MET 1010 EXAM 2 FSU RAY
The top of the friction layer is usually found near what altitude?
1,000 meters
If the sea level pressure in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is 1,016 mb, the strongest summertime sea breeze along the New Jersey coast would occur when the sea level pressure just east of Atlantic City, New Jersey is:
1019 mb
A station at an altitude of 900 m (about 3,000 feet) above sea level measures an air pressure of 930 mb. Under normal conditions, which of the values below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?
1020 mb.
Suppose a station at sea level measures an air pressure of 1,030 mb. Under standard conditions, what would be the most likely air pressure at an elevation of 600 m (about 2,000 ft) above this station?
1090 mb.
If the outside air temperature is 27°C and the air density is 1.2 kg/m3, the outside air pressure would be:
172.28 mb.
The greatest wind speed ever recorded at the earth's surface occurred at:
200 knots (230 mph) in 1934 at Mount Washington, NH.
In terms of the three-cell general circulation model, the driest regions of the earth should be near:
30 degrees latitude and the polar regions
If the wind speed doubles, the force exerted by the wind increases by a factor of ____.
4
The temperature at which you would expect a cloud to become completely glaciated is:
40 degrees C
At middle latitudes, the base of an altostratus or altocumulus cloud would generally be found between:
6500 and 23000 feet
Which of the following would NOT be considered a "desert" wind?
???
Which of the instruments below indicates both wind speed and wind direction?
Aerovane
Which association below is NOT correct?
Altostratus- high cloud.
Which instrument only measures wind speed?
Anemometer
Which of the scientists below was not one of the meteorologists who helped develop the polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone?
C.G. Rossby
Which region is not considered to be a region where cyclogenesis often occurs?
California
Major ocean currents that flow parallel to the coast of North America are:
California, Gulf Stream, and Labrador
In middle latitudes, which cloud will have the highest base?
Cirriform clouds
Which cloud is LEAST likely to produce precipitation that reaches the ground?
Cirrocumulus
Which cloud type is composed of ice crystals and can cause a halo to form around the sun or moon?
Cirrostratus clouds
Which air mass would show the most dramatic change in both temperature and moisture content as it moves over a large body of very warm water?
Continental Polar (cP) in winter
The ____ is an apparent force created by the earth's rotation.
Coriolis force
The rate of the earth's rotation determines the strength of the:
Coriolis force
Which of the following can influence wind direction?
Coriolis force, pressure gradient force, centripetal force (all of the above).
Which of the following forces CANNOT act to change the speed of the wind?
Coriolis force.
The name given to the current of warm water that replaces cold surface water along the coast of Peru and Ecuador during December is:
El Nino
The mercury barometer was invented by:
Evangelista Torricelli.
Which of the following forces does not have a direct effect on horizontal wind motions?
Gravitational force.
The two ocean currents, warm and cold, that produce fog off the coast of Newfoundland are the:
Gulf stream and labrador current
The large thermally driven convection cell that is driven by convective "hot" towers along the equator is the ____.
Hadley Cell
Strong Santa Ana winds develop in Los Angeles during the fall when a ____ pressure center forms to the ____.
High; northeast of Los Angeles over the Great Basin
A condition where the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean turns cooler than normal is called:
La Nina
Which of the following associations is most accurate?
Mesoscale-land breeze
The "force exerted on an object equals its mass times the acceleration produced" is a description of:
Newton's second law of motion
Average winter temperatures in Great Britain and Norway would probably be much colder if it were not for the:
North Atlantic Drift
A phenomenon in the Atlantic Ocean, similar to the southern oscillation, is the:
North Atlantic Oscillation
A surface LOW pressure area that moves from south to north directly east of your home would most likely produce winds that shift from:
Northeast to North to Northwest
The origin of cP and cA air masses that enter the United States is:
Northern Canada and Alaska
The polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone was conceived in:
Norway
Satellites measure rainfall from space using which instrument?
Precipitation Radar and The microwave imager
Which below would NOT be considered an onshore wind?
Santa Ana wind
Which of the winds below is NOT considered to be a cold wind?
Santa Ana wind or Chinook wind
Which of the following is NOT considered a semi-permanent high or low pressure area?
Siberian high
The fundamental laws of motion were formulated by:
Sir Isaac Newton.
A cold front that moves into New England from the east or northeast is called:
a "back door" cold front
Which of the following conditions would be most suitable for natural cloud seeding by ice crystals?
a cirriform cloud lying directly above a lower cloud deck
Radiation fog typically forms on:
a clear winter night with a very slight breeze
Occluded fronts may form as:
a cold front overtakes a warm lake
A "back door" cold front describes which of the following situations?
a cold front that moves into New England from the Atlantic Ocean
The surface weather map is a sea level chart. Thus, a surface weather map is also called:
a constant height chart.
An upper-level pool of cold air that has broken away from the main flow is called:
a cut-off low
If the outflow of air around a surface high pressure area is greater than the convergence of air aloft, you would observe:
a decrease in the central pressure
A drylines is:
a dew point front and a boundary making a string horizontal change in atmospheric moisture
A wind profiler obtains wind information using:
a doppler radar
In summer, during the passage of a sea breeze, which of the following is NOT usually observed?
a drop in relative humidity
On a weather map, the transition zone between two air masses with sharply contrasting properties is marked by:
a front
The word "frontogenesis" on a weather map would mean that:
a front is regenerating or strengthening
Precipitation with the greatest size (diameter) is:
a hailstone
A typical raindrop is about ____ a typical cloud droplet.
a million times that of
According to the three-cell general circulation model, at the equator we would not expect to find:
a ridge of high pressure
An aneroid barometer works on the principle that:
a small closed cell with most of its air removed will expand and contract with changes in air pressure.
A surface low pressure center is generally associated with ____ on an upper level isobaric chart.
a trough
On a cold, winter morning, the most likely place for radiation fog to form is:
a valley
A halo around the sun or moon indicates that rain may be on the way because the halo indicates:
a warm front may be approaching
Areas of rising air tend to be associated with ____ precipitation.
abundant
Suppose two ocean currents with different temperatures are flowing next to one another. If the wind blows perpendicular to the currents, we would expect to find:
advection fog
The fog that forms along the Pacific coastline of North America is mainly which type?
advection fog
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation is similar to the El Niño/Southern Oscillation, except that it:
affects fish population
On a surface weather map that shows an open wave cyclone, the warm sector can be observed:
ahead of an advancing cold front
In the Northern Hemisphere, the polar jet stream is strongest when:
air north of the polar front is much colder than air south of the polar front
Northeasters (or nor'easters) are midlatitude storms commonly found:
along the Atlantic coast of North America
The contour lines drawn on a 500 mb chart are lines of constant:
altitude
To correctly monitor horizontal changes in air pressure, the most important correction for a mercury barometer is the correction for:
altitude
A middle cloud that sometimes forms in parallel waves or bands is:
altocumulus
Which clouds often appear in parallel waves or bands?
altocumulus
Which of the following pairs of cloud types could be very similar in appearance?
altocumulus and cirrocumulus
Which of the following associations is not correct?
altocumulus castellanus- resemble "little castles"
Radar gathers information about precipitation in clouds by measuring the:
amount of energy reflected back to the radar unit
Air moving eastward more slowly than the earth rotates, would appear to be ____ wind to an observer on the earth.
an east
During the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation,
an increased pressure gradient exists across the North Atlantic Ocean, the prevailing westerlies in the northern hemisphere are stronger, winters in the eastern US are wet and mild (all of the above)
An instrument used to measure wind speed is called a(n):
anemometer
Which below is not a name given to a large cyclonic storm system that forms in the middle latitudes?
anticyclone
If we assume that the absolute vorticity of flowing air is conserved, air moving northeastward will bend ____ to compensate for the ____ in the earth's vorticity.
anticyclonically; increase
Many small-scale processes are ____ in General Circulation Models.
approximated and parameterized
Continental polar (cP) and continental Arctic (cA) air masses:
are very similar; originate over the ice and snow covered regions of the Arctic, Northern Canada and Alaska where long, clear nights allow for strong radiational cooling
Winds blow slightly inward:
around surface low pressure centers in the northern and southern hemisphere
When radiation fog "burns off", the fog tends to dissipate:
as the warmer air mixes in toward the denser foggy area.
The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure ________.
at all places on earth
In the general circulation of the atmosphere, one would find the region called the doldrums:
at the equator
Which below is NOT correct concerning an occluded front?
at the surface, it is always followed by colder air
Thermal turbulence above the surface is usually most severe:
at the time of maximum surface heating
In the vertical, the pressure gradient force points ____ and gravity points ____.
away from the earth; toward the earth
A chinook wall cloud is a:
bank of clouds forming over the mountains
On an upper-level chart where the isotherms cross the isobars (or contours) and temperature advection occurs, the atmosphere is called:
baroclinic
Which of the following instruments measures pressure?
barometer
Which is NOT a characteristic of a thermal low?
becomes stronger with increasing height
The difference in saturation vapor pressure between supercooled water and ice reaches a maximum at about -12°C. This means that the ice crystal process will be most effective in producing precipitation when cloud temperatures are:
below -40 degrees C
On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, one would observe the westerlies:
between the subpolar lows and the subtropical highs
An offshore wind:
blows from land to water; also known as a land breeze
Another term for explosive cyclogenesis used by meteorologists is:
bomb
Strong winds blowing over vegetation results in:
brush fires
Record breaking low temperatures are associated with which air mass?
cA
The coldest of all air masses is ____.
cA
A Texas norther (or blue norther) is most often associated with which air mass?
cP
Clear sunny days with very cold nights would be associated with what type of air mass?
cP
What type of air mass would be responsible for refreshing cool, dry breezes after a long summer hot spell in the Central Plains?
cP
Cumuliform cloud development would be most likely in which of the following?
cP air mass moving over warm water
The lake effect occurs when ____ air mass moves over a ____ body of water.
cP; warm
What type of air mass would be responsible for heavy summer rain showers in southern Arizona?
cT
What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, dry summer weather in southern Arizona?
cT
Which air mass forms over North America only in summer?
cT
Freshly fallen snow ____ sound waves.
can absorb
When you see your breath on a cold morning, the air temperature:
can be above or below freezing
The net force on air moving in a circle at constant speed is:
centripetal force
Cyclonic flow means ____ in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
circulation around a low pressure center
A halo around the moon means that:
cirrostratus clouds are present
Detached clouds of delicate and fibrous appearance, without shading, usually white in color and sometimes of a silky appearance are:
cirrus clouds
Which of the following clouds are almost always composed of ice crystals?
cirrus clouds
In winter, which sequence of clouds would you most likely expect to observe as a warm front with precipitation approaches your location?
cirrus, cirrostratus, altostratus, nimbostratus
At jet streak is a place where ____ is (are) often found.
clear air turbulence, strong vertical wind speed shear, and very strong winds (all of the above)
Which of the following is a serious hazard to aircraft?
clear-air turbulence
The wind around a surface low pressure center in the Southern Hemisphere blows:
clockwise and inward
The wind around a surface high pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere blows:
clockwise and outward
In the Northern Hemisphere, ocean currents in the Atlantic and the Pacific move in a generally circular pattern. The direction of this motion is ____ in the Atlantic and ____ in the Pacific.
clockwise; clockwise
Polar orbiting satellites:
closely parallel the earths meridian lines. Pass over the north and south polar regions on each revolution. Covers the entire earth
On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, chinook winds are driest when:
clouds form and the precipitation falls on the upwind side of the mountain
The merging of liquid cloud droplets by collision is called:
coalescence
Squall lines most often form ahead of a ______ front.
cold
In the Northern Hemisphere, air found to the north of the polar front is ____, while air further south is ____.
cold ; warm
One would expect a cP air mass to be:
cold and dry
On a weather map, this front, drawn in blue, represents a region where colder air is replacing warmer air:
cold front
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Increasing cloudiness and warm today with the possibility of showers by this evening. Turning much colder tonight. Winds southwesterly becoming gusty and shifting to northwesterly by tonight."
cold front
In winter, thunderstorms are most likely to form along:
cold fronts
A katabatic wind is a ____, ____ wind.
cold, downslope
On a weather map where cold air is replacing cool air, what type of front is drawn?
cold-type occluded front
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Light rain and cold today with temperatures just above freezing. Southeasterly winds shifting to westerly tonight. Turning colder with rain becoming mixed with snow, then changing to snow."
cold-type occluded front
Dust storms and dust devils are ____ on Mars.
common
Santa Ana winds warm by ____ as the flow down an elevated desert plateau.
compression
The heat from a chinook wind is generated mainly by:
compressional heating
Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called:
condensation nuclei
On a 500 millibar chart, ____ are drawn to represent horizontal changes in altitude which correspond to horizontal changes in pressure.
contour lines
The cloud-like streamer often seen forming behind an aircraft flying at high altitude is called (a):
contrail
The piling up of air above a region is called:
convergence
The surface air around a strengthening low pressure area normally ____, while aloft, above the system, the air normally ____.
converges; diverges
Which of the following is NOT associated with rising air motions?
converging air aloft
Clouds and precipitation are frequently found on the downwind side of a large lake. This would indicate that the air on the downwind side is:
converging and rising
Developing low pressure areas generally have ____ air near the surface and ____ air aloft.
converging; diverging
A maritime polar air mass that reaches the Pacific Coast is:
cool, moist, and conditionally unstable
An anvil-shaped top is most often associated with:
cumulonimbus
Hail is usually associated with what cloud?
cumulonimbus
The cloud with the greatest vertical growth is:
cumulonimbus
If rain falls on one side of a street and not on the other side, the rain most likely fell from a:
cumulonimbus cloud
The name given to a towering cloud that has NOT fully developed into a thunderstorm is:
cumulus congestus
Which association below is not correct?
cumulus congestus - anviltop
A wind instrument that usually consists of three or more cups:
cup anemometer
The development or strengthening of a middle latitude storm system is called:
cyclogenesis
If surface air pressure decreases, the height of the column in a mercury barometer would:
decrease
When upper-level divergence of air above a surface low pressure area is stronger than the convergence of surface air, the surface pressure will ____ and the storm itself will ____.
decrease; intensify
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Air pressure in the warm column of air will ____ with increasing height ____ than in the cold column.
decrease; more slowly
The most common ice crystal shape:
dendrite
Which below has the least influence on determining how high a wind wave will grow over the open ocean?
density of water
Cyclogenesis is the ____ of a mid-latitude cyclone.
development of strengthening
When temperatures are below freezing, the temperature to which air must be cooled in order for a phase change to occur is called the:
dew point
A sea or land breeze is caused by:
differences in temperature
For cyclogenesis to occur along a frontal wave, the winds aloft directly above the wave should be:
diverging
The lightest form of rain is:
drizzle
The winter monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by:
dry weather and winds blowing from the land to sea
Another name for a small, rotating whirlwind observed at the surface is:
dust devil
If, at your home in the Northern Hemisphere, the surface wind is blowing from the northwest, then the region of lowest pressure will be to the ____ of your home.
east
Suppose that the winds aloft are geostrophic and blowing from the north. Low pressure is located to the:
east
A katabatic wind on the Oregon coast would most likely blow from the:
east to west, downslope
A "back door" cold front moving through New England would most likely have winds shifting from ____ to ____.
east; west
In south Florida the prevailing winds are northeasterly. Because of this, the strongest sea breeze is usually observed on Florida's ____ coast, and the strongest land breeze on Florida's ____ coast.
east; west
At Barrow, Alaska (latitude 70°N), you would expect the prevailing wind to be:
easterly
Generally, the greatest lake effect snow fall will be on the ____ shore of the Great Lakes.
eastern
The howling of wind on a blustery night is believed to be caused by:
eddies
On a weather map, ridges are:
elongated high pressure areas.
A northeaster along the east coast of the United States is best developed when a low pressure area:
enhances the surrounding pressure gradient
When fog "burns off," it:
evaporates
Which statement below best describes the curvature effect?
even if a cloud is at 100% relative humidity, small droplets can evaporate
During a major El Niño event,
extensive ocean warming occurs over the tropical pacific
Before the passage of a cold front the pressure normally ____, and after the passage of a cold front the pressure normally ____.
falls; rises
At any given time, only one jet stream can be found in the atmosphere.
false
Because clouds often block their view, instruments onboard satellite cannot regularly make observations of surface winds.
false
During a reversible adiabatic process, the pressure gradient force is parallel to the isobars.
false
During some years, the northern hemisphere has more than 10 semi-permanent highs and lows.
false
Even at high elevations where cirrus clouds are found, liquid water still exists in the clouds.
false
In an exceptionally cold winter during which the Great Lakes were entirely covered by ice, lake effect snows would be expected in extremely high frequency and intensity.
false
Stratus clouds are typically puffy and form by convection.
false
Suppose two unsaturated air masses mix horizontally. The resulting mixture cannot possibly be saturated.
false
The Coriolis force is the force that causes the wind to blow.
false
Which of the following produces the strongest Coriolis force?
fast winds, high latitudes
Large raindrops fall ____ than smaller raindrops, and have a ____ terminal velocity than small raindrops.
faster; greater
Atmospheric shortwaves usually move ____ than longwaves, and ____ when they move through a longwave ridge.
faster; weaken
The southern hemisphere has ____ semi-permanent lows than the northern hemisphere.
fewer
A chinook wind in the Alps is called a:
foehn
A true cold front on a weather map is always:
followed by cooler air
Which of the following does NOT describe the subtropical jet stream?
forms along the polar front
In the winter you read in the newspaper that a large section of the Midwest is without power due to downed power lines. Which form of precipitation would most likely produce this situation?
freezing rain
Which type of precipitation would most likely form when the surface air temperature is slightly below freezing and the air temperature increases as you move upward away from the ground?
freezing rain
The wind's speed generally increases with height above the earth's surface because:
friction with the earth's surface slows the air near the ground
Surface winds blow across the isobars at an angle due to:
frictional force
The winds aloft in the middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere generally blow:
from west to east
A good source region for an air mass would be:
generally flat areas of uniform composition with light surface winds
When comparing an "average" cold front to an "average" warm front, which of the following is NOT correct?
generally, precipitation covers a much broader area with a cold front
A wind blowing at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and the Coriolis force in balance is called a:
geostrophic wind
When only ice crystals exist in a cloud, the cloud is said to be:
glaciated
A wind that blows at a constant speed parallel to curved isobars or contour lines is called a:
gradient wind
Which of the following might be mistaken for hail?
graupel
The atmosphere around the earth would rush off into space if the vertical pressure gradient force were not balanced by:
gravity
At the same sub-freezing temperature, the saturation vapor pressure just above a liquid water surface is ____ the saturation vapor pressure above an ice surface.
greater than
Suppose a west wind of 20 knots blows over a coastal region which is densely covered in shrubs. If this same wind moves out over the middle of a large calm lake, its speed and direction would probably be:
greater than 20 knots and more northwesterly
A dust or sandstorm that forms along the leading edge of a thunderstorm is a:
haboob
Which of the following is NOT considered to be a katabatic wind?
haboob
Geostationary satellites:
has a geostationary orbit- a circular geosynchronous orbit directly above the earths equator. Remain permanently fixed in exactly the same position in the sky.
A cold-type occluded front:
has cold surface air behind it
In the polar front theory of a developing wave cyclone, energy for the storm is usually derived from all but which of the following?
heat energy stored in the ground
Low ____ on a constant height chart corresponds to low ____ on a constant pressure chart.
height, pressure
On an upper-level chart, normally we find warm air associated with ____ pressure, and cold air associated with ____ pressure.
high; low
A ridge on an upper-level isobaric chart indicates:
higher than average heights.
Warm air aloft is associated with constant pressure surfaces that are found at ____ altitude than normal and ____ than normal atmospheric pressure aloft.
higher; higher
Which of the following conditions favor the development of dust devils?
hot dry, days
When the upward-directed pressure gradient force is in balance with the downward pull of gravity, the atmosphere is in:
hydrostatic equilibrium
On humid days, salt in saltshakers sometimes becomes moist and no longer pours out easily. The salt can be described as:
hygroscopic
During the ice crystal process of rain formation,
ice crystals grow larger at the expense of the surrounding liquid cloud droplets
Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of:
ice particles
The jet stream flows:
in a wavy pattern from west to east
During the summer along the coast, a sea breeze is usually strongest and best developed:
in the afternoon
Surface winds are generally strongest and most gusty:
in the afternoon
A valley breeze would develop its maximum strength:
in the early afternoon
Which of the following statements is most plausible?
in winter, cA source regions have lower temperatures than cP source regions
If a liquid with a lower density than mercury were used in a barometer, the height of the column in the barometer would:
increase
If the earth's gravitational force were to increase, atmospheric pressure at the ground would:
increase
If the flow of air into a surface low pressure area is greater than the divergence of air aloft, the surface pressure in the center of the low will:
increase
Suppose a parcel of air has a given temperature, pressure, and density. If the parcel's size remains the same while its temperature increases, then the air pressure inside the parcel will:
increase
The planetary vorticity of an air parcel moving from low toward high latitude in the Northern Hemisphere will:
increase
As an air parcel aloft moves northward from the equator, it moves closer to the earth's axis of rotation. Because of the conservation of angular momentum, the air parcel's motion should:
increase in speed
Net convergence of air would cause surface pressure to ____ and net divergence would cause surface pressure to ____.
increase; decrease
Saturation vapor pressure ____ as temperature increases.
increases
A thermally direct cell is one that:
is driven energy from the sun
A westerly wind means that the atmosphere:
is moving faster than the earth spins
Which below does NOT describe the polar front jet stream?
is normally found at a higher elevation than the subtropical jet
Lines connecting points of equal pressure are called:
isobars
Which statement below is NOT correct concerning the Coriolis force?
it causes the wind to blow faster
Which of the following is NOT correct concerning a warm front?
it has warm air ahead of it
Which of the following is NOT correct concerning a cold front?
it is colored purple on a weather front
Which below is NOT correct about the stratospheric polar-night jet stream?
it is found near the tropopause
Which of the statements below is NOT correct concerning the pressure gradient force?
it is non-existent at the equator
A strong, usually cold, downslope wind is called a:
katabatibc wind
An extremely strong downslope wind that occurs in parts of Antarctica would be considered a:
katabatibc wind
During the summer in humid climates, nighttime clouds tend to form over water during a:
land breeze
The nighttime counterpart of the sea breeze circulation is called a:
land breeze
Large cloud droplets fall faster than small cloud droplets because:
large drops have faster terminal velocity
A sea breeze is most likely to develop along a coastline when:
large temperature differences exist between land and water
Lake-effect snows are best developed around the Great Lakes during:
late fall and early winter when cold, dry polar air moves over the relatively warm water (cP)
If directly above you at 10,000 feet the wind is blowing from the south, then it is a good bet that at 10,000 feet, the center of lowest pressure is ____ of you, while the center of highest pressure is ____ of you.
left; right
Clouds that have a characteristic lens-shaped appearance are referred to as (a):
lenticular clouds
A warm, dry gusty wind that blows across North Africa is the:
leste
The instrument that uses infrared or visible light in the form of a laser beam to determine wind direction is the:
lidar
Supercooled cloud droplets are:
liquid droplets observed at temperatures below 0 deg C
The land/sea breeze, lake breeze, and mountain/valley breeze are examples of:
local winds
Rossby waves are also known as:
longwaves
Fronts are associated with:
low pressure
Monsoon depressions are:
low pressure areas that enhance rainfall during the summer monsoon
If an airplane flies from standard temperature air into warmer than standard temperature air, without making any correction, the altimeter in the warmer air would indicate an altitude:
lower than the aircraft's actual altitude.
Suppose you are a pilot who is flying from warm air into colder air. In the cold air, even though your altimeter is still indicating the same altitude as it did in the warm air, you would be flying:
lower than your altimeter indicated.
During the winter, an air mass that moves into coastal sections of Oregon and Washington from the northwest would most likely be ____.
mP
The designation for a cool, moist air mass is ____.
mP
What type of air mass would be responsible for persistent cold, damp weather with drizzle along the east coast of North America?
mP
What type of air mass would be responsible for snow showers on the western slopes of the Rockies?
mP
A moist, tropical air mass that is warmer than the surface over which it is moving would be classified ____.
mT
During the spring, which air mass would most likely bring record-breaking high temperatures to the eastern half of the United States?
mT
In Southern California, which air mass is mainly responsible for heavy rains, flooding in low-lying valleys, and melting of snow at high elevations?
mT
The air mass with the highest actual water vapor content is ____.
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for daily afternoon thunderstorms along the Gulf Coast?
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, muggy summer weather in the eastern half of the United States?
mT
What type of air mass would be responsible for summer afternoon thunderstorms along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California?
mT
The greatest contrast in both temperature and moisture will occur along the boundary separating which air masses?
mT and cP
Clouds that appear as bag-like sacks hanging from beneath a cloud are:
mammatus
A barograph will:
measure and record atmospheric pressure.
A jet stream transfers more heat across the globe when it is:
meridional
A wind flow pattern that takes on a more or less north-south trajectory is called:
meridional
The smallest scale of atmospheric motion is the:
microscale
The scatterometer measures winds by sending and receiving pulses of:
microwave energy
The unit of pressure most commonly found on a surface weather map is:
millibars or hectopascals.
Exhaled breath from your mouth can condense when:
moist air from your mouth or nose meets the cold air and mixes with it.
The slowing of the wind due to the random motion of air molecules is called:
molecular viscosity
Pressure changes:
more rapidly in the vertical direction than in the horizontal.
Advection fog is often observed along the Pacific coast during summer, as westerly winds carry moist air toward the shore. The fog forms because the surface water near the coast is ____ the surface water farther offshore.
much colder
Dew is most likely to form on:
nights that are clear and calm
The low-level jet that forms over the Central Plains of the United States appears to be responsible for:
nighttime thunderstorms
Light or moderate-but-steady precipitation is most often associated with ____ clouds.
nimbostratus
A surface low pressure area with a deep upper-level trough to the west will tend to move toward the:
northeast
A wind reported as 45° would be a wind blowing from the:
northeast
In Honolulu, Hawaii (latitude 21°N), you would most likely experience winds blowing from the:
northeast
The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a region where:
northeast trades meet the southeast trades
Continental tropical air masses are typically found in:
northern Mexico and the southwestern US
Suppose that the winds aloft are geostrophic and blowing from the north. With the same orientation of isobars at the surface, the winds would blow from the:
northwest
Satellites can:
observe clouds in earths orbit. Provides extremely valuable cloud photographs of areas where there are no ground-based observations.
The world's deserts are found at 30° latitude because:
of the sinking air of the subtropical highs
A lee-side low forms:
on the downside of a mountain
A sea breeze circulation will reverse direction and become a land breeze:
once per day
Lenticular clouds typically form ____ a mountain range.
over
The rising of warm air up and over cold air is called:
overrunning
The large semi-permanent surface anticyclone that is normally positioned over the ocean, west of California, is called the:
pacific high
On an upper-level chart the wind tends to blow:
parallel to the contour lines
Condensation nuclei may be:
particles of dust, nitric acid particles, smoke from forest fires, and salt from the ocean.
The wind belt observed on the poleward side of the polar front is called the:
polar easterlies
Strong storms that develop over water, poleward of the polar front, are called:
polar lows
The temperature that unsaturated air would have if it moved from its original altitude to a pressure of 1,000 mb is the:
potential temperature
The scale on an altimeter indicates altitude, but an altimeter actually measures:
pressure
The amount of pressure change that occurs over a given horizontal distance is called the:
pressure gradient
If an air parcel is completely at rest, which of the following forces can make the parcel begin to move?
pressure gradient force
The force that would cause a stationary parcel of air to begin to move horizontally is called the:
pressure gradient force
Which of the following relationships best describes the gas law?
pressure is proportional to density times temperature
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
pressure will decrease with increasing height at the same rate in both columns
The cooling of the ground to produce dew is mainly the result of:
radiational cooling
Winter fog in the Central Valley region of California is mainly due to:
radiational cooling
What instrument would you use for a rawinsonde observation?
radiosonde balloon
In a typical advancing winter storm, which of the following sequences of precipitation types is most likely to occur?
rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow
Homogeneous nucleation occurs when:
randomly moving atoms form clusters above a critical threshold
The most practical location for building a wind turbine would be:
regions with moderate, steady winds
At a warm front, the warm air:
rises and cools
We can generally expect the air to be ____ above areas of surface low pressure and ____ above areas of surface high pressure.
rising; sinking
Violent, rotating eddies that create hazardous flying conditions beneath the crest of a mountain wave are called:
rotors
Which of the features below could indicate prevailing wind direction?
sand ripples, sand dunes, "flag" trees (all of the above)
The name given to ragged-looking clouds that rapidly drift with the wind beneath a rain-producing cloud is:
scud
A cool, summertime wind that blows from sea to land is called a:
sea breeze
A smog front is most often associated with which wind system?
sea breeze
When a sea breeze moving north meets a sea breeze moving south, they form a:
sea breeze convergence zone
Satellites provide a global picture of winds by converting ____ into wind speed and direction.
sea roughness
A small, moving disturbance imbedded in a longwave is called:
shortwave
Generally, along the polar front, one would not expect to observe:
sinking air aloft
The main reason Santa Ana winds are warm is because:
sinking air warms by compression
The main difference between a cloud drop and a raindrop is its:
size
During the winter as you travel toward a warm front, the most likely sequence of weather you would experience is:
snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain
Condensation onto hygroscopic nuclei is possible at relative humidities less than 100 percent due to the:
solute effect
On a weather map of the Northern Hemisphere, the trade winds would be observed:
south of the subtropical highs
Generally, on an upper-level (100 mb) chart in the Northern Hemisphere during July, we would expect to find the tropical easterly jet stream:
south of the upper-level subtropical high
When a deep upper-level trough is located to the east of a surface anticyclone, the surface anticyclone will tend to move toward the:
southeast
The position of the Pacific high over the North Pacific Ocean shifts ____ in winter and ____ in summer.
southward, northward
A wind reported as 225° would be a wind blowing from the:
southwest
An mT air mass lying above a cold ground surface represents a(n) ____ situation.
stable
Alternating lines of blue and red on a surface weather chart indicate a:
stationary front
Newton's first law states that "an object at rest ____ as long as no force is exerted on the object."
stays at rest
On a cold, calm autumn morning, the formation of fog above a relatively warm lake would most likely be:
steam fog
Lee-side lows are:
storms (extratropical cyclones) that form on the easter (lee) side of a mountain range
An aneroid barometer carried from sea level to the top of a 300 m (1,000 ft) hill would indicate:
stormy weather
If you hold your hand at arm's length and cloud elements appear to be about the size of your fist, the cloud type is probably:
stratocumulus
In middle latitudes, which cloud will have the lowest base?
stratocumulus
During baroclinic instability,
strong wind speed shear exists from the surface up to at least the 500 mb level, rising and descending air motions exist, and temperature advection occurring (all of the above)
Good hang-gliding conditions require:
strong winds
A seiche can be caused by:
strong winds and sudden changes in atmospheric pressure or earthquakes
Fall streaks usually ____ before reaching the ground.
sublimate
The semi-permanent pressure systems associated with the polar front are called:
subpolar lows
Which below best describes the solute effect?
substances dissolved in a droplet can enhance or retard growth of the droplet
Low pressure becomes best developed over the Asian continent in:
summer
The type of weather system known as a 'mid-latitude cyclone' CANNOT form over the tropical ocean because:
surface temperature contrasts are not large and the Coriolis force is weak in the tropics
The only indication on the station model of past weather conditions is the:
temperature
To obtain the station pressure you must normally make corrections for:
temperature, gravity, and instrument error.
An air mass is characterized by similar properties of ____ and ____ in any horizontal direction.
temperature; moisture
A building anticyclone means:
that central pressure in increasing
The turning of water with depth is known as:
the Ekman Spiral
The reversal of the positions of surface high and low pressure at opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean is called:
the Southern Oscillation
The winds aloft in the middle latitudes would not blow from the west if:
the air over high latitudes became warmer than over the equator
When cP air moves into western Washington, western Oregon, and California from the east, the air mass is warmer at the surface than it was originally because:
the air sinks, is compressed, and warms
On an isobaric surface,
the atmospheric pressure is equal everywhere.
On a humid day, the ____ causes salty potato chips left outside in an uncovered bowl to turn soggy.
the attraction of water by hygroscopic condensation nuclei
Frost forms when:
the dew point is at or below freezing, when the air temperature cools to the dew point and further cooling occurs (water vapor can change directly to ice without becoming a liquid first, a process called deposition).
Which below is NOT an assumption of the single-cell model of the general circulation of the atmosphere?
the earth rotates once in 24 hours
Which of the following statements is NOT correct about vorticity?
the earth's vorticity is zero at the poles
The ultimate cause of jet streams is:
the energy imbalance between high and low latitudes
In terms of the three-cell model of the general circulation, areas of surface low pressure should be found at:
the equator and 60 degree latitude
Suppose a very cold parcel of air at 5.5 km (18,000 feet) is compared to a similar (but warm) parcel of air at sea level. Which of the following would be true?
the parcel at sea leven has higher pressure and higher density
A wind rose indicates:
the percentage of time that wind blows from different directions
Wintertime mP air masses are less common along the Atlantic coast of North America than along the Pacific coast mainly because:
the prevailing winds aloft are westerly
Upwelling is:
the rising or cold water below
The Coriolis force is the result of:
the rotating earth
If two air parcels at sea level have the same size but different temperatures, the colder parcel of air will have:
the same pressure but higher density than the warm parcel
If the earth's surface was homogeneous (either all land or all water),
the semi-permanent highs and lows wouldn't change in intensity
The size and shape of a turbulent eddy depend on:
the size of the obstacle, the shape of the obstacle, and the speed of the wind (all of the above)
Factors that contribute to the formation of a low-level jet stream over the Central Plains of the United States are:
the sloping of land from the Rockies to the Mississippi Valley, a north-south trending mountain range, stable air above the jet (all of the above)
Vorticity refers to:
the spin of air parcels
When an upper-level low lies directly above a surface low,
the surface low will probably weaken
The Ekman Spiral describes:
the turning of water with depth
On a clear, windy day, the depth to which mixing occurs above the surface depends upon:
the wind speed, surface heating, and the landscape (all of the above)
If huge waves pound against the beach communities of Southern California for several days during clear, calm weather, it is a good bet that:
the winds are strong somewhere over the Pacific ocean
A stationary front does not move because:
the winds blow parallel to the front
Clouds are classified by their ____.
their appearance
Under what circumstances could the relative humidity exceed 100 percent without producing fog?
there are no condensation nuclei.
Frost typically forms on the inside of a windowpane (rather than the outside) because:
there is more water vapor touching the inside of the pane.
If the earth stopped rotating which of the following would NOT be true?
there would still be a Coriolis force
On a surface weather map during the month of July, one would expect to find what type of pressure system over the desert southwest of the United States?
thermal low
Which below is usually NOT true concerning a sea breeze circulation?
they mainly occur at night
Which below is NOT true concerning an "air pocket"?
they often form in regions that exhibit strong vertical wind shear
How do fronts differ in the Southern Hemisphere?
they turn to the left in the south
If you observe large raindrops hitting the ground, you could probably say that the cloud overhead was ____ and had ____ updrafts.
thick; strong
Longwaves in the middle and upper troposphere usually have lengths on the order of:
thousand of kilometers
Buys-Ballot's law states that, "In the Northern Hemisphere if you stand with your back to the surface wind, then turn clockwise about 30°, lower pressure will be ______."
to your left
An upper-air front involves downward motion of the:
tropopause
Clear air turbulence often occurs near a boundary of high wind shear.
true
Fog is a major hazard to aviation.
true
Jet streams sometimes split into two branches.
true
Like hurricanes, polar lows have a clear area in their center.
true
On an isobaric weather chart, the spacing of the height contours indicates the magnitude of the pressure gradient force.
true
If fog is forming at Denver, Colorado, and the wind is blowing from the east, then the fog is most likely:
upslope fog
During winter, easterly winds along the front range of the Rocky Mountains provide excellent conditions for:
upslope snow
The vertical pressure gradient force is directed:
upward
The cold water observed along the northern California coast in summer is due mainly to:
upwelling
Cumulus clouds that appear above isolated mountain peaks are often the result of a:
valley breeze
While fly fishing in a mountain stream, you notice that the wind is blowing upstream. From this you could deduce that the wind is a:
valley breeze
The hydrostatic equation describes the equilibrium between the:
vertical pressure gradient force and gravity.
Rain which falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground is referred to as:
virga
The friction of fluid flow is called:
viscosity
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Increasing high cloudiness and cold this morning. Clouds increasing and lowering this afternoon with a chance of snow or rain tonight. Precipitation ending tomorrow morning. Turning much warmer. Winds light easterly today becoming southeasterly tonight and southwesterly tomorrow."
warm front
The Santa Ana wind is a ____, ____ wind that blows into southern California.
warm, dry
Chinook winds are:
warm, dry winds that descend the eastern slope of the rocky mountains
What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast? "Cool today with rain becoming heavy by this afternoon. Slightly warmer tomorrow. Winds southeasterly becoming westerly to northwesterly by tomorrow morning."
warm-type occluded front
Compared to an mP air mass, mT air is ____.
warmer and moist
An upper-level trough that shows retrograde motion would probably be moving toward the:
west
For a surface storm system to intensify, the upper-level low (or trough) should be located to the ____ of the surface low.
west
If in the Northern Hemisphere the upper level winds above you are blowing from the south, then it is a good bet that a trough of low pressure is to the ____ of you.
west
Atmospheric shortwaves usually move ____ at a speed that is ____ than longwaves.
west to east; faster
Chicago, Illinois (latitude 42°N) is located in the ____.
westerlies
The majority of the United States lies within which wind belt?
westerlies
The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by:
wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land
Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) can occur:
when huge eddie develop in clear air
According to the model of the life cycle of a wave cyclone, the storm system is normally most intense:
when the system first becomes occluded
Along the boundary between continental polar and maritime tropical air masses, ____ is often found.
widespread precipitation and storminess
An abrupt change in wind speed or wind direction is called:
wind shear
An example of microscale motion is:
winds blowing past a chimney
An example of mesoscale motion is:
winds blowing through a city
Upwelling occurs along the northern California coast because:
winds cause surface waters to move away from the coast
The average winds aloft are strongest in:
winter
A frontal inversion would probably be best observed:
with a warm front in winter
Condensation nuclei are important in the atmosphere because:
without them condensation would not form easily in the atmosphere.
The net force acting on air which is blowing parallel to straight contours at constant speed is:
zero
When the wind blows in a more or less west to east direction, the wind flow pattern is called:
zonal