Albedo: QnA

1. Which has a higher albedo, an asphalt parking lot, or a snow-covered field?

a) asphalt parking lot

b) snow-covered field

c) they have the same albedo

d) more information is needed to answer this question

Ans. (b)

2. Which has a lower albedo, a sandy desert, or a forest?

a) sandy desert

b) forest

c) they have the same albedo

d) more information is needed to answer this question

Ans. (b)

3. Imagine two planets. Planet Alpha is completely covered by an ocean, and has an overall average albedo of 10%. Planet Beta is blanketed by clouds, and has an overall average albedo of 80%. Which planet reflects more sunlight back into space?

a) Planet Alpha

b) Planet Beta

c) the two planets reflect the same amount of light

d) more information is needed to answer this question

Ans. (b)

4. Imagine you are looking at two plots of land while flying over in an airplane at midday. Plot #1 looks very bright. Plot #2 looks very dark. Which plot of land has a lower albedo?

a) Plot #1

b) Plot #2

c) they have the same values for albedo

d) more information is needed to answer this question

Ans. (b)

5. Refer to the list of albedo values (below). Order these three surfaces - fresh snow, grasslands, and asphalt - from highest albedo to lowest albedo.

a) snow, asphalt, grasslands

b) asphalt, grasslands, snow

c) snow, grasslands, asphalt

d) asphalt, snow, grasslands

e) grasslands, snow, asphalt

f) grasslands, asphalt, snow

Ans. (c)

6. 1. The Albedo of a surface is defined by the ratio of outgoing to incoming solar radiation. Keeping this in view, which of the following surface will have the highest albedo? (CSIR 2020 Jun Model Qn.)

a) Water

b) Sand

c) Snow

d) Forest

Ans. (c)

7. If the ice caps continue to melt, then there is less albedo at the poles.  This process will continue to melt more ice and have less albedo.  This is an example of a...

a) fruit loop

b) loop di loop

c) negative feedback loop

d) positive feedback loop

e) neutral feedback loop

f) global warming feedback loop

Ans. (d)

8. _______is a measure of the reflective characteristics of the Earth's surface.

a) Albedo effect

b) Greenhouse effect

c) Proxy

d) CFC

Ans. (a)

9. Rank the following from low albedo to high albedo

(1)Ocean, (2)Sand, (3)Ice, (4)Asphalt

a) 1,2,3,4

b) 3,2,4,1

c) 4,3,2,1

d) 4,1,2,3

Ans. (d)

10. What would happen to global sea levels if global temperatures decreased leading to more ice in the arctic?

a) Sea levels will Increase

b) Sea levels will decrease

c) Sea levels will remain the same

d) Not enough information

Ans. (b)

11. Currently, about 10% of Earth is covered with ice year-round. If this ice melts, what could happen to Earth’s temperature?

a) Increase

b) Decrease

c) Remains the same

d) Not enough information

Ans. (a)

12. Melting ice caps will cause the poles to have a ____________ albedo.

a) higher

b) lower

c) same

d) None of these

Ans. (b)

13. Which of the following major objects of our solar system has higher bond albedo?

a) Mars

b) Venus

c) Moon

d) Triton

Ans. (d)

[Triton 85%, Venus 75%, Mars 25%, 12%]

14. One day recently a 100 km hr−1 wind was observed to be blowing from west to east at an altitude of 10 km above Princeton. What was the direction and magnitude of the pressure gradient at 10 km? You may find it helpful to note that Princeton is at a latitude of 40◦ and the density of air at 10 km is ρ = 0.37 kg m−3.

a) 1.1 × 10−3 N m−3

b) Zero

c) 10 N m−3

d) 50 N m−3

Ans. (a)

[ 2ρΏVSinφ = |ΔP| , Ώ=7.3x10-5 rad sec-1 or simply sec-1]

15. What is the driving force behind the Coriolis effect?

a) Rotation of the earth

b) Pressure gradients

c) Temperature differences

d) Atmospheric circulations

Ans. (a)

16. What direction do geostrophic winds blow?

a) Perpendicular to isobars

b) Parallel to isobars

c) High pressure to low pressure

d) None of these are correct

Ans. (b)

17. What direction does air move according to the pressure gradient force?

a) High pressure to low pressure

b) Low pressure to high pressure

c) Left in the southern hemisphere and right in the northern hemisphere

d) Right in the southern hemisphere and left in the northern hemisphere

Ans. (d)

18. When the Coriolis force is greater than the pressure gradient force, the wind curves _____________ in Northern Hemisphere.

a) Clockwise

b) Counter-clockwise

c) Doesn’t curve at all

d) None of these

Ans. (a)

19. Geostrophic wind is a balance between the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force. In non-geostrophic wind, flow will become circulatory because of __________

a) Pressure difference term

b) Momentum term

c) Temperature difference term

d) Shear term

Ans. (b)

[Because of centrifugal force and thus momentum]

20. If straight height contours of the 500 hPa surface at 60 m intervals are 100 km apart, What will be the geostrophic wind. Assume the latitude is 45 ◦ N.

50 m/s

100 m/s

114 m/s

57 m/s

Ans. (d)

[V = (g dZ)/(f dn), f=2ΏSinφ, g=9.8, dZ= here it is 60m, dn= here it is intervals of 100x1000m]