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Instructor: Prof. Seiberling
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
MET 1010
3rd Midterm Exam
Name (print, last ¯rst):
December 8, 2003
Signature:
On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this examination.
YOUR TEST NUMBER IS THE 5-DIGIT NUMBER AT THE TOP OF EACH PAGE.
(1) Code your test number on your answer sheet (use 76{80 for the 5-digit number). Code your name on your
answer sheet. DARKEN CIRCLES COMPLETELY. Code your UFID number on your answer sheet.
(2) Print your name on this sheet and sign it also.
(3) Do all scratch work anywhere on this exam that you like. At the end of the test, this exam printout is to be turned in.
No credit will be given without both answer sheet and printout with scratch work most questions demand.
(4) Blacken the circle of your intended answer completely, using a #2 pencil or blue or black ink. Do not make
any stray marks or some answers may be counted as incorrect.
(5) The answers are rounded o®. Choose the closest to exact. There is no penalty for guessing.
(6) Hand in the answer sheet separately.
There are 33 multiple choice questions. Clearly circle the one best answer for each question. If more than one answer is
marked, no credit will be given for that question, even if one of the marked answers is correct. Guessing an answer is better
than leaving it blank. All questions are worth 3 points, except for one question, which is worth 4 points. The 4-point question
is clearly indicated. Good Luck!
1. In the cumulus phase of a thunderstorm:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the thunderstorm breaks up into cumulus congestus clouds
several cells merge to form a supercell
the downdraft dominates
the updraft and downdraft co-exist
the updraft dominates
2. We are currently in:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
a period cooler than 20,000 years ago
a period that has seen temperature variations of less than 2 ± C for the last 20,000 years
an interglacial period of an ice age
a glacial period of an ice age
a warm period between ice ages
3. The greatest number of tornadoes occur each year in:
(1) Illinois
(2) South Dakota
(3) Florida
(4) Colorado
4. Which is NOT true about vorticity?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
vorticity measures the spin of air parcels
satellites can detect vorticity using infrared detectors
the region of maximum vorticity coincides with upper level divergence
absolute vorticity is the sum of the earth's vorticity and the relative vorticity
the earth's vorticity is positive in the northern hemisphere
(5) Oklahoma
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5. Which is NOT associated with a hurricane?
(1) spiral rain band
(2) eyewall
(3) wall cloud
(4) eye
(5) tornado
6. (4 points) A warm front is headed for your area. The slope that separates the warm and cold air masses is about 1:200.
If the cirrus clouds above you are at an elevation of 6 km, about how far is the front from your position?
(1) 200 km
(2) 2400 km
(3) 6 km
(4) 1200 km
(5) 600 km
7. What is NOT true of longwaves?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
they move eastward at about the speed of winds at 500mb
they appear as troughs and ridges on a 500mb map
they are a fundamental feature of an unevenly heated, rotating planet with an atmosphere
they have wavelengths of a few thousand km
usually 3 to 5 waves encircle the poles
8. A single powerful volcano would be expected to cause
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
for about
years .
global cooling, twenty
global warming, ten
global cooling, two
localized warming, ten
localized cooling, ten
9. It was cloudy last night with a low of 62± F. This evening is clear and calm with a relative humidity of 50%. What would
be a reasonable prediction for the overnight low tonight? (Assume no fronts are predicted to pass through.)
(1) 50 ± F
(2) 70± F
(3) 32 ± F
(4) 80± F
(5) 62 ± F
10. A downburst refers to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the sudden appearance of hail on the leading edge of a storm
a sudden and severe rainfall
the downward electron path that completes the circuit for the formation of the return stroke in lightning
the cool wind from a downdraft that hits the ground
a radar signal in the shape of a comma
11. For this and the following four questions, refer to the map provided. This map is called a (an)
(1) prog
(2) surface weather map
(3) analysis
12. For what date and time is the map predicting the weather?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
noon EST Wednesday Dec. 10
midnight EST Wednesday Dec. 10
midnight EST Monday Dec. 8
7pm EST Tuesday Dec. 9
noon EST Friday Dec. 12
(4) meteogram
.
(5) algorithm
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13. What are the surface and upper level wind directions predicted by the map for Gainesville? (surface, upper level)
(1) N, SW
(2) NNW, W
(3) SW, WNW
(4) S, NW
(5) SE, WSW
(4) 1022mb
(5) 1024mb
14. What surface pressure is predicted for Gainesville from the map?
(1) 1020mb
(2) 1016mb
(3) 1018mb
15. Based on this map, how would you expect the surface low just north of Texas to develop during the 12 hours following
the time of validity of this map?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
to
to
to
to
to
strengthen quickly and move toward the NW
remain the same strength and move toward the S
strengthen somewhat and move toward the ENE
strengthen quickly and move toward the NNE
strengthen somewhat and move toward the SSE
16. Mammatus clouds typically occur:
(1) on the shelf cloud (2) on the wall cloud (3) under the anvil (4) at the cloud base (5) where the updraft overshoots
17. What weather system is associated with the following observations: Chilly SE winds with light rain and falling pressure,
followed by much colder air, periods of heavy rain and NW winds?
(1) mesoscale convective complex
(2) warm front
(3) cold-occluded front
(4) squall line
(5) cold front
18. An mP air mass that enters the northeastern United States is often associated with:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
strong westerly winds along the United States/Canadian border
a low pressure system in SE Canada
the \pineapple connection"
a high pressure system in SE Canada
a high pressure system o® the mid-Atlantic coast
19. The Thermohaline circulation refers to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
a warm ocean current that °ows around the Paci¯c High
a warm ocean current produced by global warming
a warm ocean current in the Atlantic
an ocean current driven by variations in water density
the Hadley cell of global air circulation
20. Lake e®ect snow typically occurs in
and a®ects the
shores of the Great Lakes.
(1) late Winter, eastern (2) late Fall, eastern (3) late Spring, southern (4) late Winter, southern (5) early Spring, western
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21. What factor below would be expected to favor hurricane formation?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
the ITCZ being along the equator
a strong La Nina
cooler than normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic
dry conditions in western Africa
an absolutely unstable atmosphere
22. Severe thunderstorms:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
are most likely to form in an absolutely stable atmosphere
are most frequently observed in Florida
occur most frequently just behind a cold front
Are often associated with a stable air layer at about 800mb
are most likely to form in an absolutely unstable atmosphere
23. Entrainment refers to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
new thunderstorm cells being generated by the gust front of a mature storm
the formation of a squall line
the updraft riding over the downdraft at the gust front
dryer air at the edge of a cloud being drawn into the cloud
the updraft overshooting into the tropopause
24. The most damage from a hurricane typically is caused by:
(1) hurricane spawned tornadoes
(2) huge waves and °ooding
(3) lightning
25. In the continental United States, most surface highs move toward the
.
(1) S , N
(2) SE , NE
(3) E , E
air
air
air
air
air
°owing
°owing
°owing
°owing
°owing
from
from
from
from
from
(4) SW , NW
a colder to a warmer region in a baroclinic region
a colder to a warmer region in a barotropic region
high pressure to low pressure in an isobaric region
a warmer to a colder region in a baroclinic region
a warmer to a colder region in a barotropic region
27. Judging by the past 500,000 years, we are headed (in the next 20,000 years) for:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
a much colder climate
a much warmer climate
not much change in climate
an optimum climate for life
little variation in climate
(5) high winds
and most surface lows move toward the
26. Cold advection refers to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(4) °ying debris
(5) NE , SW
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28. The strongest winds in a hurricane headed eastward toward Bermuda would be on its
(1) E
(2) S
(3) N
(4) NE
side.
(5) W
29. Dendrochronology has been used to reconstruct precipitation and temperature patterns for past time periods of:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
several hundred thousand years
20 million years
tens of thousands of years
hundreds of years
millions of years
30. A stationary front is depicted on a surface weather map by:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
blue triangles pointing to colder air and red semicircles pointing to warmer air
blue triangles pointing to warmer air and red semicircles pointing to colder air
red triangles pointing to warmer air and blue semicircles pointing to colder air
red triangles pointing to colder air and blue semicircles pointing to warmer air
purple triangles pointing to cooler air and purple semicircles pointing to colder air
31. Which of the following would NOT tend to lead to an intensifying mid-latitude cyclone?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
a baroclinic condition
isotherms crossing 500 mb contours
a strong polar jet stream
a shortwave entering a longwave trough
a strong low at 500 mb directly above a surface low
32. A major hurricane is:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
category
one over
one that
one that
category
3, 4 or 5
500 km in diameter
does over 1 billion dollars worth of damage
makes landfall in a populous area
1 or 2
33. Climate change has been tied to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
plate tectonics
sunspot cycle length
all of the answers are true
the eccentricity of the earth's orbit around the sun
volcanism