Meteorology ch 7 atmosphere question bank

Which of the following pressure features is semi-permanent and is a result of the frequent midlatitude cyclones that traverse the area?

) The Icelandic low

What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a station located along the equator?

) adequate precipitation all year around

The term "Hadley cell" applies to:

0 degrees to 30 degrees latitude

During the summer season, the subtropical high found in the North Atlantic is also called the:

Bermuda high

What changes have increased the risk associated with the Santa Ana winds in southern California?

Commonly used landscape trees are more flammable than naturally occurring vegetation.

The region where the northeast trades meet the southeast trades is known as the:

ITCZ

City X experiences very dry conditions in the winter, along with a prevailing northerly wind. In the summer, the prevailing winds shift to southerly and the rainfall at City X increases by a factor of 10. What can you say about the general climate regime of City X?

It has a monsoon climate.

Although the idealized version of Earth features continuous pressure belts that continue zonally around the planet, the real Earth has broken-up pressure cells that vary seasonally. What explains this?

Large landmasses heat differently than oceans and interrupt the pressure pattern

Land-sea breezes and ________ are mesoscale winds.

Santa Ana winds

Which current is responsible for transporting heat across the north Atlantic and moderating the climate of Western Europe?

The North Atlantic Drift

Which of the following would be the most prominent feature on the January pressure map?

The Siberian high

Which of the following statements about airflow in the middle and upper troposphere is true?

The flow is west-to-east throughout the midlatitudes

Microscale winds generally last for:

a few seconds.

Which of the following is an example of a mesoscale wind?

a sea breeze

The Gulf Stream is the name given to:

a warm current carrying water from the equator along the East Coast of the United States.

The subpolar low (polar front) is:

a zone where the polar easterlies and the westerlies converge.

What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a station, such as New York City, located at about 40 degrees N latitude?

adequate precipitation all year around

Haboobs:

are dust storms triggered by intense thunderstorms.

Taken as a whole, the large scale or general circulation patterns of the atmosphere exist:

as natures method of balancing heat energy differences.

Synoptic scale circulations are of what size, approximately?

between 100 and 5000 km

Which of the following factors contributes to the general subsidence in the latitude zone 20 degrees to 35 degrees?

both the Coriolis force and radiation cooling

Surface high pressure zones are usually associated with:

clear or nearly clear weather

Urban heat islands induce:

country breezes

Concerning rainfall patterns, areas of persistent high pressure tend to cause

desert regions.

What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a station located on an island in the Arctic Ocean at about 80 degrees N latitude?

dry all year around

According to Hadley, the most important factor causing circulation patterns in the atmosphere was:

equator-pole temperature contrast

Dust devils:

form from the bottom up

The major features of precipitation distribution patterns are determined by

general circulation and pressure patterns.

The greater strength of polar jet stream winds during winter is due to:

greater air density.

A primary factor causing monsoon circulations is:

greater temperature changes over continents compared to oceans

Another name for the subtropical high is:

horse latitudes

When are upper air winds fastest?

in winter

The Southern Oscillation:

is a cycle of strengthening and weakening pressure patterns in the equatorial Pacific

Which of the following associations is NOT correct?

land breeze — blows from the sea onto the land

Which mesoscale circulation affects Chicago?

land-sea breeze

A monsoon is defined by a:

large seasonal changes in wind direction.

Jet streams are associated with fronts because of the:

large temperature gradient.

Planetary scale flow such as trade-winds are best classified as:

macroscale

G. Hadley's ideas about atmospheric circulations were concerned with the

macroscale.

Chinook winds, land-sea breezes and Santa Ana winds are examples of ________ circulations.

mesoscale

One type of lake-effect storm that forms over the Great Lakes is characterized by a vortex shape. These vortices can range from 10 km to 100 km across. Based on their size, these storms would be classified as:

mesoscale

Large scale wind circulation systems that reverse with the seasons are called:

monsoons

The areas of abundant rainfall on the earth tend to be:

near the equator and in midlatitudes.

Jet streams:

occur near the tropopause.

El Niño events are characterized by:

pooling of unusually warm water in the eastern tropical Pacific

The amount of precipitation received at a given location is primarily controlled by:

pressure and temperature patterns.

The wave-like or meandering pattern of the upper level winds in middle latitudes is of major importance for:

ransporting heat between equator and poles.

Why do westerly winds prevail at upper altitudes?

rotation of the earth and equator to pole temperature contrast

The chinook wind is also sometimes known as:

snow eater

Most of the earth's deserts are located in the

subsidence areas of subtropical highs.

The Sahara and Australian deserts (among others) are associated with which pressure belt?

subtropical high

What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a non-desert station located immediately to the north of the Sahara desert?

summer dry season

The cyclones and anticyclones of the midlatitudes are most often classified as ________ circulations.

synoptic or macroscale

The Southern Oscillation is an example of a ________, in which weather or sea surface temperatures in one part of the globe impact weather patterns in distant parts of the globe.

teleconnection

The low rainfall totals associated with the India's winter occur when:

the ITCZ shifts south towards the Tropic of Capricorn.

Summertime wildfires in California are fanned by:

the Santa Ana winds

The North American monsoon is generated by the seasonal wind shifts associated with:

the development of a summertime thermal low in arizonan.

Winds are usually named for

the direction or place from which they are blowing.

The doldrums are associated with what latitude(s)?

the equator

The primary force causing ocean currents is:

the major winds

The intense rain of India's monsoon season is attributed to:

the northward migration of the ITCZ.

All of the following can result from a strong El Niño event EXCEPT:

the suppression of the Southern Oscillation.

Chinook and foehn winds are warm because:

they are warmed adiabatically as they sink down slope.

The C in ITCZ stands for convergence. What does the convergence refer to?

trade winds reaching the equator

The divergence near the ground that is associated with the subtropical high pressure zone can be cited as the origin of:

trade winds.

The prevailing winds that blow from the horse latitudes toward the doldrums are called:

trade winds.

Every year, the clockwise circulation around the subtropical high helps to:

transport 40 million tons of dust from the Sahara Desert to the Amazon rain forest

The process that brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface along the coasts of Peru and Ecuador is called:

upwelling

During the day, mountainous regions tend to experience a ________, while at night they experience ________.

valley breeze; mountain breeze

A Santa Ana (or Chinook or Foehn) wind is a:

very dry, warm wind coming down a mountain slope.

What are Rossby waves?

wave patterns in the upper level westerlies and polar jet stream

According to the idealized three-cell model of the atmosphere, most of the United States is situated in which zone of prevailing winds?

westerlies

The prevailing winds that tend to influence cities such as Chicago and New York City are:

westerlies

What option below best characterizes the rainfall distribution at a station located south of the Sahara desert at about 20 degrees N latitude?

winter dry season