METR 110
Final Exam
Fall, 2014
This exam consists of 74 multiple choice questions worth 1% each and extended questions worth
26%. Answer all multiple choice questions on the answer sheet by blackening in the correct space.
Choose the one BEST answer to each question. READ EACH QUESTION CAREFULLY AND
COMPLETELY! Answer the extended questions at the end in the blank spaces. You have 150
minutes. Check your answers
This is the final exam given to METR 110 classes in Fall 2014. Try to answer the questions yourself. Then
check your answers against the answers shown at the end, in red.
1. Air currently consists mostly (almost 80% by volume) of which gas?
a) oxygen b) nitrogen c) carbon dioxide d) water vapor
e) none of the above
2. The Earth's first atmosphere consisted almost entirely of which gas(es)?
a) oxygen b) nitrogen c) hydrogen and helium d) water vapor and CFC's e) Ozone
3. At a constant temperature, as you decrease the pressure on a sample of air, its volume
a) increases b) decreases c) remains the same
4. As you increase the pressure on an air parcel, its temperature
a) increases b) decreases c) remains the same
5. If the mixing ratio of the air is 30 g/kg and the capacity of the air is 40 g/kg, what is the relative
humidity?
a) 30% b) 40% c) 75% d) 100% e) 133%
Reminder: RH = (w/ws)x 100%
6. If the dew point is constant, as you decrease the temperature of an air parcel, its relative humidity
a) increases b) decreases c) remains the same
7. If the relative humidity of air at the ground is less than 100%, what does this tell you?
a) There can be no rain or snow because the air is not saturated.
b) Water will evaporate into the air.
c) Water will condense from the air onto condensation nuclei turning them into sleet.
d) Snowflakes will grow while water vapor molecules shrink.
e) You automatically know the dew point and temperature.
8. Suppose the temperature is 10ºC, and the relative humidity is 100%. If this air is cooled to 5ºC
the relative humidity
a) increases b) decreases c) remains the same
9. 60ºC is equivalent to
a) 108ºF
b) 50.4ºF
c) 92ºF
d) 65.33ºF
10. 72ºF is equivalent to
a) 40ºC
b) 161.6ºC
c) 22.22ºC
d) 97.6ºC
11. 180ºK is equivalent to
a) 212ºF
b) 199.4ºF
c) -100ºF
d) -135.4ºF
e) 140ºF
e) 104ºC
e) -93ºF
Questions 12-25 Refer to the weather map shown below. Stations A, B, C, D, and E are marked with
blank station circles.
12. What is the most likely precipitation type at point C?
a) thundershowers b) sandstorm c) hail d) steady rain
13. What is the most likely precipitation type at point D?
a) thundershowers b) drizzle c) fog d) steady rain
e) no precipitation
e) no precipitation
14. Assume the front in the southeast U.S. is moving eastward. What will happen to the
temperature at point B?
a) it will rise dramatically from its current value.
b) it will drop slowly from its already low value.
c) it will drop very quickly sometime during the day.
d) it will remain steady at or above freezing.
e) it will remain at its current value until Spring.
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15. Assume the front through New York State is moving as indicated by the barbs. What will
happen to the temperature at point C? (remember station C is at the circle)
a) it will rise dramatically from its currently cool value.
b) it will drop slowly from its already cool value.
c) it will drop very quickly sometime during the day.
d) it will remain steady at or above freezing.
e) it will remain at its currently warm value.
16. Station E is Chicago, IL. What was the sea level pressure measured at Chicago at 12Z on
December 1, 2006?
a) 996 mb b) 999.6 mb c) 1000.0 mb d) 1025.1 mb e) that can’t be determined from this map.
17. The front between stations A and B is called
a) a Low front b) a Cold front c) a Warm front
d) an Occluded front e) a Stationary front
18. The front going into the Low near point E is called
a) a Low front b) a Cold front c) a Warm front d) an Occluded front e) a Stationary front
19. At station A the air mass is most likely to be
a) cP
b) mP
c) mT
d) cT e) cA
20. At station B the air mass is most likely to be
a) cP
b) mP
c) mT
d) cT e) cA
21. At station C the air mass is most likely to be
a) cP
b) mP
c) mT
d) cT e) cA
22. At station D the air mass is most likely to be
a) cP
b) mP
c) mT
d) cT e) cA
23. The station which most likely has an east wind is
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E
24. Which station is in the warm sector?
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E
25. At which station is it most likely to be heavily snowing?
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E
26. Around the year 1300 A.D., temperatures dropped throughout the Northern Hemisphere,
causing the Norwegians who had settled in Greenland to freeze and starve. This climatic event was
called
a) the Little Ice Age b) the Greenland ice sheet c) the Climatic Optimum
d) the Norwegian model
e) the Supercooling
27. On average, the least rainfall in the world occurs
a) in Brazil b) over almost all of Africa c) in the tropics
d) near 30ºN and 30º S e) in New York
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28. At the Poles, air is very cold so it sinks. That air then spreads out, moving toward lower
latitudes where it becomes warmer so it rises. Meteorologists call this
a) the Polar Vortex b) a Hadley cell c) a warm front d) the Norwegian model
e) none of the above
29. In Egypt, if the ITCZ never reaches you, what is your climate?
a) Desert b) Tropical c) Dry season and Wet season d) River dominated e) Windy
30. On the eastern side of Subtropical Highs (like the Bermuda-Azores High), the weather is
a) Arctic cold b) hot and humid c) dry and pleasant d) very changeable e) always cloudy
31. The last great Ice Age, known as the Wisconsin Ice Age, was at its peak approximately
a) 2000 years ago
b) 5000 years ago
c) 11000 years ago
d) 18000 years ago e) 60 million years ago
32. Average Northern Hemispheric temperatures during the last Ice Age were approximately how
much below today's average Northern Hemispheric temperatures?
a) 0.09°F
b) 0.9°F
c) 9°F
d) 90°F
e) 900°F
33. James Burke said in the video “After the Warming” that in Petra (now in Jordan), it rained only
one month during the year. In the other 11 months, the climate is dominated by
a) the ITCZ b) subtropical Highs c) hurricanes d) thunderstorms e) Low pressure
34. If the Hadley cells in the atmosphere extended farther poleward than they do now, what would
be a likely climatic result?
a) Winters would be colder due to more cold fronts.
b) Parts of the United States would be drier since the Subtropical Highs would be farther north.
c) All of the United States would be wetter since the ITCZ would be farther north.
d) It would be more windy in the U.S. with a stronger Hadley cell.
e) There would be no climatic effect.
35. During the Ice Ages of the last 300,000 years human brain capacity increased greatly. Why?
a) Life was precarious at best and our best weapon was being smart.
b) People had much more to eat during the Ice Ages since the Rain Forests dried up.
c) The dangerous animals were killed off by the glaciers so people grew bigger brains.
d) There were no more Heat Waves to kill brain cells.
e) During the Ice Ages people had to live on top of the glaciers since there was not enough land.
36. Climate change on a really long time scale (millions of years) is always due to
a) the Greenhouse effect b) millions of cars
c) the influence of homo sapiens
d) ice ages
e) changes in the Earth’s orbit
37. A drop in the average global temperature around 1500 led to much more rainfall in England.
What climatological feature caused that to happen?
a) A stronger Icelandic Low because sub-polar lows get stronger when the climate cools.
b) A stronger Bermuda High created stronger north winds over England.
c) The Intertropical Convergence Zone moved all the way north to England.
d) The Polar Vortex stationed itself over England for centuries.
e) More ice in the clouds led to a much stronger Greenhouse Effect.
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38. What is the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane?
a) typhoons are bigger than hurricanes
b) hurricanes have more rainfall than typhoons
c) typhoons have bigger storm surges than hurricanes.
d) typhoons occur only in the southern hemisphere.
e) It's just a different name for the same type of storm.
39. Why do we call the area surrounding the eye of a hurricane the eye wall?
a) That’s the part of the storm where there is a “wall of downdrafts”.
b) In that part of the storm you have a wall of snow like Buffalo saw last month.
c) In that part of the storm, thunderstorms form a continuous line.
d) There are no thunderstorms in the eye, so surrounding it, the thunderstorms go straight up.
e) Airplanes flying into the eye encounter a wall of debris from smashed houses.
40. Why do hurricanes have no fronts?
a) The air in a hurricane is warm all around.
b) The air in a hurricane is uniformly cold.
c) The hurricane is too weak to have fronts.
d) There is no precipitation to cause fronts.
e) The jet stream is too far south in hurricanes.
41. Hurricane Katrina of 2005 was a category 5 storm yet the winds did not cause most of the
fatalities. What did cause them?
a) tornadoes
b) the heavy snow
c) flooding
d) lightning
e) traffic accidents
42. Why don't hurricanes form directly on the equator?
a) It is too warm and humid at the equator.
b) There are too many large land masses at the equator.
c) Hurricanes require jet streams to form and there are none at the equator.
d) It is too cold at the equator.
e) There is no Coriolis Force at the equator.
43. What was unusual about the path of Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy of 2012?
a) Sandy began as a storm off the New Jersey coast.
b) Sandy was purely an extratropical storm at low latitudes.
c) Sandy tracked from west to east, something hurricanes never do.
d) Sandy’s path included a left (westward) turn toward New Jersey.
e) Sandy stalled for a long time over New York city.
44. When a thunderstorm approaches you, the sky gets very dark. Why?
a) Thunderstorms are very tall, blocking out most of the sunlight.
b) Thunderstorms have lightning which sucks up all the light.
c) The thunderstorm anvils are ionized with large numbers of negative charges.
d) It’s very cold throughout a thunderstorm. Cold air absorbs more light.
e) Thunderstorms suck up water from the ground.
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45. You see the lightning and hear thunder 5 seconds later. How far away was the lightning?
a) 0.1 miles b) 0.5 miles c) 1 mile d) 5 miles e) This cannot be calculated
46. The sound of thunder is caused by:
a) clouds bumping together
b) rapid expansion of the ionization path
c) raindrops splitting d) 60 mph updrafts e) millions of tiny cloud droplets colliding
47. The part of a lightning stroke which first ionizes the air channel is
a) dart leader b) stepped leader c) return stroke d) cloud to cloud stroke e) back stroke
48. You are in the middle of the golf course and your friend out on the fairway is hit by lightning.
What should you do?
a) Raise your club to attract the lightning away from your friend.
b) Go to your friend but don’t touch him because he is full of electricity.
c) Go to your friend and immediately administer CPR.
d) Throw water on your friend to extinguish any flames caused by lightning going through him.
e) Save yourself. Your friend is already dead.
49. The Enhanced Fujita or EF-scale is used to assess
a) tornado wind speeds b) the apparent temperature c) rainfall rate
d) the number of lightning strokes e) the salaries of Japanese meteorologists
50. EF5 tornadoes are
a) very common and cause no fatalities or damage.
b) somewhat common, so they cause about 1/10 of the fatalities and damage.
c) very uncommon and therefore cause very little damage and no fatalities.
d) very uncommon, but they still cause most fatalities and terrible damage.
e) considered impossible by Fujita.
51. The state with the greatest tornado density in the world is
a) Oklahoma b) New York c) Kansas d) California e) Nevada
52. You are reading in bed in your luxurious mobile home in Tupelo, Mississippi (hometown of
Elvis) when you hear a tornado WARNING siren. What do you do?
a) Finish the book. The chances of getting hit with a tornado are remote.
b) Stay inside the mobile home to be safe from lightning and flying debris.
c) Take two Valium and go sit in the bathtub.
d) Go down the basement of your mobile home.
e) Get out immediately and go to the community shelter.
53. Why is it a really bad idea to open windows before a tornado hits?
a) The tornadoes can actually come in through the windows.
b) You will get the carpet soaked because of the heavy rain that always accompanies tornadoes.
c) In your panic you will lose count of the number of windows you have opened.
d) You could get hit with flying, broken glass and seriously injured or killed.
e) Looters will come in the windows after the tornado leaves
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54. Sometimes the outflow wind in thunderstorms is straight but still severe. These downburst
winds
a) are always EF-0 b) are EF-0, EF-1, or EF-2 c) are always EF-4 or EF-5 d) are at least EF-6
55. Your professor tells you the exam will start at 21Z on Dec 12. How do you know that’s a mistake?
a) There is no 21 o’clock.
b) “Z” refers to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), not Eastern Standard Time (EST).
c) 21Z is actually 4 p.m. EST and the College does not give exams at that time.
d) 21Z is in the middle of the night.
e) 21Z only occurs when we are using Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
56. According to the NWS Wind Chill Chart, the equivalent wind chill temperature of -31°F can be
achieved with an air temperature of -5°F and a sustained wind speed of 25 mph. Why will that never
happen in Oneonta?
a) The wind can’t get as high as 25 mph in Oneonta.
b) The air temperature just can’t get as cold as -5°F in Oneonta.
c) You need a high relative humidity to get that combination.
d) Very cold temperatures such as -31°F only occur in thunderstorms.
e) A cold air temperature of -5°F in Oneonta only occurs with Arctic High Pressure and calm wind.
57. A thermometer in Phoenix reads 92°F with relative humidity (RH) of 15%.At the same time a
thermometer in New York reads 92°F with RH of 50%. Where is the apparent temperature greater?
a) New York b) Phoenix c) neither, 92 is 92 d) you can’t tell from the information given.
58. If the temperature reaches 105°F, people get heat exhaustion and sunstroke. What anatomical
process is involved with heat disorders?
a) The wind cools the skin.
b) Sweat evaporates, causing dehydration
c) Blood vessels expand, causing severe heat loss.
d) The body’s core temperature depends on circulation in the brain .
e) 105°F is above the threshold for humans to breathe.
59. Oneonta get about 7000 HDD in a year. Spokane, Washington gets about 7400. Which city is
cooler on the average?
a) Oneonta b) Spokane c) You can’t tell from the average HDD alone d) Both are the same.
60. What is the greatest problem with hailstorms?
a) Hailstones falling from great heights often kill people.
b) Hailstones larger than bowling balls cause massive damage to buildings.
c) Hail is always associated with large, killer tornadoes.
d) Hailstorms are very common in the U.S., with over 1500 of them each year.
e) Hail knocks down crops and kills them with cold.
61. How are hailstones measured?
a) as percentages of a mile.
b) by their circumferences
c) by comparing them to sporting equipment, like golf balls.
d) by melting them and weighing the resulting water equivalent.
e) the number of hailstones in a particular storm are counted individually.
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62. You are watching a thunderstorm come toward you from the west. The wind from your back is
warm and humid. Suddenly, the wind is blowing into your face knocks you down and is cold.
Later you find out that was a 70 mph gust. What would meteorologists call that?
a) a Derecho b) Bergeron wind c) Icy blast
d) continental Arctic e) August wind
Questions 63-65 refer to the following 500 mb map:
63. Where is the jet stream?
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E
64. The temperature on this 500 mb map is warmest at
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E
65. Where is the likeliest place for a surface low pressure area to be under?
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D
e) E
66. Energy from the sun evaporates liquid water from tropical oceans and results in a very humid
atmosphere. When the tropical humidity condenses into clouds, that energy warms the clouds so
they are warm. The energy is called
a) changing heat b) sunstroke c) adiabatic d) visible energy e) latent heat
67. A cumulus cloud which builds into great towering masses without anvils but which are
precipitating are called
a) towering cumulus b) cumulonimbus c) fair weather cumulus d) nimbostratus e) contrails
68. Clouds which are low, uniformly grey, and precipitating rain or snow are called
a) Alto b) Cirrus c) Stratus d) Cumulocirrus e) Hexagonal
69. Any cloud which grows mostly vertically is called
a) Verticus
b) Fractus
c) Stratus
d) Lenticularis
e) Cumulus
70. Because of the Bergeron process, Oneonta precipitation always originates in the upper
troposphere as
a) rain
b) snow
c) dust
d) hail
e) thunderstorms
71. Collision and coalescence is a process that actually works in what location(s)?
a) the northeastern U.S.
b) Oneonta only
c) at northern latitudes
d) over the central U.S.
e) in the tropics
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72. What does the acronym RADAR stand for?
a) Rapid And Dramatic Apparent Recession
b) Radio Detection And Ranging
c) Realistic Applied Daily Average Rainfall
d) Radiation Damage And Recharge
e) Reverse Airway Drill Auto-Register
73. You see on the Radar screen that an area of green has moved over your city. A smaller area of
yellow is approaching and that yellow has a small red spot that is heading right for you. What does
this all mean?
a) The sky is about to get very colorful (green, yellow and red).
b) Very warm clouds are over your city due to the “warm” colors.
c) It’s about to rain very hard.
d) The rain is about to stop and the yellow sun will come out.
e) A big High pressure system will be directly overhead.
74. What is important to know about a Weak Echo Region (WER)?
a) There are no echoes for about 1000 miles all around a WER.
b) Weak Echo Regions are places where rain changes to snow.
c) All storms have a WER so it’s very common and harmless.
d) If a thunderstorm develops a WER, there’s a good chance of a tornado.
e) Nothing. There is no such thing as a Weak Echo Region.
Extended questions
1. (6%) Meteorologists like to use infrared satellite pictures. What two big advantages do infrared
images give the meteorologist? Answer here (label them 1 and 2):
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2. Below are two diagrams showing the Earth in its orbit around the sun at four times during the
year, January, July (marked), March, and September (not marked). Of course the sun and Earth are
not drawn to scale.
The left-hand diagram, marked “Current orbit” shows the situation as we have it in 2014. The righthand diagram, marked “Future orbit” shows the situation at some point in the future. Oneonta is at
latitude 42ºN, about half way between the North Pole and the Equator, as shown.
( 5%) Right now, summer in Oneonta occurs in July and winter occurs in January. With the future
orbit as shown, would that change? Explain your answer using the word “insolation” properly.
( 5%) Compared to the current seasons, what would Oneonta’s summer and winter be like with the
future orbit? Briefly explain.
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3. (10%) For this question, examine the map shown below:
The map has been analyzed with isobars and pressure centers but it is not correct. Find five (5)
mistakes. There are more than five, but you only need to find any five. Write down what those
mistakes are in the space below. Then correct the mistakes by drawing the corrections on the map.
If something is on the map that shouldn’t be there at all, you may cross it out. Note: All the stations
and their data are correct. All the mistakes are in my analysis.
Mistakes found on the map:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Scroll down 30 lines for answers.
Multiple Choice
1b 2c 3a 4a
17b 18d 19a
21b 22e 23e
36e 37a 38e
41c 42e 43d
56e 57b 58b
61c 62a 63a
5c
20c
24b
39c
44a
59b
64c
6a
25e
40a
45c
60e
65a
7b
8c
9e
10c
11d
12d
13e
14c
15a
16c
26a
27d
28b
29a
30c
31d
32c
33b
34b
35a
46b
47b
48c
49a
50d
51a
52e
53d
54b
55c
66e
67a
68c
69e
70b
71e
72b
73c
74d
Extended
1. (6%) Meteorologists like to use infrared satellite pictures. What two big advantages do infrared
images give the meteorologist? Answer here (label them 1 and 2):
1. Infrared images are available 24/7, including overnight (when visible images are not
available)
2. Infrared sensors record the temperature of the cloud tops. If we assume a normal lapse
rate, colder temperatures can be used to estimate cloud top heights.
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2. Below are two diagrams showing the Earth in its orbit around the sun at four times during the
year, January, July (marked), March, and September (not marked). Of course the sun and Earth are
not drawn to scale.
The left-hand diagram, marked “Current orbit” shows the situation as we have it in 2014. The righthand diagram, marked “Future orbit” shows the situation at some point in the future. Oneonta is at
latitude 42ºN, about half way between the North Pole and the Equator, as shown.
( 5%) Right now, summer in Oneonta occurs in July and winter occurs in January. With the future
orbit as shown, would that change? Explain your answer using the word “insolation” properly.
No, the time of year when winter and summer occur will not change. Winter and summer depend
on the angle of insolation or incoming solar radiation. More direct insolation in summer produces
hotter temperatures. More indirect insolation in winter produces cooler temperatures.
( 5%) Compared to the current seasons, what would Oneonta’s summer and winter be like with the
future orbit? Briefly explain.
In the future orbit, the angles of insolation would not change but the distance from the sun will reinforce
them so winters (farther from the sun) will be colder and summers (closer to the sun) will be hotter in the
Northern Hemisphere, including Oneonta.
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3. (10%) For this question, examine the map shown below:
The map has been analyzed with isobars and pressure centers but it is not correct. Find five (5)
mistakes. There are more than five, but you only need to find any five. Write down what those
mistakes are in the space below. Then correct the mistakes by drawing the corrections on the map.
If something is on the map that shouldn’t be there at all, you may cross it out. Note: All the stations
and their data are correct. All the mistakes are in my analysis.
5 Mistakes found on the map:
1. The center of the closed isobars in Texas is a Low and should be marked “L”, not “H”.
2. The 120 isobar goes directly through a station in Colorado with a pressure of 1012.2 mb (120
means 1012.0 mb)
3. The 160 isobar goes directly through a station in Wyoming with a pressure of 1016.8 mb (160
means 1016.0 mb)
4. Without a closed isobar, the center can’t be found so the High (“H”) in Idaho should not be
drawn.
5. Back in Texas, there is a station reading 1011.8 mb. The 120 isobar should be south of that
station, not north.
More mistakes that could have been used (only graded the first five found):
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The 160 isobar (1016.0 mb) shouldn’t be drawn at all on the eastern border of the map. There are
no stations east of it or north of it at the top of the map
The 160 isobar is incorrect in northwest New Mexico. It goes between a station reading 1018.5 mb
and a station reading 1017.5 mb.
The 240 isobar is missing a label.
The contour interval is 4 mb so the isobar after 120 should be 080, not 090. In fact, there are no
stations reading 1008 or less so no isobar should be drawn in the Texas panhandle.
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