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SCI106
Introduction to Meteorology
134
Meteorology
Undergraduate 1
12/14/2013

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Cards

Term
A sea breeze circulation will reverse direction and become a land breeze
Definition
d. once per day .
Term
A station at an altitude of 900 m (about 3000 feet) above sea level measures an air pressure of 930 mb. Under normal conditions, which of the values below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?
Definition
c. 1020 mb
Term
A wind that blows at a constant speed parallel to curved isobars or contour lines is called a
Definition
d. gradient wind.
Term
Devastating fires that occur in southern California during the fall are often spread by
Definition
b. Santa Ana winds.
Term
Hhydrostatic equilibrium is the balance between the
Definition
e. vertical pressure gradient force and gravity
Term
If the earth's gravitational force were to increase, atmospheric pressure at the ground would
Definition
a. increase.
Term
In the 3-cell model, converging surface winds and rising air motions are found at
Definition
b. the equator and 60
Term
Lines connecting points of equal pressure are called
Definition
a. isobars.
Term
On an upper-level chart the wind tends to blow
Definition
b. parallel to the isobars or contours.
Term
Suppose that the winds aloft in the Northern Hemisphere are geostrophic and blowing from the north. Low pressure is located to the
Definition
c. east.
Term
The contour lines drawn on a 500 mb chart are lines of constant
Definition
b. altitude.
Term
The majority of the United States lies within a(n) ____ wind belt.
Definition
a. westerly
Term
The net force acting on air which is blowing parallel to straight contours at constant speed is
Definition
c. zero.
Term
The nighttime counterpart of the sea breeze circulation is called a
Definition
c. land breeze.
Term
The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure
Definition
e. at all places on earth.
Term
The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by
Definition
c. wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
Term
We can generally expect the air to be ____ above areas of surface low pressure and ____ above areas of surface high pressure.
Definition
b. rising, sinking
Term
When the wind blows in a more or less west to east direction, the wind flow pattern is called
Definition
d. zonal.
Term
Winds blow parallel to the contour lines
Definition
a. on upper-level charts, but not on surface charts.
Term
Winds blow slightly inward
Definition
c. around surface low pressure centers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Term
A persistence forecast could be quite accurate when
Definition
b. you are positioned in the middle of a large, stationary air mass.
Term
A prog is
Definition
d. a forecast chart that shows the atmosphere at some future time.
Term
A true cold front on a weather map is always
Definition
d. followed by cooler air.
Term
An air mass is characterized by similar properties of ____ and ____ in any horizontal direction.
Definition
e. temperature, moisture
Term
An analysis is
Definition
c. a surface or upper-level chart that depicts the present weather patterns.
Term
An mT air mass lying above a cold ground surface represents a(n) ____ situation.
Definition
a. stable
Term
As a front approaches, passes and recedes the atnospheric pressure normally
Definition
b. drops as the front approaches, and then rises as the front recedes.
Term
In the Southern Hemisphere,
Definition
d. precipitation associated with warm fronts tends to be gentle and prolonged
Term
Lake-effect snows are best developed around the Great Lakes during
Definition
b. late fall and early winter when cold, dry polar air moves over the relatively warm water.
Term
One would expect a cP air mass to be
Definition
a. cold and dry.
Term
Refer to the figure, which shows a surface weather map. Clearing skies are most likely at position
Definition
d. 4.
Term
Refer to the figure, which shows the height pattern at the 500 mb level. At which position would a surface low pressure center be most likely to intensify.
Definition
d. 4
Term
The development or strengthening of a middle latitude storm system is called
Definition
c. cyclogenesis.
Term
The diagram below represents an airmass A moving from left to right. What type of front is it describing?
Definition
a. a cold front.
Term
The forecasting of weather by a computer is known as
Definition
e. numerical weather prediction.
Term
The greatest contrast in both temperature and moisture will occur along the boundary separating which air masses?
Definition
d. mT and cP
Term
What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, muggy summer weather in the eastern half of the United States?
Definition
b. mT
Term
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast: "Increasing high cloudiness and cold this morning. Clouds increasing and lowering this afternoon with a chance of snow or rain tonight. Precipitation ending tomorrow morning. Turning much warmer. Winds light easterly today becoming southeasterly tonight and southwesterly tomorrow."
Definition
b. warm front
Term
When two air masses collide at a front, one air mass is pushed upward by the other. This is because
Definition
b. one air mass is denser than the other.
Term
Which of the following is not correct concerning a warm front?
Definition
b. it has warm air ahead (in advance) of it
Term
A funnel cloud or tornado may develop from this rotating cloud that extends beneath a severe thunderstorm.
Definition
c. wall cloud
Term
A hook-shaped echo on a radar screen often indicates
Definition
c. the possible presence of a tornado-producing thunderstorm.
Term
Air mass thunderstorms only last about one hour and begin to dissipate when
Definition
c. when the downdraft spreads throughout the cloud and cuts off the updraft.
Term
Along a coastline, most hurricane damage is caused by
Definition
b. the storm surge.
Term
An intense storm of tropical origin that forms over the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the west coast of Mexico would be called a
Definition
a. hurricane.
Term
Downdrafts spread throughout a thunderstorm during the ____ stage.
Definition
b. dissipating
Term
Hurricane winds rotate in a clockwise direction
Definition
b. in the Southern Hemisphere only.
Term
Hurricanes do not form
Definition
b. along the equator.
Term
If a tornado is rotating in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the northeast, the greatest windspeed relative to the ground will be on its ____ side.
Definition
b. southeastern
Term
Lightning may occur:
Definition
d. all of these
Term
Most squall line thunderstorms form
Definition
b. along a cold front.
Term
On a surface weather map, this marks the boundary where a warm, dry air mass encounters a warm, moist air mass.
Definition
b. dry line
Term
Pressure at the center of a hurricane is ____ than the surroundings at the surface and ____ than the surroundings aloft.
Definition
b. lower, higher
Term
The most frequent time of day for tornadoes to form is in the
Definition
c. afternoon.
Term
The most likely time for an air mass thunderstorm to form is
Definition
d. late afternoon
Term
The skies in the center (eye) of a hurricane are often cloud free. This is because the air in the eye
Definition
a. is sinking.
Term
The strongest winds in a hurricane are found
Definition
b. in the eye wall.
Term
The upper part of a thunderstorm cloud is normally ____ charged, and the middle and lower parts are ____ charged.
Definition
d. positively, negatively
Term
Which below forms only over water?
Definition
d. hurricanes
Term
Which would you not expect to observe as the eye of a hurricane passes directly over your area?
Definition
c. high winds
Term
A positive feedback mechanism
Definition
a. acts to reinforce an initial change.
Term
Evidence suggests that throughout much of the earth's history, the global climate was
Definition
a. warmer than it is today.
Term
For CO2 to produce a global warming of between 1
Definition
c. water vapor (H2O)
Term
If the earth were in a warming trend, which of the processes below would most likely act as a negative feedback mechanism?
Definition
b. increasing the snow cover around the earth
Term
In K
Definition
b. B.
Term
Locations at middle latitudes with monthly average temperatures in the winter that are below 64
Definition
a. humid subtropical
Term
Most of Canada lies within which climatic type?
Definition
d. D
Term
Over the past 100 years or so, it appears that average global temperatures have
Definition
a. increased slightly.
Term
The climate classification for a region with average monthly temperatures that remain above 64
Definition
a. A
Term
The global distribution of precipitation is closely associated with
Definition
d. all of these
Term
The K
Definition
a. temperature and precipitation.
Term
The Milankovitch Theory proposes that climatic changes are due to
Definition
a. variations in the earth's orbit as it travels around the sun.
Term
The rainiest places in the world are usually located
Definition
c. on the windward side of mountains.
Term
Thick sheets of ice advanced over North America as far south as New York as recently as
Definition
c. 18,000 to 22,000 years ago.
Term
Which below is not characteristic of a tropical wet climate?
Definition
b. extremely high afternoon temperatures, usually much higher than those experienced in middle latitudes
Term
Which letter below is not used to represent one of K
Definition
d. G
Term
Which of the following climatic regions would probably have the largest daily temperature range?
Definition
b. arid climate
Term
Which of the following has been used to reconstruct past climates?
Definition
e. all of these
Term
Which of the following is considered a climatic control?
Definition
e. all of these
Term
Which of the following is not true?
Definition
b. oxygen 16 and oxygen 18 are found in roughly equal amounts in ocean water
Term
At middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, we can expect the day with the shortest number of daylight hours to occur around
Definition
December 22
Term
At which temperature would the earth be radiating energy at the greatest rate or intensity?
Definition
Higher
Term
In a volume of air near the earth's surface, ____ occupies 78% and ____ nearly 21%
Definition
nitrogen, oxygen
Term
Most of the radiation emitted by a human body is in the form of
Definition
infrared radiation and is invisible
Term
On which date would the sun's rays be closest to being perpendicular to the earth's surface in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere?
Definition
June 21
Term
Since the turn of this century, CO2 in the atmosphere has
Definition
been increasing in concentration
Term
The amount of force exerted over an area of surface is called
Definition
pressure
Term
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is produced mainly by the
Definition
absorption and re-emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere
Term
The concentration of this gas in the atmosphere can range from about 0% to near 3 or 4%.
Definition
water vapor (H2O)
Term
The earth's first atmosphere was composed primarily of
Definition
hydrogen and helium
Term
The processes of condensation and freezing
Definition
both release heat into the environment
Term
The rate at which temperature decreases with increasing altitude is known as the
Definition
lapse rate
Term
The wind direction is
Definition
the direction from which the wind is blowing
Term
This process causes rising air to cool
Definition
expansion
Term
Which of the following determine the kind (wavelength) and amount of radiation that an object emits?
Definition
temperature
Term
Which of the following gases are mainly responsible for the atmospheric greenhouse effect in the earth's atmosphere?
Definition
water vapor and carbon dioxide
Term
Which of the following is one of the main causes of the seasons?
Definition
the changing distance between the earth and the sun
Term
Which of the following weather elements always decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?
Definition
pressure
Term
An important reason for the rapid nightly temperature decrease in a desert is that
Definition
there is little water vapor in the air to absorb and re-radiate infrared radiation
Term
As the air temperature increases, the amount of water vapor that can be present does what?
Definition
increases
Term
Suppose that yesterday morning you noticed ice crystals (frost) on the grass, yet the minimum air temperature reported by the weather service was 35 degrees F. Why was the minimum temperature well above freezing, despite the formation of ice crystals?
Definition
air temperature is measured about 5 feet above the ground level
Term
Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of what?
Definition
ice particles
Term
This type of fog forms mainly on clear, nearly-calm nights
Definition
Radiation fog
Term
In a room a humidifier is used to add water vapor. The room's air temperature does not change. How does the vapor pressure change?
Definition
it increases
Term
If water vapor is 3.5% of the atmosphere and the measured air pressure is 1000 mb, the vapor pressure would be what?
Definition
35 mb
Term
In clear weather the nighttime air immediately next to the ground is usually _____ the air one meter above the ground
Definition
colder than
Term
One would expect the highest temperatures to be found immediately next to the ground on what sort of day?
Definition
clear dry calm
Term
If the air temperature in a room is 70 degrees F, the saturation vapor pressure is 25 mb, the dew point temperature is 45 degrees F, and the vapor pressure is 10 mb, then the relative humidity must be what?
Definition
40%
Term
Suppose that outside the air is saturated. The air temperature and dew point are both 15 degrees F, and the vapor pressure is 3 mb. If this air is brought indoors and warmed to 75 degrees F, what would the relative humidity of this air be, assuming that its moisture content does not change? (The saturation vapor pressure at 75 degrees F is 30 mb.)
Definition
10%
Term
Suppose that in for a given situation at 20 degrees F, the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor. If the air temperature increases to 60 degrees F, with no addition or removal of water vapor, The dew point temperature is
Definition
20 degrees F
Term
The temperature to which air must be cooled in order to become saturated is called the what?
Definition
dew point temperature
Term
The wind-chill index
Definition
relates body heat loss with wind to an equivalent temperature with no wind
Term
When naming clouds, the prefix "strato" indicates what?
Definition
layer clouds
Term
Which type of cloud is associated with steady light precipitation?
Definition
nimbostratus
Term
Which type of cloud with the greatest vertical size?
Definition
cumulonimbus
Term
A station model has the coded pressure of 034. What was the observed pressure?
Definition
1003.4 mb
Term
The wind arrow on a station model has three long "barbs" and one short one at its end. What is the indicated wind speed?
Definition
35 knots
Term
Station models have circles at their centers to mark the location of the observing station. The inside of the circle is used to indicate
Definition
the observed amount of cloud cover
Term
A conditionally unstable atmosphere is ____ with respect to unsaturated air and ____ with respect to saturated air.
Definition
stable, unstable
Term
A rising parcel of air that does not exchange heat with its surroundings is referred to as
Definition
adiabatic process
Term
An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because air that rises into the inversion will eventually become ____ and ____ dense than the surrounding air
Definition
colder, more
Term
If a parcel of unsaturated air with a temperature of 30° C rises from the surface to an altitude of 1000 m, the unsaturated parcel temperature at this altitude would be about
Definition
10° C colder than at the surface
Term
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original position, the atmosphere is said to be
Definition
stable
Term
If the environmental lapse rate is 5° C per 1000 m and the temperature at the earth's surface is 25° C, then the air temperature at 2000 m above the ground is
Definition
15° C
Term
Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere is
Definition
stable
Term
Radar gathers information about precipitation in clouds by measuring the
Definition
amount of energy reflected back to a transmitter
Term
The difference between the "moist" and "dry" adiabatic rates is due to the fact that
Definition
latent heat is released by a rising parcel of saturated air
Term
The vertical motion of air caused by sun heating the ground is called
Definition
convection
Term
What two sets of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most unstable?
Definition
warm the surface and cool the air aloft
Term
Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?

cumulonimbus
stratus
cirrostratus
nimbostratus
cumulus humilis
Definition
cumulonimbus
Term
Which condition below would make a layer of air more unstable?

an increase in wind speed
lifting the entire air layer
cooling the upper part of the layer
all of these
Definition
cooling the upper part of the layer
Term
Which of the following environmental lapse rates would represent the most unstable conditions in a layer of unsaturated air?

1° C per 1000 m
3° C per 1000 m
6° C per 1000 m
9° C per 1000 m
11° C per 1000 m
Definition
11° C per 1000 m
Term
Which of the following is not a way of producing clouds?

lifting air along a topographic barrier
lifting air along a front
warming the surface of the earth
convergence of surface air
air motions caused by subsidence
Definition
air motions caused by subsidence
Term
Which of the following sets of conditions would produce a cumulus cloud with the lowest base?

air temperature 90° F, dew point temperature 50° F
air temperature 90° F, dew point temperature 40° F
air temperature 90° F, dew point temperature 60° F Correct
air temperature 90° F, dew point temperature 20° F
Definition
air temperature 90° F, dew point temperature 60° F
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