Climatology MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Climatology - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Land breeze.

Key Points

• Land Breeze:
  • It blows during the night from land to sea as the land cools faster than the sea. The air above the sea becomes less dense therefore it rises and the cooler air from the land moves in to take its place.

Additional Information

• Sea Breeze
  • It  blows in the day, during day time sun heats the land and sea as land becomes hot quickly the air at the land rises quickly which creates low pressure at the land and the sea which is less hot than land, the cooler air from the sea quickly move toward the low-pressure region over the land, which blows sea breeze during the day. 

The Correct Answer is Advection.

Key Points

• The transfer of heat through the horizontal movement of air is called advection.
• The horizontal movement of the air is relatively more important than the vertical movement. In middle latitudes, most of diurnal (day and night) variation in daily weather is caused by advection alone.
• In tropical regions particularly in northern India during the summer season, local winds called ‘loo’ is the outcome of the advection process. 
• The reflected amount of radiation is called the albedo of the earth.

Additional Information

• The air in contact with the earth rises vertically on heating in the form of currents and further transmits the heat of the atmosphere.
• This process of vertical heating of the atmosphere is known as convection.
• The convective transfer of energy is confined only to the troposphere. 
• The earth after being heated by insolation transmits the heat to the atmospheric layers near to the earth in long wave form.
• The air in contact with the land gets heated slowly and the upper layers in contact with the lower layers also get heated. This process is called conduction.

The correct answer is 'Marathwada'

Key Points

• Marathwada:
  • Marathwada is located in the central part of Maharashtra.
  • It falls in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats, where the Ghats block the southwest monsoon winds, leading to significantly lower rainfall.
  • This region often suffers from drought conditions due to its limited rainfall during the monsoon season.
  • The rain shadow effect results in a dry climate, impacting agriculture and water availability.

Additional Information

• Vidarbha:
  • Vidarbha is located in the eastern part of Maharashtra.
  • This region receives moderate to heavy rainfall primarily from the monsoon winds coming from the Bay of Bengal.
  • Unlike Marathwada, it is not in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats and generally has more reliable water availability.
• Western Maharashtra:
  • Western Maharashtra includes regions such as Pune, Satara, and Kolhapur.
  • This region lies on the windward side of the Western Ghats and receives significant rainfall.
  • It benefits from the monsoon winds that hit the Ghats and precipitate rainfall due to orographic lifting.
• Konkan:
  • Konkan is a coastal region of Maharashtra.
  • This region receives very heavy rainfall from the southwest monsoon because it is directly exposed to the Arabian Sea winds.
  • It has a lush, green landscape with abundant water resources due to its high precipitation levels.

Important Points

• The Western Ghats play a crucial role in determining the rainfall pattern for various regions in Maharashtra, creating distinctive climatic zones like the rain shadow region where Marathwada is situated.
• Understanding these patterns is essential for effective water management and agricultural planning in the state.

The correct answer is insolation.

The concept of Insolation:

• Insolation is the most important factor that influences the distribution of temperature on the earth.
• Insolation is the solar radiation that reaches the earth's surface.
• It is measured by the amount of solar energy received per square centimeter per minute.
• The factor that determines the amount of insolation received is the angle of inclination of the rays.
• This depends on the latitude of a place.
• The higher the latitude the less is the angle they make with the surface of the earth resulting in slant sun rays.
• The area covered by vertical rays is always less than the slant rays.

Additional Information

Solar radiation:

• Solar radiation often called the solar resource, is a general term for the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun.
• Solar radiation can be captured and turned into useful forms of energy, such as heat and electricity, using a variety of technologies.

Terrestrial radiation:

• It refers to sources of radiation that are in the soil, water, and vegetation.
• The major isotopes of concern for terrestrial radiation are potassium, uranium, and the decay products of uranium, such as thorium, radium, and radon.

Distance from the sea:

• Oceans heat up and cool down much more slowly than land.
• This means that coastal locations tend to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places inland at the same latitude and altitude.

The correct answer is Polar Region.

Key Points

• Eskimos are the indigenous circumpolar people who have traditionally inhabited the northern circumpolar region from eastern Siberia (Russia) to Alaska (United States), Canada, and Greenland (Denmark).
• Polar Region
  • The part of the Earth's surface forms a cap over a pole; characterized by a frigid climate.
  • There are two main polar regions in the world, which are the Arctic and the Antarctic.
  • The Arctic Circle and Arctic Tundra are found at the North Pole, and it covers nearly 5 million square miles of the 
  • top of the Northern Hemisphere.

Additional Information

• Arid Region
  • An arid region, also known as a desert, is defined by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life.
  • This harsh environment is typically characterized by extremely low rainfall, high temperatures, and high evaporation rates.
  • Due to the scarcity of water, the biodiversity in arid regions is lower compared to other ecosystems. 
• Savanna Grassland
  • Savanna grasslands in Brazil are called Campos.
  • These grasslands lie between 24°S and 35°S, which includes Uruguay and parts of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
  • These are rich in plant species and are more diverse than forest ecosystems.
  • The climate here is subtropical humid and the rainfall is distributed regularly all over the year.
  • A grassland is an area that mostly comprises grasses.
• Tropical Rainforest Region
  • The tropical rainforest is a forest with tall trees in a region of year-round high temperatures where an average of 50 to 260 inches of rain falls yearly.
  • The tropical rainforests are confined to areas of heavy rainfall.
  • Such areas are in the Western Ghats, upper parts of Assam, Tamil Nadu coast, and the island groups of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar.
  • Areas that receive more than 200 cm of rainfall and have a short dry season are the best area for the tropical rainforest.

The correct answer is Thermosphere.

Key Points

The atmosphere consists of different layers with varying densities and temperatures. The column of the atmosphere is divided into five different layers depending upon the temperature condition.
They are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

• The troposphere
  • It is the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere in which all tropical changes take place. It contains about 75% of the total air in the atmosphere.
  • This layer contains dust particles and water vapor.
  • All changes in climate and weather take place in this layer.
  • This is the most important layer for all biological activity.
  • The zone separating the troposphere from the stratosphere is known as the tropopause.
  • The temperature here is nearly constant, and hence, it is called tropopause.
• The stratosphere
  • It is found above the tropopause and extends up to a height of 50 km.
  • One important feature of the stratosphere is that it contains the ozone layer.
  • This layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation and shields life on the earth from an intense, harmful form of energy.
  • The stratopause caps the top of the stratosphere.
• The mesosphere
  • It lies above the stratosphere, which extends up to a height of 80 km.
  • In this layer, once again, the temperature starts decreasing with the increase in altitude and reaches up to minus 100°C at a height of 80 km.
  • The upper limit of the mesosphere is known as mesopause.
• The thermosphere 
  • It is located between 80 and 400 km above the mesopause.
  • It contains electrically charged particles known as ions, and hence, it is also known as the ionosphere.
  • Radio waves transmitted from the earth are reflected back to the earth by this layer.
  • It contains Ions and helps in wireless communication
• The temperature here starts increasing with height.
• The exosphere
  • It is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere.
  • This is the highest layer but very little is known about it.
  • Whatever contents are there, these are extremely rarefied in this layer, and it gradually merges with outer space.

​

The correct answer is thermosphere.

Key Points

• The thermosphere lies above the mesopause and is a region in which temperatures increase with height.
• Thermosphere:
  • In the thermosphere, the temperature rises very rapidly with increasing height.
  • The ionosphere is a part of this layer.
  • It extends between 80-400 km. This layer helps in radio transmission.

Additional Information

• There are a total of five atmospheric layers. These are -
  • Troposphere.
  • Stratosphere.
  • Mesosphere.
  • Thermosphere.
  • Ionosphere: the lowest part of the Thermosphere contains the ionosphere.
  • Exosphere.
• Stratosphere:
  • It lies beyond the troposphere, up to an altitude of 50 km from the earth's surface.
  • The temperature in this layer remains constant for some distance but then rises to reach a level of 0°C at 50 km altitude.
  • This rise is due to the presence of ozone.
  • This layer is almost free from clouds and associated weather phenomena, making conditions most ideal for flying aeroplanes.
• Exosphere:
  • This is the uppermost layer of the atmosphere extending beyond the ionosphere above a height of about 400 km.
  • The air is extremely rarefied and the temperature gradually increases through the layer.
  • Light gases like helium and hydrogen float into space from here.
• Troposphere:
  • It is the lowermost layer of the atmosphere.
  • The layer starts at Earth's surface and extends 8 to 14.5 km high (5 to 9 miles).
  • The troposphere contains dust particles and water vapour.
  • This is the most important layer of the atmosphere because all kinds of weather changes take place only in this layer.
  • The zone dividing troposphere from the stratosphere is known as the tropopause.

The correct answer is Chinook.

Key Points

• Chinook is a local wind of USA
• Chinook winds develop in the northwest region of North America.
• Chinook is a beneficial wind
• The Rocky Mountains is the specific regions for the Chinook.
• Foehn is a hot wind of local importance in the Alps.
• Foehn is also a beneficial wind.
• Mistral is a harmful wind.
• Mistral is very cold and dry at a high speed.

The correct answer is Troposphere

Key PointsTroposphere

• The troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth’s atmosphere and contains approximately 70% of the total air in the atmosphere’s mass and 99% of its water vapour and aerosols. Hence statement 4 is correct.
• The average depth of the troposphere is approximately 17 km in the middle latitudes.
• The characteristic features of the Troposphere are its great density.
• In addition to nitrogen and oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapour (nearly all of the water vapour contained in the atmosphere is concentrated in the troposphere) and numerous particles of various origin
• The thickness of the Troposphere is maximum at the equator, deeper in the tropics, up to 20 km, and shallower near the polar regions, at 7 km in summer, and indistinct in winter.
• In India, it is taken to be around 16 Kilometers.
• The thickness of the troposphere and consequently the atmosphere  is maximum at the equator
• The boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere, called the tropopause, is a temperature inversion. 

​Stratosphere

• The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth’s atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere.
• It is called stratosphere because it is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther dow
• The stratosphere is free from the violent weather changes in the Troposphere. So, it is preferred by commercial airliners. 

 Mesosphere

• it extends above the stratosphere up to a height of about 80 km.
• It is the coldest layer of the atmosphere.
• The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere.
• The stratosphere and mesosphere are collectively termed as " Middle atmosphere "
• Within the mesosphere, temperature decreases with increasing height.

Thermosphere

• The thermosphere starts just above the mesosphere and extends to 600 kilometers (372 miles). {Between 40 km-400km}
• Aurora and satellites occur in this layer.

The correct answer is Mesosphere.

• Mesosphere:
  • This is the highest layer of the atmosphere in which the gases are all mixed up rather than being layered by their mass.
  • Meteors burn up in this layer after entering Earth's atmosphere and before reaching Earth's surface.
  • The meteors make it through the exosphere and thermosphere without much trouble because those layers don’t have much air. 
  • But when they hit the mesosphere, there are enough gases to cause friction and create heat.

Additional Information

• Troposphere:
  • The troposphere is the innermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
  • This layer gets its name from the weather that is constantly changing and mixing up the gases in this part of our atmosphere.
  • This layer has the air we breathe and the clouds in the sky. 
• Stratosphere:
  • The stratosphere is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.
  • There are no storms or turbulence here to mix up the air, so cold, heavy air is at the bottom and warm, light air is at the top. 
  • The ozone layer found in this stratosphere helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun by blocking UV radiations from reaching the Earth’s surface.
  • The ozone layer absorbs most of the UV radiation sends to us by the sun.
• Thermosphere:
  • The thermosphere is located above the mesosphere and below the exosphere.
  • The thermosphere is home to the International Space Station as it orbits Earth.

The correct answer is Trade winds.

Key Points

• Planetary winds are the winds that blow from high-pressure belt to low pressure belt.
• There are three types of planetary winds namely, Trade winds, Westerlies, and Easterlies.

​​Trade winds -

• These winds blow in 10 - 30 degrees latitude in the northern and southern hemispheres.
• These are permanent east to west prevailing winds that flows in the earth's equatorial region.​

Westerlies -

• The "Westerlies winds" blow in 30 - 60 degrees latitude in the northern and southern hemispheres.
• These are the prevailing winds that move from the west towards the east.
• They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes and moves towards the poles.
• These winds are strongest in the winter zone.
• There are three winds that fall under the "Westerlies" namely, Roaring forties, Furious fifties, and Shrieking sixties

​Easterlies -

• These winds blow in 60-90 degrees latitude in the northern and southern latitudes.
• They blow from high-pressure areas of polar highs at the north and south poles.​

The correct answer is Poles.

Important Points

• The ozone layer is a natural layer of gas in the upper atmosphere that protects humans and other living things from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
• The ozone layer is typically thicker over the poles than over the equator.
• The ozone layer exists in the stratosphere, a layer 10 to 50 km above the Earth’s surface.
• The reasons for ozone depletion are a wide range of industrial and consumer applications, mainly refrigerators, air conditioners (hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)), and fire extinguishers.
• Ozone depletion is greatest at the South Pole (Antarctica).

Key Points

• This severe depletion creates the so-called “ozone hole”.
• The Negative Effects of the ozone hole are certain types of skin cancers, eye cataracts, and immune deficiency disorders.
  • UV rays also affect plant growth, reducing agricultural productivity.
• The international community established the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances in 1987, to address the destruction of the ozone layer.

The correct answer is Within the mesosphere, temperature increases with increasing height.

Key Points

 Mesosphere - 

• It extends above the stratosphere up to a height of about 80 km.
• It is the coldest layer of the atmosphere.
• The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere.
• The stratosphere and mesosphere are collectively termed as " Middle atmosphere 
• Within the mesosphere, temperature decreases with increasing height, due to decreasing solar heating and increasing cooling by CO₂ radiative emission.

Additional Information

• There are a total of five atmospheric layers.
• These are - 

1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Mesosphere
4. Thermosphere
   • Ionosphere: the lowest part of the Thermosphere contains the ionosphere
5. Exosphere

The correct answer is January 3.

• The earth is closest to the sun on January 3.
• The point that is nearest to the sun is called perihelion.

Key Points

• The point that is farthest to the sun is called aphelion.
• Approx. an elliptical orbit is occupied by all planets, asteroids, and comets in our solar system.
• The flatness of the orbit is measured by the orbital eccentricity.
• On January 3, the earth comes closest to the sun every year.
• In the northern hemisphere, it is winter, when the earth is closest to the sun.
• At that time it is summer in the southern hemisphere.
• Aphelion occurs on July 4.

The correct answer is the USA.

Key Points

• It covers large parts of the Southwestern United States in Arizona and California and of Northwestern Mexico in Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur.
• It covers an area of 260,000 square kilometres.
• The western portion of the United States–Mexico border passes through here.
• It is a type of tropical desert.
• They are located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The region is characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall.
• The Sahara desert in Africa and the Thar desert in India are other examples.