Chapter 13

Front 1

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season broke many all-time records, including all but which of the following?
A. greatest number of named tropical storms in one season
B. greatest number of named tropical storms before August 1
C. greatest number of hurricanes in one season
D. greatest number of major hurricanes making landfall in U.S.
E. greatest number of deaths in one season

Back 1

greatest number of deaths in one season

Front 2

The deadliest hurricane in U.S. history struck ________________ in 1900 killing 8,000 people.
A. New Orleans, Louisiana
B. Galveston, Texas
C. Charleston, South Carolina
D. Palm Beach, Florida
E. Key Largo, Florida

Back 2

Galveston, Texas

Front 3

Hurricane Katrina (2005) ranks number ________ in a list of the 13 deadliest hurricanes in the United States since 1900.
A. one
B. two
C. three
D. four
E. five

Back 3

three

Front 4

Requirements for a hurricane to develop include all but which of the following?
A. seawater with a temperature of at least 80F in the upper 200 ft of the ocean
B. air must be unstable, warm, and humid
C. weak upper-level winds, preferably blowing in the same direction the developing storm is moving
D. tornado serving as triggering mechanism, spreading out and slowing as storm grows

Back 4

tornado serving as triggering mechanism, spreading out and slowing as storm grows

Front 5

Hurricanes rotate in a ________________ around a central core in the Northern Hemisphere.
A. clockwise direction
B. counterclockwise direction
C. back and forth motion
D. random pattern
E. zigzag pattern

Back 5

counterclockwise direction

Front 6

Rank the following in order of increasing strength:
A. tropical depression, tropical storm, tropical disturbance, hurricane
B. hurricane, tropical depression, tropical storm, tropical disturbance
C. tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane
D. hurricane, tropical depression, tropical disturbance, tropical storm
E. tropical storm, tropical depression, tropical disturbance, hurricane.

Back 6

tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane

Front 7

As a hurricane forms, converging surface winds meet at the central core, which acts like a chimney sending ________________.
A. warm, moist air flowing rapidly upward
B. warm, moist air flowing rapidly downward
C. cool, dry air flowing rapidly upward
D. cool, dry air flowing rapidly downward

Back 7

warm, moist air flowing rapidly upward

Front 8

As a hurricane forms, the air ______________________.
A. rises, cools, and releases latent heat, cooling down the hurricane's core
B. rises, cools, and releases latent heat, heating up the hurricane's core
C. rises, warms, and releases latent heat, heating up the core and adding energy to the storm
D. falls, cools, and releases latent heat, heating up the core and adding energy to the storm

Back 8

rises, cools, and releases latent heat, heating up the hurricane's core

Front 9

A hurricane acts as a heat engine, transferring heat from __________________________.
A. the warm, moist air above tropical seas into the core of the hurricane
B. the core of the hurricane into the warm, moist air above tropical seas
C. the warm, moist air above tropical seas into the bottom of the sea, where it stirs up turbulence
D. the core of the hurricane into the tropical seas, where additional energy is picked up from water depths below 200 feet, amplifying the strength of the storm
E. low pressure zones in the core to low pressure zone on the perifery

Back 9

the warm, moist air above tropical seas into the core of the hurricane

Front 10

A hurricane is defined as a large area of sustained winds greater than 74 miles per hour. This is the wind speed at which ________________________.
A. canvas sails on sail boats start to rip
B. storm surge starts to be a problem
C. Saffir and Simpson agreed to compromise (Saffir wanted 72 mph, and Simpson wanted 76 mph)
D. the center of the storm develops a calm area known as the eye
E. atmospheric particles collide and coalesce

Back 10

the center of the storm develops a calm area known as the eye

Front 11

Inside the eye of a well-developed hurricane __________________.
A. air rises
B. there is heavy rain
C. there is a near-perfect vacuum
D. air sinks
E. there are strong winds

Back 11

air sinks

Front 12

The air in the eye of a hurricane ________________________.
A. sinks, warms, and absorbs moisture, leaving the core clear and cloud-free
B. rises, cools, and absorbs moisture, leaving the core clear and cloud-free
C. rises, cools, and expels moisture, leaving the core clear and cloud-free
D. sinks, warms, and expels moisture, leaving the core clear and cloud-free
E. is stable, neither moving up nor down

Back 12

sinks, warms, and absorbs moisture, leaving the core clear and cloud-free

Front 13

The strongest winds in a hurricane are ______________________.
A. in the eye
B. in the eye wall
C. typically about 100 miles away from the eye
D. on the left-hand side of the storm (looking in the direction the hurricane is moving)

Back 13

in the eye wall

Front 14

A large mound of seawater (storm surge) builds up beneath the eye of a hurricane because ______________________.
A. the eye is a very low-pressure zone, so local sea "level" rises higher
B. the winds race into the chimney of the eye, pushing seawater into a tall mound
C. Both the eye is a very low-pressure zone, so local sea "level" rises higher and the winds race into the chimney of the eye, pushing seawater into a tall mound are correct.
D. Neither the eye is a very low-pressure zone, so local sea "level" rises higher nor the winds race into the chimney of the eye, pushing seawater into a tall mound is correct.
E. Scrambling Locked

Back 14

Both the eye is a very low-pressure zone, so local sea "level" rises higher and the winds race into the chimney of the eye, pushing seawater into a tall mound are correct.

Front 15

Which of the following is a rotating, low-pressure weather system with a warm core that generally forms over warm seawater between 5 and 20 latitude and then travels off to deliver its heat to higher latitudes?
A. hurricanes
B. typhoons
C. southern hemisphere cyclones
D. All of these are correct.

Back 15

all of these are correct

Front 16

The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to measure the intensity of ____________________.
A. tropospheric jet streams
B. hurricanes
C. earthquakes
D. dust storms
E. tornadoes

Back 16

hurricanes

Front 17

The Saffir-Simpson scale is numbered 1-5 with _________________________.
A. smaller numbers indicating bigger hurricanes
B. larger numbers indicating bigger hurricanes
C. numbers indicating size of tornadoes
D. numbers indicating risk conditions for forest fires

Back 17

larger numbers indicating bigger hurricanes

Front 18

Of the disaster scales discussed in the book (Richter, Modified Mercalli, Fujita, Saffir-Simpson)
A. all use larger numbers to describe larger disasters.
B. all use smaller numbers to describe larger disasters.
C. some use smaller numbers and some use larger numbers to describe larger disasters.
D. some use alphabetic abbreviations and some use numbers to denote the size of disasters.

Back 18

all use larger numbers to describe larger disasters.

Front 19

The main influences on tropical cyclone paths include all but which of the following?
A. Trade winds blow the tropical cyclone toward the west.
B. The Coriolis effect adds a curve to the right that progressively increases in strength with increasing distance to the equator.
C. Hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda High.
D. Hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda Triangle.
E. Answers trade winds blow the tropical cyclone toward the west and hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda Triangle influence the path of a tropical cyclone.

Back 19

Hurricane paths vary depending on the size and position of the Bermuda Triangle.

Front 20

When approaching the Western Hemisphere, hurricanes commonly move north on clockwise-curving paths due to the ___________________.
A. Coriolis effect
B. pressure of frontal systems in the United States moving northward
C. Hadley cells
D. Bermuda triangle
E. fact that land areas get in the way and deflect the storms sideways to the north

Back 20

Coriolis effect

Front 21

Which of the following variables has been of assistance in forecasting the number of named tropical storms in the North Atlantic region?
A. when the western Sahel region of Africa is wet with an abnormally large number of thunderstorms
B. abnormally warm sea-surface temperatures west of the Sahel region of Africa
C. the presence of an El Ni–o which tends to disrupt and break apart tropical cyclone
D. low atmospheric pressure in the Caribbean region
E. All of these are correct.

Back 21

All of these are correct

Front 22

The month that historically has more hurricanes than any other month is _________________.
A. October
B. July
C. August
D. September
E. June

Back 22

September

Front 23

Most deaths in tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons, etc.) are the result of ______________________.
A. wind blown debris
B. direct hit by tornadoes
C. inland flooding
D. coastal storm surge
E. coastal subsidence

Back 23

Coastal storm surge

Front 24

If you are on the "right-hand side" of the tropical cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere you experience ______________________.
A. the speed of the storm body plus the wind speed
B. the wind speed minus the storm motion
C. the storm motion only
D. the wind speed but not the storm motion
E. eye-born pressure fluctuations

Back 24

the speed of the storm body plus the wind speed

Front 25

The danger of (northern hemisphere) storm surge is most extreme _____________ of a hurricane, due to the forward motion of the storm motion and the direction of rotating winds.
A. on the front-left side
B. on the front-right side
C. on the rear-left side
D. on the rear-right side
E. in the center

Back 25

on the front-right side

Front 26

The deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history was ____________________ which killed more than 8000 people.
A. Hurricane Katrina in 2005
B. the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980
C. the Great Flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River
D. the San Francisco earthquake of 1906
E. the Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900

Back 26

the Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900

Front 27

The rate of global sea-level rise is currently averaging about ________ per century.
A. 0.01 ft
B. 0.1 ft
C. 1 ft
D. 10 ft
E. 100 ft

Back 27

1ft

Front 28

Along many low-lying sections of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, a 1 ft rise in sea level may equate to as much as ________________ of inland movement of the beach.
A. 1 ft
B. 10 ft
C. 100 ft
D. 1000 ft
E. 10,000 ft

Back 28

1000 ft

Front 29

The orbital motion of water in a wave ceases at a depth _______________________.
A. of about three times the wavelength
B. of about twice the wavelength
C. equal to the wavelength
D. of about one-half the wavelength
E. equal to the depth of the water

Back 29

of about one-half the wavelength

Front 30

How tall a wave becomes depends on _______________________.
A. the velocity of the wind
B. the duration of time the wind blows
C. the length of water surface (fetch) the wind blows across
D. the consistency of wind direction
E. density contrast across the air-water interface

Back 30

the velocity of the wind

Front 31

Every once in a while, the waves from various sources will become briefly synchronized with their energies united to form a spectacular tall wave, the so-called ___________________.
A. "big one"
B. "super surf"
C. "rogue wave"
D. "water wall"
E. "white cap"

Back 31

"rogue wave"

Front 32

Because of varying topography and angle of wave approach, waves bend as they approach the shore, a process known as wave ___________________.
A. dispersion
B. reflection
C. diffraction
D. refraction
E. inflection

Back 32

refraction

Front 33

In open water, the greater the wavelength of a wave, the ____________ its velocity.
A. higher
B. lower
C. higher or lower (velocity cannot be predicted)
D. Wave velocity does not depend on wavelength, but rather is constant.

Back 33

higher