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CDC URE > 5B-3 METSAT > Flashcards

5B-3 METSAT Flashcards

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0
Q

The ratio of the total amount of radiation reflected from an object to the total amount of incident radiation is called

A

Reflectivity

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1
Q

A theoretically perfect absorber and emitter of radiation is

A

A black body

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2
Q

Which law says that the amount of radiation emitted by a black body at a given wavelength is proportional to it’s temperature?

A

Planck’s law

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3
Q

METSAT imagery is more advantageous than synoptic reports because it

A

Is an observation that occurs more frequently

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4
Q

Why is animated looping METSAT imagery an advantage?

A

This allows you to see system motion and the interaction between different pressure systems

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5
Q

The inclination angle and the altitude of the polar orbiting satellite allow for global coverage every

A

12 hours

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6
Q

The geosynchronous satellite stays in position because of a combination of

A

centrifugal force and gravity

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7
Q

Which is NOT a geosynchronous satellite?

A

DMSP

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8
Q

Which is a factor that affects the amount of brightness measured by visible METSAT imagery?

A

Angle of the sun

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9
Q

Most METSAT sensors are designed so that the visual imagery is a combination of

A

Visual and near infrared wave lengths

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10
Q

With water vapor imagery, why do middle and high level moisture affect the sensor much more than low-level moisture?

A

Absorption is highest between 610 to 240 mb

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11
Q

Which is NOT a use for water vapor imagery?

A

Determining the thickness of mid and upper-level clouds
USES: identifying potential thunderstorm areas, determining the PFJ and STJ, identifying circulation centers, troughs, ridges, and wind max

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12
Q

Which far IR enhancement curve is a good all-purpose curve we most commonly use for identifying convective activity?

A

MB curve

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13
Q

Which far IR enhancement curve was designed for forecasters along the US west coast to enhance weather system cloud tops over the Pacific Ocean?

A

HF curve

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14
Q

The temperature an object appears to have when we measure the intensity of it’s emitted radiation at a particular wavelength describes the

A

Brightness temperature

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15
Q

How many channels are sensed by special sensor microwave/imagery (SSM/I)?

A

7

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16
Q

What is the scan width of the special microwave/imagery (SSM/I) at the earth’s surface?

A

1400 kilometers

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17
Q

In what two forms are special sensor microwave/imagery (SSM/I) products available?

A

Sensor data records (SDRs)

Environmental data records (EDRs)

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18
Q

What special sensor microwave/imagery (SSM/I) product form is derived from SDRs and contains environmental parameters directly usable by oceanographers?

A

Environmental data records (EDRs)

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19
Q

The processing of sensor data records (SDR) into emissivity data record (EDR) depends on the

A

Surface type

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20
Q

Integrated water vapor content is calculated only over points classed as water. However, if the rain rate or cloud water content values exceed preset limits, what happens to WV values?

A

WV is not calculated

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21
Q

For determining trafficability estimates, Army ground units are interested in

A

Soil moisture (SM)

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22
Q

What tropical cyclone phenomena is best detected using special sensor/imagery (SSM/I)?

A

Near-gale and gale force winds

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23
Q

Straight-line winds of a constant wind speed would characterize a wind field where the only type of pure motion occurring is

A

Translation

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24
What is the axis of most rapid stretching where the air parcels are traveling away from the col called?
Axis of dilatation
25
What are the two main types of motion responsible for system perspective winds?
Rotation and deformation
26
What types of winds are responsible for determining the shape of cloud masses on satellite imagery?
System perspective winds
27
In relation to the coldest cloud tops, where does the heaviest precipitation from synoptic-scale systems tend to fall?
Along the southern edge
28
A series of aligned cloud elements, nearly all of which are connected with a general width of less than 1 degree of latitude, is called a
Cloud line
29
Cloud streets are very similar to cloud lines except the
Elements are not connected
30
What two fog types can we best discern on METSAT imagery?
Sea and radiation fog
31
On far IR imagery, the cellular or textured appearance of stratocumulus clouds may not be observable due to the
Sensor resolution
32
The size and shape of a cumulonimbus cloud's anvil cirrus are determined by the
Strength of the upper-level winds
33
With what kind of windflow are open-cell cumulus clouds associated?
Cyclonic or straight-line flow
34
Which far IR enhancement curve helps to identify mid-level clouds?
MB curve
35
The wind speeds in transverse bands are usually greater than or equal to
80 knots
36
It is easier to distinguish snow from cloud cover with a low sun angle because of the
Shadows from the clouds
37
When do haze, pollution, and aerosol appear on FIR imagery?
Only if they are at high altitudes or in large concentrations
38
Sun glint typically occurs under
A stable condition with light or calm winds
39
What is the terminator phenomenon in METSAT imagery?
The transition line from day to night
40
What do we commonly use translation to measure?
Speed of lows
41
The horizontal axis where air parcels are moving away from the col is called the axis of
Dilatation
42
When you interpret METSAT imagery, what is the first thing that you must do?
Identify the cloud pattern
43
When you interpret METSAT imagery, what is the second thing you must do?
Determine the wind flow
44
An unique characteristic of the baroclinic leaf is the
"V" notch in the tail of the leaf
45
What is the comma-shaped low to mid-level cloudiness in a comma cloud called?
Vorticism comma clouds
46
Where do cirrus streaks form?
Parallel to, and on the equator ward side of, the jet stream flow
47
Where is the jet stream axis located in relation to the baroclinic zone cirrus?
1 degree latitude on the poleward side of the cloud edge
48
How does WV imagery show the strengthening of a jet stream?
The dark band (jet stream) becomes darker and wider
49
What is occurring when you see a bulge or slight "S" shape develop and move along the back side of the frontal cloud band?
A wave is developing on the front
50
What is taking place in the atmosphere when enhanced cumulus starts to take on a comma-cloud shape?
The minor short-wave trough associated with the enhanced CU is developing into a major short-wave trough
51
Where are upper lows associated with the comma cloud structure positioned?
Slightly west of the center of the swirl of upper-level cloudiness within the deformation zone cirrus
52
The deformation zone cirrus associated with a cut-off low is normally stretched in
Northeast-to-southwest direction
53
It is easier to pick out vorticity maximums over water than land because of the
Abundance of convective clouds over the moisture source
54
What causes baroclinic leaf cloud patterns?
Mid-level deformation ahead of the jet maximum, upstream from the leaf
55
What are organized, persistent areas of deep convection noted in METSAT imagery during the warm season called?
Mesoscale convective complexes (MCC)
56
What does the Dvorak method of tropical cyclone analysis describe?
Tropical cyclone development in terms of day-by-day changes in the cloud pattern of the storm and it's environment
57
What do we use the T number in the Dvorak method of tropical cyclone analysis to describe?
Rate of development or dissipation of a tropical cyclone
58
In operational practice, what do we use to describe the intensity of a tropical storm?
CI number
59
When interpreting clouds in the lower troposphere, what is the first thing you must do?
Identify the cloud pattern
60
When interpreting clouds in the lower troposphere, what can you use to help determine the low-level windflow?
Terrain effects
61
It is hard to initially position an extratropical surface low because it's embedded in
Baroclinic zone clouds
62
An open-cell cumulus field in the shape of elongated doughnuts is associated with windspeeds of
11 to 20 knots
63
Leeside clearing along the eastern slopes of the Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains indicates the winds
Cross the mountain ridge line at an angle of greater then 45 degrees
64
What happens to cumulus clouds that develop upwind of a lake and over warm land in the summer as they move over the comparatively cooler lake?
They dissipate as they become cooled from below
65
Fronts are easier to identify over water on METSAT imagery then over land because
More moisture is available for cloud formation along the frontal boundary
66
With a warm front, the amount and type of cloudiness depends on the amount of
Available moisture and the stability of the warm air
67
The type of cloudiness with a stationary front depends on the
Stability of the warm air
68
At what state of development of an extratropical low does the dry a lot begin to wrap around the low?
Intensification stage
69
To find the position of a surface baroclinic high over land in the late fall to early spring, what must you first determine?
Low-level wind flow
70
Except for possible convection along the cold front, which conveyor has the coldest (highest) cloud tops associated with it?
Warm conveyor belt (WCB)
71
Which conveyor belt forms this comma cloud head?
Warm conveyor belt (WCB)
72
Which statement describes a type A comma cloud pattern?
PFJ is continuous and crosses the comma cloud system at, or north of, the triple point
73
Which statement describes a type B comma cloud pattern?
Deformation zone cirrus is approximately the same height as baroclinic zone cirrus and is much thicker
74
If the PFJ lies in the surge region of the comma cloud system, the PFJ speed maximum is located in the
Dry slot on the equatorward side of the 500 mb low
75
During the initial stage of development of a frontal wave, the baroclinic zone cloud system (frontal cloud band) begins to
Widen
76
During which stage of development of a frontal wave does the low become identifiable in the upper levels by the dry slot wrapping around the low?
Mature stage
77
What cloud pattern develops into a comma cloud 75 percent of the time?
Baroclinic leaf
78
During what phase of development of a cold-air vortex to mid-level clouds, which are associated with a short-wave trough, begin to form the vorticity comma cloud?
Phase two
79
When you estimate sea-level pressures using METSAT imagery, where must you locate the baroclinic lows associated with comma clouds?
From 40 deg N and poleward
80
At what estimated sea-level pressure would a low be characterized by a cloud band wrapped once around the low center?
970 to 979 mb
81
During the development of a cut-off low, after the low becomes cut off from the cold air and the PFJ, what cloud type develops?
Deformation zone cirrus
82
What factors determine the vertical development of the clouds associated with the valley breeze?
Availability of moisture and the stability of the air
83
The mesoscale low-level convergence boundary created by the cooler, moister air moving inland over the warmer land during the day is is know as
Sea breeze front
84
What causes bow waves?
When a low-level cloud field is disrupted by the low-level wind flow being diverted around an obstacle such as an island in the ocean
85
What cloud created by a barrier appears on visual imagery as a white swirling cloud?
Karman vortices
86
Anomalous cloud lines form in
A stable, moist marine air layer in a light anticyclonic wind flow
87
What causes the formation of stratocumulus lines?
Low-level instability

CDC URE (9 decks)

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