ATMO 170 Final
Would you expect the station pressure measured in Tucson and at the summit of Mt. Lemmon to be nearly EQUAL or very DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT
In order for an object to be in radiative equilibrium the emitted energy must be _______ as the energy absorbed a. both the same amount and the same kind b. the same kind c. the same amount
C
__________ is the coldest temperature. ________ is the hottest temperature. A. 0 Fahrenheit B. 0 Celsius C. 100 Fahrenheit D. 100 Celsius E. 200 Fahrenheit
A and D
A mesocyclone will produce which of the following thunderstorm features? a. anvil cloud b. mammatus clouds c. wall cloud d. gust front
C
A rising parcel of dry air will cool at a rate of 10o C/km. What happens to a rising parcel of saturated air? a. it cools at the same rate as dry air b. it cools more quickly than dry air c. it cools more slowly than dry air d. it warms
C
"An object in motion tends to stay in motion" as long as no net force is exerted on the object. What type of motion is permitted? a. it must be both straight line and constant speed b. it must be at constant speed c. any type of motion is allowed d. it must be in a straight line
A
A rise in ocean levels along a coastline caused by an approaching hurricane. a. storm surge b. rip tide c. easterly wave d. tsunami
A
Air ______________ with increasing altitude a. pressure and density both decrease b. presssure decreases and density increases c. pressure increases and density deceases d. pressure and density both increase
A
The atmospheric concentration of ____________ can range from near 0% up to 3% or 4% a. water vapor b. carbon dioxide c. ozone d. oxygen e. argon
A
Which of the following creates the electricity in thunderstorms needed for lightning? a. collisions between preoccupation particles b. wind shear c. ultraviolet light d. St. Elmo's fire e. expanding air
A
Which of the following is an example of deposition? a. formation of frost b. steam above a pot of boiling water c. cold air sinking near dry ice d. drops of water on a cold can
A
Which of the following plays the most important role in the greenhouse effect a. absorption and emission of IR light by the atmosphere b. high specific heat of water c. reflection of incoming sunlight by clouds d. absorption of UV light by gases in the stratosphere
A
A _______ cloud would appear white on a visible satellite photograph. A _______ would appear white on an infrared satellite photograph. a. thick b. cold c. thin d. warm
A and B
Which of the following does Newton's first law of motion say could be true if there was no total or net force applied to an object? (more than one answer) a. the object could be stationary (not moving) b. the object could be moving in a straight line at constant speed c. the object could be moving in a straight line but changing speed d. the object could be moving at constant speed but changing direction
A and B
The direction of the _______ force is always perpendicular to the wind. The _______ is always inward when wind blows in a circular path. The _______ is always perpendicular to the height or pressure contours on a weather map. a. Coriolis force b. net force c. pressure gradient force d. frictional force
A, B, C
Which three of the following are true? (IC= ice crystal, CC= collision-coalescence) a. condensation nuclei are more abundant in air than ice crystal nuclei b. water droplets are only found in clouds at temperatures warmer than freezing c. the IC process can produce larger precipitation particles than the CC process d. in Tucson the IC process produces winter rain, the CC summer precipitation e. both the IC process and the CC process can produce rain f. the CC process works best when the cloud droplets are all the same size.
A, C, E
Match the descriptions below at left with one of the gases from the list at right. Peak concentration of this gas is found near 25 km, it absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation _______ Combustion adds this gas to and photosynthesis removes this gas from the atmosphere _______The most abundant gas in the earth's atmosphere _______Common greenhouse gas and the only gas to occur naturally in solid, liquid, and gas phases in the atmosphere _______ a. ozone b. oxygen c. water vapor d. carbon dioxide e. sulfur dioxide f. nitrogen
A, D, F, C
If an object warms the _________ will decrease. a. intensity of emitted radiation b. radiative equilibrium temperature c. wavelength of peak emission d. speed of propagation
C
Decreasing __________ with increasing altitude creates an upward pointing force that causes hot air and helium filled balloons to rise a. humidity b. pressure c. temperature d. density
B
Isobars are contour lines drawn on a surface weather map that reveal small horizontal changes in _______ that cause the wind to blow. a. density b. pressure c. altitude d. temperature e. acceleration
B
When water freezes it release a. IR radiation b. latent heat c. specific heat d. kinetic energy
B
A thin layer of air in contact with hot ground will warm by ________. Once the air becomes warm it will start to rise and transport energy upward by ______? a. convection b. conduction c. convergence d. latent heat
B and A
In which two of the following cases would it be possible for the pressure of the air in a parcel to remain constant? (T is air temperature, ρ is density) a. increasing T and increasing ρ b. increasing T and decreasing ρ c. decreasing T and increasing ρ d. decreasing T and decreasing ρ
B and C
Increasing which two of the following would reduce the amount of sunlight energy arriving at the ground? a. length of the day (daylight hours) b. length of the path sunlight travels through the atmosphere c. distance between the earth and sun d. angle of the sun above the horizon at noon
B and C
Which two of the following would be the best indicators of a thunderstorm with a rotating updraft a. anvil cloud b. wall cloud c. hook echo d. mammatus cloud e. microburst
B and C
The _______ scale is used to rate tornado strength or damage potential. The _______ scale is used to rate hurricane intensity. a. Beaufort b. Fujita c. Kelvin d. Richter e. Saffir-Simpson
B and E
If you warm moist air, the _______ will increase, the _______ and _______ will remain the same, and the _______ will decrease. (each answer below should be used once) a. mixing ratio b. saturation mixing ratio c. relative humidity d. dew point temperature
B, A, D, C
A lumpy layer cloud found at low altitude would be called _______. Haloes are a pretty good indication that _______ clouds are overhead. _______ is a high altitude cloud with a patchy appearance. _________ is a middle altitude cloud. ________ is another name for a thunderstorm a. altostratus b. stratocumulus c. cirrostratus d. cirrocumulus e. cumulonimbus
B, C, D, A, E
Rain which evaporates before reaching the ground is ________. Snow that melts before reaching the ground is __________. Rain that freezes before reaching the ground is __________. a. snow b. virga c. graupel d. hail e. rain f. sleet
B, E, F
Is the driest air usually found BEHIND or AHEAD of a cold front? Would winds blowing from the northwest most likely be found BEHIND or AHEAD of a cold front?
BEHIND and BEHIND
30 inches mercury refers to a reading from what instrument
Barometer
The Stefan Boltzmann law tells you the a. energy needed to melt and object b. average speed of the atoms in an object c. amount of energy emitted by an object d. specific heat of an object
C
The largest percentage of the sunlight arriving at the top of the atmosphere a. is absorbed by greenhouse gases b. is reflected back into space c. passes through the air and gets absorbed by the ground d. is absorbed by ozone
C
The main benefit of the greenhouse effect is to a. absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation b. provide nutrients needed by growing plants c. increase global average surface temperatures d. transport water from the oceans to the land
C
The wavelength of peak emission for ________ falls in the visible part of the spectrum. a. both the earth and sun b. neither the earth nor sun c. the sun d. the earth
C
Warm air will always have a higher _________ than cool air. a. dew point b. mixing ratio c. saturation mixing ratio d.relative humidity
C
Air masses are classified according to _______ and _______. a. density b. pressure c. temperature d. moisture
C and D
Atoms in a hot object have a lot of _______. Metals such as copper have high _______. Cold air sinks because it has high _______. Water vapor contains hidden _______. a. conductivity b. density c. kinetic energy d. latent heat energy
C, A, B, D
The direction of the ________ force is always perpendicular to the wind. The ________ force is always perpendicular to the contours on a weather map. The strength of the _________ force for winds blowing over land will be different from wind blowing over the ocean. a. net b. pressure gradient c. coriolis d. frictional
C, B, D
Is 0 CELSIUS or FAHRENHEIT the temperature at which ice melts? Is 100 CELSIUS or FAHRENHEIT the hotter temperature?
CELSIUS and CELSIUS
Compared to a night with dew, a night with frost is COLDER WARMER and the air is DRIER WARMER.
COLDER and DRIER
Evaporating precipitation beneath a thunderstorm will COOL WARM the air and STRENGTHEN WEAKEN the thunderstorm downdraft.
COOL and STRENGTHEN
In the northern hemisphere, hurricanes (tropical cyclones) and middle latitude storms (extratropical cyclones) both have surface winds that spin in a CLOCKWISE COUNTERCLOCKWISE direction around a surface center of HIGH LOW pressure.
COUNTERCLOCKWISE and LOW
If you warm a parcel of air in the atmosphere it will obey Charles' Law which means the density of the air in the parcel will ____________ and the pressure of the air in the parcel will _____________. (INCREASE, DECREASE, OR REMAIN THE SAME
DECREASE and REMAIN THE SAME
A ____________ is a rise in ocean levels near a coastline caused by an approaching hurricane a. riptide b. easterly wave c. tsunami d. storm surge
D
An ordinary air mass thunderstorm will begin to dissipate when a. all the cloud particles turn to ice b. lightning activity begins c. the thunderstorm top reaches the stratosphere d. the downdraft cuts off the updraft
D
Low visibility would most likely indicate high _________ concentration in the air. a. greenhouse gas b. carbon monoxide c. chlorofluorocarbon d. particulate matter
D
The 1st law of motion that we have been using in this course was formulated by a. coriolis b. foucault c. einstein d. newton e. galileo
D
The front edge of the cold downdraft air moving outward at the ground below a thunderstorm is called a a. thermal circulation b. dry line c. mesocyclone d. gust front
D
There is no __________ force at the equator. a. pressure gradient b. frictional c. gravitational d. coriolis
D
_______ below tells you a cloud is producing precipitation. _______ and _______ tell you something about a cloud's altitude. a. alto b. cirro c. cumulo d. nimbo e. strato
D, A, B
Greenhouse gases such as _______ absorb and emit _______ light. Reduced concentrations of _______ might allow more _______ light to reach the ground which could then lead to _______. a. infrared b. visible c. ultraviolet d. carbon dioxide e. global warming f. skin cancer g. ozone
D, A, G, C, F
An object at room temperature that feels colds to the touch probably has a. low specific heat b. low thermal conductivity c. low latent heat d. high specific heat e. high thermal conductivity
E
The ____________ scale is used to rate hurricane strength or intensity a. beaufort b. richter c. kelvin d. fujita e. saffir-simpson
E
The _______ of an object depends on the object's mass and on gravity. The density of an object depends on the object's mass and on its _______. a. area b. density c. gravity d. volume e. weight f. pressure
E and D
The sun will pass overhead at noon at the equator on the _______. The north or south pole is tilted toward the sun on the _______. The sun will rise exactly in the east and set in the west on the _______. The longest and shortest days (daylight hours) of the year occur on the _______. (fill in each blank with an E for equinoxes or S for solstices)
E, S, E, S
Liquid nitrogen is very cold. If you pour Liquid nitrogen into a cup and leave it in a warm room it will CONDENSE FREEZE SUBLIMATE EVAPORATE. As it changes phase does the liquid nitrogen RELEASE energy into or TAKE energy from the surrounding air.
EVAPORATE and TAKE
Are sundaes and haloes produced when sunlight passes through a floyd of ICE crystals SMOKE particles or WATER droplets.
ICE
A INCREASE DECREASE of air DENSITY PRESSURE TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY with increasing altitude is called an inversion produces stable atmospheric conditions
INCREASE AND TEMPERATURE
If you warm moist air but do not add any moisture the saturation mixing ratio will ________, the relative humidity will ________, and the dew point will ________. (fill in each blank with INCREASE, DECREASE, or remain the SAME)
INCREASE and DECREASE and DECREASE
The term inversion was probably first used in this class to refer to INCREASING DECREASING temperature with increasing altitude in the TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE.
INCREASING and STRATOSPHERE
The wavelength of peak emission for a tungsten light bulb is 1 mm. Is this ULTRAVIOLET INFRARED or VISIBLE light
INFRARED
Temperatures never go below zero on the __________ scale.
Kelvin
Everything else being equal, the coldest winter temperatures would be found at a location surrounded by LAND OCEAN. The smallest difference between the summertime high and wintertime low temperatures would be found at a location surrounded by LAND OCEAN.
LAND and OCEAN
Adding energy to an object with SMALL LARGE mass and LOW HIGH specific heat would result in the smallest temperature change
LARGE and HIGH
The relative humidity of the air in City A is GREATER LESS than in City B. The actual amount of water vapor in the air in City A is GREATER LESS than in City B. A B Tair = 80 Fahrenheit Tair= 60 Fahrenheit Td= 60 Fahrenheit Td= 50 Fahrenheit
LESS and GREATER
Because the earth is fairly cool it emits LONG SHORT wavelength ULTRAVIOLET INFRARED MICROWAVE radiation.
LONG and INFRARED
Cold air that is brought indoors in the winter and heated will often have a very HIGH LOW relative humidity
LOW
Tornado winds always spin around a center of HIGH LOW pressure. Are the winds in most tornadoes LESS or MORE than 100 MPH? Do the strongest tornadoes occur in the SPRING SUMMER WINTER or FALL
LOW and LESS and SPRING
The weight of an object depends on gravity and the object's DENSITY MASS VOLUME. To determine whether an object will wink or float in water you would need to know the object's DENSITY MASS VOLUME
MASS and DENSITY
A narrow intense thunderstorm downdraft is called a MESOCYCLONE MICROBURST. Potentially the strongest and longest lasting thunderstorm is on with a TILTED VERTICAL updraft
MICROBURST and TILTED
Is intracloud lightning LESS or MORE common than cloud-to-ground lightning? Is the stepped leader the LAST or FIRST process in a negative cloud- to-ground lightning stroke?
MORE and FIRST
At ground level the highest ozone concentration occurs in the MORNING AFTERNOON on a SUNNY CLOUDY day
MORNING and SUNNY
Clouds are good absorbers and emitters of infrared (IR) radiation. This explains why DAYTIME NIGHTTIME temperatures on a cloudy day will usually be COOLER WARMER than on a clear day.
NIGHTTIME and WARMER
What is the "key word" used to identify a cloud that is producing precipitation
Nimbus
Isobars are contours of PRESSURE ALTITUDE TEMPERATURE. COUNTERCLOCKWISE CLOCKWISE SPINNING and CONVERGING DIVERGING winds are found around surface centers of low pressure. Cloud formation is more likely when rising air motions cause air to expand and COOL WARM
PRESSURE and COUNTERCLOCKWISE and CONVERGING and COOL
A metal car is a SAFE DANGEROUS place to seek shelter during a lightning storm. It is SAFE DANGEROUS to use a cell phone during a lightning storm
SAFE and SAFE
A thermometer outdoors read 35F on a day when the winds are calm. If the wind start to blow will the temperature reading remain the SAME INCREASE or DECREASE
SAME
Compared to infrared light, visible light has LONGER SHORTER wavelength and HIGHER LOWER energy
SHORTER and HIGHER
Skies are clear in the eye of a hurricane because the air in the eye SINKS RISES and COOLS WARMS.
SINKS and WARMS
When the cork popped out during the cloud in a bottle demonstration, the sudden expansion cloud produced when the air in the flask was filled with SMOKE or was CLEAN?
SMOKE
Most tornadoes form in the SPRING FALL. Tornado winds spin around a core of LOW HIGH pressure. Most tornadoes have spinning winds of 100 MPH or LESS MORE. The number of tornado deaths every year is now HIGHER LOWER than it was 50 to 100 years ago.
SPRING LOW LESS LOWER
STRATIFORM CUMULIFORM clouds grow horizontally which indicates that the atmosphere is UNSTABLE STABLE
STRATIFORM and STABLE
When a hurricane moves into land, the frictional force will WEAKEN STRENGTHEN and the hurricane winds will blow FASTER SLOWER
STRENGTHEN and SLOWER
Closely spaced contours on a weather map would indicate a STRONG WEAK pressure gradient and would produce FAST SLOW winds.
STRONG and FAST
________ is found in London type smog. _________ can react with water in clouds to form acid rain. (OZONE, SULFUR DIOXIDE, CARBON MONOXIDE)
SULFUR DIOXIDE and SULFUR DIOXIDE
The TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE is the lowest layer in the atmosphere. The flat top of a thunders ton often marks the top of the TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE. Air temperature increases with increasing altitude in the TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE. The ozone layer is found in the TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE
TROPOSHERE and TROPOSHERE and STRATOSPHERE and STRATOSPHERE
Air is mostly nitrogen and oxygen which are largely transparent to _________ light. Greenhouse gases absorb and emit __________ light. Ozone and oxygen make the atmosphere pretty nearly completely opaque to ______ light. (Fill in each black with VISIBLE ULTRAVIOLET INFRARED)
VISIBLE and INFRARED and INFRARED
It is generally COLDER WARMER on a cloudy night than on a clear night because clouds are good absorbers of VISIBLE INFRARED light
WARMER and INFRARED
A weather WATCH WARNING is issued when hazardous conditions may develop but are not actually occurring at the present time.
WATCH
A hurricane will WEAKEN STRENGTHEN when it moves over cold water. High pressure and diverging winds at the TOP BOTTOM of a hurricane will cause it to intensity.
WEAKEN and TOP
El Nino's effect on weather in the United States are most noticeable during the SUMMER WINTER. During an El Nino event the southwestern US is generally COLDER WARMER and WETTER DRIER than normal.
WINTER WARMER WETTER
Chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere are of concern because they are greenhouse gases and also because they. a. react in clouds to make acid rain b. are a key ingredient in London type smog c. destroy stratospheric ozone d. react with ozone to make photochemical smog
c
In which two of the following cases would it be possible for pressure to remain constant? (N=number of air molecules, T=temperature, V=volume, P=density a. increasing N and increasing T b. decreasing T and decreasing P c. increasing T and increasing V d. decreasing N and decreasing V
c and d
A malfunction hot water heater or gas furnace in you home could lead to a deadly build up of __________ a colorless, odorless, toxic gas
carbon monoxide
The ____________________ is the temperature to which you must cool moist air in order to increase the relative humidity to 100%.
dew point
This instrument, invented in the 1600s by Torricelli, basically weighs the atmosphere.
mercury barometer
About 20% of the air we breathe is ___________. Carbon dioxide and _____________ are the two main greenhouse gases.
oxygen and water vapor
Precipitation formation in a cold cloud begins in the middle of the cloud where there are lots of ____________________ and also a few ____________________. (note: the order of your answers is important in this question)
water droplets, ice crystals
Changing wind direction and/or wind speed with distance is called
wind shear