A.
Multiple choice questions (7.5%)
More than 1 answer can be
correct.
1. What is the sequence of
spheres composing the atmosphere?
a: tropo-, strato-, thermo-
and meso- sphere;
b: tropo-, thermo-, meso- and
strato- sphere;
c: tropo-, meso-, strato- and
thermo- sphere;
d: tropo-, strato-, meso- and
thermo- sphere.
2.
The atmosphere of Venus consists mostly of:
a: nitrogen;
b: oxygen;
c: water vapor;
d: carbon dioxide.
3.
The concentration of carbon dioxide (as a % of all molecules) in the atmosphere
is about:
a: 35 %;
b: 3.5 %;
c: 0.35 %;
d: 0.035 %.
4.
Which gas concentration varies the most in the troposphere:
a: water vapor;
b: carbon dioxide;
c: oxygen;
d: ozone.
5.
The coldest layer in the lowest 50 km of the atmosphere is usually:
a: the stratopause;
b: the surface;
c: the stratosphere;
d: the tropopause.
6. The typical temperature
lapse rate in the troposphere is:
a: 65 °C/km;
b: 6.5 °C/km;
c: 6.5 K/m;
d: -6.5 K/m.
7.
A force exerted on a unit area is:
a: an energy;
b: a power;
c: a pressure;
d: a density.
8. Which one (or more) of the following statements apply to Laramie, in comparison with a place closer to sea level like Phoenix AZ :
a: people need to breath
larger volumes of air;
b: the fuel-efficiency of cars
is higher (other factors being the same);
c: the airport runway needs to
be longer (for the same type of aircraft);
d: the proportion of
ultra-violet radiation in sunshine is higher.
9.
At what rate, approximately, does pressure decrease with height in the first
few kilometers above sea level?
a:
1hPa / 10m.
b:
10hPa / m;
c:
1hPa / 100m;
d:
1hPa / m;
10.
Around what wavelength is the solar radiation most intense (mm) is :
a: 0.1 mm (micrometer);
b: 0.5 mm;
c: 5 mm;
d: 10 mm.
11.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has a wavelength
longer than visible light ?
a: infrared;
b: ultraviolet;
c: X rays;
d: microwave (radar).
12.
At what latitude is the noonday Sun directly overhead on 22nd of
December?
a: the equator;
b: the Tropic of Capricorn
(23ºS);
c: the Tropic of Cancer
(23ºN);
d: the polar circle.
13.
Which surface has the lowest albedo?
a: lush grass;
b: fresh snow;
c: asphalt road;
d: desert sand.
14.
The Earth's planetary albedo is about:
a: 3%;
b: 10%;
c: 30%;
d: 90%.
15.
The various forms of radiation that contribute to the net radiation of the
Earth's surface are expressed in terms of
a: energy per unit area (J/m2);
b: power per unit area (W/m2);
c: energy per unit weight
(J/kg);
d: power per unit weight
(W/kg).
16.
UV radiation from the Sun is mostly absorbed in:
a: clouds;
b: the mesosphere;
c: the stratosphere;
d: the troposphere.
17.
In terms of radiation that can penetrate through the Earth's atmosphere, a window can be found (none, one or more
of the following):
a:
at wavelengths between 0.4 and 0.8 micrometer;
b:
at wavelengths between 8 and 12 micrometer;
c:
just above the troposphere, in the tropopause;
d:
over Antarctica, due to the recent depletion of ozone by CFC's.
18.
Which (one or more) of the following statements about the scattering of light
is false?
a:
Raleigh scattering causes blue skies and red sunsets;
b:
Mie scattering of sunlight by cloud droplets gives the sky a gray appearance;
c:
intense volcanic eruptions temporarily increase the planetary albedo of the
Earth;
d:
scattering only occurs in the forward and backward directions.
19.
The natural greenhouse effect of the Earth's atmosphere results from:
a:
the atmosphere's high absorption of shortwave radiation, compared to longwave
radiation;
b:
the higher transparency of the atmosphere in the visible spectrum, compared to
infrared;
c:
the presence of nitrogen and argon in the atmosphere;
d:
the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide by mankind, due mainly
to the burning of fossil fuels.
20.
The Earth primarily emits the following radiation to space:
a: infrared;
b: visible light;
c: ultra-violet;
d: X rays.
B. Short answer questions (7.5%)
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Please do not look at the answers below until you have attempted ALL questions
A. MC questions.
1. d
2. d
3. d
4. a
5. d
6. b
7. c
8. all of a-d
9. a
10. b
11. a and d
12. b
13. c
14. c
15. b
16. c
17. a and b
18. d
19. b
20. a
1. Snow will stick first on the lawn because less heat is conducted from the ground below to the surface: the thermal conductivity of a layer of grass is less than that of a rocky soil (0.75%). Also, a green lawn surface is not a warm during the daytime than a rocky soil, because proportionally more latent heat is emitted from a green lawn (0.25%).
2. Because clouds will decrease not only the net shortwave radiation received, but also the net long-wave radiation lost (1%).
3. (1) the air pressure is too low to breathe; (2) too much UV radiation, because the stratopause is above the ozone layer. (1%)(there may be other reasons ??)
4. Because the sun is hotter than the earth (0.7%). Give extra credit (0.3%) if temperatures are mentioned (Sun: ~6000 K; Earth: ~300 K) or if Wien’s law is mentioned (l~1/T)
5. A front separates air masses of different temperature (1%)
6. Billings is further north than Laramie, ie closer to the magnetic north pole. Auroras are most common 20-30 degrees from the magnetic north pole. (1%)
7. The planetary albedo would be lower (no clouds), and the surface temperature lower (because water vapor is a greenhouse gas). Clouds do affect the surface temperature, but the absence of clouds would have a small effect compared to the absence of water vapor.(1%)
8. for instance: latent heat is created as liquid water evaporates; it is transported as water vapor, and it is released when the vapor condenses.(0.5%)