Chapter 6

7. If the air temperature is 20 °C and the vapor pressure has the same value as the saturation vapor pressure, the relative humidity is a. less than 100%. b. more than 100%. c. 100%.

100

33. A lapse rate of ______ Celsius degrees per 1000 meters is unstable for unsaturated (clear) air parcels. a. 11 b. 8 c. 1 d. 6

11

23. If the mixing ratio of a parcel of air is 2 grams per kilogram and its saturation mixing ratio is 6 grams per kilogram, the relative humidity is ______ percent. a. 3 b. 33.3 c. 40 d. 300

33.3

34. A lapse rate of ______ Celsius degrees per 1000 meters is conditionally stable. a. 12 b. 4 c. 8 d. 15

8

26. Two equal volumes of air have the same temperature and pressure. One contains more water vapor than the other. a. Both volumes of air contain the same number of gaseous molecules. b. The more humid parcel contains more gaseous molecules than the other. c. The drier parcel contains more gaseous molecules than the other. d. None of the above is correct.

a

27. In winter, the precipitable water is likely to have its highest value in a. Miami, FL. b. Denver, CO. c. Milwaukee, WI. d. Toronto, ON.

a

29. Suppose that the vapor pressure of the cold outside air is the same as the vapor pressure of the warm air indoors. If the door is opened and the cold air replaces some of the warm air, then the new relative humidity indoors would be a. higher than before. b. the same as before. c. lower than before.

a

49. The greatest amount of latent heat (per gram) is absorbed from the environment when a. ice changes directly to vapor. b. ice melts. c. liquid water changes to vapor. d. liquid water freezes.

a

5. Global-scale water vapor imagery shows evidence that water vapor is transported a. around the globe. b. from one ocean basin to another. c. between the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. d. All of the above are correct.

all of the above

16. A lapse rate of ______ Celsius degrees per 1000 meters is stable for unsaturated air parcels. a. 8 b. 7 c. 2 d. All of these are correct.

all of these

44. As unsaturated (clear) air flows down the leeward slopes of a mountain range, a. the air temperature rises. b. the relative humidity decreases. c. the saturation vapor pressure increases. d. All of the above are correct.

all of these

50. As an unsaturated (clear) parcel of air ascends dry adiabatically, a. its relative humidity increases. b. its saturation vapor pressure decreases. c. its temperature drops. d. All of the above are correct.

all of these

1. In the global water budget, annual precipitation is greater than annual evapotranspiration a. on the ocean. b. on the continents.

b

14. Conditional stability indicates that an air layer is a. stable for both saturated and unsaturated air parcels. b. unstable for saturated and stable for unsaturated air parcels. c. stable for saturated and unstable for unsaturated air parcels. d. unstable for both saturated and unsaturated air parcels.

b

15. An example of sublimation is a. dew forming on grass. b. ice disappearing from a sidewalk while air temperatures remain below freezing. c. melting snow. d. frost forming on grass.

b

20. Conditional stability indicates that an air layer is a. stable for both cloudy and clear air parcels. b. unstable for cloudy and stable for clear air parcels. c. stable for cloudy and unstable for clear air parcels. d. unstable for both cloudy and clear air parcels.

b

37. Rising parcels of saturated (cloudy) air do not cool as rapidly as rising parcels of unsaturated (clear) air because a. rising parcels of saturated air do work in expanding. b. expansional cooling of saturated air is partially compensated for by the release of latent heat that accompanies cloud formation. c. saturated air parcels are always warmer than their surroundings. d. None of the above is correct.

b

28. Two equal volumes of air at the same temperature and pressure have different amounts of water vapor in them. The air parcel with the higher relative humidity will a. weigh more than the other parcel. b. contain more molecules than the other parcel. c. contain the same number of molecules as the other parcel. d. weigh the same as the other parcel.

c

42. Cumulus clouds are more likely to form over a. snow-covered ground in winter. b. a lake surface in summer. c. vegetated land surface in summer. d. frozen tundra in winter.

c

43. As saturated (cloudy) air flows up the windward slopes of a mountain range, a. the relative humidity increases. b. the mixing ratio does not change. c. the saturation mixing ratio decreases. d. the air temperature rises.

c

8. Air mass advection ______ change the relative humidity. a. can b. cannot

can

4. Sublimation is to deposition as evaporation is to a. evapotranspiration. b. sublimation. c. deposition. d. condensation.

condensation

17. The saturation vapor pressure ______ with falling air temperature. a. decreases b. increases

decreases

21. If a saturated air parcel containing no cloud particles is heated (by absorption of radiation), its relative humidity a. increases. b. decreases. c. does not change.

decreases

31. As the difference between the dewpoint and the ambient air temperature decreases, the relative humidity a. decreases. b. increases. c. does not change.

decreases

35. As measured by a sling psychrometer, the wet-bulb depression ______ with rising relative humidity. a. increases b. decreases c. does not change

decreases

39. A relatively warm surface tends to ______ the overlying air. a. stabilize b. destabilize

destabilize

30. Unstable air ______ vertical motion of air parcels. a. enhances b. suppresses c. has no effect on

enhances

9. On a clear and calm day, the relative humidity usually ______ between sunrise and early afternoon. a. rises b. falls c. does not change

falls

32. ______ on a Stüve diagram are isobars. a. Diagonal lines b. Horizontal lines c. Vertical lines

horizontal

10. Rising air temperature is associated with a(n) ______ in the saturation mixing ratio. a. increase b. decrease

increase

13. A temperature inversion is characterized by a(n) ______ of air temperature with altitude. a. increase b. decrease

increase

19. In an air layer characterized by a temperature inversion, the temperature a. does not change with altitude. b. decreases with altitude. c. increases with altitude.

increases with altitude

46. A rain shadow is situated downwind from the ______ slopes of a high mountain barrier. a. windward b. southern c. leeward

leeward

6. In an agricultural field during the growing season, direct evaporation of water from the soil is usually ______ transpiration of water by plants. a. less than b. about the same as the c. more than

less than

47. Cumulus clouds are ______ likely to build into thunderstorm clouds when the air temperature profile (sounding) indicates unstable atmospheric conditions. a. most b. least c. not

most

2. In the global water budget, annual precipitation is less than annual evaporation a. on the ocean. b. on the continents.

on the ocean

11. The maximum pressure that water vapor molecules would exert if the air were saturated is known as the a. saturation vapor pressure. b. dewpoint. c. saturation mixing ratio. d. saturation relative humidity.

saturation vapor pressure

38. A snow cover tends to ______ the overlying air, thus inhibiting convection. a. stabilize b. destabilize

stabilize

22. ______ air tends to suppress convection and cloud development. a. Unstable b. Stable

stable

41. Normally, the stratosphere is a. stable. b. unstable. c. conditionally stable.

stable

3. Evaporation is to condensation as deposition is to a. evaporation. b. precipitation. c. evapotranspiration. d. sublimation.

sublimation

Fahrenheit degrees per 1000 feet, the air layer is ______ for saturated (cloudy) air parcels and ______ for unsaturated (clear) air parcels. a. stable...............stable b. unstable...............unstable c. stable...............unstable d. unstable...............stable

unstable unstable

48. The windward slopes of mountain ranges are relatively ______ compared to the leeward slopes. a. dry b. wet

wet