NATS-101 Make-Believe Quiz 3

FOR M/C SELECT SINGLE BEST ANSWER AMONG CHOICES AND PLACE LETTER OF CORRECT ANSWER IN BLANK TO LEFT.

The quiz will cover lecture material and associated readings from Sept. 11 through Sept. 25.

_____1. In the hydrologic cycle, which one of the following is a direct flux from the atmospheric reservoir to the ocean reservoir?

        A. evaporation B. precipitation (rain & snow) C. runoff D. groundwater flow

___ 2. According to Newton's second law of motion, _______________ .

        A. gravity can hurt your head C. hit with the same force, a golf ball would move faster than a bowling ball

        B. energy is always conserved D. your room will get messier and messier

______3. Hurricanes form in _______ regions with _________.

        A. tropical; strong vertical shear B. extratropical; strong horizontal shear

        C. tropical; weak horizontal shear D. tropical; weak vertical shear and strong horizontal shear

__4. If the dew point remains constant throughout a day, and the temperature is highest at 4 pm and lowest at 6 am, the relative humidity will be highest at (1)_______ and lowest at (2)_________.

        A. (1)-6 am; (2)-4 pm B. (1)-midnight; (2)-6 am C. (1)-4 pm; (2)-noon D. (1)-4 pm; (2)-6 am

______5. The First Law of Thermodynamics predicts that ____________

        A. Your car's gas mileage is proportional to its speed     B. Your car produces heat as well as motion from the energy in its gasoline
        C. The louder your muffler, the faster your car               D. Both A and C

______6. Over the last million or so years, short warm “interglacial” intervals have naturally alternated with longer cold “glacial” intervals in a very regular fashion. Right now we are in _________.

        A. a warm interval              C. the warmest interval of the past 500,000 years E. the Dust Bowl

        B. a cold interval                 D. the coldest interval of the past 500,000 years

______7. T/F: Because of the heat capacity and density of water, the uppermost 2 meters of ocean contains as much heat as the entire atmosphere above it.

______8. A device to measure humidity using two thermometers is called a __________.

        A. psychrometer B. barometer C. hydroscope D. humidifier E. dessicator

______9.  According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the likelihood of a trend toward increased frequency of tropical storms is _________

        A.  About 90% likely   B.  About 66% likely   C. About 99% likely    D. Just over 50% likely

_____10. In order to reconstruct annual amount of water carried by a stream before the availability of instrumental records of stream discharge (flow), which of the following would usually be the best climate proxy?

A. ice cores B. speleothems C. sediment D. pollen E. packrat middens F. tree rings

_ 11. The pattern of reconstructed temperatures of the last thousand years has been likened to __________.

A. a telescope B. a staircase C. a hockey stick D. a bow E. an arrow

_____12. T/F: The tropical oceans have warmed by an average of 6oC, and this means that there is much more energy available for tropical storms to intensify and to persist.

13. Seven states (and Mexico) along the Colorado River know exactly to how much of the 17.5 million acre feet to which they are entitled by compacts and treaties. Why then should there be any concern about future amounts of Colorado River water available to California, Arizona and Nevada? Explain in sentences.

14. What are the reservoirs (pools) in the water cycle? Which one is largest? Which two are the primary sources of drinking water for most cities around the world?

15. Global temperature has been increasing over the past 100 or so years. What would you generally expect to happen to atmospheric water vapor content as temperature rises? How has precipitation around the world actually changed in the 20th Century?

16. Explain how humans living in the vicinity of an African lake could contribute to its dramatic decrease in size over a few decades.

17. Give one reason why hurricane intensity and frequency might be increasing as the climate warms.

18. Give one reason why hurricane intensity and frequency might not be increasing as the climate warms.

19. Consider the following set of causes and effects. Schematically diagram the coupled system, and identify any positive or negative feedback loops that you find. Do you think this set of causes and effects is relevant in the Arctic, Antarctic, or both polar regions? Why?

·         an increase in temperature causes a decrease in polar sea ice

·         a decrease in polar sea ice during wintertime causes an increase in the transfer of heat from ocean to atmosphere

·         an increase in the transfer of heat from ocean to atmosphere causes and increase in temperature

 

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