AUXWEA STUDY QUESTIONS 2004 Student Study Guide

AUXWEA STUDY QUESTIONS 2004 Student Study Guide

STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 4

4-1 ______are the atmosphere’s way of trying to smooth out the uneven distribution of solar heating on the global scale.

a. Convergence and divergence b. Gravity and friction

c. Prevailing winds d. Sea and land breezes

4-2 Hadley’s theory provides the useful insight that air tends to rise where ______and descend where they ______.

a. surface winds converge, diverge b. surface winds diverge, converge

c. winds aloft converge, diverge d. winds aloft diverge, converge

4-3 ______is the main reason why global circulation of the atmosphere is different from Hadley’s single-cell theory.

a. Friction b. Gravity c. Rotation d. Uneven solar heating

4-4 When an object traveling in a straight line appears to follow a curved path because you are rotating while you observe it, the apparent motion is called the

a. convergence b. Coriolis effect c. Coriolis force d. divergence

4-5 Your horizon circle on the earth’s surface always has some rotation about the local vertical except at

a. the equator b. mid-latitudes c. the poles d. the rotation axis

4-6 Horizon circle rotation explains why an observer standing on the earth should see ______winds moving along a curved track.

a. easterly b. gusty c. northerly d. westerly

4-7 ______force refers to the force exerted by a body moving in a circle and is directed ______from the ______.

a. Centrifugal, inward, body b. Pressure gradient, outward, center

c. Gravity, inward, earth d. Centrifugal, outward, axis of rotation

4-8 ______winds follow a curved track to the south in the northern hemisphere due to ______.

a. Easterly, decreased centrifugal force b. Westerly, increased gravitational force

c. Westerly, increased centrifugal force d. Westerly, increased pressure gradient

4-9 The Coriolis effect is strongest at ______and disappears at ______.

a. the equator, the poles b. the poles, the equator

c. mid-latitudes, the equator d. mid-latitudes, the poles

4-10 The ______and the ______are semi-permanent pressure belt features that have a significant effect on continental US weather.

a. Aleutian low, Bermuda triangle b. ITCZ, trade winds

c. Pacific high, Bermuda high d. Aleutian low, Icelandic low

4-11 The ______and the ______are separated by a belt of light and variable winds called the ______

a. trade winds, westerlies, horse latitudes b. trade winds, westerlies, doldrums

c. trade winds, westerlies, ITCZ d. NE, SE trade winds, horse latitudes

4-12 The subtropical and polar jet streams are high-speed “rivers” of air found near

a. latitudes 60S and 60N b. 30 S and 30 N

c. latitudes 30 and 60 d. the doldrums and the horse latitudes

4-13 As a general rule, air moving into an area of low pressure tends to ______, and air moving into an area of high pressure tends to ______.

a. rise, descend b. slow down, speed up c. descend, rise d. speed up, slow down

4-14 The force of friction on a westerly jet stream is directed toward the

a. north b. east c. south d. west

4-15 The force of friction on winds in the atmosphere becomes negligible in comparison with other forces

a. at the surface b. at a height of 3,000 feet above the surface

c. at altitudes above 3,000 feet d. in the horse latitudes and the doldrums

4-16 Forces affecting the wind are vectors, i.e., they possess

a. velocity and speed b. direction and velocity

c. magnitude and direction d. none of the above

4-17 Steady winds tend to blow parallel to the isobars when the effects of ______and ______are negligible.

a. local and global rotation b. friction and Coriolis

c. local rotation and friction d. pressure gradient and centrifugal force

4-18 Winds affected by friction blow

a. across the isobars from low to high pressure b. across the isobars from high to low pressure

c. at right angles to the isobars d. parallel to the isobars

4-19 Assuming all other things equal, the highest wind speed should be expected where the isobars

a. are straight b. are parallel c. form a ridge d. form a trough

4-20 A large amount of cold air is advected to warmer regions and/or vice versa when Rossby waves have large

a. amplitudes b. numbers c. pressures d. wavelengths

Challenge question: Explain how the Coriolis effect diverts a wind to the left, looking along the direction toward which it is blowing, in the southern hemisphere. Use as examples a wind blowing to the north and a wind blowing to the east.

STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 5

5-1 Besides the global and micro scales, meteorologists classify weather patterns of different sizes as

a. large and small b. synergistic and mesoscale

c. synoptic and mesoscale d. mesoscale and molecular scale

5-2 Synoptic scale features include

a. air masses and circulation around highs b. fronts and trade winds

c. land and sea breezes d. mesoscale and microscale phenomena

5-3 An air mass is a pool of air with ______properties over a wide ______.

a. nearly chaotic, geographic area b. almost uniform, geographic area

c. nearly uniform, altitude range d. the same, range of moisture content

5-4 An air mass takes on its properties from the underlying surface, which is called a

a. continent b. ocean c. pool region d. source region

5-5 The two main characteristics used to classify an air mass are

a. continental and maritime b. moisture content and temperature

c. polar and tropical d. pressure and temperature

5-6 Air masses generally form in ______and migrate with ______.

a. highs, lows b. lows, highs c. pools, highs d. source regions, highs

5-7 ______is likely to occur when an air mass moves over a large body of warm water.

a. Addition of moisture b. Cooling from below c. orographic lift d. Removal of moisture

5-8 An air mass may become saturated, forming clouds or fog, when

a. it moves over a colder surface b. moisture is added

c. both of the above d. none of the above

5-9 Orographic lift promotes the ______an air mass.

a. addition of heat to b. addition of moisture to

c. removal of heat from d. removal of moisture from

5-10 A front is defined as warm or cold according to

a. whether the air masses are tropical or polar b. whether it is moving southward or eastward

c. which air mass is advancing d. none of the above

5-11 Near a stationary front, the tendency is for

a. calm conditions in all cases b. clouds to become stratiform

c. winds to blow across the frontal boundary d. both air masses to advance

5-12 An occlusion occurs when a ______front overtakes a ______front.

a. warm, cold b. warm, cool c. cold, stationary d. cold, warm

5-13 Near a warm occlusion, the ______air mass is advancing, and the ______air mass is retreating.

a. cold, warm b. warm, cool c. cool, warm d. cool, cold

5-14 The boundary between two air masses with similar pressure and temperature but different moisture content is called a

a. dry front b. dry line c. dry occlusion d. twilight zone

5-15 One way in which a synoptic scale low can form is by advection of warm air toward cold air

a. to the east of a Rossby wave ridge b. to the east of a Rossby wave trough

c. to the north of a Rossby wave ridge d. to the north of a Rossby wave trough

5-16 In the northern hemisphere, synoptic scale circulation is ______around lows and ______around highs.

a. clockwise, clockwise b. clockwise, counterclockwise

c. counterclockwise, clockwise d. counterclockwise, counterclockwise

5-17 At ______altitudes, where surface friction affects the wind, synoptic scale circulation takes the form of a ______pattern.

a. low, spiral b. high, spiral c. low, circular d. high, circular

5-18 ______may develop repeatedly and generate a series of lows along a stationary front.

a. hills and valleys b. ridges c. troughs d. waves

5-19 Intensification describes the ______.

a. decrease of central pressure in a low b. increase of central pressure in a low

c. decrease of central pressure in a high d. increase of the size of a high

5-20 As compared to situations where there is little or no geographic variation of air temperature, ______tend to be more persistent and to generate worse weather.

a. cold core highs b. cold core lows c. warm core highs d. warm core lows

5-21 As a low approaches from the west, the wind tends to ______if the track of the low is to your north and to ______if the track is to your south.

a. back, veer b. veer, gust c. back, swing to the right d. veer, swing to the left

5-22 If fog is predicted in the weather forecast, you should expect the surface visibility to be

a. 5/8 mile or less b. more than 5/8 mile

c. between 5/8 mile and 2 miles d. between 5/8 mile and 6 miles

5-23 Haze is a restriction of visibility that may be caused by ______.

a. mist or water droplets b. saturation or pollution particles

c. water vapor or saturation d. water vapor or pollution particles

5-24 The two most common types of fog are advection fog and

a. mist b. radiation fog c. steam fog d. up-slope fog

5-25 Advection fog

a. can be dispersed by a 5-knot wind b. forms overnight when the sky is clear

c. may persist for days d. occurs as a thin, patchy layer

5-26 The primary weather feature that creates ocean waves is

a. atmospheric pressure b. friction c. gravity d. wind

5-27 As compared with the actual forward motion of water, a wave travels at a speed that is

a. dependent on the atmospheric density b. equal

c. faster d. slower

5-28 As compared with the waves from which they originated, swells

a. are steeper b. tend to have longer wavelengths

c. stop propagating when the wind dies d. all of the above

5-29 If the height of the swell is 6 feet, the surf zone should be expected to ______where the depth of the water is about ______feet.

a. begin, 6 b. end, 2 c. begin, 8 d. end, 8

5-30 Storm surges in coastal areas result from the combination of

a. low pressure, low tide, and swells b. high pressure, high tide, and swells

c. low pressure, high tide, and swells d. low pressure, high tide, and surf

Challenge questions

Explain how the directions of wind circulation develop around highs and lows in the southern hemisphere.

Explain how the wind speed will change with altitude in the circulation around warm and cold core highs.

STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 6

6-1 Station models may be used to summarize observations from

a. data buoys b. vessels underway c. weather stations d. any of the above

6-2 A station model circle with the right half blackened indicates

a. scattered clouds b. overcast east of the station

c. broken clouds d. a forecast of increasing cloud cover

6-3 This station is reporting wind

a. from the west at 35 miles per hour b. from the east at 35 knots

c. from the west at 35 knots d. at 5 knots, gusting to 30 knots

6-4 A contour is a line or curve along which pressure, temperature, or some other property

a. changes smoothly b. has a constant value

c. has an undetermined value d. is reported by weather stations

6-5 Marine synoptic weather charts summarize ______and include the word ______in the title block.

a. conditions, forecast b. forecasts, analysis

c. observations, analysis d. predictions, forecast

6-6 A marine weather chart has the following title block:

24-HR SURFACE FORECAST FROM: 12 UTC 15 MAY VALID: 12 UTC 16 MAY

The forecast

a. is valid after 1200 UTC May 16 b. is valid from 12Z May 15 to 12Z May 16

c. shows frontal positions at 12Z on May 15 d. was issued at 1012 UTC on May 15

6-7 Frontal positions are displayed on

a. sea state charts b. surface forecast charts

c. upper air charts d. none of the above

6-8 Station pressure is

a. measured and used to calculate sea level equivalent pressure

b. the same as sea level equivalent pressure

c. calculated from sea level pressure

d. the pressure at the nearest railroad station

6-9 The contours on 500 mb upper air charts are called

a. isobars b. isoheights c. isotachs d. isotherms

6-10 Marine upper air charts are issued only for the ______mb level.

a. 850 b. 700 c. 500 d. 300

6-11 The contour interval on a marine upper air chart is

a. 5 °C b. 4 mb c. 6 meters d. 6 dm

6-12 The likelihood of rain can be estimated by comparing surface observations of dew point, adjusted for altitude, with the temperature contours plotted on a ______mb upper air chart.

a. 850 b. 500 c. 300 d. all of the above

6-13 Which statement about the marine upper air analysis chart shown below is true?

a. The lowest isoheight contour is 554 dm.

b. The low should move E or ENE at 40 knots.

c. The low should move E or ENE at 20 knots.

d. The skies over the area are entirely clear.

6-14 Shading is used on 300 and 200 mb charts to highlight areas where

a. jet stream winds are strong b. pressure is lowest

c. temperatures are below freezing d. there are no observations

6-15 Sea state charts display

a. contours of the highest wave heights b. wind direction arrows

c. significant wave height contours d. none of the above

6-16 Significant wave height means the average of the measured heights of the ______waves.

a. highest b. highest 1/3 of c. swells and wind d. wind