Geography 1700 – Natural Hazards
AJ Allred, Fall 2015
Student Name _____________________
Quiz 10
Answers and Explanations
1.
The thermosphere is located high above Earth’s surface, where solar energy is
intense.
True _X__
False ___
The troposphere is closest to Earth’s surface, where wind and weather occur. The
thermosphere or “heat” zone is high above Earth, where solar energy is intense because
it has not yet been absorbed or reflected by lower portions of atmosphere.
2.
Life on Earth is based on cycles such as: oxygen cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle
and solar cycles: daily and yearly.
True _X__
False ___
Solar energy causes oxygen to move between plants, animals and the atmosphere. The
same is true for carbon and nitrogen and water.
3.
Oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2) in the atmosphere keep Earth at the correct
temperature by controlling how much solar energy is absorbed.
True ___
False _X__
Oxygen and nitrogen comprise about 99% of Earth’s atmosphere and are mostly
indifferent to incoming or outgoing radiation. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon and
nitrogen oxides, play a vital role in regulating Earth temperature.
4.
Water that evaporates into vapor becomes humidity, which is a form of stored
solar energy.
True _X__
False ___
Energy must be absorbed for ice to melt and for water to evaporate. Solar energy
moves into and out of storage in water.
5.
Humid air will compress and become warmer as it rises.
True ___
False _X__
Air pressure varies inversely with altitude, so rising air will decompress or expand as it
goes. The dispersion of energy in expanding air results in cooling by decompression.
6.
Hot sunny weather will prevent air pollution from creating hazardous ozone at the
ground level.
True ___
False _X__
Hot, sunny weather combines with air pollution to produce ground-level ozone. Winter
is not typically about ozone air pollution alerts because even though air pollutant levels
may be high, air tends to be colder and sunshine is less intense. Heat and sunlight are
required for producing ozone from other forms of air pollution.
7.
Latent or hidden heat is thermal energy stored in evaporated water.
Condensation is the release of that hidden heat back into liquid water, and heat we
can feel.
True _X__
False ___
All true. Evaporation is a way of:
- converting heat we can feel into latent or hidden heat we cannot feel;
- converting liquid water into invisible vapor
Condensation turns vapor back into liquid, and heat that we can feel once again.
8.
Small changes in greenhouse gases can cause Earth to overheat or freeze.
Greenhouse gases represent about 99 percent of Earth’s atmosphere.
True ___
False _X__
The first statement is true: greenhouse gases regulate Earth’s atmospheric temperature
The second statement is false: greenhouse gases constitute only about one percent of
Earth’s atmosphere.
9.
For life on Earth, we need ozone in the stratosphere, not ozone at the ground level.
Humans have been destroying atmospheric ozone and promoting more groundlevel ozone.
True _X__
False ___
True. Man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) degrade ozone in the high atmosphere.
Meanwhile, solar light and heat combine with air pollution to produce ground-level
ozone.
10. High air pressure always flows to places where rising air creates low pressure.
True _X__
False ___
Rising air leaves vacant space at the surface, which means lower pressure. So, higherpressure air flows in from elsewhere. High pressure tends to be about sinking air, low
pressure tends to be about rising air.
11. Abundant sunshine and water near the Equator result in evaporation and
humidity. The result is low air pressure and frequent rain and other storms.
True _X__
False ___
Solar energy is intense near the Equator, where most oceans dominate. So, solar energy
is absorbed during evaporation, resulting in warm, humid air that rises easily. Rising
air tends to produce clouds, rain and other storms.
12. In the northern hemisphere, Coriolis force causes high-pressure wind to turn
right. Low pressure tends to turn wind to the left.
True _X__
False ___
True.
13. Cells of low pressure and high pressure feed air into each other: sinking highpressure air moves toward low-pressure air that is rising.
True _X__
True.
False ___
14. In the U.S. “tornado alley”, dry westerly winds from about 40° North latitude
collide with humid easterly (trade) winds from about 20° North latitude.
True _X__
False ___
True. Cooler, winds from the west tend to be drier and cooler. Winds from the east are
warmer and more humid. When they meet, heavier, drier air will push under warmer,
wetter air, causing it to rise. The result is unstable conditions that can include
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
15. About half of all the world’s tornadoes occur in “tornado alley”, where dry, cool
air rises quickly as warm, wet air pushes underneath.
True ___
False _X__
At least 90% of the world’s tornadoes occur in the United States, primarily in central
and southeastern U.S. states, portions of which are sometimes called “tornado alley”.
Cool, dry air relatively heavy air wedges under moist air, causing it to rise and become
rainy and/or stormy.
16. Low-pressure air tends to bring storminess. High-pressure tends to produce fair
weather (sunny rather than cloudy).
True _X__
False ___
Rising air tends to be warm and humid, with a tendency to rise easily. With altitude
decompression occurs, resulting in release of humidity back into heat we can feel. That
new heat causes more rising, and the cycle continues. With enough heat and humidity,
a severe storm can occur due to rapidly rising air and high winds at the surface.
17. Human air pollution tends to produce atmospheric ozone in the “ozone layer” of
the stratosphere.
True ___
False _X__
Human air pollution tends to help produce ozone at ground level. The “ozone layer” is
above the troposphere, where ultraviolet solar energy collides with oxygen to produce
ozone.
18. Stormy weather (rain, wind, clouds) is caused mostly by:
a. Conduction
b. Convection
c. Reflection
Convection represents air and water that are moving, taking energy with them.
Conduction is about objects that are not moving, but allowing energy to pass through.
Storms are about wind and rising that transfer stored energy in humidity.
19. During November, weather inversions in the Salt Lake area will:
a. become more likely
b. become less likely
c. cause more alerts for excessive ozone than at other times of year
d. answers ‘b’ and ‘c’ are both correct
As the days get shorter in Utah, we move toward having only about 9 hours of daylight
at the winter solstice. In September, we had 12 hours of daylight and at the longest day
we experience about 15 hours of daylight.
Weather inversions in the Salt Lake area are more about lack of solar energy when the
Sun is low in the sky and weather is relatively colder. Lack of energy means air
doesn’t rise and move air pollution elsewhere. A relatively cold layer of air develops at
the surface, and relatively warmer air develops aloft, the reverse or inversion of normal
conditions. Stagnant, polluted conditions in winter can get even worse as air pollution
haze further reduces solar energy that is needed to create warmth and rising air.
20. Which of the following most accurately describes Salt Lake conditions on
Halloween?
a. Daylight for about 10.5 hours.
b. Darkness or night time for about 9 hours.
c. Daylight for about 15 hours.
d. Answers ‘b’ and ‘c’ above are both correct.
See question 19. In November, we are partway between the Autumnal equinox (about
September 21) and the Winter solstice on about December 21. So, in late October,
daylight hours will be less than 12 and night hours will be more than 12.