52) The intertropical convergence zone is characterized by
A) convergence and uplift of warm surface air.
B) convergence and subsidence of cold surface air.
C) divergence and uplift of warm surface air.
D) divergence and subsidence of cold surface air.
53) Which of the following is not true of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)?
A) Consistent high Sun altitude and daylength make large amounts of energy available.
B) Warm, moisture-laden airs converge along the ITCZ.
C) A band of precipitation is associated with the ITCZ.
D) The ITCZ is stationary throughout the year.
54) Between 20° to 35° north latitude and 20° to 35° south latitude are
A) the largest zone of water surpluses in the world.
B) warm and wet conditions, and the world’s great tropical forests.
C) the world’s arid and semi-arid desert regions.
D) cyclonic systems of low pressure.
55) Zones of windless, hot, dry desert air bear 25° N and 25° S latitude are named
A) Hadley cells.
B) the doldrums.
C) the horse latitudes.
D) westerlies.
56) Light and variable winds—which caused difficulties for mariners in the days of sailing
ships—occur under the
A) subpolar low and equatorial low.
B) subpolar low and subtropical high.
C) equatorial low and subtropical high.
D) equatorial low and subpolar low.
57) Winds that blow predominantly from the northeast and the southeast are the
A) westerlies.
B) polar easterlies.
C) horse latitudes.
D) trade winds.
58) The dominant surface winds from the subtropics to high latitudes are the
A) westerlies.
B) trade winds.
C) polar easterlies.
D) geostrophic winds.
59)
The subtropical high pressure system in the North Atlantic and associated cool and warm
currents
A) bring cool waters to the eastern shores of the United States.
B) influence the warm and dry conditions in the Bahamas.
C) circulate warm ocean currents along the western African coast.
D) contribute west African deserts (dry, stable climate).
60) If you were between 40° and 50° north latitude, and you wanted to stand with the average
winds blowing in your face you would stand facing
A) north.
B) south.
C) east.
D) west.
61) The polar high is more pronounced over ________ because ________.
A) The Arctic; greater landmass
B) The Antarctic; greater landmass
C) The Arctic; colder ocean waters
D) The Antarctic; colder ocean waters
62) Which of the following are correctly matched?
A) high pressure — ascending, converging air movements
B) cyclones — low pressure cells
C) high pressure cells — cyclonic circulation
D) anticyclones — subpolar pressure cells
63) Air flow in a Northern Hemisphere high pressure zone is
A) downward, outward and clockwise.
B) downward, outward and counterclockwise.
C) inward, upward and clockwise.
D) inward, upward and counterclockwise.
E) downward, inward and clockwise.
64) The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is associated with
A) the horse latitudes.
B) the principal midlatitude circulations.
C) the equatorial low-pressure trough.
D) subtropical high-pressure development.
65) Which of the following is true of Hadley cells?
A) They dominate the polar circulation.
B) They appear most vertically symmetrical on either side of the equator at the equinoxes.
C) They are associated with the subpolar low pressure systems.
D) They occur at great depth in the oceans.
66) Which of the following is associated with these names deserts such as the Sahara or the
Arabian Desert?
A) subpolar lows
B) world’s equatorial rain forests
C) subtropical high pressure
D) major agricultural regions
67) The Pacific high and Bermuda high are
A) more dominant during the summer months because the ocean temperatures are warmer than
land temperatures at the same latitude.
B) more dominant during the summer months because the ocean temperatures are cooler than
land temperatures at the same latitude.
C) less dominant during the winter months because the ocean temperatures are cooler than land
temperatures at the same latitude.
68) The Aleutian low and Icelandic low are
A) dominant in the winter and weaken or disappear in the summer.
B) dominant in the summer and weaken or disappear in the winter.
C) dominant in the spring and fall and weaken or disappear in the summer and winter.
D) dominant year-round, but tend to be strongest in the summer.
69) Which of the following is not true of the polar front zone?
A) The polar jet stream is usually located above it.
B) It is a zone in which warm and cold air mix.
C) It is a zone of frequently strong winds.
D) There is little precipitation in the zone.
70) The area of conflict between colder and warmer air masses in the subpolar region
A) is most distinctive during summer months in each respective hemisphere.
B) is unrelated to the formation of cyclonic storms.
C) is termed the polar front.
D) is referred to as the subtropical contact zone.
71) The polar high pressure cells
A) are the strongest of the four primary pressure areas.
B) are cyclonic in nature.
C) produce the weak, variable polar easterlies.
D) are more pronounced at the North Pole than at the South Pole.
72) Which of the following is true regarding low-pressure cells in the Southern Hemisphere?
A) They form a continuous belt of uniform intensity surrounding the periphery of Antarctica.
B) The air circulation pattern around each low is clockwise.
C) They are influenced by continental-sized land areas at 60° S latitude.
D) They are most strongly developed during the summer months (January).
73) Which is true of upper atmospheric circulation?
A) It refers to the winds in the thermosphere.
B) These winds are unrelated to surface weather patterns and of no consequence to the
atmosphere’s general circulation.
C) Middle and upper tropospheric circulation is an important component of the atmosphere’s
general circulation.
D) These winds flow principally from the east. in the mesosphere.
74) ________ are waving undulations within the upper-air westerly wind flow
A) Hadley cells
B) Rossby waves
C) The jet stream
D) Monsoons
75) Seasonally shifting wind systems associated with the annual cycle of returning precipitation
are known as
A) sea breezes.
B) Santa Ana winds.
C) chinook winds.
D) monsoons.
76) Which of the following is not associated with the Asian monsoon pattern?
A) Unequal heating between the Asian landmass and Indian Ocean.
B) Shifting migration of the ITCZ bringing moisture-laden air to the area during the summer.
C) Summer low pressure zones over the ocean and high pressure zone over land.
D) High amounts of precipitation, including record breaking rainfall.
77) Which of the following is not true regarding human influence on monsoon pattern?
A) Most scientists concur that human activity will have little effect on monsoonal patterns.
B) Warming temperatures caused by increased greenhouse gases may increase monsoon
precipitation.
C) Rising concentrations of aerosols may cause an overall drop in monsoon precipitation.
D) The relationships are complex and further compounded by natural oscillations in global
circulation.
78) Mountain and valley breezes
A) are characterized by warmer air descending mountain slopes during the day and valley air
ascending the mountain slopes at night.
B) are caused by valley floors heating more quickly than valley slopes during the day and
cooling more rapidly at night.
C) involve warm air rising upslope during the day, creating an area of low pressure; at night it is
reversed with a low pressure area forming on the valley floor.
D) are secondary wind systems.
79) Katabatic winds are
A) localized winds associated with sea-breezes.
B) another name for mountain-valley breezes.
C) unrelated to pressure differences.
D) regional-scale, gravity-driven winds that bring high density air downslope.
80) Monsoonal winds are
A) katabatic in nature.
B) regional wind systems that seasonally vary.
C) limited to the Indian subcontinent.
D) a form of mountain-valley wind.
81) Dry, warm downslope winds occurring on the leeward side of Cascades and Rockies are
called
A) bora.
B) mistral.
C) chinooks.
D) taku.
82) The wind converging at the equatorial low are known as
A) polar easterlies.
B) westerlies.
C) doldrums.
D) trade winds.
83) The tropical atmospheric circulation associated with rising winds along the intertropical
convergence zone (ITCZ) and descending air in the subtropics are called
A) polar cells.
B) Ferrel cells.
C) Rosby waves.
D) Hadley cells.
84) Calm winds associated weak pressure gradient and the vertical ascent of air in the ITCZ are
known as
A) Hadley cells.
B) the horse latitudes.
C) the doldrums.
D) westerlies.
85) On Earth between 30° north latitude and the equator, winds flow from the ________ as they
flow out of the ________ pressure zone toward the ITCZ.
A) NE; subtropical high
B) NW; subtropical high
C) SE; subtropical high
D) SW; subtropical high
E) NE; polar high
86) On Earth between 30° and 60° north latitude, winds flow from the ________ as they flow out
of the ________ pressure zone toward the ________ pressure zone.
A) northeast; subtropical high; subpolar low
B) west-southwest; subtropical high; subpolar low
C) northeast; subpolar low; subtropical high
D) west-southwest; subpolar low; subtropical high
87) Which association is incorrect?
A) Equatorial low — Hot/Dry
B) Polar High — Cold/Dry
C) Subpolar low — 60° N/S
D) Subtropical High — 20-35° N/S
88)
The western side of subtropical high pressure cells tend to be
A) cool and moist.
B) warm, moist, and unstable.
C) dry, stable, and warm, with cooler ocean currents.
D) generally in the same position all year; i.e., they do not migrate with the high Sun.
89) The most prominent movement in the upper-level westerly geostrophic wind flows are the
A) Rossby waves.
B) jet streams.
C) cyclones.
D) anticyclones.
90) During the winter, the Bermuda high migrates to the ________ and becomes the ________.
A) east; Aleutian low
B) west; Pacific high
C) west; Aleutian low
D) west; Azores high
E) east; Azores high
91) Which of the following is incorrect regarding the subpolar low-pressure cells?
A) They are known as the Aleutian and Icelandic lows.
B) They develop more strongly over the ocean than over land.
C) In the Northern Hemisphere, they are generally stronger in summer than in winter.
D) They are associated with the polar front.
92) Which of the following is false regarding the jet streams?
A) The highest velocities occur toward the core of the jet streams.
B) They weaken during each of the hemisphere’s summer and strengthen during its winter.
C) They occur above the subtropics and the polar front.
D) They have no known effect on surface weather systems.
93) Sea-breezes
A) result from water heating and cooling faster than land surfaces.
B) form because of higher pressure over the land than the sea.
C) involve onshore (toward the land) air flows that develop in the afternoon.
D) occur because warmer air is denser and settles to the surface of the land.
94) During the day along the coast, the wind tends to blow toward the ________ because
________.
A) land; land heats more rapidly than water
B) land; land heats more slowly than water
C) water; water heats more slowly than land
D) water; water heats more rapidly than land
95) A monsoon climate is characterized by ________ summers and ________ winters.
A) dry; dry
B) dry; wet
C) wet; dry
D) wet; wet
96) Which of the following is true of India’s weather patterns?
A) Monsoonal rains are heaviest in winter from December to February.
B) The shifting of the intertropical convergence zone and upper air circulation brings heavy
precipitation in summer from June to September.
C) Dry winds desiccate the land during each summer.
D) They are characterized by an even distribution of precipitation throughout the year.
97) Santa ana winds
A) bring cool, moisture-laden air from the east to the southern California coast.
B) are not associated with pressure gradients in the way other winds are.
C) flows from lower to higher elevation, expanding and cooling in the process.
D) create wildfire conditions by bringing heat and dryness as they flow southwest.
98) Which of the following is not important in shaping ocean currents?
A) the frictional drag of winds
B) the Coriolis force and water density differences
C) land-sea breezes
D) configuration of continents and the ocean floor
99) Trade winds drive ocean surface waters
A) northward.
B) southward.
C) eastward.
D) westward.
100) The equatorial currents are driven by
A) the upper-level easterlies.
B) the trade winds.
C) salinity differences in the ocean.
D) monsoon winds.
101) The western intensification causes water to pile up ________, forcing water to flow
________ in strong currents.
A) against eastern shore of continents; northward and southward
B) at the equator; eastward and westward
C) along western shores of continents; downward, then eastward
D) around the subtropical highs; in all directions
102) Which of the following is true of thermohaline circulation?
A) They travel at greater speeds than surface currents.
B) They are largely wind driven.
C) They are deep currents caused by differences in temperature and salinity.
D) Due to t heir depths, they carry limited volumes of water.
103) Within the United States, the areas best suited for wind energy development based on
predicted average wind speeds is
A) the West Coast.
B) the East Coast.
C) the South, particular along the Florida peninsula.
D) the Great Plains (central U.S.).
E) the Appalachian Mountains.
104) Which of the following is not true about electricity generated by wind?
A) It is cost-competitive with electricity generated by coal, oil, and nuclear.
B) Turbines have been installed in over 81 countries.
C) It could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
D) There are numerous economic and social benefits associated with wind energy.
E) it is non-renewable and has been linked to adverse human health effects.
105) As of 2012, which country had the highest installed wind energy capacity?
A) Germany
B) The United States
C) Ethiopia
D) China
E) El Salvador
106) The great circulations in the ocean basins occur around the ________ pressure systems and
are known as ________.
A) subpolar low; ocean streams
B) subtropical high; ocean streams
C) subpolar low; gyres
D) subtropical high; gyres