Meteorology Exam

Front 1

Average winter temperatures in Great Britain and Norway would probably be much colder if it were not for the:

Back 1

North Atlantic Drift

Front 2

The process that produces crepuscular rays in the atmosphere is

Back 2

scattering

Front 3

The ________ is a measure of hurricane strength based on hurricane winds and central pressure.

Back 3

Saffir-Simpson scale

Front 4

Savanna grass would most likely be associated with which climate type:

Back 4

semi-arid (BS)

Front 5

"A good absorber of a given wavelength of radiation is also a good emitter of that wavelength." This is a statement of:

Back 5

Kirchoffs law

Front 6

A wind blowing at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and the Coriolis force in balance is called a:

Back 6

geostrophic wind

Front 7

In a hurricane, the eye wall represents:

Back 7

a zone of intense thunderstorms around the center

Front 8

The origin of cP and cA air masses that enter the United States is:

Back 8

Northern Canada and Alaska

Front 9

An instrument used to measure wind speed is called a(an):

Back 9

anemometer

Front 10

Indications of past climates in tree rings are determined by examination of the

Back 10

(this is an all of the above answer)

Front 11

The Gulf Coast states are more humid in summer than the coastal areas of Southern California mainly because of the:

Back 11

higher water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico

Front 12

Light flashes darting upward from the tops of thunderstorms are called

Back 12

sprites and blue jets

Front 13

A surface low pressure center is generally associated with __________ on an upper level isobaric chart.

Back 13

a trough

Front 14

Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?

Back 14

Cumulonimbus

Front 15

A mesoscale convective complex is actually:

Back 15

individual thunderstorms that grow into a large, long-lasting weather system

Front 16

When radiation fog "burns off," the fog tends to dissipate

Back 16

from the bottom up

Front 17

The blue color of the sky is due to:

Back 17

selective scattering of visible light by air molecules

Front 18

If an air parcel is completely at rest, which of the following forces can make the parcel begin to move?

Back 18

pressure gradient

Front 19

Which of the following does not describe the subtropical jet stream?

Back 19

forms along the polar front

Front 20

Which below would not be considered an onshore wind?

Back 20

Santa Ana Wind

Front 21

Fall streaks most often form with

Back 21

cirrus clouds

Front 22

The Fata Morgana is actually a

Back 22

mirage

Front 23

Another term for explosive cyclogenesis used by meteorologists is

Back 23

bomb

Front 24

A low, lumpy cloud layer that appears in rows, patches or rounded masses would be classified:

Back 24

stratocumulus

Front 25

A katabatic wind on the Oregon coast would most likely blow from the:

Back 25

west

Front 26

The cloud that forms along the leading edge of a gust front is called

Back 26

a roll cloud

Front 27

If the earth were in a cooling trend, which process below would most likely act as a positive feedback mechanism?

Back 27

increasing the water vapor content of the air

Front 28

The most abundant gases in the earths atmosphere by volume are:

Back 28

nitrogen and oxygen

Front 29

The word "frontogenesis" on a weather map would mean that:

Back 29

a front is regenerating or strengthening

Front 30

The maximum in daytime surface temperature typically occurs _______ the earth receives its most intense solar radiation.

Back 30

after

Front 31

The main difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm is that:

Back 31

wind speeds are greater in a hurricane

Front 32

In the atmosphere, tiny solid or liquid suspended particles of various composition are called:

Back 32

aerosols

Front 33

Which climate type would normally have the highest afternoon temperatures during the summer?

Back 33

A

Front 34

Storms vary in size (diameter). Which list below arranges storms from largest to smallest?

Back 34

middle latitude cyclone, hurricane, thunderstorm, tornado

Front 35

The outpouring of gases from the earths hot interior is called

Back 35

outgassing

Front 36

A primary component of photochemical smog is

Back 36

ozone

Front 37

The Milankovitch Theory proposes that climatic changes are due to:

Back 37

variations in the earths orbit as it travels through space

Front 38

The rate at which the temperature changes inside a rising (or descending) parcel of saturated air is called the:

Back 38

moist adiabatic lapse rate

Front 39

Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 0.4 and 0.7 micrometers is called:

Back 39

visible light

Front 40

Lines connecting points of equal pressure change are called:

Back 40

isallobars

Front 41

Most squall line thunderstorms form:

Back 41

in advance of a cold front

Front 42

The fog that forms along the Pacific coastline of North America is mainly this type:

Back 42

advection fog

Front 43

Halos are caused by

Back 43

refraction of light passing through ice crystals

Front 44

Which of the following statements are correct?

Back 44

(this is an all of the above question)

Front 45

A wind reported as 225 degrees would be a wind blowing from the:

Back 45

SW

Front 46

The two ocean currents, warm and cold, that produce fog off the coast of Newfoundland are the:

Back 46

Gulf stream and labrador current

Front 47

A rising parcel of air that does not exchange heat with its surroundings is an example of

Back 47

an adiabatic pressure

Front 48

Which type of precipitation would most likely form when the surface air temperatures is slightly below freezing and the air temperature increases as you move upward away from the ground?

Back 48

freezing rain

Front 49

Which of the following instruments measures pressure?

Back 49

barometer

Front 50

A tornado cloud that does not touch the ground is called:

Back 50

a wall cloud