Chapter One - Test One

Question 1

Meteorology

Answer 1

“anything that fell from or was seen high in the sky.”

Question 2

Weather:

Answer 2

the specific conditions of the atmosphere at a particular place or time

Question 3

Climate:

Answer 3

“average weather” or the mean conditions of the atmosphere over an extended period of time

Question 4

Means

Answer 4

(> or = 30 yrs of data)

Question 5

Extremes

Answer 5

(period of record)

Question 6

Adage: Climate is what you expect…

Answer 6

but weather is what you get

Question 7

Specific or mean conditions are defined by ____ major elements

Answer 7

six (Temperature, Moisture, Clouds, Precipitation, Pressure, and Wind)

Question 8

Temperature -

Answer 8

the degree of hotness or coldness

[ ºFahrenheit, ºCelsius, Kelvin]

Question 9

Moisture

Answer 9

• a measure of water content
• relative humidity [ %]
• dewpoint [ ºF, ºC, K ]

Question 10

Clouds

Answer 10

• visible mass of suspended water droplets and/or ice crystals
  [cloud type, amount and height]

Question 11

Precipitation

Answer 11

• any form of water falling to the surface

[precipitation type and amount ]

Question 12

Pressure

Answer 12

• the weight of the air above an area [ inches of mercury, millibars]

Question 13

Wind

Answer 13

• movement of the air
• speed [mph, knots, m/s]
• direction [quadrants, degrees]

Question 14

In the U.S., the responsibility for gathering and dissemination weather related information, including forecasts and warnings, lies with the:

Answer 14

National Weather Service (NWS)

Question 15

forecasts / warnings are disseminated through

Answer 15

regional Weather Forecast Offices

Ours is located on Centennial Campus here at NCSU!

Question 16

Because __ percent of all declared emergences are weather-related, the NWS maintains two specialized centers

Answer 16

80%

Question 17

Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK

Answer 17

Issue severe thunderstorm and tornado watches

Question 18

National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL

Answer 18

Issue hurricane watches and warnings

Question 19

Measurements of four of these elements (temp., moisture, press. and wind) are collected by balloon-borne instrument packages called:

Answer 19

Radiosondes or Rawinsondes

which are launched twice daily at 92 stations in the U.S. (Fig. 1.8b).

Question 20

Radiosonde data can then be disseminated Nationwide and displayed using a variety of plots and maps including the:

Answer 20

synoptic weather map (Fig. 12.5a, Box 12-2).

The word synoptic is derived from the Greek words “syn” which means together and “optikos” which means seen……seen together.

Question 21

provide hourly information of the elements at a particular location over an extended time period.

Answer 21

Meteograms

Question 22

The ____ experiences more varied and more severe weather than any other nation

Answer 22

United States
(In a typical year we have:
~	100,000 thousand thunderstorms
		10,000 of which are severe
		1,000 of which produce tornadoes)

Question 23

The number one killer in an average year:

Answer 23

Heat Waves

Question 24

NWS developed ____ to warn people about heat waves

Answer 24

Heat Index

Question 25

The number two killer:

Answer 25

Floods

Question 26

The Atmosphere

Answer 26

Atmosphere is a thin gaseous envelope - 99% lies within 30 km (~20 miles) of the earth’s surface - Although thin, the atmosphere protects us from harmful ultraviolet (uv) radiation from the sun and space debris

Question 27

The Hydrosphere

Answer 27

Water makes Earth unique among all know planets - 71% of the surface is covered by oceans, which contain 97% of the Earth’s water (Fig. 1.14). - Hydrological Cycle (Fig. 1-15) - Evaporation, Sublimation, Transpiration - Condensation, Deposition, Precipitation

Question 28

Three gases comprise 99.96% of the volume of the dry (excluding H2O) atmosphere (Fig 1-17, Table 1-2). - ? 78.08% - ? 20.95% - ? 0.93%

Answer 28

Nitrogen (N2), Oxygen (O2), Argon (Ar) - each of these gases are considered permanent - these gases are of little or no direct importance to weather

Question 29

The concentration of some gases, such as Carbon Dioxide or Ozone are so small that we also call these:

Answer 29

trace gases

Question 30

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Concentrations

Answer 30

0.039% 390 ppm

Question 31

Ozone (O3) Concentrations

Answer 31

0.000004% 40.0 ppb

Question 32

Though a trace gas, it presence and variability are important because CO2 is a _____.

Answer 32

Greenhouse Gas

Question 33

Greenhouse Gas:

Answer 33

a gas that absorbs earth’s (longwave) radiation, and like a “Greenhouse” or blanket, keeps the earth and it’s atmosphere warm (and inhabitable)

Question 34

CO2 concentrations have risen dramatically since the beginning of the industrial revolution as illustrated by the:

Answer 34

“Keeling Curve” (Fig. 1.18)

Question 35

Measurements of CO2 recorded at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, since 1958 indicate ~ ____ increase (from 315 ppm to 390 ppm).

Answer 35

20%

Question 36

CO2 Levels are Rising | This is attributable to anthropogenic (human-made) activities:

Answer 36

- Burning of fossil fuels (i.e. coal, oil, natural gas) which releases carbon - Deforestation - decrease in photosynthesis (sink) - increase in decay (source)

Question 37

Nearly all scientists now believe that the earth’s atmosphere is warming as a direct consequence of _____.

Answer 37

human activities

Question 38

An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded:

Answer 38

- Global temperatures have increased 0.7 degrees C (1.3 degrees F) since 1900 (Fig. 14.14) - The first decade of this century was the warmest on record with: 2005, then 2010, then 2014 and now 2015 being warmest year on record.

Question 39

Ozone is a critical gas for all life forms because it is a:

Answer 39

``` - photoreceptor of lethal uv solar radiation, which prevents it from reaching the surface. - greatest concentration is found in the stratosphere, between 10 and 50 km, with a peak at 25 km ```

Question 40

a decrease in concentrations of O3 in the stratosphere due to emissions of:

Answer 40

CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons)

Question 41

A very successful international agreement, called the _____ was signed in 1987 which established a timetable for reducing CFC emissions and hence eventual recovery of the O3 layer.

Answer 41

Montreal Protocol

Question 42

Air pressure (p) is defined as the:

Answer 42

“weight of the atmosphere above a given point”

Question 43

At sea level, the mean air pressure is:

Answer 43

- 14.7 lb in^-2 - 29.92 inches of mercury (“ Hg) - 1013.25 millibars (mbs)

Question 44

Air pressure always ____ with respect to (wrt) height (z) (Fig 1.23)

Answer 44

decreases; ∆p/ Δz

Question 45

We can approximate the air pressure (mb) for different heights (km), using the equation (where z = height in kms):

Answer 45

p = 1000 mb x 0.5^ (z / 5.6) Ex. Mt. Everest at 8.8 km in elevation: p = 1000 mb x 0.5^(8.8 / 5.6) = 336 mb

Question 46

From the surface to ~ 12 km, the T generally ____ wrt height:

Answer 46

decreases; ΔT/Δz

Question 47

The average rate at which the T decreases is called the:

Answer 47

“Environmental Lapse Rate” | ΔT/Δz = -6.5ºC/1000 meters

Question 48

Within the troposphere:

Answer 48

- The air is very well mixed. - Molecules can circulate through the entire depth within a day or so. - Most of what we call “weather” occurs within this region.

Question 49

The depth of the troposphere varies (Fig. 1.26).

Answer 49

Lower in polar regions, higher in tropical regions

Question 50

Around 12 km, the Temperature no longer decreases wrt height, and the Lapse Rate becomes ____:

Answer 50

zero; ΔT/Δz = 0 | - this is called an isothermal layer which means “Equal Temperature”

Question 51

The word “stratus” means stratified, not well mixed. | - within the stratosphere the temperature generally ____ wrt height

Answer 51

increases; ΔT/Δz > 0 - such an increase is called a Temperature Inversion.

Question 52

Inversions ____ vertical mixing, as a result conditions become stratified and air molecules tend to remain within this region for long periods of time.

Answer 52

inhibit

Question 53

The source of the “heating” in the stratosphere is:

Answer 53

the absorption of the sun’s uv radiation by O3 which as discussed earlier has its max concentration in this area