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ATMS 120 STUDY GUIDE WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTION
PRESSURE
Why is the surface pressure always lower in Denver, CO when compared to New York City, NY? - ANSWER Denver is roughly 1 mile above sea level while New York City is at sea level and because pressure decreases rapidly with height, Denver will always have lower surface pressure PRESSURE Examine the map below that shows mean sea-level pressure. The white lines are isobars, which represent lines of constant pressure. Within which state would you expect the fastest winds given the behavior of the isobars on this map? - ANSWER Where the isobars are closest together PRESSURE If it is midwinter in Chicago, IL and the surface pressure falls to 990 mb, what type of general weather conditions would you expect? - ANSWER Cloudy skies with precipitation and generally inclement weather PRESSURE What would the air pressure be at an altitude where 50 percent of the atmospheric mass is above you and 50 percent is below you? - ANSWER ~500mb PRESSURE
If you were standing at sea level and you held out your hand, how much would atmosphere weigh on one square inch of your hand? - ANSWER ~15 lb PRESSURE Which of the following represents standard sea-level pressure? - ANSWER 1013.25 mb PRESSURE The lowest recorded sea-level pressure was measured in a typhoon - ANSWER True. Super Typhoon Tip in 1979 set the record for lowest sea-level pressure at 870 mb. PRESSURE If a large hurricane was approaching your location, would you expect the readings on your barometer to increase or decrease as the hurricane got closer and closer? - ANSWER decrease PRESSURE Which of the following cities would have the highest measured air pressure? Miami, FL (1 meter in elevation) Champaign, IL (293 meters in elevation) Albuquerque, MN (1490 meters in elevation) Lake Tahoe, CA (1897 meters in elevation) Pikes Peak, CO (4300 meters in elevation) - ANSWER Miama, FL. The location with the lowest elevation will have the highest air pressure. PRESSURE
d. On June 21st, the summer solstice, the Sun's rays are directly overhead at noon everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. - ANSWER d. On June 21st, the summer solstice, the Sun's rays are directly overhead at noon everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. TEMPERATURE Which of the following gases is the second most abundant gas in the Earth's atmosphere? a. Nitrogen (N2) b. Oxygen (O2) c. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) d. Water Vapor (H2O) e. Ozone (O3) - ANSWER b. Oxygen TEMPERATURE Which of the following statements best describes why the Earth has seasons? a. The Earth is farther from the Sun during the Northern Hemisphere summer than it is in the Northern Hemisphere winter. b. The energy output from the Sun fluctuates on an annual cycle, with the maximum amount of energy hitting the Earth in summer and the minimum amount arriving in winter. c. Global ocean currents are in a cycle such that the cold currents are most prominent in winter. Due to the fact that they cover 71 percent of the Earth, this change in the ocean currents leads to a cooling effect in the winter months.
d. The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees so that the Northern Hemisphere has less direct sunlight in winter and more direct sunlight in summer. - ANSWER d. The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees so that the Northern Hemisphere has less direct sunlight in winter and more direct sunlight in summer. TEMPERATURE Which of the following cities would have the smallest variation in temperature throughout the year? (Hint: Use Google to find their locations. As a hint, all of these cities are roughly at the same latitude! So, look for another control on the temperature variation.) a. Charleston, SC b. Memphis, TN c. Oklahoma City, OK d. Albuquerque, NM e. Los Angeles, CA - ANSWER e. Los Angeles, CA TEMPERATURE Which two layers of the atmosphere have temperature warming with height?
- ANSWER Stratosphere and thermosphere TEMPERATURE True or False: The global average surface air temperature is 59F. - ANSWER True TEMPERATURE
WATER
Which city has the highest amount of water vapor in the air given the air temperature, dew point temperature and relative humidity information below? Las Vegas, NV: T = 104 F Td = 40 F RH = 11.4% Milwaukee, WI: T = 23 F Td = 22 F RH = 96.2% - ANSWER Las Vegas, NV. Even though it has the lower relative humidity, it has the higher dew point temperature and therefore has more water vapor in the air.
WATER True or False: Water is the only substance in the atmosphere that naturally exists in all three phases (solid, liquid and gas). - ANSWER True
WATER Which phase of water (solid, liquid or gas) does water have its highest density? - ANSWER liquid. Ice floats in a glass of water because liquid water is more dense than ice water.
WATER In which of the following phase changes is heat released during the phase change? - ANSWER condensation
WATER
As the sun rises and the air temperature increases, what typically happens to the relative humidity? (Assume the dewpoint temperature remains constant.)
WATER True or False: Evaporation is a cooling process. - ANSWER True. This is why sweating cools you off!
WATER Given the temperatures and dew point temperatures for the following four cities, which city has the highest saturation vapor pressure? New York City, NY: Temperature = 66 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 53 ° F Nashville, TN: Temperature =81 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 68 ° F Rapid City, SD: Temperature = 34 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 33 ° F Tampa, FL: Temperature = 98 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 63 ° F - ANSWER Tampa, FL.
WATER Given the temperatures and dew point temperatures for the following four cities, which city has the highest relative humidity?
temperature and the saturation vapor pressure equals the vapor pressure. b. the relative humidity is "relative" to the air temperature. c. a location with a high air temperature must have a high relative humidity. d. If the dewpoint temperature is close to the air temperature, the relative humidity will be close to 100% - ANSWER c. a location with a high air temperature must have a high relative humidity.
WATER A evening arrives and the air temperature drops, what typically happens to the relative humidity? (Assume the dew point temperature remains constant.)
WATER True or False. As the temperature of the air decreases, its ability to hold water vapor increases. - ANSWER False
WATER Given the temperatures and dewpoint temperatures for the following four cities, which city has the highest saturation vapor pressure? Boston, MA - Temperature = 60 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 50 ° F Lexington, KY - Temperature =86 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 64 ° F
Boise, ID - Temperature = 39 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 37 ° F New Orleans, LA - Temperature = 98 ° F, Dewpoint Temperature = 51 ° F - ANSWER New Orleans, LA
WATER Your friend - who is also taking ATMS 120 - comes over to hang out. She brings with her an old hair hygrometer she found in her grandmothers attic. You set it up and find that the dew point temperature in the apartment is 50 ° F. What is the vapor pressure? - ANSWER 12.3 mb
SOUNDINGS If it is 10AM in Champaign, IL during Central Standard Time, what time is it in UTC? - ANSWER 16 UTC
SOUNDINGS How many time zones are there is the continental US (excluding Hawaii and Alaska)? - ANSWER 4
SOUNDINGS Which of the following is NOT true about rawinsondes (weather balloons)? a. The balloons typically pop in the stratosphere.
-Only see a small swath of the Earth at any given time
SATELLITES AND RADAR Which of the following severe weather types do you think the first weather satellites were launched to observe? - ANSWER hurricanes
SATELLITES AND RADAR If a cloud appears bright white on an infrared satellite image (indicating that it is very cold), where is it likely located in the troposphere? - ANSWER In the upper levels of the troposphere (like a thick, cumulonimbus thunderstorm cloud) Correct
SATELLITES AND RADAR True or False: An object that has a high albedo will appear bright on a visible image. - ANSWER True
SATELLITES AND RADAR Which weather product would you use to estimate how much precipitation is falling from a thunderstorm? - ANSWER radar reflectivity image
SATELLITES AND RADAR
Which of the following two variables is the strength of the radar echo proportional to? - ANSWER the size and number of raindrops
SATELLITES AND RADAR Which of the following is not something the NEXRAD radar system currently measures? a. the amount of rain falling from a storm b. the presence of hail in a thunderstorm c. intensity of precipitation d. cloud top temperature e. presence and coverage of precipitation - ANSWER d. cloud top temperature Correct
SATELLITES AND RADAR If a radar were to measure a radar reflectivity value of 47 dBZ from a storm that remained stationary over a location for 3 hours, how much precipitation would have fallen from this storm in inches? (Hint: Use Fig 2.9 on page 27 in the 4th edition of the textbook, or this chart is in the video lectures.) - ANSWER 3.9"
TROPICAL CYCLONES In the stories I told of Khan's quest to conquer Japan, I referred to the
TROPICAL CYCLONES
What is the typical path of a cyclone? - ANSWER Tropical cyclones start out heading to the west from the east and then it turns to the north.
TROPICAL CYCLONES A tropical cyclone reached Cuba on October 29. Is this an early season, mid-season or late season tropical cyclone? - ANSWER Late season. The hurricane season lasts from June 1 through Dec. 1 with a peak on Sept. 10. Since this hurricane formed in late October, it is certainly a late season hurricane.
TROPICAL CYCLONES Hurricanes are steered by the trade winds. In which direction do the trade winds typical blow? - ANSWER East to West. This is an above normal season. Typically there are only 10 named tropical cyclones in a full season. The season is not over and there are already 13 named systems.
TROPICAL CYCLONES When this hurricane hit the United States, it did so at Category 5 strength. This would make it the _____ time in the last 100 years that a Cat 5 hurricane has made landfall at Cat 5 strength in the United States. - ANSWER 4th. Previously the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Camile in 1969 and Andrew in
1992 had hit the United States at Cat 5 strength.
TROPICAL CYCLONES When this tropical cyclone hit near Houston, Texas, the governor of Texas issued a mandatory evacuation. The mayor then mandated that all major roadways near Houston have only outbound traffic, with the exception of an emergency lane. What do we call this procedure? - ANSWER Contraflow. Contraflow is where inbound lanes are turned to be outbound lanes to help efficiently evacuate a city.
TROPICAL CYCLONES It is hurricane season but this is the only time of the year that your family can take a vacation cruise! Which of the following locations is the only location where you could safely cruise without fear of being hit by a hurricane? - ANSWER "Anchovy Coastal Cruise Celebration." This cruise departs from San Jose, Costa Rica, and cruises along the western shores of the South American coastline, where anchovies are harvested from the ocean. Final destination is the city of Santiago, Chile.
TROPICAL CYCLONES Why are there no tropical cyclones between 5 ° N and 5 ° S? - ANSWER The Coriolis force is too small near the Equator to have any effect on the circulation of the tropical cyclone.
HURRICANE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION PT. 1
What is the strength of the minimum sustained winds a tropical cyclone must produce for it to be considered a hurricane? - ANSWER 74 mph
HURRICANE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION PT. 1 Which of the following is NOT true about the eye of a hurricane? a. The lowest air pressure within the hurricane is found within the eye. b. Air descends in the eye. c. The calmest part of the hurricane is found within the eye. d. The coldest temperatures in the hurricane are typically found in the eye. e. The eye is typically clear of clouds. - ANSWER d. The coldest temperatures in the hurricane are typically found in the eye. Air in the eye of the hurricane is warm, not cold, because of the compressional warming that exists there due to descending air.
HURRICANE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION PT. 1 Which of the force would not exist if the Earth was not spinning? - ANSWER Coriolis Force
HURRICANE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION PT. 1
If the hurricane season of 2016 were a "typical" hurricane season in the North Atlantic Basin, what would be the name of the last hurricane of the season? - ANSWER Julia. Typically, a hurricane has 10 named storms and the 10th letter in the alphabet is "J." Using the list online or on page 465, the 10th name is Julia.
HURRICANE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION PT. 1 Which of the following statements would explain why a hurricane did not develop from a cluster of thunderstorms in August? a. The water temperature 200 feet below the surface was warmer than normal for this time of year. b. The sea surface temperature was 83 ° F. c. The wind speed of the air around the hurricane increased substantially with height. Correct d. The projected path of the storms took them over the warm waters between Cuba and Mexico. e. The location of the cluster of storms was 12 ° N, near the Lesser Antilles. - ANSWER c. The wind speed of the air around the hurricane increased substantially with height. Wind shear destroys the hurricane. All other ingredients are perfect for hurricane development
HURRICANE STRUCTURE AND FORMATION PT. 1 How warm must the sea surface temperatures be in order for a hurricane to
