Meteorology Final Review

Which of the following is closet to the atmosphere pressure found at sea level: 1000 mb, 100 mb, 10 mb, 1000 pa, 100 pa, 10 pa

1000 mb

Which of the following is a variable used to describe the weather: elevation, longitude, albedo, winds, ocean currents

winds

temp and ____ are variables used to calculate heat index

humidity

temp ____ with height, and pressure ____ with height

decreases, decreases

how will the daily temp change if you move from a desert to a rainforest at the same latitude?

decrease

which of the following is not a temp control: elevation, longitude, albedo, winds, ocean currents

longitude

Which of the following is not a type of heat transfer: convection, conduction, radiation, latent, sensible

latent, sensible

which of the following is best at absorbing UV radiation: CO₂, water vapor, ozone, nitrogen

ozone

heating and cooling degree days are calculated by comparing the daily mean temp to which threshold?

65ºF

Which of the following is a measure of the weight of the air above a location: wind, humidity, preip, cloud cover, pressure

pressure

T/F: The two equinoxes are associated with summer and winter

F

T/F: steep temp gradients have small changes in temp over large distances

F

T/F: the coldest time of day is usually near sunrise

T

T/F: the hottest time of day is usually near noon

F

T/F: the sun primarily emits infrared radiation while Earth primarily emits UV radiation

F

T/F: ocean heats and cools more rapidly than land

F

T/F: perihelion is when we expect summer, and aphelion is when we expect winter

F

Latitude is the primary control of temp

T

T/F: Earth primarily emits UV radiation

F

T/F: climate models combine all current observations with equations to generate forecasts

F

Earth’s four spheres:

hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere

An ____ is a line that connects points on a map that have the same temp

isotherm

when energy passes through the atmosphere

transmission

when energy is absorbed by an object

absorption

when energy bounces back at the angle and intensity it was received

reflection

when energy bounces off an object in many directions

scattering

____ is a mixture of many gases in which tiny solid and liquid particles are suspended

air

main non-variable components of air are:

oxygen, nitrogen

three of the variable components of air are:

CO₂, water vapor, ozone

solid and liquid particles found in air are called

aerosols

write the four atmospheric layers and pauses from highest to lowest

mesosphere, mesopause, stratosphere, stratopause, troposphere, tropopause

four weather scaled largest to smallest:

macroscale, synoptic scale, mesoscale, microscale

what are the three climate scales from largest to smallest?

global, regional, local

change in long-term statistics

climate change

scientific study of the atmosphere

meteorology

scientific study of Earth’s climate

climatology

Put the types of radiation in order from shortest to longest wavelength

ultraviolet, visible, infrared

Put the types of radiation in order from least to most energetics

infrared, visible, ultraviolet

as temps ____, relative humidity ____

decreases, decreases

when water goes from solid to liquid to gas, hydrogen bonds are ____

broken

as temp ____, saturation mixing ratio ____

increases, increases

when water goes from solid to liquid to gas, this includes the latent heat of ____

melting and vaporization

which would reach the ground in the least amount of time: small cloud droplet, drizzle drop, large raindrop

large raindrop

a sea salt aerosol is most likely to be ____

primary

as moisture ____, relative humidity ____

increases, increases

a black carbon aerosol is most likely to be ____

hydrophobic

warm clouds are cloud with top warmer than

-15ºC

cold clouds are clouds entirely below

0ºC

T/F: warm clouds have supercooled water

F

T/F: Coarse aerosols are those with diameters greater than 1 micron

F

T/F: freezing rain is associated with a thin warm layer aloft and a thick cold layer near the surface, and sleet is associated with a thick warm layer aloft and a thin cold layer near the surface

F

T/F: nimbostratus cloud are higher than cumulonimbus clouds

F

T/F: a particular temp, the RH for a cloud droplet is higher than the RH for an ice crystal at the same temp

F

T/F: snowflakes have 8 sides/arms

F

T/F: liquid is more dense than frozen water

T

T/F: pure water freezes at -15ºC

F

T/F: the wet adiabatic rate is greater than the dry adiabatic rate

F

T/F: air cools as it compresses

F

the ____ is the temp at which water vapor begins to condense

dew point

The rate of change in the actual temperature of the atmosphere with height is called the ____

environmental lapse rate

the ____ is the altitude at which an air parcel reaches saturation and cloud forms

lifting condensation point

the ____ is the dominant process for precip formation in warm clouds, and the ____ operates in cold clouds

collision-coalescence process, Bergeron process

water in the liquid state below freezing is called ____

super-cooled water

____ are temp changes that result from changes in pressure rather then changes in heat energy

adiabatic heating/cooling

____ is the ratio of the air’s actual water vapor content compared with the amount of water vapor required or saturation

saturation vapor pressure

the ____ is the mass of water vapor in a unit of air compared to the remaining mass of dry air

Tparcel < Tenv

stable

Tparcel>Tenv

unstable

Evaporation, melting, sublimation ____ energy

absorb

condensation, freezing, deposition ____ energy

release

belts of low pressure are found at what latitude(s)?

0º and 60º

Which air mass would be coldest during the winter: cA, cP, cT, mP, mT

cA

midlatitude cyclones rotate ____ in NH and ____ in the SH

clockwise, counterclockwise

which two atmospheric scales of motion do hurricanes and midlatitude cyclones span?

mesoscale, macroscale

T/F: convergence at the surface is associated with surface low pressures

T

T/F: Hydrostatic balance is the balance btwn PGF and Coriolis force

F

T/F: the single-cell circulation model fails to incorporate Earth’s rotation

T

T/F: sinking air is associated with surface low pressures

F

T/F: airflow is always into a surface high pressure and out of a surface low pressure

F

A ____ is a boundary that separates air masses of different densities

front

an ____ is an immense body of air characterized by generally uniform conditions, and areas where they originate are called ____

air mass, source regions

____ are fast streams of air embedded within westerly flow aloft

jet streams

____ is the result of a horizontal differences in air pressure

wind

on upper air charts, the isoheights will show ____ (elongated areas of low pressure) and ____ (elongated areas of high pressure)

troughs, ridges

westerlies follow a path called ____

Rossby waves

____ are synoptic-scale low pressures, and ____ is the process by which they develop and strengthen

midlatitude cyclones, cyclogenesis

Winds that flow parallel to straight isobars are called ____, while winds that flow parallel to curved isobars are called ____

geostrophic winds, gradient winds

when there is a net flow of air into a region, air accumulates and pressure increases. This is called ____. When there is a net flow if air out of a region, air dissipates and pressure decreases. This is called ____

convergence, divergence

Which latitude regions would be bad source regions?

30º to 60º

where is the lowest pressure within a hurricane?

eye

in which climate zone does Central Iowa belong?

D

Which of the following would not make a thunderstorm a severe thunderstorm: 50 mph winds, 1 inch hail, tornado, none of the above

50 mph winds

which of the following is associated with the most air pollution: volcanoes, sea spray, dust, wildfires, pollen

sea spray

roughly what percentage of the energy produced in the US is wasted?

70%

where are the strongest winds within a hurricane?

eyewall

which thunderstorm type is associated with derechos?

squall lines

agriculture emits air pollution through which of the following: farm vehicles, fertilizer, animals, all of the above, none of the above

all of the above

T/F: December is the month with the most tornadoes

F

T/F: the six major pollutants are secondary pollutants

F

T/F: thunder causes lightning

F