METR 121 Quiz 7

According to the three-cell general circulation model, at the surface over the equator we would NOT expect to find a) thunderstorm clouds. b) heavy showers. c) a ridge of high pressure. d) the ITCZ. e) easterly winds.

a ridge of high pressure.

The winds aloft in the middle latitudes would not blow from the west if ____. a) Earth's tilt changed slightly b) Earth's rotation slowed or increased slightly c) direction of the moon's orbit around Earth was reversed d) air over high latitudes became warmer than over the equator

air over high latitudes became warmer than over the equator

A chinook wall cloud is a a) row of intense thunderstorms that bring heavy rain to eastern Colorado. b) cloud of smoke that marks the advancing edge of the chinook. line of fog that moves over the plains as a chinook advances. c) sand storm that marks the leading edge of the chinook. d) bank of clouds that form over the mountains and signal the possible onset of a chinook.

bank of clouds that form over the mountains and signal the possible onset of a chinook.

Which is NOT a characteristic of a thermal low? a) becomes stronger with increasing height b) forms in a region of warm air c) forms in response to variations in surface air temperature d) lowest pressure is at the center

becomes stronger with increasing height

On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, chinook winds are driest when a) surface friction is greatest on the downwind side of the mountain. b) the air aloft is cold. c) the sun is shining. d) the winds are blowing from the east. e) clouds form and precipitation falls on the upwind side of the mountains.

clouds form and precipitation falls on the upwind side of the mountains.

A katabatic wind is a , wind. a) cold, upslope b) warm, downslope c) warm, upslope d) cold, downslope

cold, downslope

The heat from a chinook wind is generated mainly by a) friction with the ground. b) compressional heating. c) warm ocean water. d) forest fires. e) sunlight.

compressional heating.

Living in coastal regions, one would experience land breezes _____. a) throughout wintertime b) during nighttime c) during daytime d) throughout summertime

during nighttime

Living in mountainous regions, one would experience moutain breezes _____. a) during daytime b) throughout summertime c) throughout wintertime d) during nighttime

during nighttime

The general circulation is NOT ___. a) an atmospheric circulation b) wind at a given location. c) for a given time point. d) average flow

for a given time point.

A dust- or sand-storm that forms along the leading edge of a thunderstorm is a a) bora. b) foehn. c) chinook. d) Santa Ana. e) haboob.

haboob

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of ITCZ (intertropical convergence zone)? a) clouds b) wet climates c) converging winds d) thunderstorms e) high pressure at surface

high pressure at surface

Strong Santa Ana winds develop in Los Angeles during summer and fall when a pressure center forms to the of Los Angeles over the Great Basin. a) low, southwest b) low, northeast c) high, northeast d) high, southwest

high, northeast

Which of the following conditions favor the development of dust devils? a) hot, moist days b) cold, moist days c) hot, dry days cold, dry days

hot, dry days

The jet stream blows a) directly from west to east. b) directly from east to west. c) from the equator towards the poles. d) in a wavy pattern from west to east.

in a wavy pattern from west to east

During the summer along the coast, a sea breeze is usually strongest and best developed a) in the afternoon. b) just before noon. c) just after sunrise. d) around midnight. e) just before sunset.

in the afternoon.

Which below does NOT describe the polar front jet stream? a) is strongest in winter b) shifts farther south in winter c) is an easterly wind formed from the Ferrel cell considering Coriolis deflection d) forms near the boundary called the polar front

is an easterly wind formed from the Ferrel cell considering Coriolis deflection

The winter monsoon ____. a) is responsible for the dry cold winter in Asia. b) is responsible for much of the rainfall in southeast Asia. c) is due to the warmer temperature over the continent than ocean in winter. d) blows from ocean to land

is responsible for the dry cold winter in Asia.

Which of the following is a cold and downslope wind? a) katabatic wind b) Santa Ana wind c) Foen wind d) chinook wind e) winter monsoon wind

katabatic winds

The name given to a wind system that seasonally changes direction is a) mountain breeze. b) chinook. c) diurnal breeze. d) monsoon. e) katabatic.

monsoon

Which of the following is a seasonal wind? a) Santa Ana b) monsoon c) sea breeze d) katabatic

monsoon

The rainy weather often seen in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is due to ______. a) the polar front converges with the subtropical high. b) northeast trade winds converge with the subtropical high. c) northeast trade winds converge with the southeast trade winds. d) the Ferrel cell converges with the Hadley cell.

northeast trade winds converge with the southeast trade winds.

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a region where a) northeast trade winds converge with the subtropical high. b) northeast trade winds meet the southeast trade winds. c) the Ferrel cell converges with the Hadley cell. d) the polar front meets the subtropical high. e) polar easterlies converge with the air at the doldrums.

northeast trade winds meet the southeast trade winds.

During summer along the coast, a sea breeze usually causes clouds to form _____. a) far distance over the ocean b) over land 20 miles from coast c) along the shoreline d) over ocean 20 miles from the coast

over land 20 miles from coast

valley breezes often cause clouds to form ___. a) over the nearby lakes b) over peaks of mountains c) on the mountain slopes d) in the valleys

over peaks of mountains

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) lies with global _____. a) tundra areas b) warming c) desert areas d) rainforest areas

rainforest areas

Which of the following would NOT be associated with a major El Niño event? a) drought in Australia b) lower surface pressure than normal in eastern Pacific c) warmer than normal ocean water in the eastern tropical Pacific d) record fish catch in the ocean off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador

record fish catch in the ocean off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador

A band of clouds that forms in the afternoons at inland areas about 20 miles from coastal lines is often the result of _____. a) land breezes. b) sea breezes. c) mountain breezes. d) Santa Ana winds. e) valley breezes.

sea breezes.

Frequent summer afternoon thunderstorms in Florida peninsula are often results of ______. a) land breezes. b) sea breezes. c) Gulf stream. d) the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ).

sea breezes.

Which of the following is a correct match of scales of motion? a) synoptic scale --- ~2000 km b) mesoscale --- ~2 m c) microscale --- ~5000 km d) synoptic scale --- ~20 scale

synoptic scale --- ~2000 km

A sea breeze circulation is caused by _____ differences. a) temperature b) humidity c) surface roughness d) altitude

temperature

Thermal circulations are caused by differences in ______ at different locations. a) temperature b) surface roughness c) humidity d) elevation

temperature

The Santa Ana wind is usually warm due to the fact that ____. a) latent heat is released from condensation when the air gets to sea level b) the air compresses while descending from plateau to sea level c) warm subtropical air come from the Pacific high pressure system d) there is a lot of solar radiation on the plateaus

the air compresses while descending from plateau to sea level

In the 3-cell model, converging surface winds and rising air motions are found at a) the equator and 60 o latitude. b) 30 o latitude and the poles. c) 30 o latitude and 60 o latitude. d) the equator and 30 o latitude.

the equator and 60 o latitude.

In the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface low pressure should be found at a) 30 o latitude and the poles. b) 30 o latitude and 60 o latitude. c) the equator and 30 o latitude. d) the equator and 60 o latitude. e) the equator and the poles.

the equator and 60 o latitude.

In the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface Low pressure should be found at a) the equator and 30° latitudes. b) the equator and the poles. c) the equator and 60° latitudes. d) 30° latitudes and 60° latitudes. e) 30° latitudes and the poles.

the equator and 60° latitudes.

The majority of storms moving from west to east over the United States due to __ . a) the Pacific and Atlantic oceans b) the easterlies c) the westerlies d) Rocky mountains

the westerlies

Which below is usually NOT true concerning a sea breeze circulation? a) can cause clouds to form over the land b) they mainly occur at night c) they usually occur when the water is cooler than the land d) they occur when the surface wind blows from the water toward the land

they mainly occur at night

Which model explains the observed real-world surface winds the best? a) three-cell model b) energy balance model c) single-cell model d) simple air-column model

three-cell model

While fly fishing in a mountain stream, you notice that the wind is blowing upstream. From this you might deduce that the wind is a a) katabatic wind. b) valley breeze. c) Santa Ana wind. d) chinook wind. e) mountain breeze.

valley breeze.

Cumulus clouds that appear above isolated mountain peaks are often the result of a) mountain breezes. b) fall winds. c) Santa Ana winds. d) valley breezes. e) katabatic winds.

valley breezes.

The Santa Ana wind is a , wind that blows into southern California. a) cold, damp b) warm, dry c) warm, moist d) cold, dry

warm, dry

The majority of the United States lies within a wind belt. a) easterly b) westerly c) northerly d) southerly

westerly

The winds in the northern hemisphere mid-latitudes are mostly _______. a) westerly b) northerly c) easterly d) southerly

westerly

The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by a) dry weather and winds blowing from sea to land. b) wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land. c) dry weather and winds blowing from land to sea. d) wet weather and winds blowing from land to sea.

wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land.

An example of mesoscale motion is a) winds blowing through a city. b) winds on a 500 mb chart. c) winds on a surface weather map of North America. d) the average wind patterns around the world. e) winds blowing past a chimney.

winds blowing through a city

In the three-cell model, subtropical high pressures are found at ____. a) equator. b) 60° latitude. c) poles. d) 30° latitude.

30° latitude.

In the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface high pressure should be found at a) the equator and 60 o latitude. b) 30 o latitude and the poles. c) the equator and 30 o latitude. d) 30 o latitude and 60 o latitude.

30° latitudes and the poles.

The more humid climate of the southeast United States is due to the semipermanent system of ____. a) Bermuda high. b) Pacific high. c) Aleutian low. d) Icelandic low.

Bermuda high.

Which of the following winds can NOT be explained by using the simple air column model? (Hint: which is not a thermal circulation?) a) Chinook winds b) westerly winds at upper-level mid-latitudes c) mountain breezes d) sea breezes

Chinook winds

Wild fires in southern California in summer and early fall is usually due to the warm dry _____. a) Santa Ana wind b) Chinook wind c) summer monsoon d) desert wind

Santa Ana wind

Which of the following winds cannot be explained by using the simple air column model? ( Hint: which is not a thermal circulation?) a) westerly winds at upper-level mid-latitudes b) mountain breezes c) Santa Ana winds d) sea breezes

Santa Ana winds

Which of the following is NOT true about chinook wind? a) The warmth can cause snow to melt, which is also called snow eater. b) It is called foehn for the same kind of wind in European Alps. c) It happens more often in winter time. d) The flow of chinook wind can be explained by the simple air column model.

The flow of chinook wind can be explained by the simple air column model.