Factors that Control Regional Climate: Circulation in the Atmosphere

If Earth’s pole were not tilted with respect to the plane of its orbit around the sun, there would be no seasons.

• a.true
• b.false

Which of the following is NOT a reason why the tropics receive higher insolation than the polar regions?

• a.Radiation from the sun passes through less atmosphere in the tropics.
• b.The tropics are closer to the sun than the polar regions.
• c.Radiation from the sun is at a more direct angle in the tropics.
• d.Ice and snow in the polar regions reflect more energy than in the tropics.

Why did sailors like Christopher Columbus travel south from Portugal (latitude 40° N) to the Canary Islands (latitude 28° N) before heading west across the Atlantic?

• a.If he tried to go west at 40° N, he would hit the doldrums.
• b.If he tried to go west at 40° N, he would run into the easterly trade winds.
• c.By sailing south of 30° N, he would catch the easterly trade winds.
• d.By sailing south of 30° N, he would catch the westerlies.

In the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which of the following processes happens?

• a.Warm, wet air rises
• b.Cold, dry air sinks
• c.Strong trade winds blow
• d.Strong westerlies blow

Earth’s biggest deserts occur where:

• a.Warm air rises to the tropopause
• b.Cold air descends from the tropopause
• c.There is very little wind (the doldrums)
• d.The polar cell meets the Ferrel cell

The main factors that produce large-scale circulation in Earth’s atmosphere are:

• a.Earth’s rotation and the Coriolis effect
• b.Earth’s rotation and the tropopause
• c.Earth’s rotation and uneven heating from the sun
• d.The tropopause and uneven heating from the sun

In the white box in the image of Earth, which direction would you expect the dominant winds to be blowing?

• a.Out of the south, perpendicular to the equator
• b.Out of the east, parallel to the equator
• c.Out of the northwest, moving away from the equator
• d.Out of the southeast, moving toward the equator

At which of the following latitudes would you expect a sailing journey from west to east across the Atlantic Ocean to be the fastest?

• a.0° (at the Equator)
• b.15° N
• c.30° N
• d.45° N

Which of the atmospheric circulation cells affects climate on the continents and oceans between 30° S and 30° N?

• a.The Hadley cell
• b.The Ferrel cell
• c.The polar cell
• d.The ITCZ