HOMEWORK 4 NAME: Chapter 7 Circulation of the Atmosphere 1) Microscale winds generally last for: A) a few seconds. B) 1 to 2 hours. C) 1 to 2 days. D) 3 days or longer. Page Ref: 190 2) Dust devils: A) can last for days. B) are most common in the tropics. C) are associated with convective clouds. D) form from the bottom up. E) do not occur over vegetated surfaces. Page Ref: 192 3) Winds are usually named for: A) the direction or place to which they are heading. B) the direction or place from which they are blowing. C) the approximate latitude of their origin. D) the altitude where they are strongest. Page Ref: 193 4) Which of the following associations is NOT correct? A) sea breeze day time B) land breeze blows from the sea onto the land C) mountain breeze night time D) chinooks leeward side of mountains Page Ref: 193 5) Which of these winds is not influenced very much by the Coriolis effect? A) Northeast trades B) mid latitude westerlies C) sea breeze D) jet stream Page Ref: 193 6) A Santa Ana (or Chinook or Foehn) wind is a: A) wind that is peculiar to the China mainland. B) wind associated with a blizzard. C) cold, damp wind blowing off snow fields. D) very dry, warm wind coming down a mountain slope. Page Ref: 194
7) The Native American term chinook means: A) mountain wind. B) big storm. C) cold sun. D) snow eater. Page Ref: 194 8) Chinook and foehn winds are warm because: A) they are warmed adiabatically as they sink downslope. B) they blow out of areas experiencing intense solar heating. C) they occur primarily in deserts. D) they only occur in the tropics. Page Ref: 194 9) Haboobs: A) never occur outside of Northern Africa. B) do not occur more than once or twice a year. C) are usually only a few meters high. D) are dust storms triggered by intense thunderstorms. Page Ref: 195 10) Summertime wildfires in California are fanned by: A) the westerlies. B) katabatic winds. C) the Santa Ana winds. D) Hadley circulations. Page Ref: 196 11) The term "Hadley cell" applies to: A) 0 degrees to 30 degrees latitude. B) the whole atmosphere. C) 30 degrees to 60 degrees latitude. D) 60 degrees to 90 degrees latitude. E) the poles and the equator. Page Ref: 197 12) Surface high pressure zones are usually associated with: A) ascending air. B) clear or nearly clear weather. C) converging winds. D) stormy weather. Page Ref: 198
13) The C in ITCZ stands for convergence. What does the convergence refer to? A) surface winds along the equator B) winds aloft near the poles C) surface winds in the mid latitudes D) surface winds in a monsoon Page Ref: 198 14) The definition of the word monsoon means: A) rainy season. B) torrential rainfall. C) seasonal wind shift. D) moisture-laden air. Page Ref: 201 15) When are upper air winds fastest? A) anytime surface temperature gradients are weak B) in summer C) in winter D) These winds maintain about the same speed throughout the year. Page Ref: 206 16) The primary force causing ocean currents is: A) the major winds. B) temperature differences between cold water below and warm water above. C) the earth's rotation about its axis. D) the earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun. E) the Coriolis effect. Page Ref: 208 17) The Gulf Stream is the name given to: A) the circulation of water in the Gulf of Mexico. B) a warm current carrying water from the equator along the East Coast of the United States. C) the current carrying cold water from the North Pole along the West Coast of the United States. D) a counter-clockwise surface current in the Gulf of California. Page Ref: 208 18) Which of the following is a characteristic of deserts located near cold ocean currents? A) They are often cool and shrouded in fog. B) They often have unstable atmospheric conditions. C) They tend to be warmer than inland deserts. D) They receive more rain than other deserts. Page Ref: 209
19) El Niño events are characterized by: A) strengthening of the NE trade winds. B) a very strong cold current flowing along the eastern edge of South America. C) warm water piling up near Indonesia. D) pooling of unusually warm water in the eastern tropical Pacific. Page Ref: 210 20) Most of the earth's deserts are located in the: A) boundary between liquid and frozen oceans. B) tradewind belt. C) subsidence areas of subtropical highs. D) areas along the polar front. E) doldrum belt. Page Ref: 216 Chapter 8 Air Masses 21) When an area is experiencing several consecutive days of rather constant weather, it is experiencing: A) warm-front weather. B) air-mass weather. C) occluded front weather. D) cold-front weather. Page Ref: 222 22) The usual size of an air mass is: A) at most a few kilometers across. B) between 100 and 200 km across. C) around 1000 km across. D) at least 1600 km across. Page Ref: 222 23) The typical amount of time it takes for an air mass to pass over a given area is on the order of a few: A) minutes. B) weeks. C) hours. D) months. E) days. Page Ref: 222 24) Which of the following criteria is NOT a characteristic of a good source region? A) It must be very large. B) It must have uniform physical features. C) The air must able to stagnate over the area for long periods of time. D) The area must frequently experience cyclones. Page Ref: 223
25) The area where an air mass originates is called a: A) source region. B) site region. C) local region. D) large region. Page Ref: 223 26) Characteristics of an air mass source region include: A) uniformity of temperature and moisture. B) sharp temperature contrasts. C) jet stream winds aloft. D) high elevation. Page Ref: 223 27) Compared to continental air masses with the same air temperature, maritime air masses: A) have lower water vapor content. B) have about the same water vapor content. C) have higher water vapor content. 28) An mp air mass is: A) humid and cold. B) humid and warm. C) dry and warm. D) dry and cold. 29) What does the lowercase letter w indicate about an air mass? A) The air mass is drier than the surface over which it is passing. B) The air mass is colder than the surface over which it is passing. C) The air mass is warmer than the surface over which it is passing. D) The air mass is wetter than the surface over which it is passing. 30) If the lowercase letter k appears at the end of an air mass identification code, what can be said about the changes likely to happen within that air mass? A) The air mass is likely to become more unstable. B) The air mass is likely to become more stable. C) The air mass will not undergo any air mass modifications. D) The expected air mass modifications are impossible to predict.
31) A warm, moist air mass from the Gulf of Mexico that moves over the land in the southeastern U.S. during the summer is likely to be classified as: A) mtk B) mtw C) mek D) mwk 32) When an air mass is warmer than the surface over which it is moving: A) the letter k is added after the air mass symbol. B) visibility within the air mass is usually very good. C) the air becomes more stable. D) the lapse rate in the air mass is increased. 33) An air mass moves out of its source region. Two days later, the lower layers of the air mass are found to be warmer than they were originally. What letter should be added to the end of the air mass's classification code? A) k B) w C) m D) c 34) Where do ca air-masses originate? A) Arctic basin and Greenland ice cap B) Interior Canada and Alaska C) Northwestern Atlantic D) Patagonia Page Ref: 225 35) "Lake-effect" snow is associated with the air mass. A) ct B) cp C) mt D) mp Page Ref: 228 36) A nor'easter typically occurs when: A) NE winds associated with a low-pressure system draw mp air into the northeastern United States. B) the polar jet stream weakens and allows mp air to invade New England. C) the NE tradewinds strengthen in the Pacific during a La Niña event. D) a cp air mass from the northeast moves into Texas. Page Ref: 231
37) While on vacation in Florida, you experience several days of weather with maximum temperatures of 90 F and dew points above 65 F. What educated guess could you make about the weather? A) It is caused by an mp air mass. B) It is caused by a ct air mass. C) It is caused by an mt air mass. D) It is not air mass weather. Page Ref: 231 38) The air mass provides much of the moisture for precipitation in the central and eastern United States. A) cp B) ct C) mp D) mt Page Ref: 233 39) What air-mass contributes to the formation of thunderstorms in the central U.S.? A) mt B) mp C) ca D) stormy ones Page Ref: 233 40) The is characterized by a strong jet stream pulling mt air from Hawaii towards California. A) Tropical Jet B) Pineapple Express C) Southeaster D) Santa Ana Wind Page Ref: 234