Unit 1: Circulation of Earth’s Air and WaterTest Study Guide

What causes water to change state? Choose the most correct answer.

• A. when water gains energy
• B. when water loses energy
• C. when water neither loses or gains energy
• D. when water gains or loses energy

What is any form of water that falls to Earth's surface from the clouds called?

• precipitation
• evaporation
• sublimation

When water droplets in the atmosphere form ice crystals, the water molecules ____________________ energy.

• absorb
• release

Which one of the following is a characteristic of all the global winds near the ground?

• A. They all move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
• B. They all move from areas of low pressure to areas of high pressure.
• C. They all move in the same direction toward the equator.

Which of the following would be the best choice to model what drives surface ocean currents?

• A. a tank of water with a block of ice attached to one end
• B. a tank of water with a fan blowing over the surface of the water
• C. a system of pipes with a heater at one end
• D. a tank of water with a heater under the tank

Ocean water becomes colder and the density of ocean water ____________________________.

• decreases
• increases

Energy enters the Earth system from the _______________________.

• moon
• sun

In which location would energy be transferred more quickly between the atmosphere and Earth's surface?

• A. a lake, above which the air is 5 °C
• B. an ice sheet, above which the air is 5 °C

__________________________: mass per unit volume of a material

• Convection
• Density
• Coriolis Effect

__________________: the curving of the path of a moving object from an otherwise straight path due to Earths rotation.

• Coriolis Effect
• Convection
• transpiration