Meteorology Chapter 3
Absolute zero equals:
-273°C
There are two ways to measure the daily mean temperature, and they could give two different results, true or false?
TRUE
In addition to a good quality thermometer, list three factors that are needed to obtain an accurate temperature reading
-thermometer must be shaded from direct sunlight -shielded from radiating surfaces -Good ventilation is essential.
The Kelvin scale is preferred in some scientific applications because:
0 K actually represents absolute zero, so the scale is based on the actual scientific definition of temperature.
The boiling point of water occurs at:
100°C
The daily mean temperature in a particular place is 83. How many cooling-degree days were accumulated?
18 cooling degree days
65°F is equal to ________°C
18.3
If the maximum temperature for a particular day is 26°C and the minimum temperature is 14°C, the daily mean would be:
20°C
45°F is equal to ________K
280.2
38°C is equal to ________K
311
7°C is equal to ________°F
44.6
On a particular day, a place accumulates 15 heating degree days. What was the daily mean temperature on that day?
50°F
If the maximum temperature on a particular day is 30°F and the minimum temperature is 21°F, then the daily temperature range is:
9°F
All of the following explain the difference between land and water temperature patterns EXCEPT: A) Land has a higher specific heat than water. B) Radiation does not penetrate as deeply in land as it does in water. C) Convective mixing helps distribute heat energy throughout a water body. D) Evaporative cooling is more common over water than over land.
A) Land has a higher specific heat than water.
Which of the following factors would have the net effect of making a place warmer in the summer? A) in the middle of a landmass B) at a high elevation C) at a high latitude D) near an ocean
A) in the middle of a landmass
How does the phase change of water from liquid to vapor generally influence the air temperature experienced in locations near water?
Air temperatures are generally cooler
The city with the highest average of annual heating degree-days is:
Anchorage, AK.
List three factors that contribute to the differential heating of land and water:
Any three: 1) land is opaque, water is more transparent 2) water mixes, land does not 3) specific heat of water is higher than for land 4) evaporation from water bodies is greater than from land
Which month is most likely to be the HOTTEST in the northern hemisphere?
August
Thermistors are electrical thermometers commonly used in radiosondes, true or false?
TRUE
Which of the following is NOT a valid explanation of the urban heat island effect? A) Urban areas retain heat longer and do not cool off as quickly at night as surrounding rural areas. B) Pollution trapped over a city enhances the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere. C) Urban areas generally have a higher albedo than surrounding rural areas. D) Increased runoff on urban surfaces reduces evaporative cooling in the area.
C) Urban areas generally have a higher albedo than surrounding rural areas.
Which of the following associations is CORRECT? A) high latitude — low annual temperature range B) land — distributes heat through convection C) water — high specific heat D) evaporation — raises the temperature of air
C) water — high specific heat
The melting point of ice is 32°C, true or false?
FALSE
Two cities are located at the same latitude (40 degrees). City A is in the Southern Hemisphere and City B is in the Northern Hemisphere. Assume the two cities reflect the general characteristics of the hemispheres where they are located. Which city should have the warmer winter temperatures?
City A
Which of these factors influences the sensation of temperature that the human body feels? A) wind speed B) air temperature C) humidity D) wind speed, air temperature, and humidity
D) wind speed, air temperature, and humidity
The highest accepted temperature record for the United States is 57°C (134°F) and was set at:
Death Valley, California
Less water is available for evaporation in cities. Why is this so?
Drainage systems remove most surface water and there is little vegetation compared to rural areas
Miami, FL averages less than 500 annual heating-degree days, true or false?
TRUE
The minimum temperature usually occurs near sunrise because:
Earth experiences a net loss of radiation until then
Air temperature drops when the rate of terrestrial energy loss is less than the rate of solar energy gain, true or false?
FALSE
Cloud cover reduces both the daily high and daily low temperatures, true or false?
FALSE
Clouds have a significant influence on surface temperatures because they absorb most solar radiation, true or false?
FALSE
During a typical day, the lowest temperature usually occurs about midnight, true or false?
FALSE
Evaporation of water from lakes and moist soil increases their temperatures, true or false?
FALSE
If other factors are constant, an increase in humidity will lead to an increase in the rate of perspiration evaporation from skin, true or false?
FALSE
If the mean daily temperature is 70°F, then there are 5 heating degree days accumulated, true or false?
FALSE
Isotherms are more irregular in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere, true or false?
FALSE
Land cools more slowly than water during autumn because the land has a smaller specific heat value, true or false?
FALSE
Locations that have the same Sun angle always have very similar temperatures, true or false?
FALSE
Negative values are not possible on the Celsius temperature scale, true or false?
FALSE
Ocean currents owe their existence primarily to the rapid rotation of the earth about its axis, true or false?
FALSE
Surface air temperatures rise and fall more slowly over land areas, true or false?
FALSE
The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -129°C, true or false?
FALSE
The daily range of temperatures depends only on the amount of solar radiation received, true or false?
FALSE
The influence of altitude upon temperature results in surface temperatures falling more rapidly with height than the normal lapse rate value, true or false?
FALSE
Which temperature scale was developed first?
Fahrenheit
Which American state ties Alaska for the lowest recorded high temperature?
Hawaii
The California coast is influenced by a cold ocean current, true or false?
TRUE
How is the annual mean temperature calculated?
It is the average of all 12 monthly mean temperatures
The calculations of growing degree days, heating degree days and cooling degree days all require ________ to be known.
Mean daily temperature
The city with the HIGHEST average annual cooling degree-days between 1971 and 2000 was:
Miami, FL
The Southern Hemisphere is also referred to as the water hemisphere, true or false?
TRUE
The daily temperature range is greater at higher elevations. true or false?
TRUE
The hottest surface temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134°F, true or false?
TRUE
The influence of large lakes or oceans generally reduces the annual temperature range, true or false?
TRUE
The seasonal shift of isotherms is greater over the continents than over the ocean, true or false?
TRUE
The warmest temperature ever recorded in the United States occurred in Death Valley, CA, true or false?
TRUE
Why are average monthly temperatures cooler in Quito, Ecuador than Guayaquil, Ecuador?
Quito is at a higher elevation
A growing trend in urban design is the concept of a rooftop garden. If every building in a city were to install a rooftop garden, how might the urban heat island be affected? Describe and explain at least two different impacts you might observe.
Rooftop gardens might impact the urban heat island in the following ways: 1) Rooftop gardens would trap and store water that would normally run off and disappear from the city's non-porous surfaces. Increased evaporation, and therefore cooling, would result. 2) Rooftop gardens insulate a building and reduce energy loss from the roof. This means that less heat is released into the air around the building, reducing the urban heat island effect. 3) Rooftop gardens improve the energy efficiency of a building by insulating it, meaning that less energy is required to heat/cool the building. By reducing energy use, the building in turn reduces the amount of greenhouse gases and air pollution released into the atmosphere, which would have a net cooling affect. Page Ref: 84
Since the equator-to-pole temperature contrast is the major cause of atmospheric circulations, you would expect wind speeds to be slowest in the:
Summer
A dry location is more likely than a humid location to have its maximum temperature in the late afternoon, true or false?
TRUE
A leeward coastal city will display climate patterns typical of a continental climate, even though they are located on the coast of an ocean, true or false?
TRUE
Calculating the accumulated growing degree-days for a crop can help a farmer tell when his crop will be ready for harvest, true or false?
TRUE
Comfortable room temperature is roughly 22°C, true or false?
TRUE
Heating degrees days are used to evaluate energy demand and consumption, true or false?
TRUE
Isotherm lines do not always pass directly through observing station locations, true or false?
TRUE
Latitude is a major control of temperature since latitude determines the Sun angle, true or false?
TRUE
Typically, daily temperature changes in land surfaces are greater than those for water surfaces, true or false?
TRUE
How is the daily temperature range affected by the presence of clouds?
The temperature range is lower when clouds are present
The annual temperature range at most latitudes in the southern hemisphere is much smaller than in the northern hemisphere. Why?
There is more area covered by water in the southern hemisphere
The specific heat of water is high; what does this mean?
Water must gain or lose large amounts of energy when its temperature changes
What type of severe weather event killed up to 35,000 people in Europe during the summer of 2003?
a heat wave
A poleward moving (northward moving in the Northern Hemisphere) ocean current is:
a warm current
Two inland cities are located at the same latitude and within 50 km of each other. City A has an annual mean that is 12°C lower than City B. What control is the most likely cause for the much lower annual mean at City A?
altitude
Locations on Earth which have the largest annual temperature change from summer to winter are often:
at high altitudes
The ________ is often used in making a thermograph.
bimental strip
An isotherm on a map:
connects points of equal temperature
The most important cause of temperature variations is:
differences in receipt of solar radiation
An energy surplus in the atmosphere from solar radiation occurs:
in the early afternoon
Where is the best location to place a thermometer for an accurate air temperature reading?
inside a shelter painted white
The number of degrees separating the ice point and the steam point:
is identical for both the Kelvin and Celsius scales
Temperatures at the Earth's surface tend to DECREASE when solar radiation:
is less than Earth's longwave radiation
Heat waves are usually more severe in:
large urban areas
How is the daily maximum temperature affected by the presence of clouds?
makes it cooler
A small dumbbell-shaped index is part of the:
minimum thermometer
The ________ instrument contains a liquid of low density such as alcohol.
minimum thermometer
Summer temperatures along the California coast are cooler than along the coast of South Carolina, due to the influence of:
ocean currents
A primary reason why land areas warm up more rapidly than water areas is that:
on land, all solar energy is absorbed in a shallow layer
Over a one year period, how thick a layer in the oceans is subject to heating and cooling as the seasons change?
over 200 meters
A primary reason for drawing isotherms on a map of temperature values is to allow:
recognition of temperature patterns
The annual temperature range is quite small near the equator. This is true primarily because:
solar radiation is nearly uniform all year
The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1°C is called:
specific heat
The ________ is defined as the amount of temperature change per unit of distance.
temperature gradient
Daily and seasonal temperature cycles depend primarily on:
the combined effects of solar and terrestrial radiation
The annual range of temperature may be described as:
the difference between the average temperatures of the warmest and coldest months
The lag of extreme temperatures with respect to minimum or maximum values of solar radiation is due to:
the influence of the total radiation balance
The lag of the maximum is exhibited when:
the maximum temperature for the day occurs several hours after maximum solar radiation receipt
The Fahrenheit scale is considered to be the LEAST useful temperature scale for scientific purposes because:
the original fixed points for the scale were arbitrarily (and poorly) chosen, giving 0°F no real meaning
The annual temperature range at most latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere is much smaller than that in the Northern Hemisphere. The reason for this is that:
there is a greater percentage of water surface in the Southern Hemisphere
A location on a windward coast refers to a place where the prevailing wind is:
toward the land
The primary purpose served by surface ocean currents is to:
transfer heat and equalize the imbalance of energy between the poles and the equator
Assume that there is a linear relationship between the number of heating degree-days and fuel consumption. If the number of heating degree-days tripled from one month to the next for a building, we would expect the fuel bill to:
triple
Overnight temperatures are warmer when the air is humid because:
water vapor is a good absorber of outgoing longwave radiation
The daily maximum temperature occurs at the time:
when outgoing radiation equals incoming
A place located along a windward coast:
will probably have cooler summer temperatures than an inland place at the same latitude
The effect of urban heat production on the urban heat island is GREATEST in the:
winter