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WX 201 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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 a. diverging and sinking b. diverging and rising c. Stable and rising d. converging and rising e. converging and sinking - Answers-e. converging and sinking 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 a. increase b. decrease c. drop rapidly d. remain the same e. deepen - Answers-a. increase Vorticity refers to the a. spin of air parcels b. formation of clouds c. development of a wave cyclone d. rising and sinking of air along weather front e. changing of the seasons - Answers-a. spin of air parcels Before the passage of a cold front the pressure normally , and after the passage of a cold front the pressure normally a. does not change; drops b. drops; drops c. rises; drops d. rises; rises e. drops; rises - Answers-e. drops; rises As westerly winds blow over a north-south oriented mountain range, the airflow is deflected in such a way that a trough on the _ side of the mountain. a. both upwind and downwind b. upwind c. side d. north e. downwind - Answers-e. downwind
The Coriolis force acts at a _ degree angle to the wind. a. 30 b. 90 c. 20 d. 10 e. 45 - Answers-b. 90 One would expect a cP air mass to be a. cold and dry b. cold and moist c. warm and moist d. temperate and dry e. warm and dry - Answers-a. cold and dry Due to Hadley cell formation and the Coriolis force in both hemispheres, winds aloft flow a. easterly b. westerly c. southerly d. randomly e. northerly - Answers-b. westerly A geostrophic wind is a wind that results from a balance between the ( ) force and the ( ) force. a. Coriolis; pressure gradient b. Coriolis; gravitational c. pressure gradient frictional d. Coriolis; frictional e. pressure gradient; graviational - Answers-a. Coriolis; pressure gradient Squall lines most often form ahead of a a. warm front b. cold-type occluded front c. cold front d. stationary front e. warm-type occluded front - Answers-c. cold-front Because of friction, surface winds move _ winds aloft with the same pressure gradient a. at the same speed as b. twice as fast as c. faster than
a. followed by cooler air b. followed by drier air c. associated with precipitation d. associated with a wind shift e. followed by moist air - Answers-a. followed by cooler air The large thermally driven convection cell that is driven by convective "hot" towers along the equator is the a. Doldrum cell b. Ekman spiral c. Hadley cell d. Ferrel cell e. El Nino cell - Answers-c. Hadley cell An offshore wind blows a. from water to land b. only at night c. from land to water d. only during the day e. a minimum distance of 100 miles away from the shor - Answers-c. from land to water The world's deserts are found at 30 latitude because a. of the convergence of the prevailing westerlies and the Northeast Trades b. of the doldrums c. of the sinking air of the subtropical highs d. of the sinking air of the polar front e. the intertropical convergence zone is located there - Answers-c. of the sinking air of the subtropical highs Which air masses are formed in regions where long, clear nights allow for strong radiational cooling of the surface a. cT and cP b. cP and cA c. cT and mT d. cA and cT e. mT and cA - Answers-b. cP and cA Horizontal pressure variations cause air to move from areas of _ pressure to areas of _ pressure a. low; high
b. high; high c. low; low d. high; high e. high; low - Answers-e. high; low Thermal turbulence above the surface is usually most severe a. around midnight b. during maximum surface heating c. immediately after sunset d. about midmorning, or soon after the minimum temperature is reached e. just before sunrise - Answers-b. during maximum surface heating During a major El nino event, a. the average surface air temperature of the entire planet decreases by several tenths of a degree Celsius b. the Northeast trade winds increase in strength c. Peruvian fishermen harvest a record amount of fish near Christmas time d. extensive ocean warming occurs over the tropical Pacific e. California experiences severe drought conditions - Answers-d. extensive ocean warming occurs over the tropical Pacific The amount of pressure change that occurs over a given horizontal distance is called the a. pressure gradient b. Coriolis parameter c. potential gradient d. slope e. pressure tendency - Answers-a. pressure gradient During the winter as you travel toward a warm front, the most likey sequence of weather you would experience is a. snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain b. freezing rain, snow, sleet, and rain c. rain, snow, sleet, freezing and rain d. snow, freezing rain, hail, and sleet e. hail, sleet, freezing rain, and snow - Answers-a. snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain The ultimate cause of jet streams is a. global warming b. the energy imbalance between high and low latitudes c. the fact that water can exist in all three phases at once
d. in the early morning e. at sunset - Answers-d. in the early morning The jet stream flows a. directly from east to west b. directly from west to east c. in a wavy pattern from west to east d. from the equator towards the south pole e. from the equator towards the north pole - Answers-c. in a wavy pattern from west to easy A front is the transition zone between two air masses of different a. precipitation types b. pressures c. cloud patterns d. densities e. dew point temperatures - Answers-d. densities Divergence and convergence of air are due to changes in a. precipitation type b. wind speed or wind direction c. radiational cooling d. cloud pattern e. solar radiation - Answers-b. wind speed or wind direction 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? a. mT in summer b. cT in summer c. mP in winter d. mA in winter e. cP in winter - Answers-e. cP win winter Atmospheric shortwaves usually move _ at a speed that is _ than longwaves a. south to north; slower b. west to east; faster c. north to south; slower d. west to east; slower e. east to west; fast - Answers-b. .west to east; faster On an isobaric surface,
a. cloud coverage is constant b. precipitation is constant c. pressure is constant d. altitude is constant e. temperature is constant - Answers-c. pressure is constant For a surface storm system to intensify, the upper-level low (or trough_ should be located to the _ of the surface low. a. north only b. east c. either north or south d. west e. south only - Answers-d. west According to the three-cell general circulation model, at the equator we would not expect to find a. thunderstorms b. heavy showers c. the ITCZ d. light winds e. a ridge of high pressure - Answers-e. a ridge of high pressure The land/sea breeze, lake breeze, and mountain/valley breeze are examples of a. thermal turbulences b. mechanical circulations c. thermal circulations d. atmospheric longwave circulations e. frictional processes - Answers-c. thermal circulations What type of air mass would be responsible for hot, muggy summer weather in the eastern half of the United States a. mP b. mT c. cP d. cT e. cA - Answers-mT The origin of cP and cA air masses that enter the United States is a. Northern Siberia b. Northern Canada and Alaska
Eddies that form both close to the mountain and beneath each wave crest are called a. clear air turbulence b. rotors c. leeward eddy d. mountain wave eddy e. wind shear - Answers-b. rotors Which of the below determines how high a wind wave will grow over the open ocean? a. geographical location b. water quality c. shoreline topography d. length of time the wind blows over the water e. density of water - Answers-d. length of time the wind blows over the water The entrance region occurs _ of a jet streak, whicle the exit region occurs_ of the jet streak a. above; below b. upwind; above c. ahead; above d. downwind; above e. downwind; upwind - Answers-b. upwind; downwind If you are standing directly south of a smoke stack and the wind from the stack is blowing over your head, what would be the wind direction? a. northeast b. east c. north d. west e. south - Answers-c. north Cyclogenesis is the _ of a mid-latitude cyclone. a. shifting b. development or strengthening c. term for the exact midpoint d. re-direction e. weakening or dissipation - Answers-c. term for the exact midpoint An air mass is characterized by similar properties of _ and _ in any horizontal direction a. termperature: humidity
b. temperature; presssure c. winds; humidity d. pressure; humidity e.. pressure; winds - Answers-a. temperature; humidity In a mid-latitude cyclone, an upper-level pool of cold air that has broken away from the main flow is called a a. shortwave b. jet streak c. wave cyclone d. cut-off low e. lee-side low - Answers-d. cut-off low The heat index (HI) is used by the National Weather Service, and combines ____ with ____ to determine an apparent temperature.
- dew point temperature; mixing ratio
- air temperature; specific humidity
- actual vapor pressure; specific humidity
- air temperature; relative humidity
- mixing ratio; saturation vapor pressure - Answers-air temperature; relative humidity The initial stage of an ordinary thunderstorm is the
- dissipating stage
- multicell stage
- primary stage
- mature stage
- cumulus stage - Answers-cumulus stage On average, the water equivalent of 10 inches of snow is about ____ inch(es) of water.
- 2
- 1
- 5
- 0.5 - Answers- 1 Hail is usually associated with ____ clouds.
- stratus
- cumulus
- stratocumulus
- altocumulus
- cumulonimbus - Answers-cumulonimbus
saturation cloud formation condensation adiabatic precipitation - Answers-condensation The region of a cloud where only ice particles exist is called
- coated.
- nucleated.
- glaciated.
- iced.
- graupled. - Answers-glaciated Condensation onto hygroscopic nuclei is possible at relative humidities less than 100 percent due to the
- crystalline structure of these nuclei.
- electrical charge on these nuclei.
- size of the nuclei.
- curvature effect.
- solute effect. - Answers-solute effect. Clouds are classified by their
- appearance.
- altitude.
- method of formation.
- temperature.
- altitude and appearance. - Answers-altitude and appearance. Thunderstorms that produce tornadoes
- have very little cloud-to-ground lightning.
- have rotating updrafts.
- have updraft velocities that exceed 100 miles per hour.
- will not produce hail.
- do not exist. - Answers-have rotating updrafts. A lightning flash consisting of many strokes usually lasts less than ____ second.
- nine
- five
- seven
- three
- one - Answers-one During the ice crystal process of rain formation,
- the cloud must be a cumuliform cloud.
- the surface temperature must be below freezing.
- the temperature in the cloud must be - 40°C (-40°F) or below.
- ice crystals grow larger at the expense of the surrounding liquid cloud droplets.
- only ice crystals are present in a cloud. - Answers-ice crystals grow larger at the expense of the surrounding liquid cloud droplets. Air which resists vertical displacements is considered to be
- neutral.
- supersaturated.
- stable.
- entrained.
- unstable. - Answers-stable As Apollo 12 ascended into the atmosphere, the height of the surrounding clouds was noted to be 42,000 feet. A lightning strike was seen within these clouds, indicating that they must have been
- cumulus congestus.
- cumulonimbus.
- cirrus.
- cirrocumulus.
- lenticular. - Answers-cumulonimbus An ordinary thunderstorm is most intense during the ____ stage.
- growth
- dissipating
- mature
- multicell
- cumulus - Answers-mature The most likely time for an ordinary thunderstorm to form is at noon.
- just before sunrise.
- just after sunrise.
- late afternoon.
- around midnight.
- at noon - Answers-late afternoon.
s the difference between the air temperature and the dew point increases, the relative humidity
- remains constant at a value less than 100 percent.
- increases.
- decreases.
- remains constant and equal to 100 percent.
- drops to zero. - Answers-decreases Radiation fog forms best on a
- clear winter night with a slight breeze.
- cloudy winter night with a strong breeze.
- clear summer night with a strong breeze.
- cloudy summer night with a slight breeze.
- cloudy winter night with a slight breeze. - Answers-clear winter night with a slight breeze Raindrops that reach Earth's surface are seldom larger than
- 2 mm
- 5 mm
- 8 mm
- 10 mm
- 3 mm - Answers-5 mm Which of the following is the BEST indicator of the actual amount of water vapor in the air?
- relative humidity
- mixing ratio
- dew point temperature
- air temperature
- saturation vapor pressure - Answers-dew point temperature Which cloud type below will only produce precipitation by the collision-coalescence process?
- a thick, supercooled cumulonimbus cloud with abundant nuclei
- a thick, cold cumulus cloud
- a thick, warm cumulus cloud
- a thick, cold nimbostratus cloud
- a supercooled cumulus congestus cloud - Answers-a thick, warm cumulus cloud What transfers heat upward into the atmosphere?
- billows
- cloud streets
- pockets of saturated air
- subsidence inversions
- thermals - Answers-thermals Thunder is caused by
- the collision between two thunderstorms with opposite electrical charge.
- the explosion that occurs when + and - charge collide and neutralize each other.
- microbursts within the atmosphere.
- the rapid heating of air surrounding a lightning channel.
- turbulent wind motions inside the thunderstorm. - Answers-the rapid heating of air surrounding a lightning channel. Suppose it is snowing outside and the air is saturated. The air temperature and dew point are both 15 ° F, and the actual vapor pressure is 3 mb. If this air is brought indoors and warmed to 75 ° F, what would the relative humidity of this air be, assuming that its moisture content does not change? (The saturation vapor pressure at 75 ° F is 30 mb).
- 50 percent
- 100 percent
- 10 percent
- 30 percent
- 5 percent - Answers-10 percent When radiation fog "burns off", the fog tends to dissipate
- from the bottom up.
- from the top down.
- starting at the middle and working both upward and downward.
- laterally.
- in random directions. - Answers-from the bottom up Suppose the dew point of cold outside air is the same as the dew point of the air indoors. If the door is opened and cold air replaces some of the warm air, then the new relative humidity indoors would be
- the same as before.
- impossible to tell from the information given
- zero
- higher than before.
- lower than before. - Answers-higher than before Condensation nuclei are important in the atmosphere because
- cumulonimbus and nimbostratus
- cirrus and stratocumulus - Answers-cumulonimbus and nimbostratus A high water vapor pressure indicates a(n)
- relatively small number of water vapor molecules in the air.
- relatively large number of water vapor molecules in the air.
- abundant supply of condensation nuclei in the air.
- relatively high rate of precipitation.
- relatively high rate of evaporation. - Answers-relatively large number of water vapor molecules in the air. Which cloud would most likely produce drizzle?
- stratus
- cumulus
- cumulonimbus
- cumulus congestus
- cirrostratus - Answers-stratus Nuclei with a radius of less than 0.1 um are referred to as ______ nuclei
- condensation
- Aitken
- giant
- hydrophobic
- hygroscopic - Answers-Aitken Downdrafts tend to dominate during the ____ stage.
- growth
- developing
- dissipating
- cumulus
- precipitating - Answers-dissipating Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called
- hydrophobic nuclei.
- nacreous nuclei.
- condensation nuclei.
- scud.
- molecules. - Answers-condensation nuclei For ______ to occur, separate regions containing opposite electrical charges must exist within a cumulonimbus cloud
- hail during a thunderstorm
- lightning
- sonic boom
- thunder
- tornadoes - Answers-lightning The temperature at which water boils depends mainly on
- air temperature
- the specific heat of air
- air pressure
- air density
- relative humidity - Answers-air pressure If rising air cools to its dew-point temperature, the relative humidity becomes ____. 20% 40% 100% 60% 80% - Answers-100% Condensation is most likely to happen when air ____ and the speed of the water vapor molecules ______
- warms; increases
- cools; increases
- remains the same temperature; decreases
- cools; decreases
- warms; decreases - Answers-cools; decreases Fallstreaks usually ____ before reaching the ground.
- evaporate
- sublimate
- perspirate
- deposit
- condense - Answers-sublimate In the lower troposphere, the dry adiabatic rate is _______ greater than the moist adiabatic rate
- most of the time
- never
- half the time
