Atmospheric Science Final
On average, the water equivalent of a typical fresh snowpack is ____.
10:1
Which environmental lapse rate represents the most unstable condition in a layer of unsaturated air?
11 degree/1000
Maximum air temperature in a given day usually occurs ____ solar heating.
2-4 hours after maximum
Stratosphere
2nd lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.
If you see lightning and hear the thunder 15 seconds later, then the lightning stroke is about ____ miles away.
3
Probability forecasts use climatological data that are typically averaged over ___ years.
30
The "normal" high temperature for a given day is determined from the ____ averaged high temperature for that day.
30-year
Mesosphere
3rd lowest layer of the atmosphere
On the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, a hurricane with winds in excess of 155 mi/hr (135 knots) would be classified as a category ____ hurricane.
5
Beyond about ____, computer prog forecast accuracy falls off rapidly due to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere.
7 days
An average temperature of above freezing but below 50°F during the warmest month is characteristic of a ____.
taiga
A weather prediction for the United States based on El Niño events is an example of forecasting using ____.
teleconnections
The wavelengths of radiation that an object emits depend primarily on the object's ____.
temperature
Which characteristic of air provides a measure of the average speed of the atoms and molecules?
temperature
The Köppen scheme for classifying climates employs annual and monthly averages of ____.
temperature & precipitation
The lowest mean temperatures in the world occur in ____.
the Antarctic
Hurricanes cannot form along the equator because ____.
the Coriolis force is too small along the equator
In the United States, dryline thunderstorms are most common in ____.
the Great Plains
According to Köppen's classification of climates, marine climates are observed in the United States mainly along ____.
the Pacific Northwest coast
The word "weather" is defined as ____.
the condition of the atmosphere at any particular time and place
Polar air is often described as dry even though the relative humidity is high. This is because in polar regions, ____.
the dew point and air temperature are normally close together
Frost forms when ____.
the dew point is 32°F or below
You are generally safe inside an automobile during a lighting storm because ____.
the metal car body will carry the lightning current around the passengers inside
Which area of the human body is most vulnerable to frostbite?
toes
The climate classification for a region where copious rain falls throughout much of the year, except for a short one or two month dry period, would probably be ____.
tropical monsoon (Am)
The earth's rainforests are found in ____.
tropical wet (Af) climates only
Savanna grass would most likely be associated with which climate type?
tropical wet-and-dry (Aw)
Jet streams are found within the ____.
tropopause
All of the weather we are familiar with on Earth occurs in the ____.
troposphere
An ordinary cell thunderstorm ____.
typically forms on warm, humid days
Bending of isotherms along coastal margins is related to ____.
unequal heating and cooling properties of land and water
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it continues to move upward on its own accord, the atmosphere is said to be ____.
unstable
The cold water observed along the northern California coast in summer is due primarily to ____.
upwelling
Doppler radar determines precipitation ____ by measuring changes in the ____ of the reflected radio wave.
velocity; frequency
What type of rotating cloud develops from a funnel cloud or tornado and extends beneath a severe thunderstorm?
wall cloud
The main source of energy for a hurricane is the ____.
warm ocean water and release of latent heat energy by condensation
The region of air between the cold and warm fronts of an open wave is known as the ____.
warm sector
Maritime tropical (mT):
warm, moist air mass that is formed over water, responsible for hot, muggy weather of the eastern U.S.
Compared to an mP air mass, an mT air mass is ____.
warmer & moister
Thermal belts are ___.
warmer hillsides that are less likely to experience freezing conditions
In clear weather, the air next to the ground is usually ____ than the air above it at night, and ____ than the air above it during the day.
warmer; colder
What set of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most unstable?
warming the surface and cooling the air aloft
The only substance found naturally in the lower atmosphere that can exist as a solid, a liquid, and a gas is ____.
water
Atmospheric concentrations of ____ can vary significantly depending on time and location.
water vapor
Maritime air masses typically form over ____ and have _____ air.
water, moist
A rotating column of air that is connected to a cumuliform cloud over a large body of water is a ____.
waterspout
When a mid-latitude cyclone forms and moves along the polar front in a wave-like manner, the developing storm is referred to as a(n) ____.
wave cyclone
The total mass of water vapor stored in the atmosphere represents about one ____ supply of the world's precipitation.
week's
The main feature distinguishing a hurricane from an ordinary tropical storm is that ____.
winds speeds are greater in a hurricane
The polar jet stream is strongest and moves furthest south in the ____.
winter
The majority of lightning strikes occur ____.
within a cloud
A city located on the east coast of the United States with hot, muggy summers and mild winters (an average temperature above 27°F during the coldest month) has a ____ climate.
Mediterranean (Cs) climate
The term "meteorology" goes back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who, about 340 B.C., wrote a book called ____.
Meteorologica
The most abundant gases in Earth's present day atmosphere (by volume) are ____.
N & O
Near Earth's surface, ____ occupies about 78% and ____ about 21% of the total volume of dry air.
N; O
As a northward-moving hurricane passes to the east of an area in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds should change from ____.
NE to N to NW
Wind profile:
An instrument that obtains the vertical profile of wind speed and direction up to an altitude of 16 km above the ground
In Köppen's system of classifying climates, dry climates are designated by the letter ____.
B
A wind profiler obtains wind information using a(n) ____.
Doppler radar
As wind blows over the open ocean, the water beneath it is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. This bending of water with depth is called ____.
Ekman transport
The freezing of pure water is 32° on the ____ scale.
Fahrenheit
Falling raindrops are tear-shaped because that is the profile that minimizes air resistance.
False
Frost occurs when dew freezes.
False
The Coriolis force is the force that causes the wind to blow.
False
The greatest annual number of thunderstorms in the United States occurs in ____.
Florida
Which statement accurately describes hurricane naming conventions?
Hurricanes are alternately assigned male and female names.
The tropical wet-and-dry climate is influenced mainly by the ____.
ITCZ and subtropical highs
Moist adiabatic rate:
If rising air cools to its dew-point temperature, condensation results forming a cloud. Because heat added during condensation offsets some of the cooling due to expansion, the air cools at a lower rate.
In a temperature inversion, air temperature ____.
Increases with increasing height
Compared to conventional radar, what additional capabilities does Doppler radar have?
It can measure the speed at which falling rain is moving horizontally
Earth is closest to the sun in ____.
January
The percentage of water vapor present in the air compared to that required for saturation is the ____.
Relative humidity
Which instrument uses wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures to obtain relative humidity?
Sling psychrometer
Why is snow challenging to measure?
Snow accumulations vary greatly from one spot to the next.
A humid subtropical climate is found in what region of the United States?
Southeast
As the electric potential near the ground increases during a thunderstorm, a positive charge current can move up pointed objects, such as masts of ships, producing a luminous halo or glow known as ____.
St. Elmo's fire
What would you expect to observe during the passage of a gust front?
Temperatures will drop and winds will become strong and gusty.
Which statement about tornadoes is correct?
The US has more tornadoes than any other country in the world.
Suppose a column of air has constant air temperature. What would happen if we force more air into the column?
The air would become more dense, and the surface air pressure would increase.
mean (average) daily temperature
The average of the highest and the lowest temp. observed in a given 24-hr period, usually midnight to midnight
mean (average) annual temperature
The average temperature for any station for the entire year, which represents the average of 12 monthly average temperatures
daily (diurnal) range of temperature
The difference between the daily max & min temperatures is greater next to the ground and gets smaller as you increase elevation
annual range of temperature
The difference in average temperature between the warmest (July in N. Hemi) and coldest month
Advection
The horizontal transfer of any atmospheric property by the wind.
What is the most accurate description of the principle of a lightning rod?
The lightning rod intercepts the lightning and safely carries the lightning current around the object it protects.
What does it mean when meteorologists say a model is "parameterized"?
The model is approximated for broad areas instead of being predicted for specific points
Exosphere
The outer layer of the thermosphere, extending outward into space.
Data Assimilation:
The process of integrating surface and upper-air observations of temperature, pressure, moisture, winds, and air density are fed into equations at regular intervals.
Dry adiabatic process:
The rate of adiabatic cooling or warming that occurs in a parcel of air that is unsaturated.
sensible temperature
The sensation of temperature that the human body feels in contrast to the actual temperature of the environment as measured with a thermometer
Convection
The transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid, such as water or air
Thermosphere
The uppermost layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature increases as altitude increases
A weather watch would most likely be issued for which condition?
There is a chance for tornadoes today.
A small thunderstorm cloud blowing dust at the ground could warn of a severe hazard to aircraft. Why?
This could indicate an intense downdraft or microburst.
The three stages of a developing hurricane (from the first stage to the third) are ____.
Tropical disturbance > tropical depression > tropical storm
All things with a temperature above absolute zero emit energy no matter how big or small.
True
An altimeter is often just an aneroid barometer that has been calibrated to indicate altitude.
True
Clouds, fogs, and precipitation are more likely to form where prevailing winds are upslope than where the winds are downslope.
True
Cumulus cloud formation above a mountain in the early afternoon could indicate a well-developed valley breeze.
True
Hot air with a low relative humidity may actually contain more water vapor than cool air with a high relative humidity.
True
Molecular oxygen (O2) in Earth's early atmosphere probably originated from the splitting of water vapor (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen.
True
Rain streamers (virga) are common in dry climates, as falling rain evaporates into the drier air before reaching the ground.
True
Regions where potential evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation are classified as dry climates.
True
Some mid-latitude cyclones may have calm winds at their center, similar to a hurricane's "eye".
True
Surface air is warmer and drier as a result of compressional heating in a downslope wind.
True
The Great Lakes are large enough to affect the climate of the surrounding area.
True
The formation of ice releases heat and warms the surroundings.
True
The relative humidity is often near 100% in the polar regions.
True
When the air is dry, tornadoes can remain invisible until they reach the ground and pick up dust.
True
Phoenix, Arizona experiences large annual temperature ranges, but scant rainfall year-round with a slight maximum in July and August. What would be the cause of this bump in precipitation?
Warm, moist air rises along the windward side of the Rocky Mountains producing frequent rain bands.
Which event indicates that a hurricane will likely strike your area between 24 to 48 hours before the storm arrives?
a rapid drop in temperature and heavy rains
Tropical Depression:
a storm near the equator with winds moving in a counterclockwise circle at speeds of up to 38 miles per hour about a low pressure center, brings about hurricanes
Typhoon:
a tropical storm, like a hurricane, that occurs in the western Pacific
A surface low pressure center is generally associated with ____ on an upper-air isobaric chart.
a trough
On the Saffir-Simpson scale, a category 5 storm would indicate ____.
a very strong hurricane
North Atlantic Oscillation
a weather phenomenon in the North Atlantic Ocean of fluctuations in the difference of atmospheric pressure at sea level (SLP) between the Icelandic Low and the Azores High
Mediterranean climates are characterized by ____.
cool, wet winters and mild to hot, dry summers
The moist adiabatic rate is ____ than the dry adiabatic heat because latent heat is ____ the rising air.
cooler, heating
If a rising, unsaturated air parcel is colder and heavier than the air surrounding at all levels, the atmosphere is ____.
absolutely stable
Low-pressure areas tend to ____ before occluding and ____ after occluding.
accelerate; decelerate
A cloud with an anvil-shaped top is most often associated with ____.
cumulonimbus
Hail is usually associated with which cloud type?
cumulonimbus
Suppose rain falls on one side of a street and not on the other side. This rain most likely fell from a ____ cloud.
cumulonimbus
Which cloud type would be most likely to form in an unstable atmosphere?
cumulonimbus
Which type of cloud shows the greatest vertical growth?
cumulonimbus
The initial stage of an ordinary cell thunderstorm is the ____ stage.
cumulus
The rate at which the temperature changes inside a rising (or descending) parcel of saturated air is called the ____ rate.
adiabatic
A good example of ____ fog is observed along the Pacific Coast during summer, when warm, moist air from the ocean is carried over colder coastal waters.
advection
Radiation fog forms when ____.
air next to the ground is cooled
To correctly monitor horizontal changes in air pressure, the most important correction for a mercury barometer measurement is the correction for ____.
altitude
A dim, watery sun visible through a gray sheet-like cloud layer is often a good indication of ____ clouds.
altostratus
Radar gathers information about precipitation in clouds by measuring the ____.
amount of energy reflected back to a transmitter
Anemometer:
an instrument that measures wind speed
Radiosonde:
an instrument used for gathering upper-atmospheric data (vertical profile) such as temperature, pressure, & humidity
El Niño
an irregularly occurring & complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December
A forecast method that compares past weather maps and weather patterns to those of the present is a(n) ____.
analogue method
Typhoons and hurricanes ____.
are the same type of tropical storm
Which climatic region will likely have the largest daily temperature range?
arid climate
Winds blow slightly inward ____.
around surface low pressure centers in the Northern and Southern hemisphere
An object at radiative equilibrium temperature is behaving as a ____.
blackbody
A high pressure system that tends to persist in the same geographic location for many days is referred to as a ____ high.
blocking
A stationary front does not move because winds on both sides of the front ____.
blow parallel to the front and in opposite directions
Seasons on Earth are regulated by ___.
both the length of daylight hours and the angle sunlight strikes the earth's surface
The coldest of all air masses is ____.
cA
Record breaking low temperatures are associated with which air mass?
cP
Smaller grid spacing ____ the resolution of computer forecasting models.
can increase
Many common sayings about the weather, such as "red sky at morning, sailor take warning; red sky at night, sailor's delight" are rooted in ____.
careful observations
A gradient wind blowing around the low-pressure center is constantly accelerating because it is constantly changing directions. This is called ____.
centripetal acceleration
Hurricane energy comes from the latent heat of ____.
condensation
The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called the latent heat of ____.
condensation
The elevation above the surface where a cloud first forms is called the ____.
condensation level
Earth emits infrared radiation ____.
continuously
The surface air around a strengthening low pressure area normally ____, while, above the system, the air normally ____.
converges; diverges
Developing low pressure areas generally have ____ air near the surface and ____ air aloft.
converging; diverging
When upper-level divergence of air above a surface low exceeds the surface convergence of air, the surface air pressure will ____ and the storm itself will ____.
decrease; intensify
If upper-level divergence exceeds surface convergence, the air pressure at the center of the low will ____, and the isobars will become ____ tightly packed.
decrease; more
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Air pressure in the warm column of air will ____ with increasing height ____ than in the cold column.
decreases; more slowly
Heat Lightning:
distant lightning that illuminates the sky but is too far away for its thunder to be heard.
An object is falling at constant speed. The net force is ____.
downward
In the lower atmosphere, any air that rises will ____ and cool.
expand
During a major El Niño event, ____.
extensive ocean warming occurs in the eastern tropical Pacific
The skies in the center of a hurricane are often cloud free and surface air pressure is very low. This area is referred to as the ____.
eye
Hurricane Katrina was classified as a Category 5 hurricane, but as it moved towards the Louisiana coast, its rainbands near the center of the storm converged towards the eye, the storm weakened, and it made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. This weakening was primarily due to the phenomenon called ____.
eyewall replacement
Which combination produces the strongest Coriolis force?
fast winds and high latitude
Most of the overall destruction caused by a hurricane is due to ____.
flooding
A ____ wind blows at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars, with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and the Coriolis force in balance.
geostrophic
A wind that blows at a constant speed parallel to curved isobars or contour lines is called a ____ wind.
gradient wind
Which force does not have a direct effect on horizontal wind motions?
gravitational force
The leading edge of a thunderstorm's cold outflowing air is known as a ____.
gust front
What type of precipitation is associated with "the white plague," which injures livestock and causes extensive damage to crops?
hail
Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Extreme Winters:
has warm and humid summers with mild winters, from 30 to 50 degrees of latitude, mainly on the eastern & western borders of most continents, winters have mid-latitude cyclones
A weather warning indicates that ____.
hazardous weather is either imminent or actually occurring within the specified forecast area
What is responsible for the cold feeling that you experience after leaving a swimming pool on a hot, dry summer day?
heat transport by latent heat
What is used as an index for fuel consumption?
heating degree days
What is the common pressure unit used in aviation and on television and radio?
hectopascal
What pattern is most likely associated with clear skies and fair weather?
high pressure regions
On an upper-air chart, normally we find warm air associated with ____ pressure, and cold air associated with ____ pressure.
high; low
On a calm, cold day, the sensible temperature is often ____ than the thermometer reading.
higher
Assuming that the night will remain clear, calm, and unsaturated, the predicted minimum temperature is 32°F. Suddenly, the wind speed increases and remains gusty throughout the night. The minimum temperature will most likely be ____.
higher than predicted due to mixing
A ridge on an upper-air isobaric chart indicates ____.
higher-than-average heights
According to Köppen, the climate of a city situated high in the mountains of the middle latitudes would be classified as ____.
highland
Rapid changes in elevation produce sharp changes in climate in ____, making the delineation of climatic regions impossible in Köppen's climate classification system.
highland climates
Air density is greatest in the ____.
homosphere
A baseball will travel slightly farther on a ____ day.
hot, humid
Which condition most favors the development of dust devils?
hoy, dry days
When the upward-directed pressure gradient force is in balance with the downward pull of gravity, the atmosphere is in ____.
hydrostatic equilibrium
Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of ____.
ice particles
Adiabatic process:
if a parcel of air expands and cools or compresses and warms with no interchange of heat with its surroundings
Aircraft icing would be heaviest and most severe ____ freezing temperatures.
in a cloud at warmer than
The most practical location for building a wind turbine would be ____.
in a region of moderate, steady winds
On a cold, winter morning, the most likely place for radiation fog to form is ____.
in a valley
The polar front jet stream blows ____.
in a wavy pattern from west to east
The strongest winds in a hurricane are found ____.
in the eye wall
If Earth's gravitational force were to increase, atmospheric pressure at the ground would ____.
increase
Climate models predict that, as the world continues to warm, sea-surface temperatures in the tropics will rise. This may in turn ____.
increase the strength of hurricanes
A downslope wind coming off a mountain will ____ in a nearby city affected by a strong polar high-pressure system.
increase the temperature
If very cold air is brought indoors and warmed with no change in its moisture content, the saturation vapor pressure of this air will ____ and the relative humidity of this air will ____.
increase, decrease
Generally, the average speed of a warm front ____ the average speed of a cold front.
is slower than
The energy of motion is known as ____.
kinetic energy
The forecast funnel outlines the steps used by forecasters to steer their attention from ____ scales and from ____ time frames.
large to smaller; short to longer
When naming clouds, the term "stratus", or "strato", means ____ clouds.
layer
A relatively narrow downburst, less than four kilometers wide, is called a ____.
microburst
The signal detected by a Doppler radar is a ____.
microwave reflected by precipitation
The large red L's on a surface map represent centers of low pressure, also known as ____ storms.
mid-latitude cyclonic
The thermometer that has a small barbell-shaped index marker in the bore is called a(n) ____ thermometer.
minimum
The thermometer most likely to contain alcohol is the ____.
minimum thermometer
Which instrument is usually a liquid-in-glass thermometer?
minimum thermometer
A city on the west coast of the United States with mild winters and long cool summers would have a ____ climate.
moist subtropical (Cfb)
Lines of latitude on a map represent the distance ____ from the ____.
north or south; prime meridian
If a mid-latitude cyclonic storm has moved from the southwest toward the northeast during the past six hours, the storm is likely to move toward the ____ during the next six hours.
northeast
In the polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone, the area of most intense weather is normally found to the ____ of the storm's center.
northwest
Bead Lightning:
occurs when the lightning channel breaks up, or appears to break up
Approximately 70% of Earth's surface is covered by ____.
oceans
Over Earth as a whole, one would expect to observe the smallest variation in temperature from day to day and from month to month ____.
on a small island near the equator
A rainshadow desert is normally found ____.
on the downwind side of a mountain range
Santa Ana winds are characteristically dry due to compressional heating and ____.
origination in the desert
Which gas in the upper atmosphere shields Earth's surface from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays?
ozone
The top of a thunderstorm is normally ____ charged, and the middle and lower parts are ____ charged.
positively; negatively
fractus
ragged or torn appearance; appears in stratus or cumulus clouds
On a Doppler radar screen, a tornado might appear as a region of ____.
rapidly changing wind directions
The wind-chill index ____.
relates body heat loss with wind to an equivalent temperature with no wind
During a cold occlusion, the cold front forces the warm front to ____.
rise off the ground
Clouds often form in ____.
rising air in the center of a low pressure area
Scientists have tried to modify hurricanes by ____.
seeding the hurricanes with silver iodide
Locations at middle latitudes with monthly average temperatures in the coldest months that are below 64°F, but above 27°F, have ____ climates.
semi-arid
At the periphery of a hurricane, the air is ____.
sinking and warming
Subsidence inversions are best developed in high pressure areas because the ____ air associated with them causes the air to ____.
sinking, warm
For maximum winter warmth in the Northern Hemisphere, large windows in a house should face ____.
south
Farmers use a variety of techniques to protect crops from damaging low temperatures. One technique includes ____.
spraying water on trees in below-freezing weather
A parcel of air expands and cools, or compresses and warms, with no interchange of heat with its outside surroundings. What is this called?
Adiabatic process
The ____ force is an apparent force created by Earth's rotation.
Coriolis
When caught in a thunderstorm in an open field, what action is best to take?
Crouch down as low as possible while minimizing contact with the ground.
Most of Canada lies within which climatic type?
D
In the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the day with the shortest number of daylight hours occurs on ____.
December 21
Which process results in a decrease in relative humidity?
Warming the air
What is a measure of how cool skin can become (i.e., the lowest temperature that can be reached by evaporating water into the air)?
Wet-bulb temperature
Reflection
When sunlight enters Earth and more light is sent backward
What is the weather element that involves the horizontal movement of air?
Wind
Which environmental conditions are most favorable for hurricane formation?
Winds are high, humidity is low, and surface water temperature is warm
Tropical Climate:
a climate of heat and rain
Cyclonic flow means ____ in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
circulation around a low pressure center
Which cloud is least likely to produce precipitation that reaches the ground?
cirrocumulus
A halo around the moon indicates that ____.
cirrostratus clouds are present
Thin, wispy clouds blown by high winds into long streamers, called mare's tails, are ____.
cirrus
One would expect near-ground temperatures to be coldest when the night is ___.
clean, dry, and calm
Nighttime radiation inversions occur on most ____ nights.
clear, calm
Orchard heaters and wind machines are most useful in preventing damaging low temperatures from occurring next to the ground on ____ nights.
clear, calm
Dew is most likely to form on ____.
clear, calm nights
Factors that produce the climate in any given place are called ____.
climatic controls
The exosphere is ____.
the upper limit of our atmosphere
As surface air rushes in toward the eye of a hurricane, the air expands and should cool. The main reason the surface air is not cooler around the eye is because ____.
the warm water heats the air
An ensemble forecast is considered robust when the ____.
the weather situation is rather complicated
A probability forecast that calls for a "40% chance of rain" means that ____.
there is a 40% chance that any random place in the forecast area will receive measurable rainfall
During atmospheric convection, rising air bubbles are called ____.
thermals
An instrument that measures temperature and records it on a piece of record paper is called a ____.
thermograph
Hurricanes dissipate when ____.
they move over colder water
Storms that form in the tropics are given names when ____.
they reach tropical storm strength
The general area where a tornado is likely to form can often be predicted up to ____ days in advance.
3
One would most likely see xerophytes in which climatic type?
A
Prognostic Chart:
A chart showing expected or forecasted conditions, such as pressure patterns, frontal positions, contour height patterns, and so on.
Analysis:
A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.
Aerovane:
A device that resembles a wind vane with a propeller at one end, used to indicate wind speed and direction
Stable atmosphere:
A lifted parcel of air will be cooler (heavier) than the air surrounding it. Because of this fact, the parcel will tend to sink back to its original place
Unstable atmosphere:
A lifted parcel of air will be warmer (lighter) than the air surrounding it. Because of this fact, the parcel will rise upward, away from its original position
Atmospheric Model:
A mathematical model consisting of many equations that describe how atmospheric temperature, pressure, winds, and moisture will change with time.
Dry Climate:
A region where evaporation exceeds precipitation resulting in deficient precipitation year round
Hurricane:
A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center
Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Mild Winters:
A zone with an average temperature of the coldest month ranging between 18C (64F) and -32C (27F) & warm-to-hot summers
Polar Climates:
A zone with extremely cold winters and the warmest month averaging below 10C (50F) with no real summer
The "ozone hole" is observed above ____.
Antarctica
Which climate type would normally have the highest afternoon temperatures during the summer?
B
If the first tropical storm of the season was named Andrea, then a likely name for the second tropical storm of the season would be ____.
Bill
Although water vapor accounts for about 60% of the atmospheric greenhouse effect, it is the increase of ____ in the atmosphere that appears to be the main cause of global warming.
CO2
Earth's first atmosphere (approximately 4.6 billion years ago) was most likely composed of ____.
CO2 & N
The atmospheric greenhouse effect is due primarily to the fact that ___.
CO2 & water vapor absorb infrared radiation
Which instrument measures the speed at which precipitation is moving toward or away from an antenna?
Doppler radar
Because it is located at middle latitudes, the United States is only rarely affected by polar and tropical air masses.
False
Dense fog is more prevalent in mountainous areas (especially those regions where rising cold air cools and condenses) than coastal margins.
False
Despite the fact that the average monthly temperature never rises above freezing, a variety of plant types are able to survive in a polar ice cap climate.
False
During a cold winter in which the Great Lakes are entirely covered by ice, lake-effect snows would be expected in extremely high frequencies and intensities.
False
Even if distinctive features that might indicate a tornado are observed on radar, a tornado must be observed visually before a tornado warning is issued.
False
Geographical features on the earth, such as mountain ranges, do not have much effect on the weather because the features are small compared to the thickness of the atmosphere.
False
Hail can fall from both cumulonimbus and nimbostratus clouds.
False
Hurricane development is more likely when the trade wind inversion is well developed.
False
Most cloud-to-ground lightning flashes consist of a single return stroke.
False
Most computer models produce forecasts for only one grid point.
False
Most hurricanes develop in warm tropical waters at the equator even though the Coriolis force is zero there.
False
On a cloudless day, the tropopause is easily visible with the naked eye.
False
On a windy day, you would expect to record warmer daytime and warmer nighttime temperatures than on a day with calm winds.
False
Source regions for air masses tend to be generally flat or of varied composition, and in an area of light winds dominated by surface high pressure.
False
Stable atmospheric conditions usually result in good visibility.
False
Surface winds and upper-level winds blow in the same direction in a thermal circulation.
False
The Köppen system classifies the world's climate regions based on dominant vegetation types and monthly average precipitation.
False
The Southern Hemisphere has warmer summers and colder winters than the Northern Hemisphere.
False
The air pressure at the summit of Mount Everest is higher than the air pressure at sea level.
False
The climate of a large state or small nation is called a mesoclimate.
False
The formation of ice on an aircraft is called "aviation icing".
False
The temperature in a rising parcel of air will always be the same as that of the surrounding air.
False
The terms typhoon and cyclone refer to the initial weaker stages in the development of a hurricane.
False
Transpiration from plants and evaporation from soil, lakes, and streams account for the majority of the water vapor added to the atmosphere each year.
False
Two parcels of air with the same volume and temperature will also always have the same pressure.
False
Weather charts and maps are still plotted and analyzed entirely by hand.
False
Numerical Weather Prediction:
Forecasting the weather based upon the solutions of mathematical equations by high-speed computers
Which region of the United States will most likely experience thunderstorms, hurricanes and tornadoes during the course of one year?
Gulf Coast states
When it is January and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is ____ in the Southern Hemisphere.
January and summer
On which date are the sun's rays closest to perpendicular to Earth's surface in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere?
June 21
The absolute temperature scale that contains no negative numbers is the ____, which makes it convenient for scientific computing.
Kelvin
What is the origin of the cP and cA air masses that enter the United States?
North Canada & Alaska
Great Britain typically has warmer winter temperatures than other areas of similar latitude because of the ____.
North Equatorial Current
Suppose the eye of a hurricane passed directly over you, and you survived the experience. If winds were from the northeast as the eyewall first approached you, from what direction did the winds blow when the eyewall reached you the second time?
SW
A forecaster will use a prognostic chart for guidance in preparing a forecast, but will also rely on personal experience and a knowledge of local features that can affect the weather.
True
A network of more than 100 Doppler radar units covers nearly all of the 48 contiguous United States.
True
A warm northward flowing ocean current is found along the east coast of the United States and a cold southward moving current is found along the west coast.
True
In a strong tornado, doubling the wind speed will quadruple its destructive potential.
True
In some situations, individual thunderstorms may organize into a convective weather system that may be 1000 times larger than an individual storm.
True
In the tropics, the noon sun is always high in the sky; therefore, diurnal and seasonal changes in temperature are small.
True
Methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are greenhouse gases.
True
The ground is a better emitter of infrared radiation and cools more quickly than air.
True
The polar jet stream is strongest in the winter when surface temperature contrasts are greatest.
True
There is a reduction in the number of Atlantic hurricanes during a major El Niño event.
True
Two cities can have the same mean annual temperature but different mean annual ranges of temperature.
True
Upper-level winds blow from west to east in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
True
Visibility generally improves after a rain storm.
True
La Niña
a Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific
Arctic Oscillation
a climate pattern characterized by winds circulating counterclockwise around the Arctic at around 55°N latitude.
Tropical Disturbance:
a cluster of thunderstorms near the equator that moves with the prevailing winds
Tropical Storm:
a cyclonic storm having winds ranging from approximately 48 to 121 km (30 to 75 miles) per hour.
The most common snowflake form is ____.
a dendrite
The term monsoon refers to ____.
a period of heavy rainfall produced by thunderstorms
A weather forecast that predicts that future weather will be the same as present weather is called ____.
a persistence forecast
Suppose the rising air parcel is warmer and less dense than the air around it. In this case, the atmosphere is ____.
absolutely unstable
Earth's surface receives about twice as much energy from the atmosphere than from the sun as a result of ____.
absorbed infrared energy radiated back to Earth
The movement of smoke in the atmosphere from one area to another by wind is an example of ____.
advection
Tiny solid or liquid particles of various compositions that are suspended in the atmosphere are called ____.
aerosols
The vertical profile of ____ is variable in each layer of Earth's atmosphere.
air temperature
Hurricanes do not form ____.
along the equator
In a hilly region, the best place to plant crops that are sensitive to low temperatures is ____.
along the hillsides
A region with long, very cold winters and average temperatures that exceed 50°F only one or two months during the summer has a(n) ____ climate.
alpine
Average monthly temperatures that exceed 32°F but remain below 50°F is characteristic of the ____ climate zone.
alpine
The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure ____.
at all places on earth
The thermosphere is where charged particles from the sun interact with air molecules to produce ____.
auroras
In the vertical, the pressure gradient force points ____ and gravity points ____.
away from Earth; toward Earth
Cold fronts that move into the United States from the east, or northeast, are called ____ fronts.
back door
An object that radiates more energy than it absorbs will ____.
become colder
On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, one would observe the westerlies ____.
between the subpolar lows and the subtropical highs
What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, dry summer weather in southern Arizona?
cT
Which air mass forms over North America only in summer?
cT
Suppose that where you live is typically several degrees warmer in the middle of January than the rest of the month. If you forecast this "January thaw" for the middle of next January, you would have made a ____.
climatological forecast
The wind around a surface low pressure center in the Southern Hemisphere blows ____ the center.
clockwise & inward
The wind around a surface high pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere blows ____ the center.
clockwise & outward from
In the Northern Hemisphere, ocean currents in the Atlantic and the Pacific move in a generally circular pattern. The direction of this motion is ____ in the Atlantic and ____ in the Pacific.
clockwise; counterclockwise
During the Northern Hemisphere winter, isotherms are ____ those observed in July.
closer together than
Which chemical process is an example of condensation?
cloud droplet formation
Cold and cloudy nights are warmer than cold and clear nights (other factors being equal) because ____.
clouds absorb outgoing infrared energy and radiate it back to the surface
On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, chinook winds are enhanced when ____.
clouds form and precipitation falls on the windward side of the mountains
undulates
clouds in patches, layers, or sheets, showing undulations
Most rain at middle latitudes is produced by the ice crystal process. This is because ____.
clouds in these regions can extend into regions where air temperatures are below freezing
mammatus
clouds that appear as bag-like sacks hanging from beneath them
translucidus
clouds that cover a large part of the sky and are sufficiently translucent to reveal the position of the sun or moon
Squall lines most often form ahead of a(n) ____ front.
cold
One would expect a cP air mass to be ____.
cold & dry
Maritime polar (mP):
cold & moist air mass that forms over water, responsible for cold, damp weather of northeast U.S.
Jet streams play a major role in the global transfer of heat by directing ____.
cold air equatorward
Summertime weather in Northern California often consists of low clouds and fog due to ____.
cold coastal water
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 from the south and becoming southwesterly tomorrow."
cold front
Continental Polar (cP):
cold, dry air mass that forms over land
Hypothermia is most common in ____ weather.
cold, wet
The heat from a chinook wind is generated mainly by ____.
compressional heating
Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called ____.
condensation nuclei
We are likely to feel colder on a cold, rainy day than on a cold, dry day because water ____ heat away from the body better than air does.
conducts
The transfer of heat from molecule to molecule within a substance is called ____.
convection
Cyclogenesis occurs frequently on the eastern slopes of the Rockies as a result of ____.
convergence
The production of dew is mainly the result of ____.
cooling due to the release of latent heat
Which set of conditions, working together, will make the atmosphere the most stable?
cooling the surface and warming the air aloft
Condensation is more likely to occur when air ____.
cools and the speed of the water vapor molecules decreases
During a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds increase in speed as they blow ____ and ____ the center.
counterclockwise; inward towards
The name given to a towering cloud that produces precipitation that is showery with frequent changes in intensity is ____.
cumulus congestus
Atmospheric shortwaves tend to ____ when they approach a longwave trough and ____ when they approach a ridge.
deepen, weaken
Air pockets are areas of ____ that can form in clear air.
descending air
Beneath an intense thunderstorm, the downdraft may become localized so that it hits the ground and spreads horizontally in a radial burst of wind. This is called a(n) ____.
downburst
The rainiest places in the world are usually located ____.
downwind from mountain ranges
The air pressure normally ____ before a cold front passes and ____ after a cold front passes.
drops; rises
Which condition would contribute to higher surface air temperatures?
dry sandy soil with little vegetation
The winter monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by ____ weather and winds blowing from ____.
dry; land to sea
What time of day would you most likely expect thunderstorms to occur on a mountain?
early afternoon
If, at your home in the Northern Hemisphere, the surface wind is blowing from the northwest, then the region of lowest pressure will be to the ____ of your home.
east
Suppose that the winds aloft in the Northern Hemisphere are geostrophic and blowing from the north. Low pressure is located to the ____.
east
The typical path of a winter mid-latitude cyclone is ____.
eastward or northeastward
"Howling" winds can be caused by ____.
eddies
The greenhouse effect is directly enhanced by ____.
energy absorption by atmospheric water vapor particles
The forecasting technique that produces several versions of a forecast model, each beginning with slightly different weather information to reflect errors in the measurements, is called ____ forecasting.
ensemble
The downdraft in an ordinary cell thunderstorm is created mainly by ____.
evaporating raindrops that make the air cold and heavy
Exhaled breath from your mouth in cold weather produces ____ fog.
evaporation (mixing)
During a hurricane, the heaviest rainfall occurs in the ____.
eye wall
Street Lightning:
forms when either the lightning flash occurs inside a cloud or intervening clouds obscure the flash
In the winter, you read in the newspaper that a large section of the Midwest is without power due to downed power lines. Which form of precipitation would most likely produce this situation?
freezing rain
Continental polar air associated with a wintertime high pressure area will likely bring ____.
freezing temperatures
A warm rain falling through a layer of cold, moist air can produce ____ fog.
frontal
A tornado cloud that does not touch the ground is called a ____.
funnel cloud
What is the best source region for an air mass?
generally flat areas of uniform composition with light surface winds
The atmosphere around Earth would rush off into space if the upward-directed pressure gradient force were not exactly balanced by ____.
gravity
For a surface low to develop into a major storm system, the upper-level divergence of air must be ____ surface convergence of air.
greater than
In a conditionally unstable atmosphere, the environmental lapse rate will be ____ than the moist adiabatic rate and ____ than the dry adiabatic rate.
greater, less
The combination of drifting and blowing snow, after falling snow has ended, is called a _____.
ground blizzard
Strong Santa Ana winds develop in Los Angeles during the fall when a ____ pressure center forms to the ____ of Los Angeles over the Great Basin.
high; northeast
Continental tropical (cT):
hot & dry, responsible for heat waves in the western U.S.
The so-called Tornado Belt, or Tornado Alley, of the United States is located ____.
in the Central Plains
During the summer along the coast, a sea breeze is usually strongest and best developed ____.
in the afternoon
When the air temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure will ____.
increase
Average atmospheric CO2 concentrations have ____ over the past 100 years.
increased
After the winter solstice at middle latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, the length of the day ____.
increases
As the air temperature increases, the air's capacity for water vapor ____.
increases
As the temperature of an object ____, the intensity of the radiation emitted by the object ____.
increases; increases
Earth emits radiation with greatest intensity at ____ wavelengths.
infrared
Which area would you expect to have smaller diurnal temperature ranges (assuming all other factors are equal)?
inland cities
Wind vane:
instrument used to measure wind direction
A supercell storm is a(n) ____.
intense long-lasting thunderstorm with a single violently rotating updraft
An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because ____.
inversions act as a lid on vertical air motion
A hurricane warning ___.
is a warning given when it is likely that a hurricane will strike an area within 24 hours
What is a region in the atmosphere where air temperature remains constant with height?
isothermal zone
Lines on a map connecting points of equal temperature are called ____.
isotherms
When a cold front passes, the lowest pressure reading at a station will occur ____ the front passes.
just as
The ideal setting for a ____ wind to form is an elevated plateau surrounded by mountains, with an opening that slopes rapidly downhill.
katabatic
The nighttime counterpart of the sea breeze circulation is called a ____.
land breeze
Lake-effect snows are best developed around the Great Lakes during ____.
late fall and early winter when cold, dry polar air moves over the relatively warm water
lenticulus
lens-shaped, elongated with well-defined edges
Most tornadoes have winds that are ____.
less than 125 knots
Earth's radiation is often referred to as ____ radiation, while the sun's radiation is often referred to as ____ radiation.
longwave; shortwave
An astronaut walking in space at an altitude of 300 km and properly shielded from the sun would feel cold when the temperature is 500°C as a result of ____.
low air density
In a tropical wet-and-dry climate, the dry season occurs with the ____.
low sun period (winter)
The tropical western Pacific Ocean regions experience ____ during strong ENSO events.
lower surface air pressure
Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature of Earth would be ___.
lower than at present
Pressure at the center of a hurricane is ____ than the surroundings at the surface and is ____ than the surroundings aloft.
lower; higher
Troposphere
lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere
During the winter, an air mass that moves into coastal sections of Oregon and Washington from the northwest would most likely be ____.
mP
What type of air mass would be responsible for daily afternoon thunderstorms along the Gulf Coast of the United States?
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, muggy summer weather in the eastern half of the United States?
mT
Clouds that appear as bag-like sacks hanging from beneath a cloud are ____.
mammatus
According to the model of the life cycle of a wave cyclone, the storm system is normally most intense as a(n) ____.
mature cyclone
A thermometer with a small constriction just above the bulb is a(n) ____ thermometer.
maximum
An accurate forecast ____.
may or may not show skill
A liquid thermometer that is held in direct sunlight will ____.
measure a much higher temperature than that of the air
A radiosonde ___.
measures the vertical distribution of atmospheric temperature, pressure, and humidity
The climate of an area about the size of a town would be described as a(n) ____.
mesoclimate
What weather system can grow to be as much as 1000 times larger in area than an ordinary cell thunderstorm, even large enough to cover an entire state?
mesoscale convective complex
Which pairing is most accurate?
mesoscale- land breeze
A chart that plots how air temperature has changed over the past five days at a given station is a(n) ____.
meteogram
The largest snowflakes would probably be observed in ____ air whose temperature is ____ freezing.
moist, near
To be considered a moist continental climate, ____.
monthly average temperatures must fall below 27°F during the winter
Forecasting large-scale weather events several days in advance is ____.
more accurate than forecasting the precise evolution and movement of small-scale, short-lived weather systems
Atmospheric pressure changes ____.
more rapidly in the vertical direction than in the horizontal
Many flash floods, including those that occurred over parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic states during June 2006 and in Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon in July 1976, are the result of thunderstorms that ____.
move slowly
Mid-latitude cyclonic storms are better developed in the United States during the coldest months because the polar jet stream ____.
moves farther south in the winter
A group of thunderstorms that develop next to one another, each in a different stage of development, is called a(n) ____.
multicell thunderstorm
Light or moderate continuous precipitation is most often associated with ____ clouds.
nimbostratus
The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a region where the ____.
northeast trades meet the southeast trades
The strongest winds in a hurricane heading westward toward Florida would most likely be found on the ____ side of the hurricane.
northern
Suppose that the winds aloft are geostrophic and blowing from the north. With the same orientation of isobars at the surface, the winds would blow from the ____.
northwest
A nowcast is a weather forecast that extends for ____.
not usually more than 6 hours
Many of the world's deserts are found near 30° latitude because ____.
of the sinking air of the subtropical highs
Deserts that experience low clouds and drizzle tend to be found mainly ____.
on the western side of continents
Orographic clouds form ____.
on the windward slope of a mountain
A sea breeze circulation will reverse direction and become a land breeze circulation ____.
once per day
When two air masses collide at a front, one air mass may be pushed upward by the other. This is because ____.
one air mass is denser than the other
The vertical structure of the hurricane shows an upper-level ____ of air, and a surface ____ of air.
outflow; inflow
The primary source of water vapor and carbon dioxide for Earth's early atmosphere was most likely ____.
outgassing
The average summer temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere are cooler than the average summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere because ____.
over 80% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water
Although many thousands of weather observations are taken worldwide each day, what regions still have sparse observations?
over oceans & higher latitudes
Which gas is responsible for the temperature inversion in the stratosphere?
ozone
On an upper-air chart, the wind aloft tends to blow ____.
parallel to the isobars or contours
Mid-latitude cyclonic storms and fronts tend to move in a direction that ____.
parallels the isobars in the warm air ahead of the cold front
The least accurate forecast method of predicting the weather two days into the future during changeable weather conditions is usually the ____.
persistence forecasting
Radiation is made of discrete packets of energy called ____.
photons
Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere through the process of ____.
photosynthesis
The wind belt observed on the poleward side of the polar front is called the ____.
polar easterlies
A region with an average temperature of 32°F or below during the warmest month is considered a(n) ____ according to the Köppen classification system.
polar ice cap
The largest annual range of temperatures is found at ____.
polar latitudes over land
Thawing of an upper layer of permafrost would most likely be observed in which climatic type?
polar tundra
There are two primary types of weather satellites in use for viewing clouds. The first are geostationary satellites and the second are ____ satellites.
polar-orbitting
In a dry climate, ____.
potential evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation
Forecast models have a hard time predicting ____.
precipitation
The letters H and L on a surface weather map refer to regions of high and low ____.
pressure
The scale on an altimeter indicates altitude, but an altimeter actually measures ____.
pressure
The force that causes the wind to blow is the ____ force.
pressure gradient
Energy transferred by electromagnetic waves is called ____.
radiation
The forward progress of a warm front may be inhibited at night as a result of ____.
radiational cooling
Which instrument obtains air temperature by measuring emitted infrared energy?
radiometer
Pacific Decadal Oscillation
recurring pattern of ocean-atmosphere climate variability centered over the mid-latitude Pacific basin; time periods of a few years to as much as time periods of multiple decades, there is evidence of reversals in the prevailing polarity (meaning changes in cool surface waters versus warm surface waters within the region)
As air aloft moves from south to north, air leaves the southern area and "piles up" above the northern area. This redistribution of air ____ the surface air pressure to the south and ____ it to the north.
reduces; raises
The heat index (HI) is based on the apparent temperature, which is a combination of air temperature and ____.
relative humidity
As the air temperature increases, with no addition of water vapor to the air, the dew point will ____.
remain the same
As the difference between the air temperature and the dew point increases, the relative humidity ____.
remains constant at a value less than 100%
We can generally expect the air to be ____ above areas of surface low pressure and ____ above areas of surface high pressure.
rising; sinking
The most latent heat would be released in a ____ parcel of ____ saturated air.
rising; warm
Occasionally, an elongated ominous-looking cloud forms just behind a gust front. This type of cloud, which appears to slowly spin about a horizontal axis, is called a ____.
roll cloud
Beneath a lenticular cloud downwind of a mountain, a large swirling eddy forms what type of cloud?
rotor
Surface pressure systems tend to move ____ the wind at the 500-mb level.
same
One would most likely experience steppe vegetation in a ____.
semi-arid climate
Large-scale computer models would typically have ____ grid spacing compared to small-scale models.
shorter
The skies in the center of a hurricane are often cloud free. This is because the air in the eye is ____.
sinking
During the summer months at the North Pole, the sun does not set for ____.
six months
For a forecast to show ____, it should be better than one based solely on the current weather or the "normal" weather for a given region.
skill
A raindrop that freezes before reaching the ground is called ____.
sleet
Microclimate refers to the ____.
small climatic region near the ground
Which structure or substance has a higher albedo than thin clouds?
snow
The solid equivalent of drizzle is called ____.
snow grains
On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, the northeast trade winds would be observed ____.
south of the subtropical highs
In the Northern Hemisphere, winds for a cold front travel south or ____ before passing, shift directions while passing, and then travel ____ after passing.
southeast; south or southwest
If a tornado is rotating in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the northeast, the strongest winds will be on its ____ side.
southeastern
Drylines typically occur in the ____.
southern Great Plains of the United States
Tornadic thunderstorms that form ahead of an advancing cold front most often travel from ____.
southwest to northeast
A line of thunderstorms that forms ahead of an advancing cold front is called a ____.
squall line
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original position, the atmosphere is said to be ____.
stable
A conditionally unstable atmosphere is ____ with respect to unsaturated air and ____ with respect to saturated air.
stable; unstable
With a limited number of wind observations, tight spacing of height (above sea level) contour lines on a 500-mb chart may indicate areas of ____ winds.
stationary
A ____ pressure usually indicates clearing weather or fair weather.
steadily rising
Which forecasting method assumes that weather systems will move in the same direction and at approximately the same speed as they have been moving?
steady-state (trend) forecast
Just before a storm is classified as a fully developed hurricane, it is in the tropical ____ stage.
storm
A low, lumpy cloud layer that appears in rows, patches or rounded masses would be classified ____.
stratocumulus
When viewed from the surface, high clouds that are small, rounded, white puffs occurring individually or in long rows are called ____.
stratocumulus
The majority of atmospheric ozone (about 97%) is found in the ____.
stratosphere
Which cloud type would most likely form in absolutely stable air?
stratus
The process of ice transforming directly into water vapor without first going into the liquid phase is termed ____.
sublimation
A taiga forest would be found in which climatic type?
subpolar
Which climate type normally has the largest annual range in temperature?
subpolar
The highest temperatures on the earth occur in ____.
subtropical deserts of the Northern Hemisphere
During the afternoon, the greatest temperature difference between the surface air and the air a meter or so above occurs on a ____ day.
sunny, calm
The minimum daily temperature typically occurs at ____.
sunrise
Cloud seeding using silver iodide may enhance precipitation in ____.
supercooled clouds containing a low ratio of ice crystals to droplets
The ice crystal process of precipitation formation operates in the mixed ice and water region of a cold cloud where there are ice crystals and ____.
supercooled droplets
In sunlight, nitrogen dioxide reacts with hydrocarbons and other gases to produce ____.
surface ozone
Low pressure systems tend to move toward the region of greatest ____.
surface pressure drop
High pressure systems tend to move toward the region of greatest ____.
surface pressure rise
The main reason hurricanes don't develop over the south Atlantic Ocean adjacent to South America is because the ____.
surface water temperatures are too cold
The dry adiabatic rate is the rate at which ____.
temperature changes in a rising or descending parcel of unsaturated air
To obtain the station pressure, you must normally make corrections for ____.
temperature, gravity, and instrument error
An air mass is characterized by similar properties of ____ and ____ in any horizontal direction at a given altitude.
temperature; humidity
Hurricane winds rotate in a clockwise direction in ____.
the Southern Hemisphere only
The winds aloft in the middle latitudes would not blow from the west if ____.
the air over high latitudes became warmer than over the equator
Ordinary cell thunderstorms only last about one hour and begin to dissipate when ____.
the downdraft spreads throughout the cloud and cuts off the updraft
In the three-cell model of Earth's general air circulation, areas of surface low pressure should be found at ____.
the equator and 60° latitude
In the three-cell model, converging surface winds and rising air motions are found at ____.
the equator and 60° latitude
A hook-shaped echo on a radar screen often indicates ____.
the possible presence of a tornado-producing thunderstorm
Thunder is caused by ___.
the rapid heating of air surrounding a lightning channel
Along a coastline, most hurricane damage is caused by ____.
the storm surge
If lows and highs aloft are directly above lows and high at the surface, ____.
the surface system would dissipate
Which cloud type will only produce precipitation by the collision-coalescence process?
thick, warm cumulus cloud
If you observe large raindrops hitting the ground, you could conclude that the cloud overhead was ____ and had ____ updrafts.
thick; strong
More tornadoes are being reported in recent decades because ____.
tornado-spotting technology has improved
A weak trough of low pressure found in the tropics and along which hurricanes occasionally form is called a(n) ____.
tropical (easterly) wave
By international agreement, what is the general term for all hurricane-type storms that originate over tropical waters?
tropical cyclones
While fly fishing in a mountain stream, you notice that the wind is blowing uphill. From this you might deduce that the wind is a ____.
valley breeze
Cumulus clouds that appear above isolated mountain peaks are often the result of ____.
valley breezes
Continental Arctic (cA):
very cold, very dry air mass that forms over land
Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 0.4 and 0.7 micrometers is called ____.
visible light
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Increasing cloudiness and warm today with the possibility of showers by this evening. Turning much colder tonight with southwesterly winds becoming gusty and shifting to the northwest."
warm-type occluded front
For a surface storm system to intensify, the upper trough of low pressure must be located to the ____ of the surface low.
west
The majority of the United States lies within a(n) ____ wind belt.
westerly
The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by ____ weather and winds blowing from ____.
wet; sea to land
Fork Lightning:
when a dart leader leading towards the ground deviates from the original path taken by the stepped ladder, appearing crooked
Absorption
when a substance inhibits the passage of outgoing radiation
Ribbon Lightning:
when wind moves the ionized channel between each return stroke; causing lightning to appear like it's hanging from the cloud
An ideal shelter for housing a temperature-measurement instrument should be painted ____.
white
Billow clouds are known to primarily form in areas of ____.
wind shear
What term describes air aloft that changes speed or direction?
wind shear
The Enhanced Fujita scale pertains to the ____.
wind speed of a tornado
The net force acting on air that is blowing parallel to straight contours at constant speed is ____.
zero
