Exam 2

Question 1

T or F: Mid-Latitude Cyclones are often characterized by the presence of low pressure centers.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

T or F: Clouds occurring at High Altitudes (at or above 30,000 feet) have no prefixes in their names.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

T or F: In an unstable environment, air parcels continue to rise even after the forces lifting them are removed.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

T or F: An unsaturated air parcels rise through the atmosphere they expand and cool and their dew point temperature remains constant.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

T or F: In a mature mid latitude cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere, a cold front is typically found on the northern portion of the central low.

Answer 5

False

Question 6

T or F: Warm Fronts are marked on weather maps as red lines with small closed triangles.

Answer 6

False

Question 7

T or F: Wind spiral counterclockwise and inwards around low pressure in Northern Hemisphere

Answer 7

True

Question 8

T or F: Lifting motions along cold fronts are often weak, gradual, and long lasting.

Answer 8

False

Question 9

T or F: Assuming that it exists, the jet stream is found near the top of the troposphere near the tropopause.

Answer 9

True

Question 10

T or F: When force is applied to neutrally- stable parcels, they do not return to their original position nor continue to move after the force is removed.

Answer 10

True

Question 11

T or F: Environmental temperatures can vary widely with height, especially when compared to how temperatures of parcels change with height.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

A temperature inversion describes _______ _____ in the temperature of the atmosphere with increasing height.

Answer 12

an increase

Question 13

What vertical motions exist above centers of low pressure in the atmosphere?

Answer 13

Upward motions

Question 14

Air in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer is acted upon by the frictional force. What effect does it have upon the air in this layer?

Answer 14

Slows the Air’s Velocity

Question 15

What instrument is used to measure the “quasi-vertical” properties of the atmosphere, providing vertical measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction?

Answer 15

Weather Balloon Rawindsonders

Question 16

Which forces act upon the air in the free atmosphere?

Answer 16

Pressure Gradient Force and Coriolis Force

Question 16

Divergence present aloft, associated with the Jet Stream is responsible for supporting _________ _____________ systems at the surface.

Answer 16

low pressure

Question 17

In the Northern Hemisphere, low pressure systems spin_____ and high pressure systems spin ______

Answer 17

Counterclockwise, clockwise

Question 18

In stable environments, the parcel’s air temperature is ___________ __________ the environment’s air temperature.

Answer 18

Colder than

Question 19

Precipitation associated with warm fronts:

Answer 19

Falls on the cold side of the front, is typically light, and is widespread ahead of the front.

Question 20

What is the value of the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate in C per Km)

Answer 20

9.8

Question 21

What are the signs that a warm front had passed?

Answer 21

Rising temperatures, southerly/southeasterly winds, and increasing dew point

Question 22

What are the signs that a cold front has passed

Answer 22

decrease in temperature, winds from the west/northwest, and decrease in dew point.

Question 23

Why is the Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate (MALR) less than the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate?

Answer 23

When a moist/saturated air parcel rises, its temperature decreases and eventually reaches its dew point where condensation occurs. Condensation is an exothermic process, and the heat released slows the rate at which the parcel’s temperature can decrease. The rising of a dry/unsaturated air parcel will not result in this exothermic process, and thus will be able to decrease in temperature at a faster rate.

Question 24

Describe an environment that is unstable, discussing parcel temperatures and environmental temperatures in your answer. Why does this difference in temperature cause the parcel to behave in this manner?

Answer 24

An environment that is unstable has air parcels with a temperature that is higher than the environmental temperature. The higher the air parcels move up in the atmosphere, the warmer they become, causing them to be less dense (because they are now more spread apart) than the air in its surrounding environment. If the difference in temperature is great enough it creates a force that moves the parcels in a vertical motion. If they continue to behave in this manner, it can lead to storms and clouds developing.

Question 25

How do low pressure systems (midlatitude cyclones) develop? What mechanisms drive their growth, and what mechanisms help to support the system?

Answer 25

The main mechanisms that drive their growth are the contrast in temperatures between the different air masses and when air converges at the air at the surface (which causes air to rise). These mechanisms are supported by the divergence of the upper level air which allows air to continuously rise over time.

Question 26

What are Parcels? How can we think about them?

Question 27

What does the behavior of parcels look like as they rise?

Answer 27

They expand as they move into a lower pressure environment, their molecules spread out and become less active, and their temperature decreases.

Question 28

What is a force

Answer 28

An interaction that causes a substance to change speed or direction

Question 29

What are the three types of forces?

Answer 29

Magnetic force, gravitational force, and electric force.

Question 30

Example of Magnetic Force:

Answer 30

When the same charges of a magnet repel each other.

Question 31

Example of Gravitational Force:

Answer 31

An apple falling to the ground.

Question 31

Example of Electric Force:

Answer 31

Calcium changing the charge of the inside of the receptor.

Question 32

Why are forces important to meteorology?

Answer 32

Winds are driven forces acting on air

Question 33

What is a wind gradient?

Answer 33

The change in wind speed or direction over a vertical or horizontal distance.

Question 34

What is the Pressure Gradient Force relationship to wind?

Answer 34

The force directed from high pressure towards low pressure, in the presence of a pressure gradient. PGF is the fundamental driver of wind, its what causes wind to blow.
Winds blow

Question 35

What is the Coriolis Force?

Answer 35

Acts to deflect or turn the winds,

Question 35

How does the Coriolis Force affect wind in the Northern Hemisphere?

Answer 35

Deflects objects to the right

Question 36

How does the Coriolis Force affect wind in the Southern Hemisphere?

Answer 36

Deflects object to the left

Question 37

What is the Atmospheric boundary layer, how does it affect wind flow?

Question 38

Frictional Force?

Answer 38

Always acts opposite to an objects direction of motion, frictional forces always slow down the wind. primarily act upon winds in the boundary layer.

Question 39

What is the Jet Stream?

Answer 39

Narrow band of strong winds that move from west to east in the upper atmosphere.

Question 40

What is advection? How does the flow around lows cause advection of air masses?

Answer 40

The horizontal transport of atmospheric properties like temperature, humidity or moisture by the wind.

Question 41

What are Fronts? What do they mark?

Question 42

Are fronts associated with highs or lows? Why?