Exam 1 Spring 2024 Flashcards

Canvas Polls and Exam 1

1
Q

Which of the following descriptions of an air mass is not true?

  • forms over land or water, not both
  • forms in regions with strong winds
  • has uniform temp and humidity characteristics
  • forms over a warm or cold region, not both
A

Forms in regions with strong winds

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2
Q

An air mass source region ?.
- is either cold or warm, not both
- is either land or water, not both
- is huge
- all of these choices

A

all of these choices

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3
Q

Fronts ?.
- always extend from centers of high pressure
- always extend from centers of low pressure
- mark the center of air masses
- are identified with sinking air and fair weather

A

always extend from centers of low pressure

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4
Q

Frontal type is always determined by the movement of cold air because cold air ? than warm air.
- is more dense
- has a higher pressure
- is more humid
- transfers more energy

A

is more dense

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5
Q

A geostationary (GOES) satellite ? and is in a ? orbit above the Earth.
- is in a fixed position above the equator, high
- is in a fixed position above the equator, low
- circles the earth from pole to pole, high
- circles the earth from pole to pole, low

A

is in a fixed position above the equator, high

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6
Q

Visible satellite images indicate the amount of incoming visible energy from the Sun that is ? by the Earth and clouds.
- reflected
- emitted
- transmitted
- absorbed

A

reflected

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7
Q

The greatest disadvantage associated with the use of visible satellite images is that they ?
- have poor resolution
- don’t indicate the top of the vapor layer
- don’t indicate where precipitation is occurring
- provide no information at night

A

provide no information at night

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8
Q

Infrared satellite images indicate the amount of infrared energy that is ? by the Earth and clouds.

  • absorbed
  • transmitted
  • emitted
  • reflected
A

emitted

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9
Q

The greatest advantage associated with the use of infrared satellite imagery is that it ?.

  • indicates where precipitation is occurring
  • has very high resolution
  • indicates the bottom of the vapor layer
  • provides information during both day and night
A

provides information during day and night

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10
Q

When this energy encounters a cloud, the cloud ? the energy, some of which is sent back to Earth and sensed by the radar.
- absorbs
- reflects
- scatters
-emits

A

scatters

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10
Q

Water vapor satellite images indicate the amount of infrared energy that is emitted by ?.
- the top of the vapor layer
- the earths surface
- low clouds
- high clouds

A

the top of the vapor layer

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10
Q

Doppler Radar operates by sending out pulses of ? energy in all directions.
- ultraviolet
- infrared
-microwave
- visible

A

microwave

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11
Q

When Doppler Radar is in base reflectivity mode, the colors provide a measure of ?.
- precipitation rate
- vapor depth
- cloud temperature
- emitted infrared energy

A

precipitation rate

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11
Q

When Doppler Radar is in base reflectivity mode, the colors provide a measure of ?.
- frequency
- reflectivity
- temp.
- pressure

A

frequency

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12
Q

The base velocity image below is from the Fort Dix, NJ Doppler radar at 1355Z February 13, 2024. The radar location is given by the yellow oval, and the legend indicates speed in knots.
Negative (green ) values indicate motion ? the radar while positive (red) values indicate motion ? the radar.

  • toward, away
    -away, toward
A
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12
Q

Pressure at a given location on a surface map is a measure of the ? of the atmosphere above that point.
- mass/volume
- weight
- weight/volume
- mass

A

weight

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13
Q
  1. Pressures at the surface range from approximately ? mb.
  • 1000-1100
  • 950-1050
  • 50-150
  • 0-999
A

950-1050

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14
Q
  1. Pressure in the atmosphere decreases ?.
    - exponentially with increasing height
    - at a uniform rate with increasing height
    - in the troposphere and mesosphere only
    - in the stratosphere and thermosphere only
A

Exponentially with increasing height

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15
Q

The pressure gradient is a measure of the rate at which ? changes over ?.
- pressure, distance
- distance, pressure
- altitude, pressure
- pressure, altitude

A

pressure, distance

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16
Q

Temperature is a measure of an object’s ?.
- total potential energy
- mean potential energy
- mean kinetic energy
- total kinetic energy

A

mean kinetic energy

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17
Q

The sign of vertical temperature change in the atmosphere (positive, zero, negative) is determined by the ?.
- potential energy of the air
- density of the air
- kinetic energy of the air
- location of atmospheric heat sources

A

Location of atmospheric heat source

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18
Q

Temperature ? with increasing height in the troposphere because ?.
- decreases, ozone emits ultraviolet energy to space
- increases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the sun
- increases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source
- decreases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source

A

decreases, the earths surface is a heat source

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19
Q

Temperature ? with increasing height in the stratosphere because ?.
- decreases, ozone emits ultraviolet energy to space
- decreases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source
- increases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the sun
- increases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source

A

increases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the sun

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20
Q

Virtually all of our meaningful weather (clouds and precipitation) occurs in the ?.
mesosphere
stratosphere
troposphere
thermosphere

A

troposhere

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21
Q
  1. Heat is a measure of ?.
    energy transfer from a cold object to a warm object
    the mean kinetic energy of an object
    mean potential energy of an object
    energy transfer from a warm object to a cold object
A

energy transfer from a warm object to a cold object

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22
Q
  1. Thermal equilibrium between two objects occurs when ?.
    energy is transferred from the cold to the warm object
    energy is transferred from the warm to the cold object
    both objects have the same temperature
    the mean kinetic energy of the warm object increases
A

both objects have the same temperature

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23
Q
  1. Conduction occurs when ?.
    energy is transferred through an object from cold to warm
    energy is transferred through an object from warm to cold
    energy is transferred by moving a warm object to a cold location
    energy is transferred by moving a cold object to a warm location
A

energy is transferred through an object from warm to cold

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24
Q
  1. Convection occurs when ?.
    energy is transferred through an object from cold to warm
    energy is transferred by moving a cold object to a warm location
    energy is transferred through an object from warm to cold
    energy is transferred by moving a warm object to a cold location
A

energy is transferred by moving a warm object to a cold location

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25
Q
  1. Convection in the atmosphere occurs on a sunny day when the Earth’s surface first ? the air above it through conduction and then the ?.

cools, cool air rises
warms, warm air sinks
cools, cool air sinks
warms, warm air rises

A

warms, warm air rises

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26
Q
  1. The density of air is defined to be its ?.
    weight
    mass
    weight/volume
    mass/volume
A

mass/volume

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27
Q
  1. Density in the atmosphere decreases ?.
    in the troposphere and mesosphere only
    at a uniform rate with increasing height
    exponentially with increasing height
    in the stratosphere and thermosphere only
A

exponentially with increasing height

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28
Q
  1. Given that total mechanical energy (TE) is a constant, expansional cooling occurs when both ? and ?.
    potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases
    potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases
    pressure decreases, density increases
    density decreases, pressure increases
A

potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases

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29
Q
  1. On the other hand, compressional warming occurs when both ? and ?.
    density decreases, pressure increases
    potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases
    potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases
    pressure decreases, density increases
A

potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases

30
Q
  1. Electromagnetic energy ?.
    is less likely to be emitted by an object when the object temperature increases
    moves at the speed of light
    is 4 times more energetic than mechanical energy
    is equal to potential energy plus kinetic energy
A

moves at the speed of light

31
Q
  1. The total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted by an object per unit area (E) depends on the ? of the object.
    density
    mass
    temperature to the 4th power
    surface pressure
A

temperature to the 4th power

32
Q
  1. The Sun emits ? times more energy (E, per unit area) than the Earth because the absolute temperature of the Sun is ? greater than that of the Earth.
    20, 4
    160, 8
    160000, 20
    24000, 16
A

160000, 20

33
Q
  1. The wavelength of maximum emission (𝛌max) of an object is the ?.
    maximum wavelength at which the object emits energy
    total energy emitted at all wavelengths by the object
    temperature at which the object emits the greatest amount of energy
    wavelength at which the object emits the greatest amount of energy
A

wavelength at which the object emits the greatest amount of energy

34
Q
  1. The wavelength of maximum emission (𝛌max) of the Sun is ? μm, which corresponds to ?.
    10.0, infrared energy
    0.5, green light
    0.5, infrared energy
    10.0, green light
A

0.5, green light

35
Q
  1. The wavelength of maximum emission (𝛌max) of the Earth is ? μm, which corresponds to ?.

10.0, infrared energy
0.5, infrared energy
0.5, green light
10.0, green light

A

10.0, infrared energy

36
Q
  1. The 3 most abundant gases in the dry atmosphere (i.e., the big 3) are ?, ? and ?.
    oxygen, methane, nitrogen
    oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen
    carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon
    nitrogen, oxygen, argon
A

nitrogen, oxygen, argon

37
Q
  1. A greenhouse gas ? incoming visible energy from the Sun but ? outgoing infrared energy from the Earth.
    is transparent to, absorbs
    absorbs, is transparent to
    absorbs, absorbs
    is transparent to, is transparent to
A

is transparent to, absorbs

38
Q
  1. The greenhouse effect is defined to be the warming of the atmosphere that results from the absorption of ? energy by greenhouse gases.
    ultraviolet
    infrared
    visible
    microwave
A

infrared

39
Q
  1. The natural greenhouse effect is enhanced when human activity (primarily the burning of fossil fuels) causes the ?.
    Earth to emit more visible energy
    concentration of atmospheric oxygen to decrease
    concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases to increase
    Earth to reflect more microwave energy
A

concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases to increase

40
Q

An air mass ?.
is either cold or warm, not both
is either humid or dry, not both
covers a huge area
all of the above

A

all of the above

41
Q
  1. An air mass source region ?.
    includes both land and water
    is both hot and cold
    is extremely large
    is mountainous
A

is extremely large

42
Q
  1. Air masses don’t form over the midlatitudes because the midlatitudes are too ?.
    mountainous
    windy
    hot
    humid
A

windy

43
Q
  1. A front ?.
    You Answered
    is a boundary between 2 different air masses
    typically causes warm air to rise
    usually leads to clouds and precipitation
    all of the above
A

all of the above

44
Q
  1. Both cold and warm fronts cause ? air to rise because the ? air is more dense.
    cold, cold
    warm, cold
    cold, warm
    warm, warm
A

warm, cold

45
Q
  1. An air mass ?.

is both warm and cold
is both dry and humid
is extremely large
is a boundary between warm and cold air

A

is extremely large

46
Q
  1. An air mass source region ?.

is either land or water, not both
is either warm or cold, not both
is extremely large
has very light winds

A

all of the above

47
Q
  1. A front ?.

is a boundary between 2 different air masses
typically causes warm air to rise
usually leads to clouds and precipitation

A

all of the above

48
Q
  1. The movement of a front is always determined by the movement of the ? air because it is ?.

cold, more dense
warm, more dense
cold, less dense
warm, less dense

A

cold, more dense

49
Q
  1. A boundary is a cold front when the ?.

warm air advances
cold air advances
warm air retreats
cold air retreats

A

cold air advances

50
Q
  1. A boundary is a warm front when the ?.

warm air advances
cold air advances
warm air retreats
cold air retreats

A

cold air retreats

51
Q
  1. Overrunning occurs in the vicinity of a ? front when ? air glides up and over retreating ? air along and ahead of the front.

cold, cold, warm
warm, warm, cold
cold, warm, cold
warm, cold, warm

A

warm, warm, cold

52
Q
  1. The wind circulation around a center of high pressure is ?.

clockwise and outward
clockwise and inward
counterclockwise and outward
counterclockwise and inward

A

cw and outward

53
Q
  1. The wind circulation around a center of low pressure is ?.
    clockwise and outward
    clockwise and inward
    counterclockwise and outward
    counterclockwise and inward
A

ccw and inward

54
Q
  1. Fronts always extend from centers of ? pressure because ?.

high, air flows outward in all directions from the high center
low, air flows outward in all directions from the low center
high, air flows inward from all directions to the high center
low, air flows inward from all directions to the low center

A

low, air flows inward from all directions to the low center

55
Q
  1. The 3 most common gases in the dry atmosphere are ?, ? and ?.
    oxygen, helium, nitrogen
    argon, oxygen, nitrogen
    nitrogen, water vapor, oxygen
    nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide
A

argon, oxygen, nitrogen

56
Q
  1. A greenhouse gas ? incoming energy from the Sun and ? outgoing energy from the Earth.
    is transparent to, is transparent to
    is transparent to, absorbs
    absorbs, absorbs
    absorbs, is transparent to
A

is transparent to, absorbs

57
Q
  1. The only gas in the list below that is not a greenhouse gas is ?.

carbon dioxide
methane
nitrogen
water vapor

A

nitrogen

58
Q
  1. Temperature is a measure of ?.
    total potential energy
    mean potential energy
    total kinetic energy
    mean kinetic energy
A

mean kinetic energy

59
Q
  1. Ice melts at a temperature of 32°F and ?°C.

0
32
100
273.15

A

0

60
Q
  1. Temperature ? with increasing height in the troposphere because ?.
    increases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source
    decreases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source
    increases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the Sun
    decreases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the Sun
A

decreases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source

61
Q
  1. Temperature ? with increasing height in the stratosphere because ?.
    increases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source
    decreases, the Earth’s surface is a heat source
    increases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the Sun
    decreases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the Sun
A

increases, ozone absorbs incoming ultraviolet energy from the Sun

62
Q
  1. Virtually all of the Earth’s weather takes place in the ?.
    troposphere
    stratosphere
    mesosphere
    thermosphere
A

troposhere

63
Q
  1. Temperature is a measure of ?.
    mean potential energy
    total potential energy
    mean kinetic energy
    total kinetic energy
A

mean kinetic energy

64
Q
  1. Heat is a measure of ?.
    mean kinetic energy
    total kinetic energy
    energy transfer from a cold to a warm object
    energy transfer from a warm to a cold object
A

energy transfer from a warm to a cold object

65
Q
  1. Conduction occurs when energy is transferred ?.
    through an object from cold to warm
    through an object from warm to cold
    by moving a cold object to a warm location
    by moving a warm object to a cold location
A

energy is transferred through an object from warm to cold

66
Q
  1. Convection occurs when energy is transferred ?.
    through an object from cold to warm
    through an object from warm to cold
    by moving a cold object to a warm location
    by moving a warm object to a cold location
A

by moving a warm object to a cold location

67
Q
  1. In general terms, when water changes phase, the phase change is accompanied by a change in ? temperature.
A

air

68
Q
  1. Latent heat is defined to be the energy ?.
    transferred from water to the surrounding air during a phase change
    transferred from the surrounding air to water during a phase change
    required to change the phase of water at a constant air temperature
    required to change the phase of water at a constant water temperature
A

required to change the phase of water at a constant water temperature

69
Q
  1. Evaporation is a ? process where latent heat is ? the environment.
    warming, absorbed from
    warming, released to
    cooling, absorbed from
    cooling, released to
A

cooling, absorbed from

70
Q
  1. Condensation is a ? process where latent heat is ? the environment.
    warming, absorbed from
    warming, released to
    cooling, absorbed from
    cooling, released to
A

warming released to

71
Q
  1. The Stefan-Boltzmann law tells us that the amount of energy an object emits per unit area depends on the object’s ?.
    surface area
    surface area to the 4th power
    temperature
    temperature to the 4th power
A

temp to the 4th power

72
Q
  1. The Sun emits 160,000 times more energy than the Earth (per unit area) because the Sun is ? than the Earth.
    10,000 times larger
    20 times more dense
    20 times hotter
    10,000 times more dense
A

20x hotter

73
Q
  1. The Sun emits energy primarily in the ? range while the Earth emits primarily in the ? range.
    infrared, ultraviolet
    ultraviolet, infrared
    infrared, visible
    visible, infrared
A

visible, infrared

74
Q
  1. Wien’s displacement law tells us that 𝛌max of the Sun occurs in the ? range while 𝛌max of the Earth occurs in the ? range.

infrared, ultraviolet
ultraviolet, infrared
infrared, visible
visible, infrared

A

visible, infrared

75
Q
  1. Visible satellite sensors measure the amount of visible light that is ? by Earth and atmosphere.
A

reflected

76
Q
  1. Infrared satellite sensors measure that amount of infrared energy that is ? by the highest object at a given location.
A

emitted

77
Q
  1. Water vapor satellite sensors measure that amount of infrared energy that is ? by the top of the vapor layer at a given location.
A

emitted

78
Q
A