Salt Lake Community College – Meteorology 1010
Quiz #4
AJ Allred, Adjunct
Student Name: ____________________
1. What latitude zone(s) produce(s) conditions that can erupt into violent frontal/wedge storms?
a. Polar
b. Sub-tropical (‘B’ climate zone only)
c. Tropical
d. Mid-latitude
e. All of the above
2. High winds in the Salt Lake area on Thursday, November 22, were caused by a cold front that
brought precipitation and clouds with humidity.
True ___
False ___
3. As a rain storm finishes passing directly over the Salt Lake valley, which of the following
phenomena is most likely to occur:
a. More precipitation occurs in Davis County than in most of Salt Lake Valley
b. Winds from the southwest
c. Winds from the east
d. Answers ‘b’ and ‘c’ are best
e. None of the above is a good answer
4. In the northern hemisphere, Hadley cells produce lush rain forest on the north end and dry or
even desert conditions at the south end. That is why St. George and most of Utah are dry.
True ___
False ___
5. What air mass combination below is best for inducing a violent frontal storm?
a. 75°F / 40% humidity moving into an area of 85°F /90% humidity
b. 65°F / 50% humidity moving into an area of 60°F /75% humidity
c. 85°F / 50% humidity moving into an area of 80°F /55% humidity
d. 75°F / 40% humidity moving into an area of 95°F /35% humidity
e. 35°F / 40% humidity moving into an area of 45°F /50% humidity
6. In a winter weather inversion, which factor is unusually weak or inactive?
a. Morning or valley breeze
b. Canyon or mountain breeze
c. Cold air descending at night
d. Long nights with heavy outbound surface radiation
e. Overcast days and/or clear nights
7. If the ITCZ fails to follow the sun from March through June, what is most likely to occur:
a. Southern Utah is likely to experience unusually heavy summer rainfall and some flooding
b. People in India will experience a drought
c. There will be no dry season in the northern edge of the tropics
d. “monsoon” condition is mostly about wind. Precipitation is not involved
e. All of the above are true
8. Northern hemisphere ‘jet streams’ result from the Coriolis effect counter-acting rightward
against the pressure gradient flowing from the Equator toward the poles.
True ___
False ___
9. Dust devils exhibit all of the same features as tornadoes, and differ only in size.
True ___
False ___
10. An idealized world model based only on Hadley cells would call for Georgia and Alabama to
have a climate like Arizona.
True ___
False ___
11. Salt Lake City can experience orographic, convective and frontal precipitation on the same day.
True ___
False ___
12. How would Utah’s general climate categories change if a long-term or permanent “El Niño”
condition were in effect?
a. Utah’s dry (D) climate would give way to a more humid/rainy ‘B’ climate
b. Utah’s “H” condition prevents any real change in climate, regardless of a permanent “El Niño”.
c. Utah’s ‘B’ climate would become more of a ‘D’ climate in the north and ‘C’ in the south
d. Utah’s ‘H’ climate zone would become significantly more ‘C’ or even ‘A’
e. Utah’s prevailing ‘E’ climate would gradually convert to ‘A’ or even ‘B’
13. The passage of a tropical storm will typically exhibit a change in atmospheric pressure of about:
a. +10mb
b. -50mb
c. -205mb
d. +250mb
e. Plus or minus about 507mb
14. Anti-cyclonic conditions may exhibit all of the following except:
a. Clockwise movement of air
b. Rising air
c. High wind
d. Slow descending masses of dry air and/or atmospheric stagnation
e. A tendency for fair skies but haze and/or air pollution as well
15. In climate terms, a ‘positive relationship’ between variables or weather phenomena will tend to
help preserve good weather and prevent severe storms and climate change. In contrast, a
‘negative’ relationship between variables tends to result in climate disruption, severe weather
and unpredictable climates in the future.
True ___
False ___
16. The magnitude of a tornado is based on the height of the funnel cloud and how long it was on the
ground. Tornadoes that reach the Earth’s surface for more than 1.0 hour typically rank close to
1.0 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale.
True ___
False ___
17. What air pollutant is most likely to cause air quality alerts in Salt Lake valley:
a. ozone
b. methane
c. CFC
d. particulates
e. “NOX” and “SOX”
18. Aside from human activities, the earth’s climates have been continually changing over millions of years,
in part due to:
a. Changes in electromagnetic energy sent to earth by the Sun
b. Tectonic forces, including massive volcanoes
c. Changes in earth rotation, axial wobble and polar axis tilt
d. Strikes by large, fast-moving meteorites
e. All of the above alter Earth climates over time
19. The frequency of Doppler radar return pulses will slow down as the target object gets closer to a radar
station because each radar pulse does not have as far to travel to and from the station.
True ___
False ___
20. Climate change can be detected by which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Everything below
Sea floor and lake sediments
Tree rings and coal beds
Fossils and wine production records
Rocks and polar ice
21. Current Utah news reports that the most important concerns of Utah residents are:
a. Jobs and education
b. Air quality, with ozone problems in the winter and particulate pollution in the summer
c. Crime and Jobs
d. Air quality, with ozone problems in the summer and particulate problems in the winter
e. All of the issues above rank #1 in Utah
22. Utah’s dry climate is particularly prone to high soil acid and acid rain, especially compared to the eastern
United States where high humidity creates more problems with alkalinity and low pH (10-14)
True ___
False ___
23. What is the difference between a pH of 4.0 and a pH of 7.0?
a. pH 4.0 is 3.0 times more acid
b. pH 7.0 is 1000 times more basic or alkaline
c. pH 7.0 is 30 times more alkaline
d. pH 7.0 is 300 times more acid
e. pH 4.0 is 30% more acid than 7.0
24. A climograph with a strong dip in the middle represents a climate zone located somewhere:
a. South of the equator
b. North of the equator
c. At a seaport near the equator
d. A place near a large body of warm water
e. Answers ‘a’ and ‘b’ are best
25. Typically, an “El Nino” condition means that, once every several years, trade winds pull Pacific
ocean water westward less vigorously or not at all. So, the normal build-up of warm ocean
water and storms in the far western Pacific region is reduced for a season.
True ___
False ___