Unit 2 Flashcards
Air pressure is:
A. Measured in pascals by American meteorologists
B. Independent of the density of air
C. Independent of the temperature of air.
D. The sum of the partial pressures of its constituent gases.
D
Which of the following is a correct approximation of average sea-level atmospheric pressure?
A. 1013.2 millibars
B. 31 inches of mercury
C. 99 kilopascals
D. 20 pounds per square inch
A
This is the only atmospheric variable that always decreases with distance above the ground:
Pressure
Anticyclones:
A. Have air spiraling into them at lower elevations
B. Have clockwise winds in the Northern Hemisphere
C. Do not have winds in the upper atmosphere that follow height contours.
D. Are associated with subgeostrophic winds
B
Cyclones:
A. Experience Coriolis effects that deflect air to the right in the Southern Hemisphere
B. Are associated with low-pressure systems
C. Are associated with supergeostrophic winds
D. Are typically regions of fair weather
B
In the northern hemisphere, a low pressure system:
A. Has clockwise flow in at the surface and out at the top of the system
B. Has clockwise flow in at the top of the system and out at the surface
C. Has counterclockwise flow in at the surface and out at the top of the system
D. Has counterclockwise flow in at the top of the system and out at the surface
C
The sea level pressure distribution across the world is:
Organized into high and low pressure areas
Northeast has an azimuth value of
45 degrees
The pressure at the bottom of the atmosphere is referred to as:
sea level pressure
In the atmosphere, pressure decreases most rapidly in the:
lower part of the atmosphere
Sea level pressure:
A. is usually less than surface pressure
B. is used in the US, but not in Canada
C. is used to correct for elevation differences at different locations
D. Usually disregards the effect of temperature on air pressure
C
Vertical pressure changes ___ with height.
non-linearly
Pressure decreases with altitude by 50% with every increase in altitude of how much?
5.5 km
Horizontal pressure changes are ___ than vertical pressure changes.
less
Which of the following is true?
A. Surface pressure is always greater than sea level pressure
B. Surface pressure is always equal to sea level pressure
C. Sea level pressure is always greater than surface pressure
D. Surface pressure is almost always lower than sea level pressure.
D
The Sears Tower in Chicago is 110 stories tall. Atmospheric pressure is greatest at the
A. top of the building
B. bottom of the building
C. 50th floor
D. the pressure is equal on all floors
B
The Equation of State (Ideal Gas Law) gives a relationship between:
pressure, density, and temperature
The equation of state (Ideal Gas Law) is not dependent upon this:
A. The density of the gas
B. The composition of the gas
C. The temperature of the gas
D. The pressure of the gas
B
According to the Ideal Gas Law, the pressure will increase if:
A. The air density and temperature decreases
B. The air density increases while the temperature is held constant
C. The air density and the temperature are held constant
D. None of the above
B
The horizontal pressure gradient force (pgf):
A. Is solely responsible for air movement
B. Can affect the direction of wind flow
C. Is always directed from high pressure to low pressure
D. All of the above
D
The pressure gradient force:
A. Can be measured by knowing the sea level pressure of just one point
B. Creates wind if it is horizontal
C. Will not necessarily result in the movement of air
D. Is unrelated to the speed of air movement
B
Horizontal pressure gradients:
A. Are typically quite large
B. Often range over distances of hundreds of kilometers when viewed in large scale
C. Are smallest when measured across a hurricane
D. Can be quite large when compared with the average value of the air pressure
B
The horizontal pressure gradient force is proportional to:
A. The speed necessary to achieve hydrostatic equilibrium
B. The change in temperature expressed in Kelvin degrees
C. The change in air density
D. The spacing between isobars
D
An examination of a typical 500 mb height map shows that:
A. Pressure surfaces can change dramatically over a short distance
B. There is no usefulness in consulting height maps for other pressures
C. Upper-atmosphere gradients are typically small
D. It takes strong gradients to produce strong winds
C