Climatology
Solved Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Climatology is the scientific study of climate, including the statistical analysis of long-term weather patterns and the processes that drive climate variability and change. This course introduces the fundamental concepts and methods used in understanding Earth's climate system, exploring atmospheric composition, circulation, and energy balance. Students will examine global and regional climate dynamics, the interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces, and the role of natural and anthropogenic factors in shaping historical and future climate trends. Emphasis is placed on interpreting climatic data, understanding the tools used for climate analysis, and discussing contemporary issues such as climate change and its implications for society and the environment.
Recommended Textbook
Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 9th Edition by Robert W. Christopherson
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Essentials of Geography
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Sample Questions
Q1) Living systems are considered
A) biotic.
B) inorganic.
C) part of the lithosphere.
D) abiotic.
Answer: A
Q2) Predator/prey relationships are an example of
A) positive feedback, because more predation leads to higher prey populations as they increase reproduction to insure survival.
B) positive feedback, as more prey discourages further predation allowing prey populations to flourish.
C) negative feedback, because prey populations tend to achieve a balance with the number of predators.
D) negative feedback, because more wolves equal fewer elk and people tend to like elks more than wolves.
Answer: C
Q3) Describe the differences between matter and energy.
Answer: Matter assumes a physical shape and occupies space, whereas energy is a capacity to do work.
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Solar Energy to Earth and the Seasons
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Sample Questions
Q1) All places on Earth experience the same daylength on March 21.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) According to the planetesimal hypothesis, solar systems condense from nebular dust and gas.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Twilight is the period of diffused light that occurs before sunrise.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The Milky Way galaxy contains approximately 300 billion stars, of which the Sun is an average.sized star.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Earths Modern Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) The tropopause occurs at a ________ elevation above the tropics than above the poles because ________.
A) lower; the stratosphere is thicker over the tropics and so it compresses the troposphere
B) lower; the troposphere weighs more in the tropics and so it sinks
C) higher; the troposphere is hotter in the tropics, and this causes the air to rise to greater heights
D) higher; the stratosphere is thinner over the tropics and this allows the troposphere to expand
Answer: C
Q2) What is the role of ozone in the ozonosphere? Discuss and explain the chemical reactions that lead to its destruction.
Answer: In a nutshell, stratospheric ozone protects the Earth from harmful UV radiation. Through a complex set of chemical reactions, CFCs and other ozone-destroying chemicals destroy ozone.
Q3) Carbon dioxide is currently increasing at the rate of 3.1% per year.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Atmosphere and Surface Energy Balances
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Sample Questions
Q1) When water evaporates from a surface, which of the following occurs?
A) Energy is stored within the water.
B) Energy is released to the surface.
C) The surface is warmed.
D) Heat is transferred back and forth between the air and surface.
Q2) A study of jet contrails following the grounding of commercial flights after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks found that
A) contrails have a very limited effect on the Earth's energy budget.
B) contrails reduce diurnal temperature ranges in regions with a high density aircraft.
C) contrails contribute more to cloud-albedo forcing than cloud-greenhouse forcing.
D) contrails are difficult to distinguish from natural cirrus clouds.
Q3) When a surface assimilates radiation, the process is called
A) absorption.
B) transmission.
C) diffuse radiation.
D) refraction.
Q4) Describe the energy pathways of insolation as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.
Q5) Describe the components of net radiation (NET R).
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Chapter 5: Global Temperatures
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Sample Questions
Q1) Lines on a temperature map connecting points of equal temperature is called an A) isobar.
B) isohyet.
C) isotherm.
D) isobath.
Q2) Water has more than one freezing point.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Gulf Stream
A) moves southward and moderates temperatures in eastern South America.
B) moves equatorward, warming the California coast.
C) moves northward in the western Atlantic, moderating temperatures in Iceland.
D) creates a warming effect on Japan and the Aleutians.
Q4) 6.4°C/1000 m (3.5°F/1000 ft.) refers to
A) a latitudinal lapse rate.
B) the normal lapse rate.
C) an environmental lapse rate.
D) a measure of air pressure.
Q5) Distinguish between temperature and heat. Then describe the important characteristics of the three main temperature scales.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations
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Sample Questions
Q1) Santa ana winds
A) bring cool, moisture-laden air from the east to the southern California coast.
B) are not associated with pressure gradients in the way other winds are.
C) flows from lower to higher elevation, expanding and cooling in the process.
D) create wildfire conditions by bringing heat and dryness as they flow southwest.
Q2) The Coriolis force makes wind traveling in a straight path appear to be deflected in relationship to the Earth's rotation.
A)True
B)False
Q3) An area of high pressure circulates counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and is called an anticyclone.
A)True
B)False
Q4) ________ are waving undulations within the upper-air westerly wind flow
A) Hadley cells
B) Rossby waves
C) The jet stream
D) Monsoons
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8
Chapter 7: Water and Atmospheric Moisture
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Sample Questions
Q1) The greater the difference in temperature between the wet bulb and dry bulb on a sling psychrometer, the ________ the air is and the ________ the relative humidity.
A) drier; higher
B) drier; lower
C) wetter; higher
D) wetter; lower
Q2) Which of the following would cause the evaporation rate to decrease?
A) increased water availability
B) increased relative humidity
C) increased temperature
D) increased wind speed
Q3) Which of the following is true regarding condensation nuclei?
A) Maritime air masses generally possess more nuclei per cubic meter than continental air masses.
B) Condensation nuclei is rare in urban environments.
C) Continental air masses average about a billion nuclei per cubic meter.
D) Continental air masses contain more than 10 times the condensation nuclei of maritime air masses.
Q4) Define and distinguish between relative humidity and specific humidity.
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Chapter 8: Weather
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane of the last 100 years?
A) Hurricane Mitch
B) Hurricane Bonnie
C) Hurricane Andrew
D) Hurricane Camille
Q2) Prior to making landfall, Hurricane Sandy characteristics changed and it was classified as a
A) midlatitude anticyclone.
B) typhoon.
C) tropical depression.
D) post-tropical cyclone.
Q3) Discuss the formation, physical characteristics, and typical precipitation patterns of thunderstorms.
Q4) In the open stage of a midlatitude cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere, warm air begins to move northward along an advancing front, while cold air advances southward to the west of the center.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How do air masses form? What are their general characteristics?
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Chapter 9: Water Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ occurs when precipitation lands on vegetation or other land cover before reaching the surface.
A) Infiltration
B) Overland flow
C) Interception
D) Surface runoff
Q2) Intercepted water that drains across plant leaves and down their stems to the ground is known as
A) throughfall.
B) overland flow.
C) infiltration.
D) stem flow.
Q3) A confined aquifer is under the pressure of its own weight, creating a pressure level called the potentiometric surface to which water can rise on its own.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Field capacity and wilting point are both influenced by soil texture.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Global Climate Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which air masses influence the humid continental hot-summer climates in North America?
A) continental polar (cP) in winter; maritime tropical (mT) in summer
B) continental polar (cP) year-round
C) continental polar (cP) in winter; continental tropical (cT) in summer
D) continental polar in summer (cP) and continental Arctic (cA) in winter.
Q2) Describe the weather components that combine to produce climate of the area in which you live.
Q3) A climate classification based on statistics or other data determined by measurements of observed effects is a(n)
A) empirical classification.
B) genetic classification.
C) combined classification.
Q4) Causal factors of dry climates include subsiding air hot, dry air associated with the subtropical high pressure systems, rain shadow effect, continentality, and cold ocean currents.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Construct a climograph for your city or town.
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Chapter 11: Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe methods that individuals and communities are taking to mitigate against climate change.
Q2) Methane(CH ) has a higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide (CO ).
A)True B)False
Q3) GCMs are used to predict specific temperatures in the near and long-term future.
A)True B)False
Q4) The Earth's climate cycles between warmer and colder periods. A)True
B)False
Q5) The majority of human population growth is now occurring in more-developed countries (MDCs).
A)True B)False
Q6) Climate has fluctuated naturally over Earth's long history. As a result, most scientists are skeptical that human activity has contributed to recent trends in global climate. A)True B)False
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Dynamic Planet
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following can occur when seismic waves encounter a layer in Earth's interior?
A) reflection and/or refraction
B) absorption
C) change in speed
D) reflection, refraction, absorption, and change in speed.
E) seismic waves cannot penetrate below the crust of Earth
Q2) Which of the following is an example of an intrusive, igneous rock formation?
A) volcano
B) pluton
C) dome
D) lava flow
Q3) The dominant element in oceanic crust are
A) silica and aluminum.
B) silica and magnesium.
C) magnesium and aluminum.
D) potassium and iron.
Q4) The half-life of a radioactive isotope does not vary.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Tectonics, Earthquakes, and Volcanism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not used to rate an earthquake on the moment magnitude scale?
A) the amount of fault slippage that occurred
B) the size of the subsurface or surface area that ruptured
C) the amount of death and destruction that occurred
D) the nature of the ground materials affected by the quake
Q2) The relief from the Earth's highest point to its lowest point is approximately 50 km (31 mi).
A)True
B)False
Q3) Modern technologies, such as GPS, LiDAR, and radar are important tools for studying the Earth's topography.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Define and distinguish between the following: epicenter, focus, foreshock, aftershock.
Q5) Extensive plains are found in North and South America, Asia, and Australia.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Draw and label a simple sketch showing common folded landscape features.
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Weathering, Karst Landscapes, and Mass Movement
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Sample Questions
Q1) Karst topography involves the chemical weathering of granite landscapes. A)True
B)False
Q2) Physical and chemical weathering processes are not separate-they often operate in concert to decompose and dissolve rock.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Freeze/thaw cycles contribute to soil creep.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the factors influencing the weathering process.
Q5) By definition, a landscape in a state of dynamic equilibrium experiences no change. A)True
B)False
Q6) Cones and cockpit karst develop in A) cold, midlatitude climates.
B) arid regions.
C) wet tropical areas.
D) polar regions.
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Chapter 15: River Systems and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) The main process contributing material in solution in sediment load is
A) physical weathering.
B) chemical weathering.
C) biological weathering.
D) erosion.
Q2) Drainage basins are ________ systems.
A) open
B) closed
C) open in terms of energy, closed in terms of matter
D) closed in terms of energy, open in terms of matter
Q3) ________ streams flow year-round, fed by snowmelt, rainfall, groundwater, or a combination thereof.
A) Perennial
B) Intermittent
C) Ephemeral
D) Permanent
Q4) A graded stream is one that has achieved a dynamic equilibrium between degradation and aggradation.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: The Oceans, Coastal Processes, and Wind Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not an example of an erosional coastal landform?
A) sea arch
B) tombolo
C) wave-cut platform
D) notched cliff
Q2) The salinity of seawater averages 35 .
A)True
B)False
Q3) A longshore current involves all of the following except
A) effective wind direction.
B) effective wave direction.
C) waves of transition.
D) transportation of large amounts of sand and coastal materials.
Q4) The destruction of a mangrove swamp might lead to
A) the loss of aquatic species.
B) the erosion of the coast.
C) sediment accumulation on nearby reefs, and their consequent death.
D) loss of species, coastal erosion, and sediment accumulation.
E) there is no evidence of the loss of mangrove swamps.
Q5) Describe loess deposits, their formation, distribution, and their importance.
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Chapter 17: Glacial and Periglacial Processes and Landforms
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Sample Questions
Q1) List several distinct landforms created by alpine glaciers and ice sheets, describing the manner in which they formed.
Q2) Which of the following is not generally correct regarding the basal layer of a glacier?
A) It can extend tens of meters above the ground surface.
B) It tends to flow more slowly than the overlying parts of the glacier.
C) It contains more debris than other parts of the glacier.
D) Crevasses form in this region of the glacier.
Q3) If a glacier does not have debris embedded in its base, it is not a very effective agent of abrasion.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If two glaciers with lengthy ridges of till along each side of the glacier merge, a ________ moraine may form.
A) ground
B) terminal
C) medial
D) lateral
Q5) Describe the process by which snow becomes glacial ice.
Page 19
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Chapter 18: The Geography of Soils
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Sample Questions
Q1) The multiyear period of severe wind erosion and soil loss occurred in the Great Plains during the 1930s is known as A) desertification.
B) the Grapes of Wrath.
C) the Black Blizzard.
D) the Dust Bowl.
Q2) The organic rich horizon found at the top of the soil profile is the ________ horizon.
A) A
B) O
C) E
D) B
E) C
Q3) List and briefly describe the various chemical properties used to differentiate soils.
Q4) Steep slopes tend to develop thicker soils than level ground.
A)True
B)False
Q5) List and briefly describe the various physical properties used to differentiate soils.
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Page 20
Chapter 19: Ecosystem Essentials
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Sample Questions
Q1) A dead zone refers to
A) terrestrial areas in which excessive nitrogen fertilizer has essentially burned the soil, preventing plants and microorganisms from living there.
B) oligotrophic areas in water bodies that cannot support life due to lack of nutrients.
C) an ecosystem that was cleared of all vegetation for slash and burn agriculture.
D) hypoxic areas in water bodies that limit marine and aquatic life.
Q2) The break-even point between the production and consumption of organic material is termed
A) net primary productivity.
B) compensation point.
C) net photosynthesis.
D) free air CO enrichment.
Q3) What is an ecosystem? What is the spatial scale of an ecosystem? Provide some examples of an ecosystem.
Q4) Different patches across a landscape may be at different successional stages. A)True
B)False
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21
Chapter 20: Terrestrial Biomes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the vegetation characteristics, characteristic soil orders, temperature patterns, and state of the environment in the biome in which you live.
Q2) The soils of the boreal forest acidic and leached of humus and clays, belonging to the ________ soil order.
A) Oxisols
B) Andisols
C) Spodosols
D) Entisols
Q3) The boundary zone between adjacent biomes in which traits from both biomes may be found is called the
A) ecotone.
B) boundary layer.
C) edge effect.
D) transitional matrix.
Q4) Invasive species can alter community dynamics and may lead to declines in native species.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What are the important factors used in defining a biogeographic realm?
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