Download sample exam 4

GEOL1064 EARTH SCIENCE
Spring 2013 ~ Professor Kenny L. Tapp
SAMPLE EXAM 4
1. Why do weather patterns shift from winter to summer?
(a) The shifting angle of the sun.
(b) Because we need a white Christmas.
(c) Because the little trolls that live in the center of the earth make it happen.
(d) Weather patterns don’t shift between winter and summer.
2. A wind reported as 225° would be a wind blowing from the
(a) NE.
(b) NW.
(c) SE.
(d) SW.
3. What two things will increase stability in the atmosphere?
(a) warming aloft and warming below
(b) cooling aloft and warming below
(c) warming aloft and cooling below
(d) cooling aloft and cooling below
4. Midlatitude cyclones can intensify via temperature advection. For instance, warm air advection
_______ of the low ______ the upper level ridge.
(a) east; builds.
(b) east; reduces.
(c) west; builds.
(d) west; reduces.
(e) north; builds.
5. On which side of an upper-level trough would you experience divergence? (Assume that there is NO
jetstreak)
(a) The north side.
(b) The south side.
(c) The east side.
(d) The west side.
6. If you have convergence at the surface and strong divergence aloft, what kind of pressure system
will be formed/maintained at the surface?
(a) High pressure
(b) Low pressure
(c) No pressure system will be formed
(d) Subgeostrophic low pressure
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7. A tropical weather system is given a name when it reaches which status?
(a) tropical disturbance
(b) tropical depression
(c) tropical storm
(d) hurricane
8. Weather systems that form in the tropics (equator to 30°) are classified according to wind speed and
central pressure. Which choice below lists tropical weather systems from the weakest to the strongest?
(a) Tropical wave, tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane
(b) Tropical disturbance, tropical wave, tropical storm, tropical depression, hurricane
(c) Tropical depression, tropical disturbance, tropical storm, hurricane, tropical wave
(d) Hurricane, tropical storm, tropical disturbance, tropical wave, tropical depression
9. Which statement about hurricanes is true?
(a) A hurricane is called a cyclone or typhoon in other parts of the world.
(b) Hurricanes intensify when they move over colder water or land.
(c) Hurricanes have sustained winds of 64 knots (74 MPH) or greater.
(d) (a) and (c) only are correct.
(e) (a), (b), and (c) are all correct.
10. What is the main difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm?
(a) Hurricanes are larger.
(b) Hurricanes form in the Atlantic while tropical storms develop in the Pacific.
(c) Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes while tropical storms do not.
(d) Wind speeds are greater in a hurricane.
(e) Wind speeds are greater in a tropical storm.
11. Which statement is not true?
(a) Hurricane tracks are not difficult to forecast because all hurricanes follow east-to-west tracks
that gently curve northward with time.
(b) The costliest hurricanes to affect the U.S. have occurred primarily in the last 30 years, while the
deadliest hurricanes in the United States occurred in the early 1900s.
(c) Currently hurricane names for the Atlantic Ocean include both male and female names and
English, Hispanic, and French names.
(d) Tropical cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones) occur over tropical oceans both north and
south of the equator.
12. Most typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic initially tend to move from:
(a) west to east
(b) south to north
(c) east to west
(d) north to south
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13. Which statement is false? For hurricanes to develop:
(a) The surface layer of warm water in the ocean must be sufficiently deep, typically 60 m (200
ft.) or more.
(b) The winds in the atmosphere must change substantially with height (strong vertical wind
shear).
(c) The sea surface temperature must exceed 80°F (27°C)
(d) The location must be at least a few degrees north or south of the equator.
14 – 17; Identify the different parts of a hurricane.
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16
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14.
15.
16.
17.
(a)
(a)
(a)
(a)
The Eye
The Eye
The Eye
The Eye
(b)
(b)
(b)
(b)
Eye Wall
Eye Wall
Eye Wall
Eye Wall
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(c)
(c)
(c)
(c)
Central Dense Overcast
Central Dense Overcast
Central Dense Overcast
Central Dense Overcast
(d) Spiral Rain Bands
(d) Spiral Rain Bands
(d) Spiral Rain Bands
(d) Spiral Rain Bands
18. A northward moving hurricane will have the strongest winds on its ________ side.
(a) eastern
(b) western
(c) southern
(d) northern
19. A tropical cyclone will be classified as a hurricane if it has:
(a) a sustained wind speed of at least 74 mph.
(b) a sustained wind speed of at least 120 mph.
(c) wind gusts of at least 39 mph.
(d) wind gusts of at least 74 mph.
(e) wind gusts of at least 120 mph.
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20. You have won an all expense paid cruise to any of the following ocean regions. The catch is
that you have to take it in mid-September. You do not want to encounter a hurricane. Which would
you not choose?
(a) Party In Rio Cruise Lines, which runs cruises across the Atlantic in the Southern Hemisphere.
(b) El Niño Cruise Lines, which runs cruises in the Pacific in the Southern Hemisphere off the west
coast of South America.
(c) The Love Boat, which cruises from Los Angeles, California to Panama along the west coast of
Central America in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
(d) Equatorial Cruise Lines, which runs cruises directly along the equator between Asia and South
America.
21. Tropical thunderstorms that develop in the North Atlantic Ocean form primarily by which trigger
mechanism?
(a) easterly waves
(b) outflow from old hurricanes
(c) Intertropical Convergence Zone
(d) fronts from extratropical cyclones
22. What is the approximate minimum sea surface temperature for hurricane development?
(a) 50° F
(b) 70° F
(c) 80° F
(d) 90° F
(e) 100° F
23. If a tornado is rotating at 100 mph in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the east at
50 mph, the strongest winds will be on its ____ side.
(a) North
(b) South
(c) East
(d) West
24. What is the term used to describe an ice particle that occupies the center of a hailstone and serves
as the core for the hailstone’s initial growth?
(a) hail fetus
(b) hail yoke (c) hail embryo
(d) hail nucleus
25. In which of the following states is hail most common?
(a) Florida
(b) Alaska
(c) Illinois
(d) Alabama
(e) Oklahoma
26. If rain changes to snow, ALL are possible reasons EXCEPT:
(a) Increased lifting
(b) Cold air advection in the lower troposphere
(c) Evaporational cooling in the lower troposphere
(d) Warm air advection in the lower troposphere
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27. These are partially melted snowflakes that refreeze before striking the ground as ice
particles:
(a) Snow
(b) Freezing Rain
(c) Sleet
(d) Hail
Answer questions 28 through 31 using Figure 2 and the letters A-D.
D
C
A
B
Figure 2: Arrows correspond to the approximate speed of the geostrophic wind.
28.
29.
30.
31.
Trough axis
_________
Region of maximum upper divergence associated with the trough
______
Region of maximum upper convergence associated with the trough ______
Ridge axis
_________
32. What is the term used to describe the net inflow of air molecules into a region of the atmosphere?
(a) jetstreak
(b) divergence
(c) convergence
(d) diabatic process
33. Which of the following can enhance surface low-pressure systems?
(a) Divergence aloft
(b) Convergence aloft.
(c) the cooling of the air near the surface
(d) None of the above is correct.
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34. On which side of an upper-level trough would you experience divergence? (Assume that there is
NO jetstreak)
(e) The north side.
(f) The south side.
(g) The east side.
(h) The west side.
35. If you have convergence at the surface and strong divergence aloft, what kind of pressure system
will be formed/maintained at the surface?
(e) High pressure
(f) Low pressure
(g) No pressure system will be formed
(h) Subgeostrophic low pressure
36. In the Northern Hemisphere, the force of friction, along with the pressure gradient and Coriolis
forces, causes surface winds to blow:
(a) clockwise and in towards the center of surface low-pressure systems.
(b) clockwise and out away from the center of surface low-pressure systems.
(c) counterclockwise and in towards the center of surface low-pressure systems.
(d) counterclockwise and out away from the center of surface low-pressure systems.
37. Which statement about airmasses is false?
(a) Boundaries between airmasses are called fronts.
(b) An airmass is a large body of air with similar temperature and/or moisture characteristics.
(c) A front is called a cold front if the cold airmass is advancing, lifting the warm air ahead of it.
(d) Two primary source regions for cool, moist airmasses are central Canada and the Gulf of Mexico.
(e) A front is a warm front if the cold airmass is retreating and the warm airmass is advancing.
38. If you examine a surface map and discover that there is a region where cold air is retreating and
warm air is advancing toward it, you would classify this as what meteorological feature?
(a) an airmass
(b) a cold front
(c) a warm front
(d) a stationary front
39. Occluded fronts form as a _______________ overtakes a(n) _____________.
(a) cold front; dry line
(b) dry line; warm front
(c) warm front; cold front
(d) cold front; warm front
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40. Which of the following statements about dry lines is false?
(a) A dry line is a boundary that is characterized by a sharp moisture difference between two
airmasses.
(b) Dry lines develop when air flowing eastward from the high desert plateau regions of the United
States descends the Rockies into the southern Plains.
(c) Thunderstorms tend to develop along dry lines in mid-afternoon.
(d) Dry lines are found most commonly in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.
41. A typical warm front in winter has what kind(s) of precipitation associated with it?
(a) rain only
(b) snow only
(c) rain and hail
(d) a combination of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow
42. Waves in the upper atmosphere are vital to the development and intensification of extratropical
cyclones. When will a wave in the jetstream amplify?
(a) When warm air moves northward west of a low and cold air moves southward east of a low.
(b) When warm air moves southward west of a low and cold air moves northward east of a low.
(c) When cold air moves northward west of a low and warm air moves southward east of a low.
(d) When cold air moves southward west of a low and warm air moves northward east of a low.
(e) None of the above are correct. The amplification of an atmospheric wave has nothing to do with
the transport of air of differing temperatures.
43. A primary role of extratropical cyclones is to:
(a) transport heat from the equator to the poles.
(b) trigger tropical storms in late summer/early fall.
(c) transport moisture from interior land masses to the oceans.
(d) (a) and (c) are correct.
(e) (a), (b) and (c) are all correct.
44. If you were to view a fully developed extratropical cyclone on a satellite image, what punctuation
mark would it look like?
(a) colon
(b) period
(c) comma
(d) semi-colon
45. Which of the following statements about extratropical cyclones is not true?
(a) They form along the jetstream.
(b) They form between 0° and 30°N or S.
(c) They often look like a comma on a satellite image.
(d) They attempt to balance temperature differences between the poles and the equator.
(e) They attempt to balance temperature differences between the upper and lower troposphere.
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46. If a hook echo is present on the radar screen that means?
(a) a tornado is present and on the ground
(b) a tornado is present but not on the ground
(c) the thunderstorm is rotating and could possibly be producing a tornado
(d) none of the above
47. Why are East Coast Cyclones often called “Nor’easters” in New England?
(a) Northeastern Airlines always cancels flights during these storms.
(b) Low-pressure centers first approach New England from the northeast.
(c) Legends passed down from early settler’s associated bad weather with the arrival of ships to the
New World, which commonly arrived from the northeast.
(d) The winds during the blizzard (most intense portion of the storm) conditions blow toward New
England from the northeast.
(e) Cities affected by these storms are all located on the Northeast Coast of the United States.
48. Cyclones begin to dissipate when ________________.
(a) convergence into the low due to friction exceeds the divergence aloft due to the jet streak and
curvature effects
(b) divergence occurs throughout the column of air above the low due to the jet streak and
curvature effects
(c) a jetstream from the tropics reaches the system altering the balance of forces within the
cyclone.
(d) the cold front reaches the Atlantic Ocean
(e) cyclones never dissipate. They move over the ocean where they are more difficult to detect
49. Which vortex is not associated with clouds or thunderstorms?
(a) Tornado
(b) Gustnado
(c) Landspout
(d) Dust devil
(e) Cold air funnel
50. A “bomb” cyclone derives its name from the fact that:
(a) the temperatures in these cyclones are unusually high.
(b) the center of the cyclone is associated with high, rather than low pressure.
(c) the central pressure of these cyclones falls to very low values at a rapid rate.
(d) the pressure in the center of the cyclone becomes so low that is frequently triggers explosions
of gas lines in cities along the Northeast urban corridor.
(e) the cyclone only has warm fronts, ad these fronts produce exceptionally strong weather.
51. The order of the layers of the atmosphere from lowest to highest is
(a) troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.
(b) stratosphere, troposphere, thermosphere, mesosphere.
(c) mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere, thermosphere.
(d) thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere.
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52. The lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere which ALWAYS has a temperature inversion is called
(a) the thermosphere
(b) the stratosphere
(c) the mesosphere
(d) the troposphere
53. Water vapor makes up, at most, about ___ of the atmosphere.
(a) 0.001%
(b) 99%
(c) 78%
(d) 21%
(e) 4%
55. Which of the following is an absolute scale of temperature?
(a) Fahrenheit
(b) Celsius
(c) Kelvin
(d) Tapp
56. The most important reason for seasons on Earth is the fact that
(a) Earth’s distance from the sun changes throughout the year.
(b) Earth rotates on its axis once per day.
(c) Earth is covered 75% by ocean waters.
(d) Earth is tilted at 23.5°.
57. A measure of the weight of the air above a point on Earth is the definition of
(a) Temperature
(b) Pressure
(c) Wind Speed
(d) Moisture Advection
58. If the radio announces that it is 32 degrees outside on a warm summer day, they are probably using
the ____ temperature scale.
(a) Celsius
(b) Fahrenheit
(c) Kelvin
(d) Howell
59. Which of the following is not a heat-transport process in the atmosphere?
(a) conduction
(b) radiation
(c) convergence
(d) convection
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60. The energy stored in the bonds between water molecules is known as
(a) latent heat
(b) sensible heat
(c) advected heat
(d) sweltering heat
(e) none of the above
61. The processes of condensation and freezing
(a) both release heat to the environment.
(b) both absorb heat from the environment.
(c) do not affect the temperature of their surroundings.
(d) do not involve energy transport.
62. This process causes rising air to cool.
(a) condensation
(b) compression
(c) freezing
(d) expansion
63. Of the following pressure values, which is most representative of a likely surface value corrected to
mean sea level?
(a) 850 mb
(b) 10000 mb
(c) 1000 mb
(d) 300 mb
64. What is unique about water molecules in Earth’s atmosphere?
(a) There is no water in Earth’s atmosphere only in the oceans
(b) It is the only atmospheric constituent that occurs regularly in all three states (solid, liquid and
gas)
(c) It is constant across the globe all the time
(d) Is only in the form of water vapor (gas form)
65. Which of the following is not a measure of moisture in the atmosphere?
(a) Vapor Pressure
(b) Mixing Ratio
(c) Dew Point Temperature
(d) Solar Humidity
(e) Relative Humidity
66. Pressure:
(a) Always decreases with height
(b) Always increases with height
(c) Decreases in the troposphere and increases in the stratosphere
(d) Is constant everywhere across the globe at all times
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67. Relative humidity changes with
(a) Addition of water vapor to the air.
(b) Decreases in temperature.
(c) Increases in temperature.
(d) Removal of water vapor from the air.
(e) All of the above.
Answer the following 6 questions about the station plot from Edmond, OK that is given below.
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68. The current temperature reported at Edmond is
(a) 69°F
(b) 81°F
(c) 81°C
(d) 14.5°C
69. The reported dew point temperature at Edmond, OK is
(a) 69°F
(b) 81°F
(c) 14.5°C
(d) 69°C
70. The reported wind speed and direction is
(a) From the south at 10 knots
(b) From the north at 10 knots
(c) From the south at 5 knots
(d) From the north at 5 knots
(e) From the north at 15 knots
71. The cloud cover reported is
(a) clear skies
(b) completely overcast
(c) 50% cloud cover
(d) 25% cloud cover
72. The reported mean sea level pressure (MSLP) is
(a) 914.0 mb
(b) 981.0 mb
(c) 1014.5 mb
(d) 1069.0 mb
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73. The reported current weather is
(a) fog
(b) thunderstorm
(c) rain
(d) snow
(e) no current weather is reported on the station plot
74. For upper-air maps what atmospheric variable is used as the vertical coordinate?
(a) temperature
(b) moisture
(c) pressure
(d) wind speed
(e) vorticity
75. What instrument that has been around since the 1950’s still collects all our upper-air data twice
daily across the world?
(a) hot-air balloons
(b) radiosondes (i.e. weather balloon)
(c) radars
(d) intelligent monkeys
76. Upper-air data is collected twice daily, at 0000 UTC and 1200 UTC. If it is wintertime in
Norman, OK (say during the month of January), at what local times are the observations taken?
(a) 5am and 5pm CST
(b) 6am and 6pm CST
(c) 7am and 7pm CST
(d) 8am and 8pm CST
(e) 9am and 9pm CST
77. What two things can we observe with a Doppler Radar system?
(a) temperature and radial wind speed
(b) reflectivity and temperature
(c) reflectivity and radial wind speed
(d) pressure and reflectivity
78. Climatologically, what time of day do tornadoes typically occur?
(a) Early morning
(b) Around noon
(c) Late afternoon
(d) Overnight
79. Vorticity is a measure of the ___ in a flow in the atmosphere.
(a) moisture
(b) temperature
(c) pressure
(d) rotation
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80. Forecasts from numerical weather prediction models will always have inherent uncertainty
because:
(a) The equations used in these models are often inexact.
(b) There will always be errors in specifying the initial state of the atmosphere.
(c) The models have inadequate resolution to resolve all atmospheric processes.
(d) The models cannot realistically capture all the physical processes that occur in the real
atmosphere.
(e) All of the above
81. The most accurate weather forecasts are issued for what future time frame?
(a) 0 to 60 hours
(b) 3 to 5 days
(c) 6 to 15 days
(d) 30 to 90 days
(e) All of above time frames provide equally accurate forecasts.
82. What will happen if a parcel of air is displaced vertically in an unstable atmosphere?
(a) It will remain in its new position.
(b) It will return to its original position.
(c) It will continue to accelerate away from its original position.
(d) None of the above. Air cannot be displaced vertically in the atmosphere.
83. The base of a cloud is found at the _________.
(a) lifting condensation level (LCL)
(b) level of free convection (LFC)
(c) level of rising parcels (LRP)
(d) dry adiabatic level (DAL)
84. Air can become unstable by which of the following?
(a) being lifted to its level of free convection (LFC) by an advancing cold front
(b) being heated during the day by solar radiation
(c) remaining at the lifting condensation level until the sun sets
(d) (a) and (b) are correct
85. Air above the tropopause:
(a) is absolutely stable
(b) is absolutely unstable
(c) is conditionally unstable
(d) can be stable or unstable depending on whether the air is moist or dry.
86. The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure
(a) only at the equator.
(b) at all places on earth except for the equator.
(c) only in the Northern Hemisphere.
(d) only in the Southern Hemisphere.
(e) at all places on Earth.
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87. The Fujita rating of a tornado is estimated based on which of the following?
(a) the measured wind speed
(c) how much damage occurs to buildings and trees
(b) how many people are injured
(d) the depth of water on the ground after the storm passes
88. Which of the following is the only force that can create the wind?
(a) Pressure gradient force (PGF)
(c) Coriolis force
(b) Centrifugal force
(d) Frictional force
89. Which of the following statements about destructive forces in hurricanes is true?
(a) Storm surge is not responsible for a large part of the structural damage and flooding along
coastlines during hurricanes.
(b) Tornadoes often form in the eye of the hurricane.
(c) Storm surge is strongest on the left side of a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere when
looking in the direction the hurricane is moving.
(d) Straight-line winds are strongest to the right of the hurricane track when the storm’s forward
speed adds to the straight-line wind speeds.
(e) Storm surge is highest along straight coastlines and lowest where coastlines have bays and
inlets.
90. Tropical cloud clusters that organize into tropical cyclones can originate
(a) along stalled cold fronts which occasionally extend over tropical waters
(b) along the Intertropical Convergence Zone
(c) in association with “easterly waves” in the trade wind circulation.
(d) (a), (b) and (c) are all true.
91. The ______ is a measure of hurricane strength based on winds, while ______ is a measure of
tornado strength based on damage estimates.
(a) Fujita scale, Saffir-Simpson scale
(c) Beaufort scale, Fujita scale
(b) Saffir-Simpson scale, Richter scale
(d) Saffir-Simpson scale, Fujita scale
92. Which of the following is not a type of supercell thunderstorm?
(a) LP (Low Precipitation)
(c) HP (High Precipitation)
(b) Classic
(d) NP (No Precipitation)
93. Which of the following is NOT one of the current theories of tornadogenesis?
(a) dynamic pipe effect (the top-down method)
(b) the occlusion downdraft method
(c) collapse of the updraft as rain falls through it
(d) tilting of the horizontal circulation along the forward flank gust front as it moves under the
ascending updraft (the bottom-up method)
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94. It is known that the stronger the updraft, the larger a hailstone can grow. In order to grow in
size, how does the hailstone circulate through a thunderstorm?
(a) the hailstone rotates vertically in a storm with the motion of a ferriswheel
(b) the hailstone spirals vertically around the updraft inside the storm
(c) the hailstone is suspended without any vertical movement
(d) the hailstone grows only during its freefalling, downward flight through the storm
95. Which of the following ingredients are necessary for thunderstorm formation?
(a) a source of lift
(b) a source of moisture
(c) a conditionally unstable atmosphere
(d) all of the above
(e) none of the above
96. A thunderstorm is considered severe if which of the following are true?
(a) only wind gusts greater than or equal to 55 mph
(b) hail ¾” or greater, wind gusts greater than or equal to 55mph and/or a tornado
(c) only a tornado
(d) thunderstorms are never severe
97. What three stages make-up the life cycle of a typical airmass thunderstorm?
(a) embryo, development and dying stages
(b) young, mature and old stages
(c) cumulus, mature and dissipation stages
(d) small, big and large stages
(e) none of the above
98. The mature stage of a typical airmass thunderstorm begins when which of the following happens?
(a) there is only an updraft
(b) there is only a downdraft
(c) precipitation reaches the surface
(d) there is no updraft or downdraft
99. Which of the following is a rotating thunderstorm?
(a) a superstorm
(c) a supercell
(b) a multicell
(d) an airmass thunderstorm
100. If there was NO wind shear, but all the conditions for thunderstorm formation were met, what
would be the most likely type of thunderstorms to develop in the atmosphere?
(a) a superstorm
(c) a supercell
(b) a multicell
(d) an airmass thunderstorm
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