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154 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Air pressure def.
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weight of the air/unit area.
from top of atmos.(~100km) to sea lvl. |
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avg. sea lvl. pressure (3 units)
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1013.25mb
29.92in. 76cm |
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unit of force
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Newton
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1mb = ? newtons
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1mb = 100 newtons
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Increase in pressure w/ changes in density or temp. can be expressed w/ what law?
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The Ideal Gas Law
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forces causing horizontal wind?
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diff. in pressure
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forces causing high wind speeds?
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a large change in pressure over small distance
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Coriolis force depends on?
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depends on rotation of earth
(only applies to large scale movement) |
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Coriolis effect in northern hem.?
Coriolis effect in southern hem.? |
NORTHERN HEM. = to the RIGHT
SOUTHERN HEM.= to the LEFT |
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where is the Coriolis force maximized/not present?
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max at poles
zero at equator |
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geostrophic wind def.
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wind that goes straight
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gradient wind def.
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curved wind
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surface wind def.
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same as geostrophic and gradient except w/ addition of friction.
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cyclostrophic wind def.
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result from balance of P.G.F. & centrifugal force
ex. tornadoes, dust devils |
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antitripttic wind def.
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small scale, straight line wind.
ex. sea breeze |
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P.G.F. stands for?
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Pressure
Gradient Force |
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P.G.F. def.
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direction of net force will be from high to low pressure (diff in pressure)
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Vertical motion wind caused by
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surface convergence / divergence
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The force that generates wind is:
A) Coriolis force B) centrifugal force C) gravity D) pressure gradient force |
D) pressure gradient force
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The Coriolis effect influences the wind by
A) decreasing the wind speed B) increasing the wind speed C) starting the air motion D) changing the direction of the wind |
D) changing the direction of the wind
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High air pressure zones are usually associated with:
A) no precipitation B) clear weather C) sinking air motions D) all of these |
D) all of these
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The BEST explanation for the cause of atmospheric pressure is
A) air compression B) air density C) wind force D) weight of the air above |
D) weight of the air above
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Which of the following is the best cause of circulations in the Earth's atmosphere
A) ocean currents B) pressure differences between locations C) frontal storm systems D) gravity |
B) pressure differences between locations
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The prevailing winds that blow from the horse latitudes toward the doldrums are called:
A) westerlies B) polar easterlies C) trade winds D) subtropical northerlies E) none of these |
C) trade winds
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In India, because of the monsoon,
A) dry air dominates in summer B) low pressure dominates in winter C) winters are fairly dry D) winter and summer seasons are alike |
C) winters are fairly dry
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A Santa Ana (or Chinook or Foehn) wind is a:
A) cold, damp wind blowing off snow fields B) wind that is peculiar to the China mainland C) wind associated with a blizzard D) very dry, warm wind coming down a mountain slope |
D) very dry, warm wind coming down a mountain slope
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The term "Hadley cell" applies to
A) the whole atmosphere B) the poles and the equator C) 0degree to 30degree latitude D) 30degree to 60degree latitude E) 60degree to 90degree latitude |
C) 0degree to 30degree latitude
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Why do westerly winds prevail at high altitudes?
A) abscence of friction B) rotation of the Earth C) equator to pole pressure gradient D) both b and c |
D) both b and c
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An ideal source region of air masses should be physically uniform.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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The air masses that have the greatest influence on weather conditions in the Midwestern United States are:
A) mT and cT B) mP and cP C) cT and cP D) cP and mT |
D) cP and mT
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An mP air mass is:
A) dry and cold B) dry and warm C) humid and warm D) humid and cold |
D) humid and cold
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An air mass is often modified as it moves over the Earth's surface. An example of this is “Lake Effect Snow.”
A. True B. False |
A. True
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The cT air mass always produces Lake effect snow.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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Chinook winds, land-sea breezes and Santa Ana winds are examples of the ________ scale of circulations.
A. microscale B. mesoscale C. synoptic D. macroscale |
B. mesoscale
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Jet streams are associated with fronts because of the
A. clouds forming there B. reduced friction above the front C. large temperature gradient D. none of these |
C. large temperature gradient
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Most of the United States is situated in which zone of prevailing winds?
A. trade winds B. subpolar easterlies C. westerlies D. doldrums |
C. westerlies
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A warm front is said to exist when
A. warm and cold air meet B. invading cold air pushes underneath warmer air C. moving cold air overrides warmer air D. advancing warm air overrides retreating cold air |
D. advancing warm air overrides retreating cold air
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How does air tend to rise within a low pressure system?
A. warm air is forced up along the cold front B. converging surface winds make the air rise C. warm air glides upward along the warm front D. all of the above |
D. all of the above
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The lifting of air and the resulting formation of clouds and rain is more gentle (gradual) for a
A. warm front B. cold front C. mesocyclone D. occluded front E. divergence zone |
A. warm front
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AFTER a cold front passes, which of these DOES NOT usually occur?
A. marked temperature drop B. wind direction shift C. clearing skies D. falling barometer |
D. falling barometer
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An occluded front has extensive precipitation with it.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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What is the cause-and-effect relationship between the pattern of upper-level winds and surface low- and high-pressure systems?
A.upper level wind patterns strongly control the origin and development of surface systems. B.there is no strong or consistent relationship. C. surface lows decrease upper level wind speeds, surface highs increase them. D. surface systems control the upper level wind patterns. |
A. upper level wind patterns strongly control the origin and development of surface systems.
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Compared to other types of fronts, the weather associated with a cold front usually
A. covers more area B. is less violent but of longer duration C. involves no precipitation D. is more violent but of shorter duration |
D. is more violent but of shorter duration
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Rossby waves are found
A. in thunderstorms B. in nimbostratus clouds C. near sinking warm air D. in the jet stream |
D. in the jet stream
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On a weather map, _____ fronts are shown with triangular points on one side of the front and semicircles on the other.
A. warm B. cold C. occluded D. stationary |
D. stationary
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Compared to warm fronts, cold fronts have
A. the same gradient and a faster advance rate B. a steeper gradient and a faster advance rate C. a shallower gradient and a slower advance rate D. a shallower gradient and the same advance rate |
B. a steeper gradient and a faster advance rate
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The arrival of a cold front brings A. higher temperatures
B. stationary winds C. only stratus clouds D. cumulonimbus clouds |
D. cumulonimbus clouds
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The El Nino / La Nina refers to warm water or cold water in _____. A. the North Atlantic
B. South Indian Ocean C. Gulf of Mexico D. Equatorial Pacific se |
D. Equatorial Pacific se
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The region between the warm front and cold front of a wave cyclone is the warm sector.
A.True B. False |
A.True
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Surface convergence helps maintain surface lows.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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A “teleconnection” is a change in weather occurring because of the El Nino or La Nina.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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Middle-latitude cyclones typically develop along segments of the polar front.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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Gradient winds have curved isobars and centrifugal force.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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The cyclostrophic wind refers to wind traveling in a straight line.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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Tornadoes can have winds which turn either clockwise or counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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The Trade Winds are found in both hemispheres.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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The sea breeze does not result from a pressure difference.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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Lake effect snow belts:
A. are confined to the northern side of the Great Lakes B. do not depend on the type of air mass crossing the Great Lakes. C. are unimportant for local precipitation patterns in the Great Lakes region D. are found on the eastern sides of the Great Lakes. |
D. are found on the eastern sides of the Great Lakes.
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The Sahara and Australian deserts (among others) are associated with which pressure belt?
A. equatorial low B. subtropical high C. subpolar low D. polar high |
B. subtropical high
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The doldrums are found at about A. 0° latitude
B. 30° latitude C. 60° latitude D. only over land. |
A. 0° latitude
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Which of the following DOES NOT represent the mean surface pressure:
A. 1000 mb B. 29.92 inches C. 760 millimeters D. 1013.25 mb |
A. 1000 mb
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The C in ITCZ stands for convergence. To what does the convergence refer?
A. surface winds along the equator B) surface winds in a monsoon C. surface winds in the mid latitudes D) winds aloft near the poles |
A. surface winds along the equator
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A wintertime form of precipitation that consists of small ice particles is called:
A) hail B) rime C) glaze D) sleet |
D) sleet
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Dew is most likely to form on
A) cloudy windy nights B) clear windy nights C) cloudy calm nights D) clear calm nights |
D) clear calm nights
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Rain that freezes on contact with the ground is called
A) hail B) rime C) glaze D) sleet |
C) glaze
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The ________ may result in snow or rain.
A) vapor pressure process B) Bergeron process C) Hadley dynamics D) none these |
B) Bergeron process
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The word 'radiation' in the term radiation fog refers to
A) infrared radiation absorbed by the fog B) solar radiation C) radiant energy or heat lost by the ground D) radiation energy given off by the fog |
C) radiant energy or heat lost by the ground
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Advection fogs form best when there is no wind.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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Winds around a HIGH pressure center in the northern hemisphere rotate...
a) clockwise and outward b) counter clockwise and inward c) either direction but always outward d) none of these |
a) clockwise and outward
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one of the reasons for the contrast in temp. over land and water is the lower specific heat of soil compared to that of water.
a) true b) false |
a) true
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summer temps. along the California coast are cooler that along the coast of South California, due to the influence of
a) altitude b) specific heat c) latitude d) ocean currents |
d) ocean currents
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suppose the albedo of a planet is measured to be 40%. This means that:
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40% of the sun's energy is reflected
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which of the following gases is the best absorber of UV light?
a) nitrogen dioxide b) carbon dioxide c) ozone d) water vapor |
c) ozone
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the radiation emitted by earth and its atmosphere is put into the category of
a) uv b) gamma c) x-rays d) infrared |
d) infrared
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during the earth's orbit around the sun, the tilt of the earth's axis (on a short term basis) is....
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it remains constant at 23.5 degrees
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the absorption of terrestrial radiation by certain gases in the lower atmosphere is called the:
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greenhouse effect
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______ is (are) a mechanism of heat transfer.
a) conduction b) convection c) radiation d) all of these |
d) all of these
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Scattering is responsible for....
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the redness of sunsets
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Perihelion is:
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the point in the earth's orbit when it is nearest the sun
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Haze, fog, and smog scatter light more equally in all wavelengths so the sky appears white or gray
a) true b) false |
a) true
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the most important cause of temp. variations between diff. locations is...
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differences in receipt of solar radiation due to latitude
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the annual temp. range at most latitudes in the southern hem. is much smaller than in the northern hem. why?
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there is more area covered by water in the southern hem.
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glaze refers to...
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freezing rain
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a wintertime form of precipitation that consists of small ice balls that form below the cloud is called:
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sleet
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fog produced by warm most air flowing over a cold surface is _____
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advection fog
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all fogs from by cooling of the air.
a) true b) false |
b) false
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Rime is freezing:
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fog
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Hygroscopic nuclei:
a) are part of the warm cloud theory of precipitation b) frequently consist of salt crystals c) are all man made d) A and B |
a and b
are part of the warm cloud theory of precipitation AND frequently consist of salt crystals |
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hail forms inside a:
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cumulonimbus
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the geostrophic wind describes a situation where the air moves:
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straight and parallel to the isobars
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circulations in the earth's atmosphere are fundamentally caused by:
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temp. contrasts b/t diff locations
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air flowing out of a high pressure system spirals out in a clockwise direction. The cause of the clockwise spiraling motion is:
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Coriolis force
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a steep pressure gradient...
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produces strong winds
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the sea breeze is a/an _____wind.
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Antitriptic
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the pressure gradient force is directed from higher to lower pressure where?
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everywhere
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in general, ____ vertical motion is found at a ____ pressure system.
a) downward/high b) divergent/trof c) upward/low |
either A or C
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an occluded front moving into our area would mean the arrival of...
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cold air and extensive amounts of rainfall
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ozone is concentrated in the...
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stratosphere
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an isotherm is a line of constant _____ and an isobar is a line of constant ______ on a weather map.
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air temperature / pressure
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the theory of the formation of the sun and solar system is called the...
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Contracting nebula
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a low pressure symbol "L" identifies a "good weather" area on a weather map.
a) true b) false |
b) false
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the vertical temperature structure of the troposphere is described by...
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the lapse rate
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the age of the universe and earth are about _____ billion years:
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12 - 14 billion years
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current theory on the moon is that:
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it resulted from a collision or earth and another large object in space
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during natural processes, heat transfer is always from...
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warmer to cooler substances
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the primary cause of the earth's seasons is...
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inclination of the earth's rotation axis
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most of the solar en. absorbed by the earth and its atmos. is absorbed by....
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the earth's surface
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low sun angles result in reduced solar en. because...
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energy is spread over a larger area
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the fundamental cause of weather is...
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redistribution of heat
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a poleward moving (northward moving in the northern hem.) ocean current is:
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a warm current
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the most important cause of temp. variations is...
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difference is receipt of solar radiation due to latitude
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the specific heat of water is high. what does this mean?
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water must gain or lose large amounts of energy when its temp. changes
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locations on earth which have the largest annual temperature change from summer to winter are...
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at high latitudes
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a location along a seacoast will prob. have summer temps that are _____, compared to an inland location.
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cooler
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the temp. of rising DRY air parcels _____ as they move upward.
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decreases by 10 deg.C / km
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the property which primarily controls how much water can be present as a gas is...
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the temp. of the air
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relative humidity indicates the...
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nearness to saturation for the air
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when water vapor condenses, the heat involved...
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is released to the surrounding air
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sinking or subsiding air cannot form clouds due to the...
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warming temps
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if the actual mixing ratio or actual vapor pressure remains unchanged and the temp drops, the relative humidity will increase.
a) true b) false |
a) true
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the two changes of state that are the most important part of the water cycle for the atmos. would be...
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evaporation and condensation
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which of the following is not a process or factor by which air rises in the atmosphere:
a) frontal lifting b) convergence at the surface c) mountains d) divergence at the surface |
d) divergence at the surface
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dew point is the temp. at which relative humidity equals?
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100%
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clouds that form in air that is very stable will usually be...
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stratus
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the "halo cloud" is
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cirrostratus
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clouds which have extensive vertical dimensions are...
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cumulus
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Hygroscopic nuclei:
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can allow cloud droplets to form even if the relative humidity is less than 100%
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the cloud sometimes produces mare's tails.
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cirrus
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"sheepback" clouds are
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altocumulus
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an anvil head cloud usually has no precip.
a) true b) false |
b) false
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Tornadoes can have winds which turn either clockwise or counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere.
true or false |
false
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Why do most tornadoes in the central U.S. occur during the spring months?
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air-mass contrasts are greatest
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Tornado alley is found...
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From Texas to the Dakotas
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A tornado is a small, very intense example of the
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cyclone
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What general circulation wind belt is the place of origin for hurricanes?
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trade winds
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Why do hurricanes initially form only in the tropics?
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warm water temperatures are found there
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The greatest number of hurricane-related deaths may be attributed to:
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storm surge
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Which scale number(s) of hurricanes do only minimal or moderate damage?
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1 and 2
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At what time of day is an air-mass thunderstorm more likely to develop?
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midafternoon
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The formation of tornadoes is associated with:
A) middle-latitude cyclones B) severe thunderstorms C) cold fronts D) all of the above |
D) all of the above
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Tornadoes most often move toward what direction?
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northeast
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Which of the following has the most thunderstorms?
A) San Francisco B) New York C) Washington DC D) Orlando |
D) Orlando
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The gust front occurs
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at the leading edge of a thunderstorm downdraft
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Updrafts dominance relate to the ________ in the development of a thunderstorm.
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cumulus stage
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What determines when a tropical depression or storm is given hurricane status?
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wind speed
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What type of cloud is most common in a hurricane?
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cumulonimbus
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What general circulation wind belt is the place of origin for hurricanes?
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trade winds
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Why do hurricanes in the Atlantic move toward the west during their early stages?
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prevailing winds are from the east
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The eye of a hurricane:
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is warmer than the rest of the storm
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Which one of the following is more intense?
A) tropical depression B) tropical disturbance C) tropical storm D) all are equally intense |
C) tropical storm
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During which of the time spans listed below should hurricane formation in the North Atlantic be at a peak?
A) April-May B) August-September C) November-December D) January-February |
B) August-September
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Hurricanes are common off the coast of Brazil in the Southern Hemisphere.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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Lightning is only a danger from supercell thunderstorms.
A. True B. False |
B. False
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The appearance of a “wall cloud” is an indicator of a possible tornado.
A. True B. False |
A. True
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