Name:___________________________________
ATMS 113
4 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL EXAM#03
Choose the single best answer in Questions (1) – (20), each question is worth four points.
Questions (21) and (22) are each worth 10 points. EXAM#03 is worth 100 total points.
(1) ________ scale (or weather map scale) circulations have an average size of ________
kilometers and can last for days and sometimes weeks.
(a) Meso-, 2000
(b) Meso-, 2
(c) Synoptic-, 2000, p. 177-178 of text
(d) Synoptic-, 2
(2) Abrupt changes in wind speed and/or direction with height is known as ________ and
can create turbulent eddies that produce ________ waves.
(a) wind shear, Bjerknes
(b) wind shear, Kelvin Helmholtz, p. 181 of text
(c) divergence, Bjerknes
(d) divergence, Kelvin Helmholtz
(3) A sea breeze has ________ pressure over the land near the ground and ________
pressure over the water far above the surface.
(a) low, high
(b) low, low, p. 182-184 of text
(c) high, high
(d) high, low
(4) A monsoon-like circulation exists in the ________ United States that typically
experiences afternoon showers and thunderstorms in mid-________.
(a) southwestern, July, p. 186 of text
(b) southwestern, January
(c) northwestern, July
(d) northwestern, January
(5) The ________ is a type of katabatic wind that reaches the northern Adriatic coast in
________.
(a) bora, Greece
(b) bora, the former Yugoslavia, p. 187-188 of text
(c) chinook, Greece
(d) chinook, the former Yugoslavia
(6) Dust devils form in the same way as tornadoes.
True
False, p. 192-193 of text
1
Name:___________________________________
ATMS 113
4 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL EXAM#03
(7) The ________ cell in the three-cell model predicts winds blowing from the ________
at the surface in the mid-latitudes (between 30 and 60oN).
(a) Hadley, west
(b) Hadley, east
(c) Ferrel, west, p. 194-197 of text
(d) Ferrel, east
(8) In response to the seasonal shift of the zone of maximum surface ________, the major
pressure systems, wind belts, and ITCZ shift toward the north in ________ and toward
the south in ________.
(a) cooling, July, January
(b) cooling, January, July
(c) heating, July, January, p. 197-199 of text
(d) heating, January, July
(9) The jet stream is most strongly developed in the ________ season due to the fact that
the north-to-south temperature contrasts are ________ than in the ________ season.
(a) summer, weaker, winter
(b) summer, greater, winter
(c) winter, weaker, summer
(d) winter, greater, summer, p. 199-200 of text
(10) The average surface water temperature along the Pacific coast of the United States in
summer is nearly 18oF ________ than the average coastal water temperature found at the
same latitude along the Atlantic coast. This is due primarily to ________.
(a) colder, upwelling, p. 204 of text
(b) colder, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation
(c) warmer, upwelling
(d) warmer, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation
(11) Warmer than normal sea surface temperatures are experienced during ________
along the coast of ________.
(a) El Niño, Brazil
(b) El Niño, Peru, p. 204-206 of text
(c) La Niña, Brazil
(d) La Niña, Peru
(12) Air masses originate in source regions which are usually dominated by surface
________ pressure, typically accompanied by ________ surface winds.
(a) low, strong
(b) low, weak
(c) high, strong
(d) high, weak, p. 214 of text
2
Name:___________________________________
ATMS 113
4 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL EXAM#03
(13) The ________ air mass is often responsible for the bitter cold winter weather that
can cover wide sections of North America.
(a) cT
(b) cP, p. 216-217 of text
(c) mT
(d) mP
(14) Maritime polar air masses along the east coast of the United States are usually
________ than those along the nation’s west coast due, partly, to the ________ distance
traveled by the air mass over water.
(a) colder, longer
(b) colder, shorter, p. 221 of text
(c) warmer, longer
(d) warmer, shorter
(15) The ________ air mass is usually only found during the summer season in the
________ United States.
(a) cT, southwestern, p. 224 of text
(b) cT, southeastern
(c) mT, southwestern
(d) mT, southeastern
(16) The transition zone between two air masses of different densities is known as a
________, which is located in a pressure ________.
(a) rotor, trough
(b) rotor, ridge
(c) front, trough, p. 225-227 of text
(d) front, ridge
(17) Which of the following is not a criterion for locating a front on a surface weather
map?
(a) sharp temperature changes over a short distance
(b) changes in the dew point
(c) pressure and pressure changes
(d) changes in wind speed, p. 226-227 of text
(18) Scientists from ________ developed a model explaining the life cycle of a ________
cyclone which became known as the polar front theory.
(a) Norway, mid-latitude, p. 233-234 of text
(b) Norway, tropical
(c) Germany, mid-latitude
(d) Germany, tropical
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Name:___________________________________
ATMS 113
4 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL EXAM#03
(19) For a surface low to develop into a major storm system, upper-level divergence of
air must be ________ than surface convergence of air; that is, more air must be
________ above the storm than is ________ at the surface.
(a) greater, removed, brought in, p. 238 of text
(b) greater, brought in, removed
(c) lesser, removed, brought in
(d) lesser, brought in, removed
(20) A jet streak, located at ________ altitudes in the troposphere, can contribute to
________ motion over a developing surface cyclone and ________ motion over its
associated surface anticyclone.
(a) low, rising, sinking
(b) low, sinking, rising
(c) high, rising, sinking, p. 239-241 of text
(d) high, sinking, rising
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Name:___________________________________
ATMS 113
4 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL EXAM#03
(21) 10 points
During an unfortunate boating incident in July, you wash ashore of an
undiscovered north-to-south oriented peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. After some days of
resting and eating coconuts, you notice that the sea breezes along the western shore of the
peninsula are stronger than those along the eastern shore and that the land breezes along
the eastern shore of the peninsula are stronger than those along the western shore. On
which side of the Pacific High must the peninsula be located (east or west)? You must
document the steps used in reaching your answer to receive full credit on this question.
This question is a modified version of the Tier II question from the In-class project#7a
questions and requires one to consider the mesoscale pressure gradient forced by the
unequal heating of the land and ocean surface, along with the synoptic scale pressure
gradient forced by the Pacific High. The sea breeze is forced in the daylight hours, with
relatively low pressure near the surface over land and high pressure near the surface over
the water [p. 182-184 of the textbook] the strongest breezes occur where the mesoscale
and synoptic scale pressure gradients are working together. The strongest sea breezes
occurring along the western shore of the peninsula imply that the synoptic scale pressure
gradient must be oriented in such a way that the center of high pressure is located off of
the western shore and, therefore, the peninsula is located east of the Pacific High. The
information related to the land breezes is redundant and confirms that the center of the
Pacific High must be to the west (peninsula located east of the Pacific High).
5
Name:___________________________________
ATMS 113
4 November 2015
INDIVIDUAL EXAM#03
(22) 10 points
The sinking of ________ air and the rising of ________ air provide energy for a
developing cyclone. {fill in the blanks.}
In a developing cyclone ________ energy is transformed into ________ energy.
{fill in the blanks.}
cold, warm
potential, kinetic, p. 229, 230 of text
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