EARTH SCIENCE

Weather, Atmosphere, & Climate Regents Questions

Name: _______________________________________________________________ Period:_______

January 2016 13 Which weather instrument is most useful in measuring relative humidity?

(1) barometer (2) anemometer (3) psychrometer (4) wind vane

14 If the air temperature is 20°C and the relative humidity is 58%, what is the dewpoint?

(1) 5°C (2) 12°C (3) 15°C (4) 38°C

15 Equal areas of which type of Earth surface will absorb more insolation and radiate more energy back toward

space in the same amount of time?

(1) light colored and rough (3) light colored and smooth

(2) dark colored and rough (4) dark colored and smooth

16 The map below shows the location of India and the Indian Ocean.

30 On the map of the United States shown below, four lines have been drawn and labeled A, B, C, and D.

Which statement best describes the

monsoon winds during the rainy season

in India?

(1) Warm, moist air flows from India to

the Indian Ocean.

(2) Warm, moist air flows from the

Indian Ocean to India.

(3) Cold, dry air flows from India to the

Indian Ocean.

(4) Cold, dry air flows from the Indian

Ocean to India.

The length of which line best represents the

distance from Earths surface to the top of

the mesosphere?

(1) A (2) B (3) C (4) D

32 The map below shows a position of the polar jet stream over North America in January.

Which map best shows the air-mass movements associated with this jet stream position?

35 The map below shows a portion of the western United States and Canada. Two cities in Canada, Vancouver

and Winnipeg, are labeled on the map.

Which graph best represents the average monthly air temperatures for Vancouver and Winnipeg?

Base your answers to questions 36 through 40 on the weather maps below and on your knowledge of Earth

science. The weather maps show the eastern United States on two consecutive days. Some isobars are labeled

in millibars (mb). Letter X represents a location on Earth’s surface on December 8, 2009.

36 What was the barometric pressure for

location X on December 8?

(1) 1016 mb

(2) 1012 mb

(3) 1008 mb

(4) 1004 mb

37 Which map best shows the general surface wind pattern around the high-pressure system on December 8?

38 In which direction did the high-pressure center move from December 8, 2009, to December 9, 2009?

(1) southwest (2) southeast (3) northwest (4) northeast

39 Which type of front was located just south of New York City on December 9?

(1) cold (2) warm (3) stationary (4) occluded

40 Which information shown on the weather maps best indicates that wind speeds in New York State were

greater on December 9 than on December 8?

(1) The isobars were closer together on December 9.

(2) The fronts were closer together on December 9.

(3) The air pressure over New York State was lower on December 9.

(4) The air pressure over New York State was higher on December 9.

Base your answers to questions 72 through 74 on the generalized climatic moisture map of North America

below and on your knowledge of Earth science. Areas are classified as generally dry or generally wet, and then

ranked by relative moisture conditions. Glacial and mountain climate areas are also shown on the map. Points

A, B, C, D, and E indicate locations on Earths surface.

72 Explain why the climate at location A is

more moist than the climate at location B. [l]

73 State the climate factor that causes a cold

climate at location C. [l]

74 Explain why location D has a cooler

climate than location E. [l]

August 2015

7 During the month of January, at which location in New York State is the Sun lowest in the sky at solar noon?

(1) Massena (2) Niagara Falls (3) Utica (4) New York City

8 Which process releases 2260 joules of heat energy per gram of water into the environment?

(1) melting (2) freezing (3) condensation (4) evaporation

10 Which area is the most common source region for cold, dry air masses that move over New York State?

(1) North Atlantic Ocean (2) Gulf of Mexico (3) central Canada (4) central Mexico

12 Which station model represents a location that has the greatest chance of precipitation?

26 Which diagram best represents how greenhouse gases in our atmosphere trap heat energy?

28 The diagram below represents the circulation of air above Earth’s surface at a coastal location during the

day and at night.

This local air movement is best described

as an example of

(1) conduction between Earth’s surface

and the atmosphere above it

(2) condensation of water vapor during

the day, and evaporation of water during

the night

(3) convection resulting from

temperature and pressure differences

above land and water

(4) greater radiation from the warmer

ocean during the day and from the

warmer land at night

29 A change in the type and location of large high-pressure systems (H) and large low-pressure systems (L)

over Asia creates shifts in prevailing winds that cause a rainy summer season and a dry winter season in

southern Asia. Which set of maps below best represents the type and location of pressure systems and the

wind pattern around these pressure systems that cause these seasonal changes?

Base your answers to questions 41 through 43 on the diagrams below and on your knowledge of Earth

science. The diagrams, labeled A, B, and C, represent equal-sized portions of the Sun’s rays striking Earth’s

surface at 23.5° N latitude at noon at three different times of the year. The angle at which the Sun’s rays hit

Earth’s surface and the relative areas of Earth’s surface receiving the rays at the three different angles of

insolation are shown.

41 As viewed in sequence from A to B to C, these diagrams represent which months and which change in the

intensity of insolation?

(1) December → March → June; and decreasing intensity

(2) December → March → June; and increasing intensity

(3) June → September → December; and decreasing intensity

(4) June → September → December; and increasing intensity

42 As the angle of the Sun’s rays striking Earth’s surface at noon changes from 90° to 43°, the length of a

shadow cast by an object will

(1) decrease (2) increase (3) decrease, then increase (4) increase, then decrease

43 Which graph best shows the duration of insolation at this location as the angle of insolation changes?

Base your answers to questions 51 through 54 on the passage and the graph below and on your knowledge

of Earth science.

Great Lake Effects

The Great Lakes influence the weather and climate of nearby land regions at all times of the year. Much of this

lake effect is determined by the relative temperatures of surface lake water compared to the surface air

temperatures over those land areas. The graph below shows the average monthly temperature of the surface

water of Lake Erie and the surface air temperature at Buffalo, New York. In an average year, four lake-effect

seasons are experienced. When surface lake temperatures are colder than surface air temperatures, a stable

season occurs.

The cooler lake waters suppress cloud development and reduce the strength of rainstorms. As a result, late

spring and early summer in the Buffalo region tends to be very sunny. A season of lake-effect rains follows.

August is usually a time of heavy nighttime rains, and much of the rainy season is marked by heavy, localized

rainstorms downwind from the lake. Gradually, during late October, lake-effect rains are replaced by snows.

Generally, the longer the time the wind travels over the lake, the heavier the lake effect becomes in Buffalo.

Finally, conditions stabilize again, as the relatively shallow Lake Erie freezes over, usually near the end of

January. Very few lake-effect storms occur during this time period.

51 The passage states, “The cooler lake waters suppress cloud development…” because the water cools the

air above its surface. Explain why this cool air above the lake surface reduces the amount of cloud

development. [1]

52 Identify one weather variable that determines whether Buffalo receives rain or snow from a lake-effect

storm in October. [1]

53 On the map below, draw one straight arrow in Lake Erie to show the winter wind

direction most likely to bring the heaviest lake-effect snows to Buffalo. [1]

54 Explain why the Buffalo surface air temperatures increase faster and earlier in the year than do the surface

water temperatures of Lake Erie. [1]

Base your answers to questions 77 through 80 on the map in your answer booklet and on your knowledge of

Earth science. The map shows the path of a tornado that moved through a portion of Nebraska on May 22, 2004

between 7:30 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. The path of the tornado along the ground is indicated by the shaded region.

The width of the shading indicates the width of destruction on the ground. Numbers on the tornado’s path

indicate the Fujita intensity at those locations. The Fujita Intensity Scale (F-Scale), in the left corner of the map,

provides information about wind speed and damage at various F-Scale intensities.

77 On the map below, place an X at a location where the tornado damage was greatest. [1]

78 State a possible wind speed of the tornado, in kilometers per hour (km/h), when it was moving through the

town of Bennet. [1]

79 Identify the weather instrument usually used to measure wind speed. [1]

80 Describe one safety precaution that should be taken if a tornado has been sighted approaching your home. [1]

June 2015 6 A student using a sling psychrometer measured a wet-bulb temperature of 10°C and a dry-bulb temperature of

16°C. What was the dewpoint?

(1) -10°C (2) 45°C (3) 6°C (4) 4°C

7 Most of the hurricanes that affect the east coast of the United States originally form over the

(1) warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean in summer

(2) warm land of the southeastern United States in summer

(3) cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean in spring

(4) cool land of the southeastern United States in spring

8 The ozone layer protects life on Earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer is located

between 17 kilometers and 35 kilometers above Earth’s surface in which atmospheric temperature zone?

(1) troposphere (2) stratosphere (3) mesosphere (4) thermosphere

9 Which weather map symbol is associated with extremely low air pressure?

17 Which process is responsible for the greatest loss of energy from Earth’s surface into space on a clear night?

(1) condensation (2) conduction (3) radiation (4) convection

28 The map below indicates an air-pressure field over North America. Isobar values are recorded in millibars.

At which city was the greatest wind speed occurring?

(1) Boise (2) Denver (3) Kansas City (4) Austin

29 The striped areas on the map below show regions along the Great Lakes that often receive large amounts

of snowfall due to lake-effect storms.

These storms generally develop when

(1) cold air moves to the east over warmer lake water

(2) cold air moves to the west over warmer land regions

(3) warm air moves to the east over colder lake water

(4) warm air moves to the west over colder land regions

30 The graph below shows the heating effect that different land uses have on surface air temperatures on a

summer afternoon.

Base your answers to questions 36 through 38 on the diagrams below and on your knowledge of Earth

science. The diagrams represent electromagnetic waves being transmitted (T) by a Doppler radar weather

instrument and waves being reflected (R) by rain showers. This instrument produces computer images that

show the movement of rainstorms.

Which land use results in the least

heating effect in urban areas?

(1) commercial

(2) downtown

(3) residential

(4) parks

36 The computer image below shows a rainstorm over Texas. Letters A and B represent locations on Earth’s

surface.

If Doppler radar is used at locations A and B, as this rainstorm moves eastward, reflected wavelengths from

this storm will be

(1) shorter at both locations A and B (3) shorter at location A and longer at location B

(2) longer at both locations A and B (4) longer at location A and shorter at location B

37 This Doppler radar instrument transmits electromagnetic energy in the form of microwaves. Some

microwave wavelengths are between the wavelengths of

(1) gamma rays and x rays (2) infrared and radio waves (3) ultraviolet and infrared (4) x rays and ultraviolet

38 Which weather instrument was used to measure the amount of rainfall from this storm?

(1) barometer (2) anemometer (3) precipitation gauge (4) wind vane

Base your answers to questions 52 and 53 on the weather map below and on your knowledge of Earth

science. The map indicates the location of a low-pressure system over New York State during late summer.

Isobar values are recorded in millibars. Shading indicates regions receiving precipitation. The air masses are

labeled mT and cP. The locations of some New York State cities are shown. Points A and B represent other

locations on Earth’s surface.

52 An air mass acquires the characteristics of the surface over which it forms. Circle the type of Earth surface:

land or ocean and describe the relative temperature of the surface over which the mT air mass most likely

formed. [1]

53 The cross section below represents the atmosphere along the dashed line from A to B on

the map. The warm frontal boundary is already shown on the cross section. Draw a curved line to

represent the shape and location of the cold frontal boundary. [1]

Base your answers to questions 62 through 65 on the graph and map below and on your knowledge of Earth

science. The average monthly temperatures for Eureka, California, and Omaha, Nebraska, are plotted on the

graph. The map indicates the locations of these two cities.

62 Calculate the rate of change in the average monthly temperature for Omaha during the two-month period

between October and December, as shown on the graph. [1]

63 Explain why Omaha, which is farther inland, has a greater variation in temperatures throughout the year

than Eureka, which is closer to the ocean. [1]

64 Identify the month with the greatest difference in the average temperature between these two cities. [1]

65 Identify the surface ocean current that affects the climate of Eureka. [1]

66 The cross section below represents the windward and leeward sides of a mountain range. Arrows show the

movement of air over a mountain. Points X and Y represent locations on Earth’s surface.

Describe how the air’s temperature and water vapor content at point X is different from the air’s temperature

and water vapor content at point Y. [1]

January 2015

11 Which map best represents the surface wind pattern around Northern Hemisphere high-pressure

and low-pressure centers?

12 What is the dewpoint when the dry-bulb temperature is 12°C and the wet-bulb temperature is 7°C?

(1) 1°C (2) -5°C (3) 28°C (4) 48°C

13 The station model below shows some weather conditions at a location on Earth’s surface.

Which present weather symbol represents the most likely type of precipitation occurring at this location?