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Maritime Meteorology > Test 3 > Flashcards

Test 3 Flashcards

1
Q

The direction of surface wind is?

A

From high pressure towards low pressure deflected by earth’s rotation.

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2
Q

Tropical cyclones normally form within which of the following?

A

5 degrees to 15 degrees

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3
Q

According to Buys Ballot’s law, when an observer in the Northern Hemisphere experiences a northwest wind, the center of low pressure is located to the

A

northeast

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4
Q

You are enroute from Puerto Rico to New York. A hurricane makes up and is approaching. If the wind veers steadily, this indicates that your vessel is

A

in the dangerous semicircle

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5
Q

Low-pressure disturbances, which travel along the intertropical convergence zone are called

A

tropical waves

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6
Q

The approximate distance to a storm center can be determined by noting the hourly rate of fall of the barometer. If the rate of fall is 0.08-0. 12 inches, what is the approximate distance to the storm center

A

80 to 100 miles

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7
Q

What kind of weather would you expect to accompany the passage of a tropical wave?

A

Heavy rain and cloudiness

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8
Q

Tropical cyclones are classified by form and intensity. Which system does not have closed isobars?

A

Tropical disturbances

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9
Q

A tropical wave is usually preceded by

A

Good weather

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10
Q

Ocean swells originating from a typhoon can move ahead of it at speeds near

A

50 knots

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11
Q

The highest frequency of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean occurs during

A

August, September, and October

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12
Q

Recurvature of a hurricane’s track usually results in the forward speed

A

increasing

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13
Q

You have determined that you are in the right semicircle of a tropical cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere. What action should you take to avoid the storm?

A

Place the wind on the starboard bow and hold that course.

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14
Q

A line on a weather chart connecting places which have the same barometric pressure is called an

A

isobar

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15
Q

A rapid rise or fall of the barometer indicates

A

a change in the present weather conditions.

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16
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, if your vessel is in a hurricane’s navigable semicircle it should be positioned with the wind on the

A

starboard quarter, hold course and make as much speed as possible.

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17
Q

A phenomenon where the atmospheric pressure is higher than that of other surrounding regions is called

A

a high-pressure area; an anticyclone; or a “high”

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18
Q

Cyclones tend to move

A

parallel to the isobars in their warm sectors

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19
Q

The flow of air around an anticyclone in the Southern Hemisphere is

A

counterclockwise and outward

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20
Q

The dangerous semicircle of a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere is that area of the storm

A

to the right of the storm’s track

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21
Q

You are located within a stationary high-pressure area. Your aneroid barometer is falling very slowly. This indicates a(n)

A

decrease in the pressure of the system

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22
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere which semicircle of a hurricane is the navigable semicircle?

A

left

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23
Q

The hurricane season in the North Atlantic Ocean reaches its peak during the month of

A

September

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24
Q

As a high-pressure system approaches, the barometer reading

A

rises

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25
Q

In the Southern Hemisphere the wind circulation in a high-pressure system rotates

A

counterclockwise and outward

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26
Q

The eye of a hurricane is surrounded by dense black cumulonimbus clouds which are called the

A

wall cloud

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27
Q

What enables you to estimate the bearing of a storm’s center?

A

Buys Ballot’s Law

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28
Q

The left half of the storm is called the navigable semicircle because

A

Both A and B
A. the wind speed is decreased by the storm’s forward motion.
B. the wind tends to blow vessels away from the storm’s track

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29
Q

The edge of a hurricane has overtaken your vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, and the northwest wind of a few hours has shifted to the west. this is an indication that you are located in the

A

navigable semicircle

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30
Q

The rise and fall of the ocean’s surface due to a distant storm is known as

A

swell

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31
Q

How can you estimate the position of a tropical storm’s center?

A

with a radio weather bulletin or weather fax

using shipboard radar

observe the wind direction and apply Buys Ballot’s Law

all of the above.

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32
Q

Which scale is used to estimate wind speed by observing sea conditions

A

Beaufort scale

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33
Q

You are steaming west in the North Atlantic in an extratropical cyclonic storm, and the wind is dead ahead. According to the Law of Buys Ballot, the center of low pressure lies to the

A

north

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34
Q

If it is impossible to avoid a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere, the most favorable place to be when the storm passes is in

A

that half of the storm lying to the right of the storm’s path

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35
Q

The navigable semicircle of a tropical storm in the South Indian Ocean is located on which side of the storm’s track

A

Right

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36
Q

What is the direction of rotation of tropical cyclones, tropical storms and hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere?

A

Counterclockwise and inward

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37
Q

What classification of tropical cyclones would have closed isobars, counter-clockwise rotary circulation, and sustained winds between 34 and 63 knots?

A

a tropical storm

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38
Q

The wind velocity is higher in the dangerous semicircle of a tropical cyclone because of the

A

wind circulation and forward motion of the storm

39
Q

When is the peak of the hurricane season in the western North Pacific?

A

July through October

40
Q

What is the average speed of movement of a hurricane prior to recurvature?

A

10 to 12 knots

41
Q

You are in the Northern Hemisphere and a tropical wave is located 200 miles due west of your position. Where will the wave be located 24 hours later?

A

Farther away to the west

42
Q

Atmospheric pressure at sea level is equal to

A

14.7 pounds per square inch
29.92 inches of mercury
1013.25 millibars
All of the above

43
Q

What kind of pressure systems travel in tropical waves?

A

low pressure

44
Q

A hurricane is characterized by winds of

A

64 knots or greater

45
Q

When within 300 miles of a named tropical storm or hurricane, it is standard practice to send weather reports every

A

3 hours

46
Q

Anticyclones are usually characterized by

A

dry, fair weather

47
Q

The wind circulation around a high-pressure center in the Northern Hemisphere is

A

clockwise and moving outward from the high

48
Q

What is the FIRST sign of the existence of a well developed tropical cyclone?

A

An unusually long ocean swell

49
Q

Which kind of conditions would you observe as the eye of a storm passes over your vessel’s position?

A

Huge waves approaching from all directions, clearing skies, light winds, and an extremely low barometer.

50
Q

In a tropical cyclone, in the Northern Hemisphere, a vessel hove to with wind shifting counterclockwise is

A

in the navigable semicircle

51
Q

A slow rise in the barometric pressure forecasts

A

improving weather conditions

52
Q

Generally speaking, in the Northern Hemisphere, when winds are blowing from between SE and SW the barometric reading

A

is somewhat lower than it would be for winds from a northern quadrant

53
Q

Which of the following statements concerning frontal movements is TRUE?

A

A cold front generally passes faster than a warm front

54
Q

If an observer in the Northern Hemisphere faces the surface wind, the center of low pressure is to his

A

right, slightly behind him

55
Q

“Surface circulation” is another term for

A

wind in the lower troposphere

56
Q

The Beaufort scale is used to estimate the

A

wind speed

57
Q

The intensity of a hurricane as it reaches higher latitudes and cooler waters

A

decreases

58
Q

What is the first visible indication of the presence of a tropical cyclone or hurricane?

A

an exceptionally long swell

59
Q

The first cloud formations you can use to indicate the bearing of the center of a hurricane or tropical storm are

A

the point of convergence of the cirrus clouds

60
Q

As a licensed Merchant Marine Officer you are expected to

A

obtain a weather forecast before setting out from port

listen to weather forecast on the radio while enroute

understand all broadcast weather warning information

All of the above

61
Q

You are steaming eastward in the North Atlantic in an extratropical cyclonic storm and the wind is dead ahead. According to the law of Buys Ballot, the center of the low pressure lies

A

to the south

62
Q

Severe tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons) occur in all warm water oceans except the

A

South Atlantic Ocean

63
Q

In a tropical cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere, a vessel hove to with the wind shifting counterclockwise would be

A

in the navigable semicircle

64
Q

Tropical storms and hurricanes are most likely to form in the Southern hemisphere during

A

January through March

65
Q

What is the average speed of the movement of a hurricane following the recurvature of its track?

A

20 to 30 knots

66
Q

You are in the Northern Hemisphere and a tropical wave is located 200 miles due east of your position. Where will the wave be located 12 hours later?

A

Nearby to the east

67
Q

The dense black cumulonimbus clouds surrounding the eye of a hurricane are called

A

cloud walls

68
Q

A generally circular low pressure area is called a

A

cyclone

69
Q

You can determine if your vessel’s position is in the dangerous or navigable semicircle of a hurricane by

A

Both A and B
A. observing whether the wind is veering or backing
B. plotting two or more recent storm positions from weather bulletins

70
Q

The dangerous semicircle of a typhoon in the Southern Hemisphere is that area

A

to the left of the storm’s track

71
Q

Weather information is available from

A

commercial radio broadcast

the Coast Gaurd on scheduled marine information broadcast

VHF-FM continuous marine weather broadcast provided by the National Weather Service

All the above

72
Q

The process by which the temperature and/or moisture characteristics of an air mass changes is called

A

modification

73
Q

You can expect frontal activity when two air masses collide and

A

there are significant differences between the temperature of each air mass

74
Q

A gale is characterized by a wind speed of

A

34 to 47 knots

75
Q

You are attempting to locate your position relative to a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere. If the wind direction remains steady, but with diminishing velocity, you are most likely

A

on the storm track behind the center

76
Q

If you are caught in the left semicircle of a tropical storm, in the Southern Hemisphere, you should bring the wind

A

on the port bow, and make as much way as possible

77
Q

Weather systems in the middle latitudes generally travel from

A

west to east

78
Q

Where is the dangerous semicircle located on a hurricane in the Southern Hemisphere

A

to the left of the storm’s track

79
Q

A barometer showing falling pressure indicates the approach of a

A

Low-pressure system

80
Q

A boundary between two air masses is a

A

front

81
Q

If you observe a rapid fall of barometric pressure you should

A

prepare for the onset of stormy weather with strong winds

82
Q

A slow, gradual fall of the barometer indicates approaching

A

deteriorating or unsettled weather

83
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, the largest waves or swells created by a typhoon or hurricane will be located

A

forward and to the right of its course

84
Q

If a weather bulletin shows the center of a low-pressure system to be 100 miles due east of you, what winds can you expect in the Southern Hemisphere?

A

South-southwesterly

85
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, when the center of a high pressure system is due east of your position, you can expect winds from the

A

south to east

86
Q

A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that generates winds of

A

between 34 and 63 knots

87
Q

When your vessel is on the track but behind the storm’s center the

A

Wind direction remains steady
barometer rises
wind speed decreases
all the above

88
Q

Swells that have outrun the storm are produced in the

A

right front quadrant

89
Q

What indicates the arrival of a hurricane within 24 to 36 hours?

A

unusually good weather with above average pressures followed by a slow fall 0f 4 millibars in six hours.

90
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, you are caught in the dangerous semicircle of a storm with plenty of sea room available. The best course of action is to bring the wind on the

A

starboard bow and make as much headway as possible.

91
Q

The atmosphere in the vicinity of a high-pressure area is called

A

anticyclone

92
Q

That half of the hurricane to the right-hand side of its track ( as you face the same direction that the storm is moving) in the Northern Hemisphere is called the

A

dangerous semicircle

93
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, an area of counterclockwise wind circulation surrounded by higher pressure is a

A

low

Maritime Meteorology (2 decks)

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