Extreme Weather Events
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Extreme Weather Events explores the science, causes, and consequences of significant atmospheric phenomena such as hurricanes, tornadoes, heatwaves, floods, droughts, and severe storms. The course examines the meteorological principles that drive these events, methods for predicting and monitoring their development, and the impact they have on human societies and natural environments. Students learn about historical case studies, the role of climate change in altering extreme weather patterns, and adaptive strategies for mitigating risks and managing disasters. This course integrates practical analysis, technological approaches, and policy considerations relevant to responding to and understanding extreme weather.
Recommended Textbook
Extreme Weather and Climate 1st Edition by C. Donald Ahrens
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15 Chapters
633 Verified Questions
633 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: The Turbulent Atmosphere
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The word "weather" is defined as:
A)the average of the weather elements.
B)the climate of a region.
C)the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place.
D)any type of falling precipitation.
Answer: C
Q2) At the 500 mb level,the amount of oxygen inhaled in a single breath is __________ of that inhaled at sea-level.
A)about the same
B)about one-quarter
C)about one-half
D)about three-quarters
Answer: C
Q3) The atmospheric layer in which we live is called the:
A)troposphere.
B)stratosphere.
C)thermosphere.
D)ionosphere.
E)exosphere.
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Energy That Drives the Storms
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following gases are mainly responsible for the atmospheric greenhouse effect in the earth's atmosphere?
A)oxygen and nitrogen
B)nitrogen and carbon dioxide
C)ozone and oxygen
D)water vapor and carbon dioxide
Answer: D
Q2) Without the atmospheric greenhouse effect,the average surface temperature would be:
A)higher than at present.
B)lower than at present.
C)the same as it is now.
D)much more variable than it is now.
Answer: B
Q3) Explain how energy in the form of sunlight absorbed at the ground could be transferred upward in the atmosphere in the form of latent heat.How or when is the latent heat energy released in the air above the ground?
Answer: no answer
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4
Chapter 3: Temperature and Humidity Extremes
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39 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) In most areas the warmest time of the day close to the ground occurs in the afternoon between 2 and 5 pm.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Hypothermia is most common in cold,dry weather.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The lowest temperature is usually observed:
A)at the time of sunset.
B)near midnight.
C)several hours before sunrise.
D)around sunrise.
E)several hours after sunrise.
Answer: D
Q4) At any given time,one-fourth of the earth is illuminated by the sun.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Condensation in the Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which two clouds can produce precipitation?
A)cumulonimbus,stratocumulus
B)nimbostratus,altostratus
C)nimbostratus,cirrus
D)cumulonimbus,nimbostratus
Q2) When fog "burns off" it absorbs sunlight and warms up.
A)True
B)False
Q3) On a humid day,the attraction of water by hydrophobic condensation nuclei causes salty potato chips left outside in an uncovered bowl to turn soggy.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When the air is perfectly dry,the relative humidity can exceed 100 percent without producing fog.
A)True
B)False
Q5) An air parcel that is warmer than its surroundings will rise.What force accounts for this upward motion?
Q6) In what ways are the formation of fog and clouds similar and different?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Clouds and Stability
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Sample Questions
Q1) If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original position,the atmosphere is said to be:
A)stable.
B)unstable.
C)isothermal.
D)neutral.
E)adiabatic.
Q2) At the earth's surface,a rising saturated air parcel would cool most rapidly when its temperature is:
A)10 <sup>o</sup>F.
B)32 <sup>o</sup>F.
C)50 <sup>o</sup>F.
D)68 <sup>o</sup>F.
E)80 <sup>o</sup>F.
Q3) Describe the changes in atmospheric stability throughout a 24 hour period beginning at sunrise on a cloudless summer day over land.
Q4) An air parcel that is warmer than its surroundings will rise.What force accounts for this upward motion?
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Chapter 6: Precipitation Extremes
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the midlatitudes,most rain results from melted snow that formed from the ice crystal process.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Cloud seeding using silver iodide works well in warm clouds composed entirely of water droplets.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Explain why it is possible for an ice crystal to grow in a cold cloud even though the supercooled water droplets surrounding the ice crystal do not.
Q4) Cumulus congestus clouds often produce drizzle.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Briefly describe the differences in the atmospheric temperature profiles necessary to produce snow,freezing rain,sleet,and hail.
Q6) Would you expect the heaviest snowfall to occur on an unusually cold night or a night when the temperature was just a little below freezing?
Q7) Design an automated device for measuring snowfall.How might it work?
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Chapter 7: Atmospheric Motions
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Sample Questions
Q1) We can generally expect the air to be __________ above areas of surface low pressure and __________ above areas of surface high pressure.
A)rising,rising
B)rising,sinking
C)sinking,sinking
D)sinking,rising
Q2) Explain why strong upper-level divergence will cause the pressure in the center of a surface low to decrease.
Q3) If the earth did not rotate,how would you expect winds to blow with respect to high and low pressure centers?
Q4) Sketch the wind flow patterns around surface high and low pressure centers in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Q5) Which of the following can influence wind direction?
A)Coriolis force
B)pressure gradient force
C)centripetal force
D)all of the above
Q6) Under what conditions (if any)might you record a station pressure of 750 mb?
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Chapter 8: Wind Systems
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Sample Questions
Q1) Briefly sketch or describe the conditions that lead to the formation of a Santa Ana wind.Is the Santa Ana wind dry or moist,warm or cold?
Q2) Low pressure becomes best developed over the Asian continent in:
A)summer.
B)winter.
C)fall.
D)spring.
Q3) Which below would not be considered an onshore wind?
A)sea breeze
B)Santa Ana wind
C)lake breeze
D)none of the above
Q4) You are hiking on a mountain trail at sunrise when you smell the smoke from cooking bacon.You can't see where the smoke is coming from.Would you expect the camp to be above you or below you on the mountain? Explain.
Q5) Would you expect a well-developed sea breeze circulation to cause clouds to form over the land or over the ocean?
Q6) Explain how Florida's sea breezes can increase the potential for wildfires.
Q7) Will a valley breeze or a mountain breeze produce clouds? Explain.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Air Masses and Fronts
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Sample Questions
Q1) At a warm front,the warm air:
A)rises and cools.
B)rises and warms.
C)sinks and cools.
D)sinks and warms.
Q2) Fronts are associated with high pressure.
A)True
B)False
Q3) During the winter as you travel toward a warm front,the most likely sequence of weather you would experience is:
A)snow,freezing rain,hail,sleet.
B)rain,snow,sleet,freezing rain.
C)freezing rain,snow,sleet,rain.
D)snow,sleet,freezing rain,rain.
Q4) The air mass with the highest actual water vapor content is:
A)mT
B)cT
C)mP
D)cP
Q5) When a warm and cold air mass collide,why is the warm air is forced upward?
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Mid-Latitude Cyclonic Storms
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Sample Questions
Q1) Longwaves in the middle and upper troposphere usually have lengths on the order of thousands of kilometers.
A)True
B)False
Q2) For a surface storm system to intensify,the upper-level low (or trough)should be located to the __________ of the surface low.
A)north
B)south
C)east
D)west
Q3) Divergence in the polar jet stream draws warm surface air upward.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When making a weather forecast,which kind of chart is more important: a surface chart or a 500 mb chart? Why?
Q5) With the aid of a diagram,show why an intensifying surface low pressure center which is located just east of a deep upper-level trough will often move in a northeasterly direction.
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Chapter 11: Thunderstorms
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Sample Questions
Q1) A supercell storm consists of a single rotating updraft.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In the United States,dryline thunderstorms are most common
A)in the Rocky Mountains
B)in the desert southwest
C)in the Great Plains
D)in California
E)in Florida
Q3) A small thunderstorm cloud with virga falling out of its base and blowing dust at the ground could warn of a severe hazard to an airplane because:
A)this could be the first indication of a tornado
B)it is likely that hail will soon begin to fall
C)this could indicate an intense downdraft or microburst
D)the airplane could be struck by lightning
Q4) List and describe the stages of development of an ordinary cell thunderstorm.About how long does a single ordinary thunderstorm cell last?
Q5) Where does the energy in a mature thunderstorm come from?
Q6) What is wind shear? Why does wind shear represent a hazard to aviation?
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Tornadoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) After a tornado is spotted:
A)a tornado watch is issued.
B)its direction of movement is carefully monitored by aircraft.
C)a tornado warning is issued.
D)hail begins to fall from the cloud.
E)attempts may be made to change its direction of movement.
Q2) If a tornado is rotating in a counterclockwise direction and moving toward the northeast,the strongest winds will be on its __________ side.
A)southwestern
B)southeastern
C)northeastern
D)northwestern
Q3) The "Tornado Alley" region of the United States is located
A)in Florida.
B)in the Central Plains.
C)in the Ohio Valley.
D)in the mid-Atlantic states.
E)along the Gulf Coast.
Q4) Would it be possible for a tornado to form around a high pressure core?
Q5) Do invisible tornadoes exist? Explain.
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Chapter 13: Hurricanes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The strongest winds in a hurricane heading westward toward Florida would most likely be found on the __________ side.
A)northern
B)southern
C)eastern
D)western
Q2) Very heavy rainfall amounts are often recorded when a hurricane or tropical storm moves over land.Why do these storms produce so much rain?
Q3) What is a storm surge? How does a storm surge form?
Q4) Hurricanes have strong divergence at their tops.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Because of the conservation of angular momentum,air spiraling inward toward the center of a hurricane __________ in speed.
A)decreases
B)increases
C)remains constant
Q6) In what ways are weather conditions in the tropics and at middle latitudes different?
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Chapter 14: Weather Forecasting
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Sample Questions
Q1) By examining a surface map,the movement of a surface low pressure area can be predicted based upon the:
A)orientation of the isobars in the warm sector.
B)region of greatest pressure decrease.
C)movement during the previous 6 hours.
D)all of the above
Q2) When making a forecast,a meteorologist typically examines:
A)surface charts.
B)upper-air charts.
C)radar displays.
D)satellite imagery.
E)all of the above
Q3) Wintertime CAPE values tend to be much larger than summertime values.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Low 1000-500 mb thicknesses correspond to cold air,while high thicknesses correspond to warm air.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the relationship between dew point and minimum temperatures.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: The Earths Changing Climate
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50 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) The earth has been in a warming trend for
A)more than 100 years
B)more than 500 years
C)more than 1000 years
Q2) Precession of the equinox refers to the wobble of the earth on its axis.
A)True
B)False
Q3) During the Little Ice Age,the climatic optimum occurred.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe some of the techniques used to infer past climates.About how far into the past are these different methods able to reconstruct past climatic conditions?
Q5) It is now known that,overall,clouds:
A)have a net warming effect on climate
B)have a net cooling effect on climate
C)have no net effect on climate
D)are the single most important feature in determining climate
Q6) Discuss the changes that occur in the earth's orbit and orientation of the earth in its orbit.Over what time scales do these different changes occur?
Page 17
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