ATOC EXAM QUESTIONS AND 100%
VERIFIED ANSWERS
In the lower atmosphere, any air that rises will ____ and cool.
Expand
Which characteristic of air provides a measure of the average speed of the atoms and
molecules?
Temperature
Which process results in a decrease in relative humidity?
Warming the air
As the air temperature increases, the air's capacity for water vapor ____.
Increases
An object that radiates more energy than it absorbs will ____.
Become colder
Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called ____.
Condensation nuclei
In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the shortest number of
daylight hours occurs on ____.
December 21
Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of ____.
Ice particles
The freezing of pure water is 32° on the ____ scale.
Farenheit
Lines on a map connecting points of equal temperature are called ____.
,Isotherms
The vertical profile of ____ is variable in each layer of Earth's atmosphere.
Air temperature
Which set of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most stable?
Cooling the surface and warming the air aloft
Near Earth's surface, ____ occupies about 78% and ____ about 21% of the total volume of
dry air.
Nitrogen; oxygen
Which process accounts for the sky's blue color?
Light scattering
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is due primarily to the fact that ___.
Carbon dioxide and water vapor absorb infrared radiation
T/F: Hot air with a low relative humidity may actually contain more water vapor than cool
air with a high relative humidity.
True
Cold and cloudy nights are warmer than cold and clear nights (other factors being equal)
because ____.
Clouds absorb outgoing infrared energy and radiate it back to the surface
In a temperature inversion, air temperature ____.
Increases with increasing height
The albedo of Earth's surface is only about 4%, yet the combined albedo of Earth and its
atmosphere is about 30%. Which set of conditions below best explains why this is so?
High albedo of clouds; low albedo of water
, The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called the latent heat of
____.
Condensation
When naming clouds, the term "stratus", or "strato", means ____ clouds.
Layer
A good example of ____ fog is observed along the Pacific Coast during summer, when
warm, moist air from the ocean is carried over colder coastal waters.
Advection
T/F: Methane (CH4), ozone (O3), and water vapor are greenhouse gases.
True
Frost forms when ____.
The dew point is 32 degrees or below
I have a meteorological tower at my house with measurements at several heights. At which
height will the daily temperature range be the largest?
2m above the surface
Why are the average summer temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere are cooler than
the average summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere?
Over 80% of the southern hemisphere is covered with water
Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature of Earth
would be ___.
Lower than at present
Average atmospheric CO2 concentrations have ____ over the past 100 years.
Increased
VERIFIED ANSWERS
In the lower atmosphere, any air that rises will ____ and cool.
Expand
Which characteristic of air provides a measure of the average speed of the atoms and
molecules?
Temperature
Which process results in a decrease in relative humidity?
Warming the air
As the air temperature increases, the air's capacity for water vapor ____.
Increases
An object that radiates more energy than it absorbs will ____.
Become colder
Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called ____.
Condensation nuclei
In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the shortest number of
daylight hours occurs on ____.
December 21
Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of ____.
Ice particles
The freezing of pure water is 32° on the ____ scale.
Farenheit
Lines on a map connecting points of equal temperature are called ____.
,Isotherms
The vertical profile of ____ is variable in each layer of Earth's atmosphere.
Air temperature
Which set of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most stable?
Cooling the surface and warming the air aloft
Near Earth's surface, ____ occupies about 78% and ____ about 21% of the total volume of
dry air.
Nitrogen; oxygen
Which process accounts for the sky's blue color?
Light scattering
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is due primarily to the fact that ___.
Carbon dioxide and water vapor absorb infrared radiation
T/F: Hot air with a low relative humidity may actually contain more water vapor than cool
air with a high relative humidity.
True
Cold and cloudy nights are warmer than cold and clear nights (other factors being equal)
because ____.
Clouds absorb outgoing infrared energy and radiate it back to the surface
In a temperature inversion, air temperature ____.
Increases with increasing height
The albedo of Earth's surface is only about 4%, yet the combined albedo of Earth and its
atmosphere is about 30%. Which set of conditions below best explains why this is so?
High albedo of clouds; low albedo of water
, The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called the latent heat of
____.
Condensation
When naming clouds, the term "stratus", or "strato", means ____ clouds.
Layer
A good example of ____ fog is observed along the Pacific Coast during summer, when
warm, moist air from the ocean is carried over colder coastal waters.
Advection
T/F: Methane (CH4), ozone (O3), and water vapor are greenhouse gases.
True
Frost forms when ____.
The dew point is 32 degrees or below
I have a meteorological tower at my house with measurements at several heights. At which
height will the daily temperature range be the largest?
2m above the surface
Why are the average summer temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere are cooler than
the average summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere?
Over 80% of the southern hemisphere is covered with water
Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature of Earth
would be ___.
Lower than at present
Average atmospheric CO2 concentrations have ____ over the past 100 years.
Increased
