GEOS 114 Meteorology Midterm Exam
ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN THE ANSWER SHEET PROVIDED
I. Multiple Choice (45 points)1. The climate of some locality governs
a. the type of crops that can be cultivated.
b. the fresh water supply.
c. the average heating and cooling requirements for homes.
d. All of the above are correct.
2. Air pressure can be thought of as
a. air temperature.
b. wind speed.
c. the weight of the overlying air.
d. the weight of the underlying air.
3. Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds in a high pressure system blow
a. clockwise and inward.
b. clockwise and outward.
c. counterclockwise and inward.
d. counterclockwise and outward.
4. Viewed from above in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds blow ___________ about the center of a low pressure
system.
a. clockwise and outward
b. clockwise and inward
c. counterclockwise and outward
d. counterclockwise and inward
5. At the same humidity (water vapor concentration), a cold air mass is _________ a warm air mass.
a. denser than
b. less dense than
c. as dense as
d. none of the above
6. Often the day’s highest air temperature and lowest relative humidity occur
a. around midnight.
b. near sunrise.
c. during early to mid-afternoon.
d. None of the above is correct.
7. A geostationary satellite orbits Earth at _________ altitude than a polar-orbiting satellite.
a. lower
b. higher
c. same
d. variable
8. Clouds appear on __________ satellite images.
a. visible
b. infrared
c. water vapor
d. All of the above are correct.
9. The atmosphere is
a. a relatively thin envelope of gases and particles that encircles the planet.
b. where weather takes place.
c. a major component of the Earth system.
d. All of the above are correct.
10. The portion of the atmosphere in which the principal gases (nitrogen and oxygen) occur everywhere in the same
proportions is the
a. troposphere.
b. stratosphere.
c. homosphere.
d. All of these are correct.
e. None of these is correct.
11. The portion of the atmosphere in which the proportions of the principal gases (nitrogen and oxygen) change with altitude is
a. below the stratopause.
b. the heterosphere.
c. the homosphere.
d. the troposphere.
e. below the tropopause.
12. An atmospheric gas that varies significantly in concentration from one location to another near sea-level is
a. nitrogen.
b. oxygen.
c. water vapor.
d. All of these are correct.
e. None of these is correct.
13. The ozone shield occurs within that portion of the atmosphere known as the
a. troposphere.
b. stratosphere.
c. mesosphere.
d. thermosphere.
e. ionosphere.
14. The three most common gases in the "dry" atmosphere (excluding water vapor) are
a. nitrogen, oxygen, argon.
b. nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide.
c. nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide.
d. oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide.
15. The source(s) of atmospheric aerosols is (are)
a. wind erosion of soil.
b. forest fires.
c. the spray of ocean waves.
d. volcanic eruptions.
e. All of these are correct.
16. A radiosonde is equipped with instruments that measure
a. temperature
b. air pressure.
c. dewpoint (a measure of humidity).
d. All of these are correct.
e. None of these is correct.
17. Within the atmosphere, the lowest average air temperature occurs
a. within the troposphere.
b. at the tropopause.
c. within the stratosphere.
d. at the stratopause.
e. at the mesopause.
18. The layers of the atmosphere, in order, from the surface up are
a. stratosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, troposphere.
b. troposphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere.
c. thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere.
d. troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.
19. All of the following types of electromagnetic radiation have wavelengths longer than that of visible light with the exception
of
a. infrared radiation
b. microwaves
c. radio waves.
d. ultraviolet radiation.
e. None of these is correct.
20. The portion of the visible electromagnetic spectrum having the shortest wavelength is
a. red.
b. orange.
c. green.
d. blue.
e. violet.
21. According to Wien's displacement law, which one of the following objects emits its most intense electromagnetic energy at
the shortest wavelength?
a. an ice cube
b. the Earth
c. the atmosphere
d. the sun
e. the Moon
22. Generally, as the temperature of a radiating surface decreases,
a. the rate of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the surface will increase.
b. the wavelength at which radiation from the surface is most intense will lengthen.
c. Both of the above are correct.
d. None of the above is correct.
23. If the temperature of the sun were to increase, the wavelength at which solar radiation is most intense would
a. remain the same.
b. increase.
c. decrease.
d. None of the above is correct.
24. The ultimate source of solar radiation is
a. convection.
b. nuclear fission.
c. nuclear fusion in the sun.
d. sunspots.
e. solar tides.
25. Earth is closest to the sun during the
a. Northern Hemisphere winter.
b. Northern Hemisphere summer.
c. Southern Hemisphere spring.
d. Southern Hemisphere fall.
e. Southern Hemisphere winter.
26. On the first day of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the noon sun has an altitude of 90 degrees where?
a. Tropic of Cancer
b. Arctic Circle
c. Tropic of Capricorn
d. Antarctic Circle
e. the equator
27. Except right at the poles, nights are everywhere about 12 hours long when?
a. equinoxes
b. solstices
c. aphelion
d. perihelion
e. 21 December
28. The period of daylight at any point along the equator
a. ranges from about 9 to 15 hours over the period of a year.
b. ranges from about 11 to 13 hours over the period of a year.
c. is essentially the same throughout the year.
d. None of the above is correct.
29. As solar radiation travels through the atmosphere, a portion of that radiation is
a. absorbed by gases.
b. reflected by clouds.
c. scattered by dust particles and molecules.
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct
30. Which one of the following surfaces has the lowest albedo for visible solar radiation?
a. green grass
b. fresh snow
c. old snow
d. black asphalt
e. white beach sand
31. The Fahrenheit temperature scale
a. is the international standard for most scientific purposes.
b. has the numerical convenience of a 100-degree interval between the freezing and boiling points of pure water at sea level.
c. is still commonly used in weather reports and forecasts in the United States.
d. begins at absolute zero.
e. is the same as the Kelvin scale.
32. This afternoon's high temperature was 27 °F and the early morning low temperature was 7 °F. The total heating degreedays for today was
a. 17
b. 82
c. 0
d. 38
e. 48
33. As a rule, which one of the following is the best conductor of heat?
a. air
b. water
c. a metal
d. nitrogen
e. water vapor
34. Which one of the following U.S. cities has the most continental climate?
a. San Francisco
b. Boston
c. Kansas City
d. Miami
e. Los Angeles
35. All other factors being equal, this afternoon's air temperature will be highest if the ground is
a. snow covered.
b. bare of snow but wet.
c. moist.
d. vegetated and dry.
e. dry and not vegetated.
36. The average air pressure at sea level is
a. 14.7 lb per square inch.
b. 1013.25 mb.
c. 101,325 Pascals.
d. All of these are correct.
e. None of these is correct.
37. The usual world-wide range in sea-level air pressure is ______ mb.
a. less than 20
b. less than 2
c. less than 100
d. more than 100
e. more than 1000
38. The pressure of the atmosphere is greatest
a. at the tropopause.
b. at the Earth's surface.
c. at sea level.
d. at the mesopause.
e. at the stratopause.
39. The temperature of rising parcels of unsaturated air __________ because of __________.
a. drops. . . . . . .compressional warming
b. drops. . . . . .expansional cooling
c. drops. . . . . . .radiational cooling
d. drops. . . . . . .latent heating
e. rises. . . . . . . .compressional warming
40. Highs and Lows are identified on surface weather maps by areas enclosed within isobars. Which one of the following
statements about Highs is true?
a. Air pressure decreases outward from the center of a High.
b. Air pressure increases outward from the center of a High.
c. All Highs must have central pressures with values greater than 1013.25 mb.
d. There must be one and only one High for each Low on the same weather map.
41. Descending air warms at
a. the dry adiabatic lapse rate.
b. the rate of 9.8 Celsius degrees per 1000 m.
c. the rate of 5.5 Fahrenheit degrees per 1000 ft.
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
42. . If the air temperature is 12 °C and the vapor pressure is the same as the saturation vapor pressure, the relative humidity is
a. less than 100%.
b. more than 100%.
c. 100%.
d. none of the above
43. As unsaturated (clear) air flows down the leeward slopes of a mountain range,
a. the air temperature rises.
b. the relative humidity decreases.
c. the saturation vapor pressure increases.
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
44. Cumulus clouds are most likely to build into thunderstorm clouds when the air temperature profile (sounding) indicates
______ conditions.
a. stable
b. neutral
c. unstable
d. none of the above
45. As a clear parcel of air ascends dry adiabatically,
a. its relative humidity increases.
b. its saturation vapor pressure decreases.
c. its temperature drops.
d. All of the above are correct.
e. None of the above is correct.
II. Fill in the Blanks (15 points)
1. __________ is defined as the state of the atmosphere at some place and time.
2. Climate is defined as weather conditions at some locality averaged over a standard period of _____ years.
3. High pressure systems are usually accompanied by __________ weather and low pressure systems are usually accompanied
by __________ weather.
4. A cloud in contact with the Earth’s surface is known as ____________
5. Frequency of an electromagnetic wave is ______ proportional to its wavelength.
6. Wavelength is the distance between successive
7. During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the number of hours of daylight is ______ the number of hours of darkness.
8. During winter in the Southern Hemisphere, the number of hours of daylight is ______ the number of hours of darkness.
9.The freezing point of pure water at sea level is ______ °F or ______ °C.
10. The boiling point of pure water at sea level is ______ °F or ______ °C.
11. On the absolute temperature scale, the freezing point of pure water at sea level is ______ K.
12. This afternoon's high temperature was 55 °F and this morning's low temperature was 33 °F. The mean daily temperature
was ______ °F.
13. Between the tropopause and stratopause, the air pressure ______ with increasing altitude.
14. The dry adiabatic lapse rate is __________ Celsius degrees per 1000 m.
15. Clouds are more likely to develop if a radiosonde sounding indicates ( stable / unstable ) air.
III. Problems (40 points)
1. The temperature of an unsaturated (clear) air parcel is 0 °C at sea-level. If the air parcel ascends (e.g., in the updraft of a
convection current) to an altitude of 1750 m with no change in phase of water vapor, the parcel will expand and cool to a
temperature of what in degrees °C.
2. The temperature of a saturated air parcel is 0 °C at an altitude of 2000 m. If the parcel ascends in the updraft of a
thunderstorm to an altitude of 4200 m, the parcel will expand and cool to a temperature of about what in degrees °C.
3. Compute the relative humidity (RH) to nearest percent for each of the following atmospheric conditions:
a. vapor pressure = 4 mb, saturation vapor pressure = 16 mb, RH = __________%
b. vapor pressure = 6 mb, saturation vapor pressure = 15 mb, RH = __________%
c. mixing ratio = 3.0 g/kg, saturation mixing ratio = 9.0 g/kg, RH = __________%
d. mixing ratio = 5.8 g/kg, saturation mixing ratio = 6.0 g/kg, RH = __________%
4. Look at figure 1, it was acquired from the course website and reports surface air pressures (corrected to sea level) rounded to
the nearest whole millibar at when was the map data collected (TIME AND DATE)
The lowest plotted air pressure on the map is ___________ mb where is this location?
The highest reported pressure is ___________ mb in what state(s)___________________.
More than one isobar of the same value may need to be drawn if pressure values located in separate sections of the map area
require it.
Using a pencil, follow the steps below to complete the pressure analysis in the map to determine the pressure pattern that
existed at the time the observations were made. Consider each pressure value to be located at the center of the reported number
5. FIGURE 2 is a map of the United States
A. In figure 2, what is the weather like in Des Moines Iowa:
Temperature--Dew Point--Pressure—
Wind direction-Wind speed-Cloud cover-Weather Conditions:B. In figure 2, what is the weather like in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Temperature-Dew Point-Pressure-Wind directionWind speed
Cloud cover-Weather Conditions:C. In figure 2, what is the weather like in Little Rock, Arkansas.
TemperatureDew PointPressure
Wind directionWind speedCloud coverWeather Conditions: