is initiated by the
A) Coriolis force.
B) pressure gradient force.
C) friction force.
D) centrifugal force.
21) Which of the following is not true regarding the effects of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo
eruption?
A) Aerosols mixed with other atmospheric debris, increasing the Earth’s albedo.
B) Sulfur dioxide (SO2) aerosols decreased in the atmosphere due to the presence of ash.
C) A small, temporary decrease in average temperatures followed.
D) An aerosol cloud covered the globe, from 20° S to 30° N.
22) Which of the following is not a determinant of wind speed and direction?
A) electromagnetic force
B) pressure gradient force
C) Coriolis force
D) friction force
E) gravitational force
23)
The Earth’s lowest barometric pressures are associated with
A) hurricanes (typhoons).
B) frontal systems (cold and warm fronts).
C) cold and dry climates.
D) sea level.
24) Which of the following is not true of the wind?
A) It is initiated by the pressure gradient force.
B) It blows from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure.
C) The direction of flow can be affected by the rotation of Earth.
D) Air blows from regions of hotter air to regions of colder air.
E) Winds are named based on the direction from which they blow.
25) Which of the following describes the pressure gradient force?
A) It drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure.
B) It decreases with height above the surface.
C) It causes apparent deflection of winds from a straight path.
D) It is the only force acting on atmospheric flows in the upper troposphere.
26) A isoline of equal pressure plotted on a weather map is known as
A) an isotherm.
B) an equilibrium line.
C) an isobar.
D) an isohyet.
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27) On a weather map of air pressure, what can you infer from a closer spacing of isobars?
A) little without knowing temperature patterns
B) a steep pressure gradient creating a slower flow of air
C) a steep pressure gradient creating a faster flow of air
D) higher pressures
E) a weak pressure gradient creating a slower flow of air
28) The Coriolis force
A) drives air from areas of higher to lower barometric pressure.
B) decreases with height above the surface.
C) causes the apparent deflection of winds from a straight path.
D) is the only force acting on flows of air in the upper troposphere.
29) Objects and wind moving over distance and time on Earth’s surface are
A) always deflected from a straight path to the west in the Southern Hemisphere.
B) affected only by the pressure gradient and friction force.
C) always deflected to the right by the friction force.
D) apparently deflected from a straight path to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.
30) The deflection produced by the Coriolis force is caused by
A) the Earth’s rotation on its axis.
B) differing pressure gradients.
C) friction caused by gravitational force.
D) air temperature differences.
31) Which of the following is true regarding the effects of the Coriolis force?
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A) The amount of Coriolis deflection is uniform from equator to poles.
B) Coriolis deflection occurs only along parallels, not meridians.
C) The Coriolis force is zero at the poles, increasing to maximum along the equator.
D) The Coriolis force is zero along the equator, increasing to one-half of maximum at 30°
latitude and maximum at the poles.
32) If Santa flew from the North Pole due south along the 100° meridian and did not correct his
course, he would land
A) on the 100° meridian.
B) east of the 100° meridian.
C) west of the 100° meridian.
33) If surface winds were influence only by the pressure gradient force and Coriolis force
(i.e.without the frictional force)
A) winds would flow in a straight line from areas of higher to lower pressure.
B) winds would flow parallel to isobars and at high rates of speed.
C) there would be no winds at all.
D) The effects would vary depending on surface texture.
34) The frictional force effect on winds
A) is lessened in areas with rougher surfaces.
B) is negligible at altitudes above 500 m (~1,600 ft).
C) increases with increasing altitude.
D) is constant, regardless of time of day or year.
35) Which is true of air flowing into low pressure center?
A) Air converges and ascends.
B) Air diverges and ascends.
C) Air converges and descends.
D) Air diverges and descends.
36) In the Northern Hemispheres, winds spiraling counterclockwise into a low pressure area are
A) cyclonic.
B) anticyclonic.
C) geostrophic.
D) meridional
37) In the Northern Hemispheres, winds spiraling clockwise out of a high pressure area are
A) cyclonic.
B) anticyclonic.
C) geostrophic.
D) meridional.
38) If there is a steeper pressure gradient, wind will be ________than areas with a gradual
pressure gradient.
A) lighter
B) warmer
C) stronger
D) cooler
39) If Earth did not rotate, air would flow
A) perpendicular to the isobars, i.e., straight across the isobars.
B) to the right of its direction of motion in the Northern Hemisphere.
C) to the left of its direction of motion in the Northern Hemisphere.
D) parallel to the isobars.
40) Which of the following would cause the Coriolis force to increase?
A) increase in wind speed
B) occurrence closer to the equator
C) increase in friction
D) movement over very small areas
41) In the absence of friction, the combined effect of the Coriolis force and the pressure gradient
force produces
A) geostrophic winds at altitude above the ground.
B) surface winds.
C) air flow from low to high pressure centers.
D) air flow in a north-south direction.
E) air flow perpendicular to the isobars.
42) Upper tropospheric winds that flow parallel to isobars are called
A) geostrophic winds.
B) NE trades winds.
C) easterlies.
D) westerlies.
43)
The figure is an example of
A) A high pressure center (anticyclone).
B) winds influenced by both the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces.
C) wind movement based on the pressure gradient force alone.
D) geostrophic winds.
44) Which of the following is true of high pressure areas?
A) Air converges and ascends within high pressure systems.
B) Air descends and diverges within high pressure systems.
C) They generally involve atmospheric pressures lower than 1000 mb.
D) They are characteristic for areas along the equator.
45) Which of the following matches is incorrect relative to air circulation?
A) anticyclone = high pressure center
B) cyclone = low pressure center
C) anticyclone = clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere
D) cyclone = counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere
46) Which of the following matches is correct relative to air circulation?
A) anticyclone = low pressure center
B) cyclone = high pressure center
C) cyclone = clockwise circulation in the Southern Hemisphere
D) anticyclone = counterclockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere
47) Which of the following is an example of primary circulation?
A) migratory high and low pressure systems
B) the monsoons
C) general circulation of the atmosphere
D) land-sea breezes
48) Which of the following is an example of secondary circulation?
A) migratory high and low pressure systems
B) weather patterns
C) general circulation of the atmosphere
D) mountain-valley breezes
49) Which of the following is an example of tertiary circulation?
A) migratory high and low pressure systems
B) subtropical high pressure systems
C) general circulation of the atmosphere
D) land-sea breezes
50) Which of the following primary pressure areas are produced by thermal factors, rather than
dynamic factors?
A) subtropical high and subpolar low
B) equatorial low and polar high
C) equatorial low and Bermuda high
D) Aleutian low and Icelandic low
51) Which of the following primary pressure areas are produced by dynamic factors, rather than
thermal factors?
A) subtropical high and subpolar low
B) equatorial low and polar high
C) equatorial low and Bermuda high
D) Aleutian low and Icelandic low