Peak Insolation – Geography Mid Exam
The key terms of Geography Mid Exam include, Temporal lag, Electromagnetic Spectrum, thermal infrared radiation, urban heat island effect, longwave radiation, Incoming light energy, Insolation, Peak, the sub-solar point, Troposphere, Seasonality.
The peak of insolation and peak in temperature often exist at different times of the day. What is this called?
Temporal lag – correct
Energy Lag
March of Seasonality
None of the above
What are the three primary influences on atmospheric temperature patterns?
Latitude, altitude, and season
Latitude, time of day, and length of daylight hours
Altitude, location relative to water, length of daylight hours
When a city experiences warmer temperatures than the surrounding countryside, this is known as:
Urban Heat Island Effect – correct
Continentality
Maritime Climate
None of the above
What is the common methodology used in physical & human geography disciplines?
Cartographic understanding
Location memorization
Spatial analysis
All of the above
Physical geography overlaps with other earth sciences.
True – correct
False
Physical geography is not a holistic science.
True
False – correct
The earth constantly redistributes energy to reach a state of _____.
Equilibrium – correct
Entropy
Sustainability
The forces that shape the earth today are the same forces that have done so for millenia. This is known as:
Catastrophism
The Big Bang
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
In regards to map distortion, which is true?
Only shape distorts as a result of map creation
Only size distorts as a result of map creation
Size and/or shape distortion occurs on most maps – correct
What is the shape of the earth?
A perfect sphere
A flat disc
An oblate ellipsoid – correct
None of the above
What type of map is the most accurate way to represent the earth and minimize map distortion?
A globe
A topographic map
An isotherm map
None of the above
Great circles:
Pass through the center of the earth
Include all lines of longitude and the Equator
Do not run in parallel
All of the above
One degree of latitude, is equal to approximately how many miles of distance?
70
65
63
69 – correct
Meridians converge at the poles, thus resulting in decreasing distance between degrees. How many miles is one degree of longitude at the Equator?
63
65
69 – correct
70
What is the 0 degree line of longitude called?
The International Dateline
The Prime Meridian – correct
The Greatest Circle
The Analema
The geographic grid is an overlay between lines of latitude and lines of longitude.
True – correct
False
Map projections preserve both size and shape.
True
False – correct
A large scale map shows a _____ geographic area.
Large
Small – correct
Lines that connect points of equal elevation on a map are called:
Isotherms
Isohyets
Contours – correct
Isobars
The cycle from one new moon to the next (aka one moonth) is approximately how many days?
30
31
29.5 – correct
30.5
Our orbit around the sun is what shape?
Circular
Elliptical
Triangular
The sun orbits around the earth
Where is incoming light energy (insolation) most intense?
High latitudes (60-90*N/S)
Mid-latitudes (23.5-60*N/S)
Low latitudes (0-23.5*N/S) – correct
The angle at which the sun’s rays hit the surface of the earth
The angle at which the sun’s rays strike the moon
The point at which the sun’s rays are perpendicular to the surface of the earth – correct
None of the above
The sub-solar point never goes farther north than 23.5* N or farther south than 23.5* S.
True – correct
False
Equal day and night length for every latitude on the planet
The beginning of Spring & Autumn, respectively
The sub-solar point being at the Equator
All of the above
Which portion of the electromagnetic spectrum includes thermal infrared radiation?
Shortwave radiation
Longwave radiation – correct
The warming of the planet through the trapping of longwave radiation is known as:
Radiation retention
The greenhouse effect – correct
Uniformitarianism
Indirect radiation
Particulates in the atmosphere create condensation nuclei for cloud formation to occur.
True – correct
False
Sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides, when mixed with particulates and water, can result in:
Acid rain – correct
Cleaner air
No atmospheric changes
None of the above
There is an energy deficit in the tropics and energy surplus in the poles.
True
False – correct
What is the primary force responsible for allowing us to have an atmosphere?
Inertia
Friction
Gravity – correct
Condensation
Atmospheric density _____ with elevation gain.
Increases
Decreases – correct
What is the lowest layer of the atmosphere called?
Mesosphere
Exosphere
Thermosphere
Troposphere – correct
Where is air pressure most likely to be greater?
A mountain peak at 8,000 feet above sea level.
A plateau at 500 feet above sea level.
At sea level. – correct
At 30,000 feet of elevation.
In regards to temperatures, what happens when you increase elevation/altitude to the ambient temperature observed?
Temperatures increase with increases in elevation
Temperature decrease with increases in elevation – correct
There is no change to temperature
According to the environmental lapse rate:
Temperatures increase 3.5*/1,000 feet of elevation gain
Temperatures only change when moisture is present
Temperature decrease 3.5*/1,000 of elevation gain – correct
None of the above
When a layer of the troposphere shows temperature increases with elevation gain, instead of cooling, this is called a/n:
Unstable layer
Inversion – correct
Static atmospheric layer
None of the above
Which latitudinal zone is a mixing zone for redistributing solar energy and temperatures?
The Tropics
The Mid-latitudes
The Polar regions
Continental locations have a much smaller range of temperatures throughout the year than locations in close proximity to large bodies of water.
True
False – correct
Large bodies of water heat and cool more _____ than land areas.
Quickly
Slowly – correct
The movement of heat from warmer objects to cooler objects is called:
Convection
Conduction
Deflection
Heat transfer – correct
The coldwater Benguela Current is responsible for creating the conditions in what coastal desert?
The Atacama Desert
The Antarctic Desert
The Namib Desert
The Kalahari Desert
What is responsible for creating warm and wet conditions throughout Northern Europe?
Polar melt
The Gulf Stream – correct
The migration of the sub-solar point
None of the above