GEOG EXAM #3: CHAPTER 8

Rossby waves: A. usually move from west to east. B. usually occur in global sets of ten or more. C. change little from season to season. D. tend to reinforce normal weather patterns at middle latitudes.

A

A cold air drainage wind is called a: A. Katabatic wind. B. Santa Ana wind. C. Foehn. D. Sea breeze. E. Bora.

A Katabatic wind

The trade winds are the result of: A. flow around large, dynamic sub-tropical high pressure systems. B. flow around large, dynamic sub-tropical low pressure systems. C. an imbalance in the Coriolis Force. D. friction.

A flow around large, dynamic sub-tropical high pressure systems.

Maps of the global distribution of the mean height of the 500 mb surface show a decrease in height at the pole, which is due primarily to: A. low temperatures at the pole. B. low-pressure systems at the pole. C. the absence of the Coriolis effect at the pole. D. the strong magnetic field at the pole.

A low temperatures at the pole.

This is NOT a part of the Hadley cell: A. mid-latitude westerlies. B. trade winds. C. ITCZ. D. subtropical highs.

A mid-latitude westerlies.

The Hadley cell: A. originates with strong solar heating at the equator. B. creates a high-pressure area at the equator. C. does not account for the formation of trade winds. D. does not explain upper air movement in the troposphere.

A originates with strong solar heating at the equator.

The four scales of the atmosphere from largest to smallest are: A. planetary, synoptic, meso, and micro. B. planetary, soprano, micro, and meso. C. meso, planetary, micro, bass. D. micro, meso, synoptic, planetary

A planetary, synoptic, meso, and micro.

Santa Ana winds are: A. similar to Chinooks but are caused by different dynamics. B. a cold wind found in the Yukon Territory. C. a hot, dry wind that flows off the Mexican High Plateau onto the plains of Texas. D. a cool, dry wind flowing off the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain.

A similar to Chinooks but are caused by different dynamics.

. The United States does not have significant monsoonal activity primarily because: A. there is no major east-west mountain range in the southeastern United States. B. the Gulf of Mexico has moderately cool surface waters. C. winds tend to blow from the north in the summer. D. North America is smaller than Asia.

A there is no major east-west mountain range in the southeastern United States.

Maps of the global distribution of the mean height of the mb surface in January and July demonstrate that all of the following is true, except: A. 500 mb heights are greatest over the tropics. B. 500 mb heights typically increase with increasing latitude. C. the gradient in height is greatest in the hemisphere experiencing winter. D. for a given latitude the 500 mb height is greater in summer than in winter.

B 500 mb heights typically increase with increasing latitude.

In which of the following situations would swimmers find the warmest waters at the beach? A. Winter off the north coast of Alaska. B. Los Angeles in summer with an on-shore wind. C. Los Angeles in summer with a Santa Ana wind. D. Just north of San Francisco in summer.

B Los Angeles in summer with an on-shore wind.

A ________ aloft is associated with ________ air; a ________ aloft is associated with ________ air. A. Ridge/cold; trough/warm B. Ridge/warm; trough/cold C. Low/sinking; high/rising D. none of the above

B Ridge/warm; trough/cold

Semi-permanent pressure cells: A. have no impact on major weather patterns. B. can change substantially from summer to winter. C. stay in one place. D. maintain the same intensity year-round.

B can change substantially from summer to winter.

Foehns: A. are mesoscale winds. B. flow downslope and warm by compression. C. are usually associated with heavy rainfall. D. are called Chinooks in Los Angeles.

B flow downslope and warm by compression.

The subtropical high: A. is neither a part of, nor a consequence of, the Hadley cell. B. often causes dry, desert-like conditions. C. has strong pressure gradients. D. has strong winds.

B often causes dry, desert-like conditions.

The horse latitudes were associated with the: A. equatorial low. B. subtropical highs. C. sub-polar lows. D. polar highs.

B subtropical highs.

The source of moisture for the Asian monsoon is: A. the snows of the Tibetan Plateau. B. the Indian Ocean. C. evapotranspiration from southeast Asian jungles. D. the Ganges River delta.

B the Indian Ocean.

The general circulation is: A. an annual land-sea breeze. B. the largest scale of circulation that can be traced to unusual weather happenings. C. not responsible for the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). D. contributes nothing to the redistribution of heat energy in the earth-atmospheric system. E. none of the above.

B the largest scale of circulation that can be traced to unusual weather happenings.

The process where cold ocean waters are circulated to the surface is called: A. the Eckman Spiral effect. B. upwelling. C. the Humbolt conformal effect. D. the Gulf Stream. E. the North Atlantic Drift.

B upwelling.

This is most prominent in summer: A. Aleutian low. B. Icelandic low. C. Hawaiian high. D. Siberian high.

C Hawaiian high.

The Mistral is: A. a foehn type wind. B. a Santa Ana type wind. C. a katabatic wind. D. an on-shore flow. E. an European sea breeze.

C a katabatic wind.

Westerly winds in the upper atmosphere at mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere: A. are a result of a pressure gradient that moves air from the poles toward the equator. B. are stronger in summer than in winter. C. are the reason most mid-latitude storms move from west to east. D. are moving perpendicular to 500 mb contours

C are the reason most mid-latitude storms move from west to east.

Jet streams: A. do not change much in intensity over the course of a year. B. have typical speeds around 50 km/hr. C. are very turbulent. D. are easy for meteorologists to track.

C are very turbulent.

The polar front: A. is not associated with the polar jet stream. B. is a region of small changes in the slope of pressure surfaces. C. is a region marked by a sharp change in horizontal temperature. D. is a boundary between two regions of cold air.

C is a region marked by a sharp change in horizontal temperature.

The two major jet streams that impact weather in the northern hemisphere are the: A. polar jet stream and the low-level jet stream. B. the sub-tropical jet stream and the low-level jet stream. C. polar jet stream and the sub-tropical jet stream. D. None of the above. Jet streams are not significant to northern hemisphere weather.

C polar jet stream and the sub-tropical jet stream.

The Santa Ana winds: A. are named after a former leader of Mexico. B. are most common in summer. C. result from high pressure over the Rocky Mountains. D. receive much of their heat from the hot deserts over which they travel.

C result from high pressure over the Rocky Mountains.

Sea breezes: A. occur when the temperature at the seashore is higher than that inland. B. require a surface region of high pressure inland. C. result from the fact that water both warms and cools more slowly than land. D. are usually less intense than land breezes.

C result from the fact that water both warms and cools more slowly than land.

El Niño: A. usually causes drought in California. B. results from a lower temperature of surface waters in the eastern Pacific. C. results in both reduced air pressure and increased evaporation. D. typically does not affect the northern portion of the United States.

C results in both reduced air pressure and increased evaporation.

. Monsoons in Asia: A. are strongest in January and February. B. occur when the winds blow south from the Himalayas. C. start when the interior of the continent heats up in summer. D. require an offshore wind.

C start when the interior of the continent heats up in summer.

Katabatic winds: A. originate in high-pressure systems. B. usually have very high speeds. C. typically require a high-level plateau. D. are most common in equatorial regions.

C typically require a high-level plateau.

Winds in the upper atmosphere are: A. westerly only in the northern hemisphere. B. westerly only in the southern hemisphere. C. westerly in both the northern and southern hemisphere. D. faster in summer than in winter in both the northern and southern hemisphere.

C westerly in both the northern and southern hemisphere.

Usually, the pressure gradient force would be strongest at the: A. 950 mb level. B. 900 mb level. C. 800 mb level. D. 700 mb level.

D 700 mb level.

Monsoons are most dramatic on this continent: A. North America. B. Europe. C. South America. D. Asia.

D Asia.

The area near the equator where the three-cell model of the northern hemisphere interfaces with the three-cell model of the southern hemisphere is called the: A. ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). B. heat equator. C. doldrums. D. all of the above.

D all of the above.

Regarding troughs and ridges, it is true that: A. they most closely approximate a spiral pattern. B. troughs are associated with high pressure. C. there is always an equal number of troughs and ridges across the continental United States. D. height contours for troughs are shifted toward the equator

D height contours for troughs are shifted toward the equator

The three-cell model of atmospheric circulation: A. gives a good approximation of what actually happens over the entire globe. B. is not significantly better than the Hadley model. C. does not address what happens at the poles. D. is better at explaining the ITCZ than at explaining the frequency of easterlies in subpolar latitudes.

D is better at explaining the ITCZ than at explaining the frequency of easterlies in subpolar latitudes.

The Sahel: A. is located in South America. B. has a rainy season that lasts for nearly nine months out of the year. C. has seen little meteorological change in recent decades. D. is usually dominated by the subtropical high.

D is usually dominated by the subtropical high.

El Niño seems to entail all of the following, except: A. a significant change in the Walker circulation. B. the occurrence of the Southern Oscillation. C. weaker trade winds. D. lower evaporation rates in the eastern Pacific.

D lower evaporation rates in the eastern Pacific.

The ITCZ: A. is an area of high pressure. B. is where trade winds originate. C. forms the boundary between the Ferrel and polar cells. D. receives a lot of rain.

D receives a lot of rain.

As the subpolar spot makes its seasonal migrations, this is affected least: A. the location of subtropical highs. B. the location of the ITCZ. C. the location of the trade winds. D. the location of the polar high.

D the location of the polar high.