Environmental Science Questions

Our planet's mean annual temperature patterns have been in a distinct ___________________ pattern since 1880: warming stable cooling uncertain

Temperature is _______________. a measure of the level of latent heat of matter only measured with a thermistor a measure of the level of sensible heat of matter measured only through advection

Urban surface temperatures tend to be warmer than rural temperatures during the day because: paved surfaces reflect so much heat away into the air drier surfaces are cooler than wet soils drier surfaces have less water to evaporate than do moist soils paved surfaces absorb little solar insolation

The vast majority of ozone is found within the troposphere. True False

Positive net radiation values usually commence _______________. shortly after sunrise at night in the afternoon at noon

Visible light is a form of shortwave radiation. True False

As the sun angle increases in the sky, the amount of energy reaching the surface increases. True False

Which one of the following is the best example of heat transfer by conduction? Water flows in a circular path in a pan. Newly created lithosphere loses heat to adjacent rocks. A burner gives heat through the air without touching the object. Seawater is drawn into a mid-ocean ridge.

Which one of the following is NOT a factor that controls/influences air temperature patterns? Longitude Coastal vs. Interior Location Elevation Latitude

The ______________________ refers to the place(s) on the earth's surface in which the sun is directly overhead at any given time. International Date Line Prime Meridian circle of illumination subsolar point

Land heats and cools more rapidly than oceans because: of the lack of mixing in soil or rock layers. of land's high specific heat, which encourages temperature changes. land is transparent, which encourages temperature changes. of the abundant latent heat available to directly warm the land

The Earth, maintaining a significantly cooler surface temperature than the Sun, emits _______________. longwave radiation visible light shortwave infrared radiation ultraviolet radiation

In the case of electromagnetic energy, _______________ objects radiate more energy at shorter wavelengths than _______________ objects. larger, smaller hotter; cooler cooler, hotter rotating, stationary

During an equinox, the circle of illumination passes through the _______________. north and south poles Equator Antarctic Circle Arctic Circle

Heat in the atmosphere is distributed through a vertical mixing process called ______________. conduction particle acceleration advection convection

The type of energy transfer that occurs when water changes from a liquid to gas by absorbing heat. Evaporation Convection Advection Conduction

The solar constant is: the consistent amount of energy received at the top of the atmosphere. only about a quarter of all energy emitted by the Sun. the same value for all planets, even Neptune. the same for a sphere and for a circle.

The Earth is nearest to the Sun at _______________, which occurs on or about ______________. perihelion, July 4 aphelion, July 4 perihelion, January 3 aphelion, January 3

part of the government responsible for signing off on laws and proposing funding for government agencies

part of a policy's life cycle when a problem is identified