Salt Lake Community College
Geography 1700 – Natural Hazards
Quiz #4, Autumn, 2012
A. J. Allred, Adjunct Instructor
Student Name __________________
1. Government programs that provide rescue, recovery and other post-disaster aid may encourage people to
build or live in unsafe places.
True ___
False ____
2. Which of the following best matches the term “mitigation”?
a. Prevent
b. Repair
c. Replace
d. Insure
e. Each and all of the above explain mitigation
3. From a view looking down on a U.S. Gulf-coast hurricane, which part of the storm is probably the most
dangerous?
a. Left front
b. Left side
c. Right front
d. center, or eye
e. None of the above
Hurricanes, like most mid-latitude storms (northern hemisphere) exhibit low atmospheric pressure, rising air
currents, high humidity (latent heat) and winds moving in a counter-clockwise or cyclonic direction. Most U.S.
hurricanes come from the East and generally move in some combination of westward and northward.
4. For any location in the storm path, what is the maximum length of time that a 300-mile wide hurricane
should last if the storm’s forward movement is 10 mph?
a. Less than half a day
b. About one day
c. At least two days
d. About two and one half days
e. There is no way to make a reasonable estimate
5. Stormy weather in Utah usually appears to arrive from what direction?
a. East
b. North
c. Southeast
d. Northeast
e. Southwest
Like other mid-latitude weather fronts, winds are cyclonic or counter-clockwise. As a low-pressure cell or
front arrives, winds will pick up from one direction and then switch to a different direction as the cell or
storm passes by. Try to picture that.
6. Engineering structures designed to protect a beach may eventually destroy it. Many investors consider
coastal zones too valuable to protect.
True ____
False ____
Coastal zones exhibit constantly changing stress from currents, waves and winds. These forces are far more
powerful and more regional than anything humans can build. To protect our investments in buildings and other
structures, we build more structures and often ‘nourish’ a beach to make it last longer or make it more
attractive.
7. What climate pattern dominates the region that includes Chicago and Toronto?
a. H, Highland
b. B, Sub-tropical
c. C, Continental, Mild
d. D, Continental, Severe
e. None of the above
Divide the USA in half – the east is humid (wet), the west is dry. Then cut the nation in half again – the north is
cold, the south is warm. So, we have four quarters: cold/dry, cold/wet, warm/wet and warm/dry.
The northern half of our continent is ‘severe’ while the southern half is more mild.
8. What two climate zones prevail in Utah?
a. A and B only
b. B and C only
c. C and D
d. B and H, with some D
e. E and A, with no H
A handy way to summarize climates:
A = Tropical. Near the Equator – sunny, warm, rainy, lush vegetation.
The tropics are directly under the rising-air end of Hadley cells. The ITCZ hovers close by.
B = Dry - the zones directly above and below the Equator, at about 30 degrees north and south of the
Equator. Usually desert, these regions are directly underneath the high-pressure end of
Hadley cells)
C = Mild Continental. Relatively easier or more comfortable climate, not high latitude, not far from
ocean, not high elevation, not too dry, not too wet, not too cold, not too hot.
D = Severe Continental. Larger annual swings in temperature, higher latitudes, associated with
big continental land masses, often higher elevation, and/or far from prevailing on-shore ocean
breezes.
E = Polar. Very high latitude.
H = Highland. Mountains have a climate all their own. Wide swings in temperature and
precipitation, even daily.
9. In the United States, millions of people are moving to locations that are prone to deadly hurricanes.
True ____
False ____
10. Nearly all ocean waves are wind-driven, which mean that water oscillates back and forth without really
going anywhere.
True ____
False ____
11. For people, governments and businesses, the most practical approach to natural hazards is to:
a. Just move somewhere that has no hazards
b. Take out insurance policies to prevent loss of life and property damage
c. Promote and follow the best mitigation strategies that you can afford
d. Promote government programs that provide disaster warnings and rescue services
e. All of the above are equally practical
12. The fact that never before in the history of the Earth have we had a billion automobiles, a billion cows
and 100,000 power plants probably means that humans have no effect on the Earth’s atmosphere.
True ____
False ____
Does the teacher sound a little sarcastic on this one? People around us all have an opinion as well. The theory
of “anthropomorphic climate change” is a theory, but is backed by evidence that many scientists consider
overwhelmingly conclusive -- that humans are now a factor in ‘climate forcing’ or induced change.
13. “Global warming” could mean that some of the Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets could be adding volume
or moving faster.
True ____
False ____
Consider that warm air can hold more moisture than cold air, and precipitation (including snow) requires latent
heat. Consider also that the weather forecast often calls for the “warm before the storm.” How might those
factors affect the size or movement of ice sheets and glaciers? Could climate change include more than just
hotter weather and shorter winters? See page 430 in the textbook, first column, last paragraph.
14. During an “El Nino” event, waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean do not move westward as much as
normal. An easy way to describe the result is that some drier places on Earth receive much more
precipitation than usual, while many wetter places experience relative drought. Overall, an El Nino
condition may tend to result in more atmospheric energy available for vigorous storms.
True ____
False ____
15. In general, average sea level varies directly with global air temperature.
True ____
False ____
Substances that are warmer experience more molecular movement or agitation, so they expand in volume per
unit weight. Less density means more volume, even for water as a liquid.
Meanwhile, increasing air temperature tends to result in more evaporation, more precipitation and the melting
of ice. Conversion of white ice to dark water ought to result in more absorption of solar energy and therefore
rising water temperature over time.
On one hand, floating ice that melts will become more dense; however, if land ice melts it will go into the
ocean, adding much more volume than was lost when floating ice contracted in volume.
16. Fighting fires at night may be easier than during the day because relative humidity goes down during the
daytime.
True ____
False ____
17. A massive volcano and/or a major meteorite striking Earth will tend to warm the Earth a bit by bringing
more heat into the atmosphere for a few years, resulting in disturbed farming and short-term risk of
starvation.
True ____
False ____
18. Overall, wildfires are probably good for the natural environment, including plant and animal populations
in the burn area.
True ____
False ____
Chapter 13 provides a wide variety of evidence of the pros and cons of wildfire effects on plants and animals.
Can you find the overall, generalized conclusion?
19. There is generally a positive correlation between wildfires and mass wasting (such as landslides).
True ____
False ____
20. A rip current tends to pull steadily at the same location, providing an opportunity for beach warning
signs to be posted in areas where adequate public program support has developed over time.
True ____
False ____
Essay Extra Credit: Last week, a Sugarhouse family was injured by carbon monoxide poisoning at home.
Meanwhile, the weather report indicated that prevailing high pressure conditions in Salt Lake valley caused
surface evaporation to stay near the ground. What relationship could be drawn between these facts?
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