Meteorology Final
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