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EAPS 117 FINAL PREP WITH CORRECT
SOLUTIONS!!.
Sea-level pressure near the center of a typical hurricane is: - ANSWER-950 mb The stepped ladder for lightning - ANSWER-creates the pathway for the flow of electrons. The hydrostatic equation is a relationship between: - ANSWER-Height, density, and pressure What does hydrostatic equilibrium imply? - ANSWER-The the force of gravity acting on air molecules is equal and opposite to the pressure exerted by each individual air molecule. An easterly wave is: - ANSWER-a favorable area for hurricane development. Water spouts tend to form in areas with ____ water and ____ atmospheric conditions. - ANSWER-warm; unstable Hurricanes generally need water temperatures of what value to form? - ANSWER- Degrees F Hurricanes gain most of their energy from: - ANSWER-Latent heat released by condensation. Describe the Warm Conveyor Belt of a Midlatitude Cyclone. - ANSWER--Originates near the surface in the warm sector and flows toward the warm front. -Flows toward the storm center, until it goes over the warm front, turning right to join the westerly flow aloft. Describe the cold conveyor belt of a midlatitude cyclone. - ANSWER--Lies to the north of a warm front. -Travels westward near the surface until it ascends, and turns clockwise, helping westerly flow. Describe the dry conveyor belt of a midlatitude cyclone. - ANSWER--Originates in the upper troposphere as part of westerly flow. -Air sinks into the trough only to rise over the region of the surface low before continuing east. -Integral to maintaining separate cloud bands which give system comma shape.
When a large number of runaway electrons accumulates in a small volume, the energy is released in a process called a: - ANSWER-runaway breakdown How does vorticity affect the development of surface pressure zones? - ANSWER-- Increasing vorticity between a trough and a ridge leads to upper air convergence and sinking motions , favoring surface high pressure. -Decreasing vorticity in the zone between a trough and a ridge will favor upper air divergence, which favors convergence at the surface, and thus low pressure there as well. What is the Southern Oscillation Index? - ANSWER--The difference in normalized surface pressure between Darwin, Australia, and Tahiti. What happens when the SOI deviates to the positive side? - ANSWER-El Nino What happens when the SOI deviates to the negative side? - ANSWER-La Nina Describe the Northern Equatorial Current. - ANSWER-Winds on the southern side near the high on the equator drives water westward, and then directed right by the North American Continent. Describe the South Equatorial Current. - ANSWER-Similar to the Northern Equatorial current but located near South America. Describe the Equatorial Countercurrent. - ANSWER-Forms from the partial amounts of the water directed north and south from the southern and northern equatorial currents, respectively, that pile up at the Equator and flow east. What type of vorticity is that which is relative to the Earth's surface? - ANSWER- Relative Vorticity At what speed is a tropical storm considered a hurricane? - ANSWER-74 mph Where are thunderstorms most common? - ANSWER-West Africa This ocean current moderates winters in Northern Europe and Scandanavia, - ANSWER-North Atlantic Drift Describe Katabatic winds - ANSWER--Form when air is locally chilled over a high- elevation plateau, in which the air will become more dense, and flow downslope. -Generally requires high-level plateau. Describe Foehn winds. - ANSWER--Flows down mountain slopes, warms through compression, and introduces hot, dry, and clear conditions to adjacent lowlands. -Strictly applies to Alps of Europse
Describe the Brazil Current. - ANSWER-Very similar to the Gulfstream but flows towards the South Pole, and is driven by the South Equatorial Current. Describe the Benguela Current. - ANSWER-A cold, eastward flowing current that flows off the coast of Southern Africa. Large-domain numerical forecast models predict air mass thunderstorms using: - ANSWER-Parameterizations. With reference to urban heat islands, the temperatures in major metropolitan areas sometimes exceed those of the surrounding areas by as much as: - ANSWER- Degrees C Which of the following meteorological conditions is most favorable for severe air pollution? - ANSWER-Light Wind; Inversion; Unstable The strictest set of laws regulating air pollution were in place following federal action in:
- ANSWER- Describe medium-range forecasts. - ANSWER--Use essentially the same procedures as short-term forecasting. -z Is forecast quality affected by forecasted skill? - ANSWER-Yes What is the compound that is responsible for the yellow to reddish-brown color of Los Angeles Smog? - ANSWER-Nitrogen Dioxide What is the most important use of ensembles? - ANSWER-To give information about uncertainty. What type of weather forecast looks at long term averages? - ANSWER-Climatological Approach What are persistence forecasts? - ANSWER-Forecasts based on current conditions. What is the analog approach to forecasting? - ANSWER--Based on current conditions and similar well-studied patterns from the past. What is numerical weather forecasts? - ANSWER-Based on computer programs that mimic the behavior of the atmosphere. When considering the quality of a forecast, what can be considered? - ANSWER-- Forecast Accuracy -Forecast Bias -Forecast Skill
What is nitrogen dioxide? - ANSWER--A toxic, yellow to reddish-brown gas that is pungent and corrosive. -Can cause pulmonary health problems. What are VOCs? Are they known by any other name? - ANSWER--Volatile Organic Compounds (Hydrocarbons) -Made of carbon and hydrogen What is photochemical smog? - ANSWER--Consists of secondary pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, PAN, formaldehyde, and other gases. -Formed when sunlight triggers numerous reactions and transformations of gases and aerosols. What is the most important agent of photochemical smog? - ANSWER-Ozone How is radiation affected by Urban Heat Islands? - ANSWER--Increased number of particulates absorbs and scatters incoming radiation. -Buildings, as part of urban areas, affect albedo and energy transfer. What does the letter A denote in the Koeppen System? - ANSWER-Tropical What are medium-range forecasts? - ANSWER--Forecasts valid for 72 hours to a few weeks. -Constructed in the same manner as short-term forecasts. What is ensemble forecasting? - ANSWER-A forecast in which the predictions from several different computer model forecasts are combined to form an ensemble average. What is chaos relative to forecasting? - ANSWER-A condition that occurs in physical systems that makes it impossible to precisely predict how a system will appear some time in the future. What are long-range forecasts? - ANSWER--Forecasts that cover several weeks to several months or more. -Produced by Climate Prediction Center -Use climatology, statistics, numerical modes, and subjective judgement. For the upper level maps, at 850 mb, what is depicted? - ANSWER--Determine daily max surface temps for non-mountainous regions. For the upper level maps, at 700 mb, what is depicted? - ANSWER--Observes short waves and the formation of midlatitude cyclones, and tracking air mass thunderstorms. For the upper level maps, at 500 mb, what is depicted? - ANSWER--Representation of the middle atmosphere, and helpful when viewing the omega high.
Describe the severe midlatitude climate classification as per the Koeppen System. - ANSWER-Winters have at least occasional snow cover, with the coldest month having a mean temperature below 27 F. Summers are typically mild. -Have no true dry season. Describe the polar climate classification as per the Koeppen System. - ANSWER-All months have mean temperatures below 50 F. What does the letter C denote in the Koeppen System? - ANSWER-Mild Midlatitude What does the letter D denote in the Koeppen System? - ANSWER-Severe Midlatitude What does the letter E denote in the Koeppen System? - ANSWER-Polar What is the thermohaline circulation? - ANSWER-A huge, belt like circulation of water, in which a large flow of water northward in the Atlantic surface water, which delivers tremendous heat to the overlying atmosphere. After cooling and sinking in the North Atlantic, in which water flows southward in a much wider stream at great depth to the rim of Antarctica, where it joins deep water forming at the edge of the ice cap. -KEY: Driven by differences in temperature and salinity. What are Milankovitch Cycles? - ANSWER-The cycle of three different factors which alter the timing and length of the Earth's seasons. What are the three factors which affect Milankovitch Cycles? - ANSWER--Eccentricity of Earth's Orbit -Obliquity: Tilt of the Earth's axis -Precession: Orientation of Earth's axis What is the driest region on Earth? - ANSWER-The Atacama Desert of Chile What climate group occupies a greater percentage of Earth's surface than any other climate group? - ANSWER-Dry Mediterranean climates are characterized by: - ANSWER--Wet Winters -Location along or near a coast. -Dry summers What is the PETM? - ANSWER--Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, in which global temperatures increased by 5 C due to massive releases of Carbon Dioxide and Methane. When was the most ice added to polar caps? - ANSWER-During the first pulse of the last glacial maximum 115,000 years ago.
During the second pulse of the last glacial maximum, where was most ice added? - ANSWER-Eurasia and North America What is atmospheric turbidity? - ANSWER-The amount of suspended aerosols contained in the air. What are GCMs? What are they used for? - ANSWER--Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Models -Mathematical representations of the Earth-Atmosphere-Ocean-Land system. -Used to observe changes to particular causes and in making predictions about possible futures. What two events make up the Holocene? - ANSWER--Early warmth interrupted by abrupt cooling, in which temps fell rapidly in Northern Hemisphere. -Severe drought in midcontinental North America, in which there would be widespread changes in forest vegetation. When someone says "ice age," what period are they likely referring to? - ANSWER- Pleistocene Where have ice volume changes been the largest during glacial/interglacial cycles? - ANSWER-North America What happens to lapse rates at low altitudes if the planet warms, and more water vapor enters the atmosphere? What will happen to air aloft? - ANSWER--They will decrease -It will remain cooler than air below but the difference will not be as great. In what area of the world would one expect the greatest warming due to anthropogenic climate change? - ANSWER-High Latitudes What is the Little Ice Age? - ANSWER-An event that occurred between 1400 and 1850 in Western Europe, in which it was anonymously cold and crop failures were common. What is the Medieval Climate Anamoly? - ANSWER-The period of warmth in the North Atlantic that coincided with the viking settlement of Greenland between a.d. 900 and
What is the Younger Drayas? - ANSWER-A period of about 1200 years of cooling, especially in the North Atlantic, which began about 13,000 years before the present. What does the term interglacial mean relative to an ice age? - ANSWER-A period of relative warmth between glacial advances. At what altitude is a climate considered Highland? - ANSWER-1500 M Describe tropical wet climates. - ANSWER--Even precipitation through the year.
-Long, hot, and muggy summers -Abundant precip on account of convection -Winter temps are lower than those of Mediterranean climatess. Describe Marine West Coast Climates. - ANSWER--Cold ocean current influence with mild summers and winters. -Often has fog and/or low cloud cover. -High frequency of rain days w/ low annual totals. Describe humid continental climates. - ANSWER--Eastern continents. -Warm to hot summers and cold winters. -Abundant annual precip Describe subarctic climates. - ANSWER--Contains the coniferous boreal forest. -Warm short summers and extremely cold climates. -Low annual precip with the moistest season being summer. Describe tundra climates. - ANSWER--Named for vegetation. -Severe winters -Mild summers of long daylight. -Permafrost Describe ice cap climates. - ANSWER--Constant ice cover -Greenland/Antarctica -Warmest Monthly temp is less than 0 -Katabatic winds influence this climate -Low precip totals Describe highland climates. - ANSWER--Governed solely by topography and not geographic location. -Contains high variability.
