Factors that Control Regional Climate | Earth Science | Quiz

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

true

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

Radiation from the sun passes through less atmosphere in the tropics.

The tropics are closer to the sun than the polar regions.

Radiation from the sun is at a more direct angle in the tropics.

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?

If he tried to go west at 40° N, he would hit the doldrums.

If he tried to go west at 40° N, he would run into the easterly trade winds.

By sailing south of 30° N, he would catch the easterly trade winds.

By sailing south of 30° N, he would catch the westerlies.
In the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which of the following processes happens?

Warm, wet air rises

Cold, dry air sinks

Strong trade winds blow

Strong westerlies blow
Earth’s biggest deserts occur where:

Warm air rises to the tropopause

Cold air descends from the tropopause

There is very little wind (the doldrums)

The polar cell meets the Ferrel cell
The main factors that produce large-scale circulation in Earth’s atmosphere are:

Earth’s rotation and the Coriolis effect

Earth’s rotation and the tropopause

Earth’s rotation and uneven heating from the sun

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?

Out of the south, perpendicular to the equator

Out of the east, parallel to the equator

Out of the northwest, moving away from the equator

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?

0° (at the Equator)

15° N

30° N

45° N
Which of the atmospheric circulation cells affects climate on the continents and oceans between 30° S and 30° N?

The Hadley cell

The Ferrel cell

The polar cell

The ITCZ