Chapter 16

Front 1

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 1

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 2

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 2

all of these are correct

Front 3

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 3

hurricanes

Front 4

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 4

larger numbers indicating bigger hurricanes

Front 5

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 5

all use larger numbers to describe larger disasters.

Front 6

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 6

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

Front 7

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 7

Coriolis effect

Front 8

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 8

All of these are correct

Front 9

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

Back 9

September

Front 10

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 10

Coastal storm surge

Front 11

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 11

the speed of the storm body plus the wind speed

Front 12

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 12

on the front-right side

Front 13

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 13

the Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900

Front 14

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 14

1ft

Front 15

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 15

1000 ft

Front 16

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 16

of about one-half the wavelength

Front 17

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 17

the velocity of the wind

Front 18

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 18

"rogue wave"

Front 19

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 19

refraction

Front 20

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 20

higher