Question Set 11 Flashcards
Cloud particles at air temperatures around -45oC would likely be
a) a mixture of supercooled liquid droplets and ice particles.
b) all ice particles.
c) all supercooled liquid droplets.
d) turning into graupel particles.
b) all ice particles.
Cloud particles at air temperatures around -10oC would likely be
a) a mixture of supercooled liquid droplets and ice particles.
b) all ice particles.
c) all supercooled liquid droplets.
d) turning into graupel particles.
a) a mixture of supercooled liquid droplets and ice particles.
Which of these can also be referred to as the “warm cloud” process?
a) The collision-coalescence process
b) The ice-crystal (Bergeron-Findeisen) process
c) Accretion
d) Aggregation
a) The collision-coalescence process
_________ is an example of frozen precipitation (i.e., it falls from the sky already frozen).
a) snow
b) snow pellets (graupel)
c) sleet (ice pellets)
d) All of the above.
d) All of the above.
In the midlatitudes, rain (i.e., liquid precipitation) at the Earth’s surface almost always begins as
a) ice crystals higher up in the atmosphere.
b) liquid droplets higher up in the atmosphere.
c) a temperature inversion is forming at the Earth’s surface.
d) graupel is forming at the Earth’s surface.
a) ice crystals higher up in the atmosphere.
What has to be true when snow is occurring at the surface but the surface air temperature is warmer than freezing?
a) There is a surface based temperature inversion.
b) The freezing level is within at least 300 m (~1000 ft) of the surface.
c) Accretion is occurring within the clouds.
d) This is a ridiculous question. Snow can’t occur when the surface temperature is warmer than freezing.
b) The freezing level is within at least 300 m (~1000 ft) of the surface.
A type of precipitation that requires the presence of a temperature inversion is
a) rain
b) snow
c) freezing rain.
d) All of the above
c) freezing rain.
Rain falls into a layer of below freezing air and completely freezes before reaching the ground What type of precipitation will be occurring at the ground?
a) sleet
b) rain
c) freezing rain
d) None of the above.
a) sleet
________ is occurring when precipitation sized particles fall from a cloud but evaporate or sublimate before reaching earth’s surface.
a) Virga
b) Aggregation
c) Accretion
d) All of the above.
a) Virga
Virga may be associated with
a) large amounts of rain falling to the ground.
b) large amounts of snow falling to the ground.
c) strong gusts of wind at the ground.
d) All of the above.
c) strong gusts of wind at the ground.
Liquid precipitation is typically measured to the nearest
a) inch.
b) tenth (0.1) of an inch.
c) hundredth (0.01) of an inch.
d) thousandth (0.001) of an inch.
c) hundredth (0.01) of an inch.
Sixteen inches of snow falls with a water equivalent ratio of 8 to 1. How much liquid water would this snow produce?
a) 1 inch
b) 2 inches
c) 8 inches
d) 16 inches
b) 2 inches
Weather radar
a) uses microwave radiation to detect precipitation sized particles.
b) detects precipitation out to distances of about 150 miles.
c) provides information on the location, depth, and intensity of regions of precipitation.
d) All of the above.
d) All of the above.
Doppler weather RADAR can determine
a) atmospheric pressure.
b) atmospheric temperature.
c) air motions.
d) All of the above.
c) air motions.
When examining the global precipitation pattern we see that
a) regions along or in the vicinity of the equator are relatively wet.
b) there are large dry regions in the subtropics (e.g., 15oN to 30oN)
c) areas of precipitation tend to be elongated in the east-west.
d) All of the above.
d) All of the above.
