Meteorology Final

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What is a blackbody?

A perfect radiator

Absolute zero is the temperature at which:

All molecular motion ceases

Sources of weather information made available for the general public are:

All of the above

The National Buoy Data Center___:

All of the above

The decline in weather forecast skills as the forecast period lengthens is due to:

All of the above

Weather forecasting requires:

All of the above

Of the following cloud types, which one is warmest?

Cirrus

At night, the day's (24 hour) minimum air temperatures tend to be the highest when the sky is:

Clear

The Coriolis Effect is zero and produces no deflection of the wind at the:

Equator

As measured by a sling psychrometer, the wet-bulb depression ___ with rising humidity.

Increases

___ pressure systems are usually accompanied by fair weather and ___ pressure systems are usually accompanied by stormy weather

Low; High

All other factors being equal, a snow cover tends to ___ the day's average air temperature

Lower

Earth's principle greenhouse gas is:

Water vapor

The windward slopes of a mountain ranges are relatively ___ compared to the leeward slopes

Wet

At the same pressure, ___ air is less dens than ___ air

warm, dry; cold, dry

An unsaturated (clear) air parcel at an initial temperature of 5 degrees C is forced to ascend 2,5000 meters. Following the ascent, the air parcel has a temperature of about ___

-10 Degrees C

How long is one Earth axial precession as embodied in the Milankovitch cycles?

10,000 years

If the air temperature is 20 degrees C and the vapor pressure has the same value as the saturation vapor pressure, the relative humidity is:

100%

Approximately how long is the sunspot cycle?

11 years

What percentage of the atmosphere's mass is below the altitude of an aircraft flying at the 700 mb level?

30%

If the mixing ratio of a parcel of air is 2 grams per kg, and its saturation mixing ration is 6 grams per kg, the relative humidity is ___ percent

300

What percentage of climate scientists ascribe to the view that most of the current global warming is caused by human activities?

78%

As solar radiation travels through the atmosphere, a portion of that radiation is:

Absorbed by gases, reflected by clouds, and scattered by dust particles and molecules

Highs and Lows are identified on surface weather maps by areas enclosed within isobars. Which one of the following statements about Highs is true?

Air pressure decreases outward from the center of a High

Lows and Highs are identified on surface weather maps by areas enclosed within isobars. Which one of the following statements about Lows is true?

Air pressure increases outward from the center of a Low

___ is the source of nuclei: Forest fire, wind erosion of soil, seawater spray

All of the above

The average air pressure at sea level is: 14.7 lb per square inch 1013.25 mb 101,325 Pascals

All of these

The type of front formed when the leading edge of cold air merges with a warm front is known as ___:

An occluded front

In equal volumes, which one of the following air masses exerts the highest surface air pressure?

Arctic

The station model format and symbols plotted on weather maps__

Are the same throughout the world

When is an infrared satellite image more useful than a visible image?

At night

Hygroscopic nuclei ___ water molecules

Attract

Typically, the day's ___ temperature occurs around sunrise

Average

The cloud and precipitation shield associated with a warm front typically is ___ the cloud and precipitation shield associated with a cold front

Broader than

During photosynthesis, green plants remove ___ from the atmosphere and release ___ to the atmosphere

Carbon dioxide; Oxygen

Which of the following is NOT part of the scientific method in climate research?

Changing the climate

Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds blow ___ about the center of a high pressure system

Clockwise and outward

In the Northern Hemisphere, what kind of weather is associated with an anticyclone?

Cloudy, because it's a low pressure system

___ fronts are associated with cloudiness and precipitation over a broad geographical area

Cold

Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, winds in a low pressure system blow:

Counterclockwise and inward

Between the tropopause and stratopause, the air pressure ___ with increasing altitude

Decreases

On a clear and calm day, the relative humidity usually ___ between sunrise and early afternoon.

Decreases

What is climate variability?

Deviations from average values of weather variables

The katabatic wind flows ___:

Downhill

Often the day's highest temperature occurs

During early to mid-afternoon

The Coriolis Effect arises from:

Earth's rotation

The year, winter in Ohio is milder than usual because of ___:

El Nino

Warmer than usual sea surface temperatures off the coast of Peru indicate the presence of ___:

El Nino

The response time of a thermometer refers to the rapidity at which an instrument resolves changes in temperature. Which of the following thermometers generally has the fastest response time?

Electrical resistance

Rising parcels of unsaturated (clear) air cool at at ___ rate than rising parcels of saturated (cloudy) air

Faster

Which of the following is helpful in subdividing the electromagnetic spectrum?

Frequency of the wavelength

What is latent heat?

Heat exchanged when water changes phases

With the same volumes, a cold and dry air mass exerts ___ surface air pressure than a warm and humid air mass

Higher

The National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Network collects weather data primarily for ___ purposes

Hydrologic, agricultural, and climatic

In response to the same input of heat, which one of the following substances exhibits the smallest rise in temperature?

Ice

An example of sublimation is:

Ice disappearing from a sidewalk while air temperatures remain below freezing

When air pressure readings at Denver (the "mile-high city") are adjusted to sea level, barometric pressure readings are___

Increased

As the difference between the air temperature and the dew point increases, the relative humidity ___

Increases

Average horizontal wind speed ___ with altitude within the troposphere

Increases

In the portion of the atmosphere where most clouds occur, the air temperature ___ with increasing altitude

Increases

Kines of equal temperature plotted on a weather map are called:

Isotherms

As saturated (cloudy) air rises,

It expands and cools

On a global scale, the most important process whereby the excess heat at the earth's surface is transported to the troposphere is

Latent heat

A rain shadow is situated downwind from the ___ slopes of a high mountain barrier.

Leeward

At the same temperature and pressure, humid air is ___ dry air

Less dense than

In summer, at the same pressure, maritime tropical air is ___ continental tropical air.

Less dense than

When land and water are exposed to the same intensity of solar radiation, the water warms ___ the land

Less than

Contrasting air masses are brought together to form fronts by the surface winds blowing about the center of a ___ pressure system

Low

A rarely seen cloud that forms in the upper mesosphere that may be composed of ice deposited on meteoroic dust is:

Noctilucent

The shape of the sun is distorted when it appears above the horizon because ___:

None of the above

Earth is the closest to the sun during the:

Northern Hemisphere winter

By international agreement, radiosonde balloons are launched everywhere at the same time at ___ intervals:

One-hour

Sensible heating includes transfer of heat via:

Phase changes of water

Today, the principal source of atmospheric oxygen is

Photosynthesis by plants

___ is used to describe the weight of the overlying air

Pressure

The ___ causes air to flow from areas of relatively high air pressure to areas of relatively low air pressure

Pressure gradient force

A radio-equipped instrument package used to monitor conditions in the troposphere and lower stratosphere that is carried aloft by a balloon is a :

Radiosonde

The variation of temperature, air pressure, and dew point (a measure of humidity) with altitude within the troposphere is measured using a

Radiosonde

Latent heat is ___ the environment when water freezes

Released to

Why is the earth's sky blue?

Scattering of sunlight by nitrogen and oxygen molecules

Heat always travels from the hotter to colder substances. This is a demonstration of the ___ Law of Thermodynamics.

Second

What is the difference between freezing rain and sleet?

Sleet is ice in a cloud and falls as ice, whereas freezing rain is liquid in a cloud and freezes only after it hits the ground or a surface.

Warm fronts typically travel ___ cold fronts

Slower than

Radiosondes provide all the following weather information EXCEPT

Solar Radiation

Clouds located at different altitudes ___ move in a different direction indicating ___ in the horizontal wind direction with altitude

Sometimes; a change

The Antarctic Ozone Hole develops during the Southern Hemisphere's:

Spring

Adjusting barometer readings to sea level removes the influence of ___ on air pressure.

Station elevation

Excess heat in tropical latitudes is transported poleward primarily by ocean currents, exchange of air masses, ___.

Storms

A halo around the moon can be a predictor of ___:

Stormy weather

The portion of the atmosphere in which the principal gases (N and O) occur everywhere in the same proportion is the

Stratosphere

The subdivision of the atmosphere where most weather phenomena occur is the

Stratosphere

A sea breeze dies down near ___:

Sunset

A front is a narrow zone between air masses that contrast in

Temperature and humidity

A source region for continental tropical air is ___:

The American Southwest

According to Wien's displacement law, which one of the following objects emits its most intense electromagnetic energy at the shortest wavelength?

The Sun

In the Northern Hemisphere, why does the circulation in a cyclone favor cloudy weather?

The air in the center of the high pressure system descends, causing warm, moist air to form clouds.

The variation of annual average air temperature through time is greater over:

The continents

The higher the solar altitude,

The longer the light path through the atmosphere

Temperature is defined as:

The total kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules composing a substance

The horizontal air pressure gradient is 2mb per 100km in NY, while it is 6 mb per 100 km in Kansas. Therefore, the wind would be stronger in___;

There is no relationship between the strength of wind and the horizontal air pressure gradient

What is the significance of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn relative to incident solar radiation?

They are the latitudes at which the sun is directly overhead in the spring and/or fall

How can volcanoes contribute to climate change?

They release carbon dioxide which causes warming

Which one of the following surfaces has the least surface roughness and therefore offers the least resistance to the horizontal wind?

Tidal mud flats

A rainbow may be visible___:

To a person facing a shaft of rain with the sun to his/her back

A horizontal wind is named for the direction ____ the wind blows

Toward which

The proportions of the principal gases (N and O) change with altitude in the

Troposhphere

Which of the following has wavelengths shorter than visible light?

Ultraviolet

Stratospheric ozone protects living organisms from exposure to potentially lethal intensities of:

Ultraviolet radiation

When a mountain range is near a large body of water, what causes cloud formation?

Uplift and warming of moist air

Which one of the following is NOT part of the electromagnetic spectrum

Visible black

A weather ___ is issued when hazardous weather is taking place or is imminent

Warning

An atmospheric gas that varies significantly in concentration from one location to another near sea-level is

Water vapor

___ is defined as the state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time

Weather

___ is the movement of air measured relative to Earth's surface

Wind

Relatively high surface air pressure is usually accompanied by ___ weather, whereas relatively low surface air pressure is usually accompanies by ___ weather

fair; stormy

The layers of the atmosphere, in order, from the surface up are

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere

The ___ is the portion of the atmosphere in which the ozone shield occurs

Stratosphere

Chinook winds ___:

None of the above is correct

Cold and humid air:

mP

At the same pressure, which one of the following air masses is least dense?

mT


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