ATMO Final PDF
Document Details
Uploaded by RightfulDialogue
Texas A&M University - College Station
Tags
Summary
This document appears to be a sample of an exam for an atmospheric science course. It contains questions related to atmospheric pressure, temperature variations, and general atmospheric features.
Full Transcript
ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw In the air near the earth's surface, _____ Nitrogen, oxygen occupies 78% and _____ nearly 21%. Atmospheric pressure always ____ with increasing height, and its value...
ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw In the air near the earth's surface, _____ Nitrogen, oxygen occupies 78% and _____ nearly 21%. Atmospheric pressure always ____ with increasing height, and its value near the Decreases, 1000 surface is approximately ___ millibars. In the vertical structure of the atmos- phere, temperature changes how with Decreases, increases, decreases, in- height in the 4 primary layers starting creases from the lowest? The earth is tilted at an angle of 23.5° with respect to the plane of its orbit Hotter summers and colder winters than around the sun. If the amount of tilt were at present. increased to 40°, we would expect in the middle latitudes: In the stratosphere, the air temperature Increases with increasing height normally: If a glass of water was surrounded by The level of the water in the glass would saturated air, not change When water changes from a liquid to a Evaporation gas, this process is called: Heat is energy in the process of being Hot objects to cold objects transferred from: In College Station in June, the sun sets at around 8:15 pm local time, and does not The amount of outgoing longwave radi- rise until around 6:15 am the next morn- ation continues to exceed the amount of ing. Why is the low temperature usually incoming solar radiation from sunset until observed near 6:15 am, rather than at sunrise the next morning. 8:15 pm or some other point during the night? The gas(es) in the atmosphere which is (are) most important in causing the Water vapor and carbon dioxide greenhouse effect is (are): What part of the radiation balance is The downward longwave radiation that is primarily responsible for the greenhouse emitted by the atmosphere effect? 1 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Where are the days and nights of equal Pretty much everywhere length on the equinoxes? In the northern hemisphere, it is warmer The northern hemisphere is tilted toward in summer than in winter because: the sun Assuming that the night will remain clear, calm and unsaturated, the predicted min- imum temperature is 32 degrees. Sud- higher than expected due to mixing denly the wind speed increases and re- mains gusty throughout the night. The minimum temperature will most likely be: City B What city has the highest relative humid- ity? City B Which city has the least amount of water vapor in the air? City A Which city has the greatest amount of water vapor in the air? Fast-moving charged particles colliding The aurora is produced by: with air molecules Which of the following determines the wavelength and amount of radiation that Temperature an object emits? On a clear Monday night, the minimum temperature drops to 38F. The following Warmer than 38F, because the clouds night (Tuesday), clouds form early in the prevent some of earth's radiation from evening. Assuming no major changes to escaping to space the weather pattern, the low temperature on Tuesday night will most likely be: A thunderstorm is a stratocumulus cloud. False 2 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Which cloud is least likely to produce Cirrocumulus precipitation that reaches the ground? Infrared imagery allows us to "see" True clouds from space at night. On a cold, winter morning, the most likely In a valley place for radiation fog to form is: Which of the following clouds are almost Cirrus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus always comprised of ice crystals? Anvil The cloud feature labeled "a" is: Lenticular The cloud feature labeled "c" is: Mammatus The cloud feature labeled "b" is: Fog that forms when warm moist air Advection moves over a cool surface is ____ fog. Fog that forms when cold air overlies Evaporation (mixing) warm water is ____ fog. Fog that forms on a clear night is usually Radiation _____ fog. Assuming the air pressure in the envi- ronment is the same for both, a parcel False of warm air will be more dense than a parcel of cold air. The wavelength of maximum solar radia- Less than tion is ______ that of terrestrial radiation. Warm, moist air is _____ dense than Less warm, dry air. 3 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Consider a parcel of air. We heat up the parcel so that its temperature rises, but we do not change the amount of water Stay the same vapor in it. The dew point of the air will _____. Consider a parcel of air. We heat up the parcel so that its temperature rises, but we do not change the amount of water Go down vapor in it. The relative humidity of that air parcel will ____. Condensation nuclei that have an affinity Hygroscopic for water vapor are called: Kinetic energy represents the potential False to do work. The atmosphere is largely transparent to true the visible wavelengths of sunlight The world's highest recorded surface false temperature is over 150F. Heat index takes into account the humid- ity in the air to give an apparent temper- true ature. A polar-orbiting satellite remains fixed false above a spot on the equator. When freezing occurs, heat is taken from false the environment. Hypothermia can occur at temperatures true above freezing. The amount of energy radiated by a "Blackbody" is proportional to its temper- false ature raised to the 3rd power. The planetary albedo is about 30%. true Visible satellite pictures can show us low and high clouds by their cloud top tem- false peratures. 4 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw At the surface, ozone is main factor of: photochemical smog / air pollution A "cap" cloud that forms above a rapidly developing cumuliform cloud is called a Pileus ______ cloud. An electrified high atmospheric region of charged particles known as the _______ is responsible for extended radio prop- the ionosphere agation in the AM and shortwave (HF) bands. The specific heat of water is ______ that greater than of a typical sand. actual water vapor pressure and satura- What two quantities can be used to di- tion vapor pressure at the given temper- rectly calculate RH? Select each pair ature & actual mixing ratio and saturation that is correct. mixing ratio at the given temperature This newly recognized cloud type, char- acterized by sea-surface like detail on Asperitas the bottom of the cloud is _____ There is an energy deficit poleward of Select the true statement: 38° because outgoing energy exceeds incoming energy. The coldest temperature in the lower 48 -70 Deg. F; Rogers Pass, MT (contiguous) state is: Name at least 3 factors affecting a loca- include latitude, proximity to the tion's average annual temperature and ocean/ocean currents, prevailing winds, annual temperature range. Your answers and elevation. should be in complete sentences. cold air can hold less moisture compared to that of warm air. The absolute water vapor in the air at cold temperatures that Describe why very cold temperatures reaches a relative humidity of 100% is are often referred to as "dry," even if the much less than the absolute water vapor relative humidity is 100%. Your answers in the air in warm temperatures. Making should be in complete sentences. cold temperatures be referred to as "dry" even though they have a relative humid- ity of 100%. 5 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Convection is the process of heat trans- fer from molecule to molecule within a False substance What two sets of conditions, working to- gether, will make the atmosphere the Warm the surface and cool the air aloft most unstable? Based on the following vertical temper- C ature profiles at four different locations, which location has a temperature inver- sion? B Which location has the largest lapse rate? A Which profile is considered to have neu- tral stability? D Which profile is considered to be condi- tionally unstable? B Which profile is absolutely unstable? C Which profile is absolutely stable? If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original Stable position, the atmosphere is said to be: 6 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw The rate at which the actual air tem- perature changes with increasing height Environmental lapse rate above the surface is called the: A conditionally unstable atmosphere is ________ with respect to unsaturated Stable; unstable air/lifting and _______ with respect to saturated air/lifting. A parcel of air starts at the surface with a temperature of 16C and a dew point of 5C. It is lifted up over one side of a 1000-meter tall mountain range. When Still 16C it reaches the other side, this parcel's temperature will be _______. (Assume the elevation of the starting and ending positions are the same.) A parcel of air starts at the surface with a temperature of 16C and a dew point of 10C. It is lifted up over one side of a 1000-meter tall mountain range. When Higher than 16C it reaches the other side, this parcel's temperature will be _______. (Assume the elevation of the starting and ending positions are the same.) Which of the following sets of conditions Air temperature 90F, dew point tempera- would produce a cumulus cloud with the ture 60F lowest base? C ______ Lifting along topography A ______ Convection D ______ Convergence of surface air B ______ Frontal Lifting 7 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Which of the following clouds is not nor- mally associated with fast moving air Altocumulus castellanus over mountains? A typical raindrop is how big? 2 mm If we observe very heavy rain that lasts for a few minutes, which type of cloud did cumulonimbus it most likely come from? During the ice crystal process (Bergeron Ice crystals grow larger at the expense of process) of precipitation formation: surrounding liquid cloud droplets What is the principle physical fact that The difference between saturation vapor enables the Bergeron process? and pressure over ice and liquid water Large, heavy snowflakes are associated Moist air and temperatures near freezing with: Which type of precipitation would most likely form when the surface air temper- ature is slightly below freezing and the Freezing rain air temperature increases as you move upward away from the ground? The collision-coalescence process is most effective when clouds are made false entirely of ice crystals. We can generally expect the air to be ______ above areas of surface high Sinking; rising pressure and _____ above areas of sur- face low pressure. In the northern hemisphere, suppose that the winds aloft are geostrophic and West blowing from the south. Low pressure is located to the: In the northern hemisphere, flow around Counterclockwise a low-pressure center is: Mixing (where no saturation occurs) will make a conditionally unstable more sta- False ble. 8 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw The terminal velocity of a hailstone is rel- atively ______; therefore large hail only High forms when the updraft in the cloud is strong. Northwest The wind direction at position 1 would be: At position 2, the forces affecting the Pressure gradient, coriolis, and centrifu- speed and direction of the wind are: gal Use the diagram below of a situation at the surface, in the Northern Hemisphere 3 (45N latitude) to answer the following questions. The thick lines represent iso- bars. Which arrow corresponds to the direction of the pressure gradient force? 8 Which arrow corresponds to the direc- tion of the coriolis force? 4 Which arrow corresponds to the direc- tion of the wind? On an upper-level weather map, normal- ly we find _______ air associated with cold low pressures/heights. Low _______ on a constant height chart (like a surface chart) corresponds to Pressure, heights low____ on a constant pressure chart. The classic fernlike snowflake is known dendrite as a: Natural cloud seeding can lead to bands true of snow, 9 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Water always freezes in the free atmos- false phere at 0C. Snow or graupel Precipitation type at elevation X: _______ What forces are acting on the horizontal Coriolis force & Pressure gradient force wind aloft in straight flow? Sleet Precipitation type Z (arriving at the sur- face): profile 2 Which of these profiles is most likely to produce freezing rain? The process of ice crystals colliding then aggregation sticking together: Supercooled cloud/fog droplets strike and freeze on a below-freezing object, rimming such as a tree branch; accumulating a milky granular ice: The process of ice crystals growing larg- er as they come in contact with super- accretion cooled droplets: Water vapor changes directly to ice with- deposition out becoming a liquid first (like in frost): What is more rare? Ice nuclei Due to the curvature effect, small droplets require even greater than 100% True RH to survive. 10 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw The ______ is where a parcel lifted ver- tically first becomes saturated, while the _____ is where parcel temperature is LCL, LFC equal to the environment temperature and any further lifting will cause it to be- come buoyant. A surface low pressure system has con- vergent winds at the surface that can be true associated with rising motion. The liquid water equivalent for wet snow is 20 inches of snow per 1 inch of liquid false water. Sinking motion in the atmosphere can cause a _____ ________, which can Subsidence inversion trap pollutants as well as limit the vertical extent of cumulus clouds. Two ways snowfall can be measured is the depth of snow and to melt it and Liquid water content measure the ______. What type of rain gauge is typically used Tipping bucket in automated weather station? 1, 2 Choose the number(s) that describe a surface low pressure system? The three factors that affect the magni- Three factors affect the magnitude of the tude of the coriolis force are the latitude, coriolis force. Describe what those three the rotation of the Earth, and the speed factors are. of an object. Also if you are located in the northern or southern hemisphere. The current U.S. record for hail is approx- 7 inches imately what diameter? Looking on a 500mb chart we find the heights are relatively high, say a ridge. 11 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw We know that the upper level tempera- tures must therefore be relatively ______ warmer/higher compared to the adjacent areas. A barometer or barograph might use a/an ______ cell that will compress and expand with atmospheric pressure to Aneroid move levers, dial pointers, and/or ink pens to show the values of barometric pressure. The surface pressure on mars is approx- 6.5 mb imately what in millibars? Record-breaking low temperatures in winter are most likely associated with cA which type of air mass? High and low pressure systems and True fronts are motions on the synoptic scale. A good source region for an air mass generally flat areas of uniform composi- would be: tion with light surface winds. What type of front would be responsi- ble for the following weather forecast: "Increasing cloudiness and warm today with the possibility of showers by this cold front evening. Turning much colder tonight. Winds southwesterly becoming gusty and shifting to northwesterly by tonight." On a weather map, a cold front is depict- ed by _____ pointing toward the ______, Blue triangles, warmer air, red semi-cir- while a warm front is depicted by ______ cles, colder air pointing toward the ________. Occluded fronts may form as: a cold front overtakes a warm front. A dryline is a stalled cold front. False The development or strengthening of a middle latitude storm is called frontoly- false sis. 12 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw During the winter as you travel toward a warm front (from the cold side), the most snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain likely sequence of weather you would experience is: The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia develops because _____ Low; from sea to land pressure develops over land and winds blow ______. The lows that form in the lee of the Rock- ies sometimes called Colorado lows, fre- Chicago, IL quently move in the direction of (and sometimes over): On a surface weather map that shows a midlatitude cyclone in its mature stage, Ahead of an advancing cold front the warm sector is located: Which is NOT a region where midlatitude Central California cyclones often develop? Ice storms are more likely to form near a true warm front than a cold front. The point of occlusion where the cold front, warm front, and occluded front all Triple point come together is referred to as the: For cyclogenesis to occur along a frontal wave, the winds aloft directly above the Diverging wave should be: For a surface storm system to intensify, the upper-level low (or trough) should be west located to the ______ of the surface low. When upper-level divergence of air above a surface low pressure area is stronger than the convergence of sur- Decrease, intensify face air, the surface pressure will ______ and the storm itself will _____. Northeasters (or nor'easters) are midlat- Along the Atlantic coast of North Ameri- itude storms commonly found: ca. 13 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Which region of a jet streak is most fa- Left exit vored for upper-level divergence? Which "Conveyor Belt" rides up and over Warm conveyor belt the warm front usually from S to N? A mature mid latitude cyclone may often Comma mimic what punctuation mark? All thunderstorms, even ordinary, require lift, instability, moisture Ordinary thunderstorms only last about When the downdraft spreads throughout one hour and begin to dissipate when: the cloud and cuts off the updraft The downdraft in a thunderstorm is cre- Evaporation of raindrops that make the ated mainly by: air cold and heavy The leading edge of a thunderstorm's Gust front cold downdraft is known as the: Severe thunderstorms are capable of All of the other choices producing: The key ingredient that is needed for a thunderstorm to be more than ordinary true is vertical shear. The primary factor that distinguishes a supercell thunderstorm from an ordinary Rotating updraft thunderstorm is A small thunderstorm cloud with rain falling out of its base but not reaching the ground and blowing dust at the ground This could indicate an intense downdraft and blowing dust at the ground could or microburst warn of a severe hazard to an airplane because: Lightning may occur: all of these The upper part of a thunderstorm cloud is normally ______ charged, and the Positively, negatively middle and lower parts are _______ charged. An important principle in the electrifica- There is a net transfer of positive ions tion of a cumulonimbus cloud is that: from a warmer object to a colder object 14 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw The semi-permanent low pressure sys- tem located in the North Atlantic region Icelandic low is the: In the evening in mountainous terrain, wind flowing down slope is known as a Mountain ______ breeze. A sea breeze blows from land to sea false A mid-latitude low will tend to dissipate ("fill") if the upper level lows are stacked true above it. The subtropical jet is found at the pole- true ward upper end of the Hadley cell. Current generation Doppler Radar, such Can depict rotation of a mesocyclone as the NWS Nexrad, has what special and possibly a tornado through radial ve- capability? locity displays The downslope/gap wind that brings hot/dry conditions to the Los Angeles Santa Anna basin is the ____ ____. ENSO is a large scale oscillation that El Nino/La Nina and the Southern Oscil- encompasses these two phenomena: lation In a La Nina phase of ENSO, Texas can Warmer and drier than normal in winter expect to be: The fact that ocean temperature in one part of the world can influence weather teleconnection and climate in another is known as a: When wind flows south along the U.S. West coast, cold nutrient-rich water is Upwelling brought to the surface by a process known as _____ is a measure of the spin of air. When increasing values are being ad- Vorticity, strong vected at mid-levels (like 500 mb) _____ vertical motion is likely. true 15 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw All thunderstorm types are considered cumulonimbus clouds. Cyclogenesis often begins with what fea- A stationary front, often connected to an ture? old cyclone In an occluded front, the original warm true sector air is displaced upward. In the summer, our trademark SE Texas hot and humid weather is related to a cT false air mass. Non-supercell tornadoes can be asso- ciated with bow echoes/bookend vor- true tices and when convection moves over a boundary with wind shift. Squall lines generally do not form: Behind a cold front The "exploratory" and branches early stage of lightning descending earthward false from the cloud base is known as the channeling charge forward flank downdraft Choose from these answer choices use each once, and type into the correspond- ing letter blank: What is A? rear flank downdraft Choose from these answer choices use each once, and type into the correspond- ing letter blank: What is B? mesocyclone Choose from these answer choices use each once, and type into the correspond- ing letter blank: What is C? wall cloud 16 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Choose from these answer choices use each once, and type into the correspond- ing letter blank: What is D? gust front Choose from these answer choices use each once, and type into the correspond- ing letter blank: What is E? A strong wind accompanied by a dust haboob storm is known as a: In El Nino, the walker circulation weak- ens, or even reverses, as convection true shifts to the central and eastern equato- rial pacific. In the Atlantic basin, more active hurri- cane seasons tend to be associated with La Nina what atmosphere/ocean phenomenon? H Referring to the figure, type in the LET- TER of the best match. Zone of the west- erlies F Referring to the figure, type in the LET- TER of the best match. Hadley Cell: Referring to the figure, type in the LET- K TER of the best match. Polar Jet Stream: 17 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw H, G, subtropical a band of high pressure systems would be located between zones ____ and ____. These are known as the ____ highs. The below chart is at 500-mb and in- location a cludes 500-mb height, winds, and vor- ticity (in the shaded contours). At what location do you expect to find upper-level divergence? The below chart is at 250mb and location a and c includes 250-mb heights, winds, and isotachs(shaded areas of height wind speed). At what location(s) do you expect to find upper-level divergence? The "Storm of the Century" in March 1993 brought significant amounts of true snow to the Eastern Continental U.S. A major distinguishing feature of a squall rear inflow jet line MCS is: Thermosphere What is A? Mesosphere What is B? 18 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw Stratosphere What is C? Troposphere What is D? Tropopause What is E? Stratopause What is F? Mesopause What is G? What is the primary distinguishing char- They have a rotating updraft acteristic of supercells? Which of the following are favorable con- High atmospheric instability, strong thun- ditions for tornadic supercell thunder- derstorm updraft, winds increasing with storms? height The enhanced Fujita scale of tornado damage intensity is based on: Geostrophic balance explains the air the jet stream movement (wind) in: In the Atlantic basin, a tropical cyclone tropical storm strength, 34 knots gets a name when it reaches 19 / 20 ATMO Final Study online at https://quizlet.com/_g6hcdw The main source of energy for a hurri- warm ocean water and release of latent cane heat Doppler radar such as NEXRAD has the ability to detect this in addition to the precipitation velocity presence of precipitation Saffir-Simpson What is the name of the scale used to classify hurricanes by wind speed? A rainbow appears when sunlight is ________ through water drops or Refracted droplets 20 / 20