ATM S 103 Final
_____________ must be present prior to the development of sever thunderstorms because it prevents the conditional instability of the atmosphere from being used before conditions become extreme
Convective Inhibition (CIN)
What threshold is mentioned as a dew point temperature where it starts to feel sticky?
18 C
Consider three one-liter samples of air at a temperature of 90 F. The dew points of each sample are listed below. Which dew point corresponds to the sample with the largest number of water vapor molecules? - 60 F - 30 F - -10 F - all three have the same number of water vapor molecules
60 F
An increase in temperature would cause
Dew point to remain the same and decrease in relative humidity
In which column the cloud is the air likely colder?
Outside of the cloud
Why is the layer below these clouds filled with ascending and descending air currents?
The air within the clouds is cooled by evaporation and starts to sink
Consider a sealed container that is half filled with water and half filled with dry air. If the air and the water are the same temperature, what would it mean to say that the air is "saturated"?
The amount of water vapor entering the air through evaporation and leaving through condensation are equal
How does the behavior of water molecules in ice compare to the behavior of water molecules in water vapor?
Water molecules in ice are connected by many bonds while water molecules in water vapor are only very rarely
About half of the deaths associated with Hurricane Camille occurred as a result of hurricane's landfall in southern Mississippi. The other half mostly occurred in Virginia as a result of a) flash flooding from heavy rains. b) large hail in severe thunderstorms. c) strong winds. d) fires started by lightning strikes in towns.
a
All of the following are impacts of hurricanes that cause severe damage except: a) hail b) flooding c) storm surge d) high winds
a
How did the extremely small size of Cyclone Tracy impact the ability of the Darwin Tropical Cyclone Warning Center to forecast the path and intensity of the storm? a) The small size made it very hard to determine the current strength of the storm since no measurements happened to be taken near its center. b) The small size made it very easy to measure the environment around the storm, leading to more accurate forecasts of strength and track. c) Neither of the above.
a
Hurricanes always form over warm water, because: a) water vapor can easily evaporate off the surface, providing latent heat needed to fuel hurricanes b) the environment over warm water is unstable to dry adiabatic ascent due to high surface temperature c) there are more cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) over warm waters
a
If you want to observe clouds at nighttime, which of the following satellite images will be useful? a) Infrared (IR) only b) Visible only c) Both are useful d) Neither are useful
a
In a developing supercell, how is a horizontal line about which a paddle wheel would rotate (a vortex line) tilted vertically? a) An updraft pulls part of the vortex line into a vertical orientation. b) It encounters a zone of horizontal wind shear. c) The Coriolis force twists the vortex line up into the vertical.
a
In the below picture, when the water drains slowly in the sink, why does the water swirl near the center but not in the margin? a) The water in the margin swirl only very slowly, but when the water get sucked in it will swirl faster to conserve the angular momentum. b) The water in the margin doesn't swirl at all, it's the sink that provides extra torque when water get sucked in. c) It's an optical illusion. d) Because the Coriolis force is exerted near the center.
a
In which of the following cases, the pressure of a point does NOT match the of weight of the air above the point? a) An air parcel in the middle of a supercell. b) An air parcel in a clear sky with high CAPE. c) An air parcel in an saturated environment. d) All of the above pressure matches the weight of the air above
a
Since the satellite age, the number of tropical cyclones per year worldwide has been relatively constant. However, individual basins like the north Atlantic can have widely varying numbers of tropical cyclones in different years. Why? a) In a given year, natural variations in global climate such as El Niño can create more or less favorable conditions for tropical cyclones in different regions of the world. b) Average sea surface temperatures have risen in the north Atlantic but not in any other tropical cyclone basin. c) High or low numbers of tropical cyclones occur completely randomly in individual basins, and the activity level in one basin is completely unrelated to that in another. d) None of the above
a
The image below is a map of radar reflectivity for a supercell thunderstorm. The scale goes from blue (low reflectivity) to pink (high reflectivity). Which region is most likely to have hail in it? a) Region A (mainly pink) b) Region B (mainly blue and purple) c) Region C (mainly red) d) Region D (mainly yellow and green)
a
The photo below shows a thunderstorm moving from left to right. The arrows represent two different possible profiles of wind speed at different heights. Which set of arrows show a wind profile that would help to extend the life of the storm? a) Blue arrows (smaller on top, bigger as they go up) b) Red arrows (all the same size) c) Neither d) It depends on how fast the storm is moving
a
The winds are strongest in the right-hand half (northern half if the storm is moving to the west) of a northern-hemisphere hurricane because in the right-hand half, a) the hurricane's rotating winds add to the winds in the larger environment that are carrying it forward. b) the eyewall is stronger. c) the Coriolis force is weaker. d) there is more vertical wind shear.
a
There is a low-pressure center storm shown in video (around 20s). Flow there is primarily ____. a) clockwise around the low b) from high to low pressure c) from low to high pressure d) counterclockwise around the low
a
Tornadoes in Oklahoma are most common during the a) spring b) summer c) fall d) winter
a
Tornadoes will stop when a) temperature difference disappear, moisture in the air dries up, conditions become more stable b) temperature difference increase, moisture in air increases, conditions are unstable c) temperature differences disappear, moisture in air increases, conditions become more stable d) temperature differences increase, moisture in air dries up, and conditions are unstable
a
Tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic basin usually peaks in _______ when _______ are the warmest. a) late summer and early fall; sea surface temperatures b) late spring and early summer; sea surface temperatures c) late summer and early fall; air temperatures at upper levels d) late spring and early summer; air temperatures at upper levels
a
True or False: Only 2 feet (0.7 meters) of flood water is enough to carry away most vehicles. a) True b) False
a
True or False: Suction vortices can be more damaging than the actual center of the tornado. a) True b) False
a
True or False: The small size of the Labor Day Hurricane contributed to large forecast errors in the days before landfall on Long Key. a) True b) False
a
True or False: Virga is a streak of precipitation falling from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground, because of adiabatic heating while pressure increases as it gets closer to the ground. a) true b) false
a
What shape are raindrops? a) Small raindrops are spherical, but large raindrops tend to flatten on the bottom. b) Small raindrops are teardrop-shaped (spherical on the bottom with a point on top), but large raindrops are spherical. c) All raindrops are spherical. d) All raindrops are flat and pancake-shaped.
a
Which of the following is not a typical hazard from multi-cell thunderstorms? a) Violent tornadoes b) Flash flooding c) Hail d) High straight-line winds
a
Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship between the size and intensity (in terms of wind speed) of hurricanes? a) Size and intensity are unrelated; storms of very different sizes may produce equally strong winds. b) The smaller the diameter of the hurricane, the stronger its winds. c) The larger the diameter of the hurricane, the stronger its winds.
a
Which of the following will cause a tropical cyclone to weaken or dissipate? a) Moving over land b) Moving over a region of warmer sea-surface temperatures c) Weak vertical wind shear d) All of the above
a
Which weather phenomenon is the most dangerous to airplanes during takeoff and landing? a) Microburst/downdrafts b) Snow c) Lighting d) Hail
a
Why were many houses built after 1980 more severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew than those built earlier? a) Because of inadequate building inspections during construction. b) Because the Dade County building codes were unusually lax. c) Because homes built after 1980 were less likely to be sheltered from the winds by large, sturdy trees
a
which o the following is the single deadliest storm in the western hemisphere? a) the great hurricane of 1780 b) solon's hurricane c) the galveston hurricane d) the savanna-la-mar hurricane
a
which of the following ingredients are NOT required to form single cell or "air mass" thunderstorms? a) High wind speeds throughout the potential depth of the thundercloud b) High surface dew points c) A "trigger" to release atmospheric instability by creating vertical motion d) Conditional instability aloft
a
Which of following involves exchanges of latent heat? a) breaking the bonds between liquid water molecules during evaporation b) condensation of water vapor into liquid water c) heating a liquid to its boiling point
a and b
which factors caused the big thompson flood in colorado on july 31 1976? a) stationary thunderstorms that produced 12 inches of rain in 4 hours b) the steep canyon walls absorbed little of the water c)
a and b
Which of the following correctly labels the phase changes? a) gas <--> liquid b) liquid <--> solid c) solid <--> gas
a) evaporation b) freezing c) sublimation
Specific conditions for tornadoes include (select all that apply) a) rising air b) a lot of moisture and condensation c) a huge cloud base d) very stable air
a, b, c
Which of the following is a potential trigger for a thunderstorm? a) lifting air over a mountain range b) heating the surface c) lifting of air over an atmospheric front d) addition of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)
a, b, c
what geographical conditions of Lake Maracaibo would be the reasons that cause high lightning density? a) It is located in low latitudes, where solar energy is sufficient to provide storms. b) It is near to Caribbean, where warm water supply is sufficient. c) It is bounded by two mountains, which brings cold air downward and forces warm air upward to form clouds. d) Its area (13,000 km2) is large enough to form thunderstorms
a, b, c
Which of the following lightning scenarios is likely to be deadly? a) standing next to a wired fence during a lightning storm b) lying in an open field when lightning strikes a nearby tree c) sitting in a metal-top car that is directly struck by lightning d) using cabled electronics inside a house with plumbing and electricity when lightning strikes nearby
a, b, d
where do red sprites occur?
above the thunderstorm
most clouds form when
air is lifted and cooled to saturation
one of the ways in which cumulus clouds differ from stratus clouds is that
all of the air in stratus clouds moves upward at the same rate while air inside cumulus clouds travels upward at different rates, with some air rising rapidly
Because of the prevailing winds in the atmosphere, hurricanes generally move ______ near the equator and ______ when they move to the mid-latitudes. a) westward; westward b) westward; eastward c) eastward; westward d) eastward; eastward
b
For which of the following lapse rates is conditional instability possible? a) 11 C/km b) 9 C/km
b
If the environment is conditionally unstable, moistening the air at the surface will tend to make the environment: a) More stable because the humid air is heavier than the dry air so b) Less stable because the rising air will reach its dew point and become saturated more quickly c) The stability of the environment will remain the same d) There isn't enough information to tell
b
If the forecast says a hurricane is about to make landfall following the track of the white line on the figure, what should the people live in the area indicated by the red arrow be worried about? a) Strong wind damage b) Heavy rains and flooding c) Storm surge d) All of the above
b
In the satellite image below, the region located at the center of the tropical cyclone, devoid of cloudiness, is called the _______ and air within this region is _______. a) eye; rising b) eye; sinking c) eyewall; rising d) eyewall; sinking
b
In the video, we see how the movement of the ball can be affected by the coriolis effect from the spinning merry-go-round. On the other hand, the ground (the Earth) is also rotating. Is the ball also affected by the coriolis effect from the Earth? a) It is affected by the coriolis effect from the Earth only when it is viewed from a spinning merry-go-round. b) Yes, the ball is also affected by the coriolis effect from the Earth, but it is very weak because the movement of the ball is in much smaller scale compared to the rotation of the Earth. c) Yes, the ball is also affected by the coriolis effect from the Earth, so people should always expect the ball moves along a curved path wherever they are. d) No, the ball is not affected by the coriolis effect from the Earth
b
Once a tropical cyclone moves inland and into mountains, the greatest threat to life comes from a) flying debris. b) flooding. c) lightning. d) strong winds.
b
Over the last century, hurricane damage (as measured in inflation-adjusted dollars) has _______ because _______. a) Increased; hurricanes have grown more intense due to climate change b) Increased; coastal populations have increased dramatically c) Decreased; forecasting skill has improved markedly d) Decreased; buildings are considerable better constructed today
b
Over the past 20 years in the north Atlantic basin, tropical cyclone track forecasting has improved _______ and tropical cyclone intensity forecasting has improved _______. a) little; significantly b) significantly; little c) little; little d) significantly; significantly
b
The Atlantic hurricane season in general spans from June to November. Why don't hurricanes form during the off-season? a) The vertical wind shear is too weak. b) The sea surface temperature is too cold. c) The Coriolis force is shifted south
b
The Enhanced Fujita scale categories are assigned to tornadoes based on wind speeds, which are most often estimated by analyzing _______. a) computer model reconstructions of the tornado b) damage left by the tornado c) doppler radar reflectivities d) doppler radar velocities
b
The image below shows a family of water spouts. The funnels lie a) under a mesocyclone. b) along a zone of strong horizontal wind shear. c) along a line of strong sea surface temperature contrasts. d) within a region of strong downdrafts.
b
Three golf-ball-sized hailstones are shown in the image below. Which of the following statements is true about these hailstones? a) The clear layers form when the new ice freezes rapidly onto the hailstone while the "milky" layers form when the new ice freezes slowly onto the hailstone b) The layers in these hailstones formed as they recirculated through different parts of the storm having different sized cloud droplets and precipitation particles at different temperatures c) The layers in these hailstones are a result of the hailstones passing through the different electrical charges in the thunderstorm d) These pictures have been edited in Photoshop; hail does not have layers
b
True or False: Doppler radar can always detect whether there is a tornado on the ground. a) True b) False
b
True or False: The Atlantic hurricane season tends to be more active when there is an El Niño in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. a) True b) False
b
True or false: below 0 C, all water in clouds is frozen. a) True b) False
b
What brand-new technology did Admiral Halsey's fleet have that should have helped him avoid two typhoons in 1944 and 1945? a) Satellites b) Radar c) Radio d) Aircraft instrument
b
When hurricane makes landfall, its intensity will _____. a) strengthen, mostly due to higher temperature at the surface. b) weaken, mostly due to less supply of water vapor. c) weaken only if there are mountains near the coast to disrupt the storm's circulation.
b
When precipitation is formed by the ice crystal process, _______. a) There is a net transport of water vapor from ice crystals to liquid droplets b) There is a net transport of water vapor from liquid droplets to ice crystals c) Liquid droplets collect ice crystals d) Larger ice crystals collect smaller ice crystals
b
Which aspect of a hurricane is NOT a direct contributor to the strength of the hurricane's storm surge? a) The slope of the ocean floor b) The amount of rain that falls on the coast c) The speed of the hurricane's winds d) The low pressure in the storm's eye
b
Which of the following can be explained by Coriolis force? a) Sink/Toilet drains rotate differently in opposite hemisphere b) Tropical cyclones rotate differently in the northern and southern hemispheres c) When you are driving, your car tends to veer to the right in the northern hemisphere d) All of the above
b
Which of the following characteristic of supercell makes the distinctive difference from other types of thunderstorm? a) Significant amount of CAPE. b) The rotation in the updraft. c) Extremely warm and moist air at the surface. d) Gust fronts.
b
Which of the following did NOT happen in the super outbreak of 1974? a) More people were killed than in any other weather disaster in the US b) Over 5000 people were injured c) Over 100 tornadoes occurred d) The most EF4/EF5 tornadoes in a single cluster were recorded
b
Which of the following scenarios will most likely result in locally enhanced precipitation from a tropical cyclone? a) The tropical cyclone moves over colder sea surface temperatures. b) The tropical cyclone makes landfall in a mountainous region. c) The tropical cyclone makes landfall on small, low-lying islands.
b
Which of the following statements correctly describes the forecasts made 24 hours before Hurricane Katrina made landfall? a) The predicted track of the hurricane was not accurate. b) The National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings that emphasized that the strength of the storm was unprecedented and would cause catastrophic damage. c) Hurricane Katrina was poorly forecast; the deadly flooding in New Orleans was completely unexpected.
b
Which of the following statements describes what may happen to a tropical cyclone after it recurves and remains over the ocean? a) All tropical cyclones weaken and completely disappear shortly after recurving. b) The tropical cyclone can transition into an intense midlatitude low. c) The tropical cyclone often intensifies and accelerates toward the west. d) None of the above.
b
Which system is more similar to the atmospheric environment where stratus occurs? a) beaker with water and floating ice b) beaker with water and sunken ice
b
which is more likely to be stable? a) beaker with water and floating ice b) beaker with water and sunken ice
b
A precipitating cloud was measured to have a temperature at its base of 20C and a temperature at its top of 0C. Which of the following was the key process that converted cloud droplets into raindrops? a) The ice crystal process b) Condensation of water vapor c) Collision and coalescence
c
All _______ contain a _______. a) mesocyclones; tornado b) supercells; tornado c) supercells; mesocyclone d) thunderstorms; mesocyclone
c
As the winds in a tropical cyclone circle the eye, the winds near the surface are also moving _______ the eyewall and winds aloft are also moving _______ the eyeball. a) in towards; in towards b) out away from; out away from c) in towards; out away from d) out away from; in towards
c
As the winds of a hurricane increase, more water vapor is evaporated from the sea surface. This tends to ______ the hurricane and ______ the sea surface. a) weaken; cool b) weaken; warm c) strengthen; cool d) strengthen; warm
c
Developing supercells often begin as a single thunderstorm that splits into two because of what mechanism? a) oppositely-rotating updrafts repelling each other b) vertical wind shear tearing the storm in half c) rain falling into the initial updraft d) all of the above
c
How are tropical cyclones different from midlatitude cyclones? a) Tropical cyclones are often visually asymmetric while midlatitude cyclones are visually symmetric. b) The strongest winds in a tropical cyclone are near the tropopause while the strongest winds in a midlatitude cyclone are near the surface. c) Tropical cyclones are powered by the release of latent heat in thunderstorms while midlatitude cyclones are powered by horizontal temperature differences. d) All of the above
c
How did Hurricane Andrew affect the US insurance industry? a) The industry boomed as residents of South Florida clamored to buy insurance in the wake of Andrew. b) Insurers were not impacted by Hurricane Andrew; business continued as usual. c) Many insurers went out of business because they could not afford to pay out all of the claims from storm damage.
c
Hurricane Camille became so intense in part because a) it picked up extra moisture over the Everglades. b) it interacted with the Appalachian Mountains after making landfall in Mississippi. c) it passed over an extremely warm current in the Gulf of Mexico. d) it encountered strong vertical wind shear
c
Hurricane Mitch (1998) is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane ever on record (after the Great Hurricane of 1780). What made Hurricane Mitch so deadly? a) An extraordinarily large storm surge inundated vast stretches of coastline. b) Mitch transitioned into a midlatitude low upon interacting with the mountains of Central America. c) Intense rains led to extreme flooding and mudslides. d) Extreme Category-5 winds destroyed numerous shantytowns in Honduras.
c
Hurricanes stir up the ocean beneath them, _______ the surface of the ocean, which tends to _______ the hurricane. a) warming; weaken b) warming; strengthen c) cooling; weaken d) cooling; weaken cooling; strengthen
c
If you encounter a tornado while driving, is it wise to take shelter under a highway overpass? Why or why not? a) Yes, the overpass will protect you from flying debris. b) Yes, tornadoes tend to go around objects like overpasses. c) No, the winds are strengthened because they are forced through a smaller area. d) No, overpasses attract lightning from the storm.
c
On average, which continent sees the most tornadoes annually? a) Africa b) Australia c) North America d) South America
c
Stages in hurricane development include tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane. At what stage will a storm be named? When it becomes a ____ a) Tropical disturbance b) Tropical depression c) Tropical storm d) Hurricane
c
The 1962 Columbus Day Storm in the Pacific Northwest was caused by a) The landfall of a tropical cyclone on the Oregon coast. b) The polar vortex bringing in an extremely cold air mass from Canada. c) An extra-tropical cyclone that originally was a western Pacific typhoon.
c
The Atlantic seasonal hurricane forecast issued by the National Hurricane Center predicts all of the following except a) The number of named tropical storms. b) The number of hurricanes. c) The number of hurricanes that will make landfall in the United States. d) The number of major (Category 3 or higher) hurricanes.
c
The direct cause of most fatalities in the deadliest hurricanes on record were produced by which of the following hazards? a) Lightning b) Strong winds c) Storm surge d) Rip currents
c
Weak waterspouts are caused by a) lifting at a gust front b) uneven solar heating of the ocean c) updrafts lifting air over a region of horizontal wind shear d) rotation from a mesocyclone
c
What kind of hazards are usually NOT associated with air-mass thunderstorm? a) Lightning b) Flash flood c) Tornado d) Gust front
c
What time of day are tornados most likely to form in Kansas? a) Early morning b) Noon c) Late afternoon d) Night
c
Which of the following is a reason why tropical storms do not form over the southeastern Pacific Ocean? a) The effects of El Nino are so strong in this region that tropical cyclones cannot form. b) The vertical wind shear is too weak and thus the cyclone cannot sustain strong updrafts. c) The sea surface temperatures are too low to sustain tropical cyclones. d) The Coriolis force is too weak and cannot create a tropical cyclone's rotation.
c
Which of the following is an effect of global warming that could possibly increase the intensity of future tropical cyclones? a) Increased upper-level winds in the tropics b) Increased global average sea levels c) Increased tropical sea surface temperatures d) Increased ocean acidity
c
Which of the following is the original source of rotation for a tornado associated with a mesocyclone? a) the Earth's rotation (the Coriolis force) b) horizontal wind shear c) vertical wind shear d) a strong updraft
c
Which of the following properties distinguishes environments that produce supercell thunderstorms from environments that produce other types of thunderstorms? a) the presence of high, thin clouds b) an unusually unstable atmosphere c) strong environmental wind shear between the surface and the tropopause d) high surface dew points
c
Which of the following statements about changes in a warming climate is most certain? a) Tropical cyclones will become more frequent. b) All tropical cyclones will become more intense. c) Global sea levels will continue to rise. d) Global precipitation will, on average, decrease.
c
Why is the front-right quadrant of a hurricane (colored pink in the diagram below), as shown below, the most hazardous for ships? (Note the heavy black arrow should be labelled "track" not "tack".) a) The storm surge is at its lowest point in that quadrant. b) There are more tornadoes there than in the other quadrants. c) The high winds on the right side create large waves just forward of the storm. d) The winds and waves are most amplified by the Coriolis force in that quadrant.
c
Why should you shelter in an interior room of your home during a tornadic supercell thunderstorm? a) To avoid getting struck by lightning. b) To minimize sudden pressure differences. c) To avoid exposure to flying debris. d) None of the above; it doesn't matter which room you are in.
c
microbursts are a notorious danger to aviation safety. Which of the following statements is NOT true? a) They are difficult to forecast because of their small scale and sudden onset b) They are most dangerous when jet airplanes are taking off or landing c) Most of the aircraft incidents that have been attributed to microbursts involve multiple lightning strikes to the airplane d) Strong microbursts can also damage trees and buildings
c
in the case of temperature inversion, the air mass is called "capped" because if we lift an air parcel from the ground, it will be ________ than the surround air, and therefore _________.
colder, stop rising
the environmental lapse rate is 12 C per km and the adiabatic lapse rate is 10 C per km. If a parcel is forced to rise, it will _______
continue to rise
Ice accumulation on airplane wings during flight can be a significant aviation hazard. Icing occurs on an airplane's wings when flying through super-cooled water clouds because a) jet exhaust releases particles that cause more water droplets to form. b) the impact of the wing on the droplets lowers their temperature, so they freeze. c) the wing is made of metal, which is colder than its surroundings, causing the droplets to cool to freezing. d) the wing's surface provides microscopic irregularities onto which the droplets can freeze.
d
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the government and people of New Orleans have a) developed housing more suitable for withstanding flooding. b) had NPO volunteers to help evacuation c) increased property taxes to fund improved levee maintenance. d) choices (a) and (b). e) choices (a), (b), and (c).
d
In which tropical basin are there, on average, the most tropical cyclones per year? a) the north Indian ocean basin b) the eastern north Pacific ocean basin c) the north Atlantic ocean basin d) the western north Pacific ocean basin
d
Prior to 1960, we did not realize that there were more Eastern Pacific hurricanes each year on average than in the Atlantic. Why? a) The Eastern Pacific is not a region with many shipping lanes, removing potential witnesses to the storm. b) The tracks of most Eastern Pacific hurricanes take them away from land. c) No weather satellites were monitoring the region. d) All of the above
d
Severe weather warnings alert you when _______ and severe weather watches alert you when _______. a) conditions are favorable for severe weather in a local region; conditions are favorable for severe weather in a large region b) dangerous conditions are imminent in a local region; dangerous conditions are imminent in a large region c) conditions are favorable for severe weather; dangerous conditions are imminent d) dangerous conditions are imminent; conditions are favorable for severe weather
d
The cold, sinking air that wraps around the updraft is called the a) mesocyclone b) anticyclone c) tornado d) rear flank downdraft
d
The image below shows radar information for radial velocity (left, velocities away from the radar are reds, toward the radar are greens) and reflectivity (right). Over the region inside the circle, which of the following options best describes what the radar is observing? a) a gust front b) a microburst c) severe hail d) a mesocyclone
d
Tornadoes can completely destroy one house while leaving the neighboring one almost untouched because a) tornadoes often lift houses and set them back down in the same place. b) there is no wind immediately outside of a visible funnel. c) all the windows were opened before the storm in the untouched house d) powerful suction vortices within the main funnel can cause severe isolated damage.
d
What causes the rotation inside a developing tornado to intensify? a) Air parcels within the tornado become dry-unstable and begin to rapidly rise and rotate within the mesocyclone. b) Vertical wind shear adds vertical rotation to a preexisting column of vertically rotating air. c) The mesocyclone descends from the bottom of the cloud to the ground. d) Existing rotation is concentrated as columns of air are stretched upwards in the updraft.
d
What direction do hurricanes transport heat? a) Hurricanes transport heat vertically from higher elevations in the atmosphere to the surface. b) Hurricanes transport heat horizontally from the midlatitudes to the tropics. c) Hurricanes transport heat horizontally from the center of the hurricane to distant surface locations. d) Hurricanes transport heat vertically from the surface to higher elevations in the atmosphere.
d
What is the Saffir-Simpson Scale for tropical cyclones based on? a) surveys of damage from the storm b) the diameter of the eye of the storm c) the surface pressure in the eye of the storm d) the speed of the storm's sustained winds
d
Which of the following affects the motion of tropical cyclones? a) The change in the strength of the Coriolis force with latitude b) The trade winds in the tropics c) The westerlies in the midlatitudes d) All of the above
d
Which of the following data are NOT used in short-term (5 days or less) forecasts of hurricanes? a) Satellite imagery b) Aircraft measurements c) Ocean buoy measurements d) All of the above are used in forecasting hurricanes
d
Which of the following is associated with Hurricane Maria? Select all that apply. a) brought over 40" of rainfall to parts of Texas b) it was the deadliest in US history c) it was the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide d) it caused a months-long blackout across much of Puerto Rico
d
Which of the following is important in determining the type of thunderstorm that might develop over a given region? a) The vertical wind shear b) The difference in temperature between a rising air parcel and its environment (CAPE) c) The total amount of moisture an air parcel has d) All of the above
d
Which of the following makes hurricanes hard to forecast? a) Complete observations of the current state of the atmosphere around and within the hurricane are hard to obtain. b) Some of the important physical processes governing hurricanes are not perfectly represented in current forecast models. c) The behavior of hurricanes is very sensitive to small changes in their structure and in the surrounding environment. d) All of the above
d
Which of the following statements about the levees in New Orleans is correct? a) The failure of the levees was largely blamed on design flaws b) The levees started to fail a few hours after Katrina made landfall and continued to fail over the next several days. c) The levees were essential to the safety of New Orleans since a large portion of the city lies below sea level. Correct! d) All of the above are correct
d
Why does low-level wind shear extend the lifetime of a thunderstorm? a) It makes the storm move more slowly. b) It draws cooler, more moist air into the thunderstorm. c) It causes the downdraft to rotate. d) It helps prevent the cold pool (gust front) from cutting off the supply of warm, moist air to the updraft.
d
Why don't hurricanes form along the equator? a) The sea surface temperatures are too hot at the equator. b) The upper-level winds are too weak at the equator. c) There is too much land along the equator. d) The Coriolis force is too weak at the equator.
d
following the Galveston Hurricane in 1900, Galveston: a) was rebuilt but was never prominent or as prosperous as before b) built a 10-mile long sea wall c) raised the elevation of the city d) all of the above
d
how do downdrafts develop in single cell thunderstorms? a) Precipitation evaporates below cloud base, which causes the air beneath the storm to cool and sink b) Falling precipitation drags air downward c) Dry air is entrained through the sides of the cloud which causes air inside the cloud to cool as droplets evaporate d) all of the above
d
what is the mechanism by which electrical charges develop in a thunderstorm cloud?
falling graupel and hail collide with rising small ice crystals
true/false: a cloud that contains only water vapor and rain can produce lightning
false
air parcel is a hypothetical blob of air that can be best described in a _______, because ______.
flexible plastic balloon; air inside will adjust its pressure to the environment
water vapor is __________ and clouds are composed of ___________.
invisible; water droplets and ice crystals
What does convective available potential energy or CAPE tell us about thunderstorm development?
it determines the energy that rising air parcels can release
As an air parcel rises in the atmosphere, it cools because
it expands and does work as the atmospheric pressure decreases
Did the dry ice form clouds or just a blob of carbon dioxide? How did that work?
it forms clouds because it cools the air which causes water vapor in the air to condense to become cloud droplets
how does the condensation help to heat up the drinks?
it releases latent heat to the drinks
the sea level temperature in seattle is 25 C. A dry parcel is lifted from sea level to an altitude of 1 km where the environmental air temperature is 17 C. What happens to the parcel?
it returns to sea level
averaged over the entire year, which of these locations experiences the most lightning?
land near equatorial oceans
a parcel of air cools when it is lifted. why do dry parcels cool more rapidly than moist parcels?
moist air has more water vapor, which releases more latent heat into the air parcel as it is lifted
where in the united states would you be most likely to witness lightning? - seattle , WA - orlando, FL - LA, CA - boston, MA
orlando, florida
if the temperature of an air parcel is warmer than its surroundings, its density must be less than that of its surroundings because the parcel and the environment always have the same _______
pressure
which of the 2 methods heats the frozen drink more effectively? - put it in the oven - put it over the boiling pot
put it over the boiling pot
what commonly triggers single cell thunderstorms?
solar heating of the surface which is then transferred to the air near the ground
the atmosphere above a layer of stratus clouds is most likely
stable
People tend to sweat when they feel that their body temperatures are high. What is the mechanism by which sweating can help you to cool off?
sweating exchanges latent heat between your body and the sweat during evaporation which requires energy
which of the moist air parcels located inside the thunderstorm will experience the least amount of dry air entrainment?
the center of the updraft
under which situations would the fog/dew/frost most likely form?
the ground becomes colder by radiating energy into space
Which is the main region for lightning?
the middle of the storm, between -10 C and -20 C
why do tropical regions have a higher frequency of lightning compared to the polar regions?
the polar regions lack solar energy
what causes thunder?
the rapid expansion of air is heated by a lightning stroke
Suppose in day 1, air temperature is 18 C, the dew point is also 18 C; in day 2, air temperature is 30 C, the dew point is also 30 C. Which day would have higher relative humidity and would be muggier?
the relative humidity is the same in both days, but day 2 is muggier
how do ships create ship tracks in clouds?
the ships' exhaust provides additional cloud condensation nuclei for cloud droplets to form on
Why do some thunderstorms stop growing upward and end up spreading out horizontally?
there is a stable layer on the top of clouds that stops air parcels from rising
how do cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) work to create cloud droplets?
they serve as surfaces onto which water vapor can condense
a parcel of air is buoyant and likely to rise if it is _______ than the surrounding environment
warmer
For a thunderstorm to be possible, the rising air must be _________ than the environment and the atmosphere must be ________
warmer; conditionally stable
what process will tend to make a mixture of cloudy and unsaturated air become cooler than the unsaturated air was before mixing?
water droplets in the cloudy will tend to evaporate as unsaturated air is mixed in, cooling the mixture
clouds form when air becomes saturated. When using a bottle and cork to make a cloud, when does saturation occur, and why?
when they pull out the cork because the temperature in the bottle decreases
why do we see our breath only in winter?
your breath needs to cool to become saturated
