quiz questions

Question 1

at which scale do cyclones, anticyclones, troughs and ridges occur?

Answer 1

synoptic scale

Question 2

meridional flow is _________ while zonal flow is ___________.

Answer 2

north/south
west/east

Question 3

four scales in order

Answer 3

planetary, synoptic, meso, micro

Question 4

what area does the hadley cell cover?

Answer 4

just areas near the equator

Question 5

the polar front

Answer 5

is a region marked by a sharp change in horizontal temp

Question 6

winds in the upper atmosphere are westerly where?

Answer 6

both the northern and southern hemisphere

Question 7

westerly winds in the upper atmosphere at mid-latitudes in the northern hem

Answer 7

are the reason most mid latitude storms move from west to east

Question 8

ferrel cell is associated with

Answer 8

mid latitudes

Question 9

what are jet streams?

Answer 9

bands of high speed wind found at elevations of 9-15 km

Question 10

where are the two main hemispheric jet streams located?

Answer 10

between 50 and 60 degrees latitude and 30 degrees latitude

Question 11

what are rossby waves

Answer 11

major undulations in the path of a jet stream

Question 12

how can the jet stream return to normal zonal flow after rossby waves build?

Answer 12

separation of a mass of cold air from the jet stream

Question 13

the northeast trade winds

Answer 13

are the result of air flowing from the subtropical high to the ITCZ

Question 14

PGF is stronger at which mb level?
- 800
- 900
- 950
- 700

Answer 14

700

Question 15

air mass source regions are least likely to be found here

Answer 15

middle latitudes

Question 16

most air masses in the central part of the US are either

Answer 16

continental polar or maritime tropical

Question 17

between a cold front and a warm front we find

Answer 17

warm moist and unstable air mass

Question 18

which airmass is responsible for bringing virtually all of the moisture that impacts the US east of the rocky mountains?

Answer 18

maritime tropical

Question 19

which of the fronts do not separate tropical from polar air?

Answer 19

occluded

Question 20

which of the fronts move with the greatest velocity?

Answer 20

cold front

Question 21

drylines in the US typically have what air?

Answer 21

typically have continental air to the west

Question 22

according to the polar front theory midlatitude cyclones form along a boundary

Answer 22

separating polar air and warmer air to the south

Question 23

by the end of the forecast period, where should the max divergence at 500mb take place?

Answer 23

downstream from the trough axis, from minnesota to colorado

Question 24

which mb level does a midlatitude cyclone follow? what speed?

Answer 24

500mb, half the speed

Question 25

in the conveyor belt model, this belt enters the storm flowing westward toward the surface cyclone

Answer 25

cold conveyor belt

Question 26

cyclogenesis begins when

Answer 26

cold air begins to advance southward and warm air goes north

Question 27

where is cyclogenesis most likely to occur?

Answer 27

in regions of strong temp contrasts or where topographic features disrupt the normal airflow

Question 28

the warm sector between the warm and cold fronts is characterized by

Answer 28

clear conditions

Question 29

earth vorticity

Answer 29

is a function of latitude

Question 30

the formation of a mesocyclone requires

Answer 30

vertical wind shear

Question 31

an outflow boundary is

Answer 31

All of the below: - the leading edge of cold air from a thunderstorm downdraft - a favorable place for future severe storm development, esp if two intersect - can be seen clearly on radar images

Question 32

common doppler radar associated with supercell is the

Answer 32

hook echo

Question 33

air mass thunderstorms

Answer 33

extinguish themselves through the formation of extensive downdrafts

Question 34

tornados

Answer 34

are associated with cumulonimbus clouds

Question 35

not significant in explaining why the US has so many tornados

Answer 35

cold ocean current on the west coast

Question 36

how many times greater is the pressure gradient of the tornado vs its core from the cyclone and an anticyclone

Answer 36

5000 times greater

Question 37

tropical storms in the east pacific

Answer 37

generally move westward

Question 38

hurricanes

Answer 38

are smaller than mid-latitude cyclones

Question 39

hurricanes have

Answer 39

no fronts

Question 40

a hurricane is almost symmetric in shape because

Answer 40

a hurricane has only warm air

Question 41

a hurricane typically

Answer 41

has temps near its center that are much higher than surrounding temps

Question 42

the strongest winds in a hurricane occur

Answer 42

in the eyewall

Question 43

hurricanes are

Answer 43

warm core systems with high pressure aloft

Question 44

horizontal air flow in a hurricane is

Answer 44

counterclockwise at the surface, clockwise aloft

Question 45

the strongest rainfall within a hurricane occurs

Answer 45

in the eyewall

Question 46

air _______ inside the eye of a hurricane

Answer 46

sinks and warms adiabatically

Question 47

order in size: hurricane, thunderstorm, tornado, mid-latitude cyclone

Answer 47

mid-latitude cyclone, hurricane, thunderstorm, tornado

Question 48

an easterly wave is

Answer 48

a favorable area for hurricane development

Question 49

Hurricanes gain most of their energy from

Answer 49

latent heat released by condensation

Question 50

absence of coriolis

Answer 50

prohibits hurricane formation at the equator

Question 51

the reason why almost all hurricanes form in equatorial region:

Answer 51

largest source of warm water

Question 52

hurricane's greatest threat to life and property

Answer 52

storm surge

Question 53

you would most likely expect a rain shadow

Answer 53

east side of the cascade mountains in the PNW

Question 54

When the environmental lapse rate exceeds both the dry adiabatic lapse rate and the wet adiabatic lapse rate of a parcel of air, that air parcel contains

Answer 54

absolutely unstable air

Question 55

The lower atmosphere is most likely to have the steepest environmental lapse rate at this time.

Answer 55

mid-day

Question 56

Cumuliform clouds

Answer 56

typically have higher water content than stratiform clouds

Question 57

Collision-coalescence is the predominant cause of precipitation in this region.

Answer 57

the Tropics

Question 58

In middle latitudes, rain

Answer 58

usually begins as snow