Weather and Climate for Non-Majors Study Guide Questions
Course Introduction
This course offers an introduction to the fundamental concepts of weather and climate, tailored specifically for students who are not specializing in atmospheric sciences. It explores the basic processes that govern weather patterns, climate systems, and the dynamic interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, and land. Topics include the formation of clouds and precipitation, global circulation patterns, climate change, and extreme weather events. Through lectures, discussions, and practical activities, students will develop an understanding of how weather and climate impact daily life and the environment, as well as the tools scientists use to make forecasts and study climate trends.
Recommended Textbook
Extreme Weather and Climate 1st Edition by C. Donald Ahrens
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Chapter 1: The Turbulent Atmosphere
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Q1) Which of the following weather elements always decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?
A)wind
B)temperature
C)pressure
D)moisture
E)all of the above
Answer: C
Q2) Under what circumstances might a person breathe stratospheric air? How often is it likely to happen in a student's lifetime?
Answer: no answer
Q3) The earth's atmosphere is divided into layers based on the vertical profile of:
A)air pressure.
B)air temperature.
C)air density.
D)wind speed.
Answer: B
Q4) What causes air pressure? Why does air pressure decrease with increasing altitude?
Answer: no answer
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Chapter 2: Energy That Drives the Storms
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Q1) The transfer of heat by molecule-to-molecule contact is:
A)conduction.
B)convection.
C)radiation.
D)ultrasonic.
Answer: A
Q2) The fact that solar energy is spread over a larger area in northern latitudes helps to explain why even though these latitudes experience 24 hours of sunlight on June 22,they are not warmer than latitudes further south.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The proper order from shortest to longest wavelength is:
A)visible,infrared,ultraviolet.
B)infrared,visible,ultraviolet.
C)ultraviolet,visible,infrared.
D)visible,ultraviolet,infrared.
E)ultraviolet,infrared,visible.
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: Temperature and Humidity Extremes
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Q1) In a hilly region the best place to plant crops that are sensitive to low temperatures is:
A)on the valley floor.
B)along the hillsides.
C)on the top of the highest hill.
D)in any dry location.
Answer: B
Q2) The primary cause of a radiation inversion is:
A)infrared radiation emitted by the earth's surface.
B)infrared radiation absorbed by the earth's surface.
C)solar radiation absorbed by the earth's surface.
D)solar radiation reflected by the earth's surface.
E)infrared radiation absorbed by the atmosphere and clouds.
Answer: A
Q3) The greatest variation in daily temperature usually occurs:
A)at the ground.
B)about 5 feet above the ground.
C)at the top of a high-rise apartment complex.
D)at the level where thermals stop rising.
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Condensation in the Atmosphere
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Q1) Exhaled breath from your mouth can condense when:
A)it is very cold.
B)it is very warm and humid.
C)the addition of water vapor from your breath causes the air's relative humidity to exceed 100%.
D)all of the above
Q2) It is a cold winter night and a fog cloud forms.If it continues to cool during the night would you expect to find that the dew point has changed overnight? If so,would it have increased or decreased?
Q3) When viewed from the surface,the smallest individual cloud elements (puffs)are observed with which cloud?
A)stratocumulus
B)cumulus
C)cirrocumulus
D)altocumulus
E)cumulonimbus
Q4) Describe the difference between the orbital paths followed by geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites.
Q5) In what ways are the formation of fog and clouds similar and different?
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Chapter 5: Clouds and Stability
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Q1) What types of clouds might you expect to see form when a cold mass of air moves over warmer water?
Q2) Conditional instability depends on the condition of saturation.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Cumulonimbus clouds indicate unstable atmospheric conditions.What stops the upward growth and causes the top of a cumulonimbus cloud to flatten out into an anvil?
Q4) If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it continues to move upward on its own accord,the atmosphere is said to be:
A)stable.
B)unstable.
C)buoyant.
D)dynamic.
Q5) Explain how lifting an air layer can steepen the environmental lapse rate and make the layer more unstable.
Q6) Explain why the surface air on the downwind side of a mountain can be drier than the surface air on the upwind side.What is this effect called? Can you think of a location in the United States where this might actually occur?
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Chapter 6: Precipitation Extremes
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Q1) In the midlatitudes,most rain results from melted snow that formed from the ice crystal process.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The difference in saturation vapor pressure between supercooled water and ice reaches a maximum at about -12<sup>o</sup>C.This means that the ice crystal process will be most effective in producing precipitation when cloud temperatures are:
A)much colder than -12<sup>o</sup>C.
B)around -12<sup>o</sup>C.
C)much warmer than -12<sup>o</sup>C.
Q3) The collision-coalescence process is most effective when clouds are made entirely of ice crystals.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The main difference between a cloud drop and a raindrop is its:
A)color.
B)size.
C)shape.
D)none of the above
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Chapter 7: Atmospheric Motions
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Q1) A station at an altitude of 900 m (about 3,000 feet)above sea level measures an air pressure of 930 mb.Under normal conditions,which of the values below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?
A)840 mb
B)930 mb
C)1,020 mb
D)1,830 mb
Q2) Explain why it is often windy at the beach.What forces are responsible,and how do beachfront conditions differ from conditions farther inland?
Q3) The _________ force is the force that causes the wind to blow.
A)Coriolis
B)pressure-gradient
C)friction
Q4) Explain why closely-spaced contour lines on an upper-level isobaric chart are associated with fast winds.
Q5) Suppose you deflate a fully-inflated bicycle tire by depressing the air valve.Why does air rush out of the tire? Why does the rushing air feel cold? After the air stops rushing out of the tire,is the tire empty? Explain your answer.
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Chapter 8: Wind Systems
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Q1) The majority of the United States lies within this wind belt:
A)westerlies
B)easterlies
C)northerlies
D)trades
E)southerlies
Q2) Which below would not be considered an onshore wind?
A)sea breeze
B)Santa Ana wind
C)lake breeze
D)none of the above
Q3) The wind's speed generally increases with height above the earth's surface because:
A)only the lowest layer of air rotates with the earth.
B)air temperature normally decreases with height.
C)wind instruments are not accurate at the earth's surface.
D)friction with the earth's surface slows the air near the ground.
E)air parcels expand and become less dense as they rise above the surface.
Q4) Explain how Florida's sea breezes can increase the potential for wildfires.
Q5) Will a valley breeze or a mountain breeze produce clouds? Explain.
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Chapter 9: Air Masses and Fronts
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Q1) On a weather map,the transition zone between two air masses with sharply contrasting properties is marked by:
A)the letter "H."
B)the words "air mass weather."
C)a front.
D)the letter "L."
Q2) List the four basic types of air masses.Give an example of where each type could originate and describe how each air mass could affect local weather conditions if it moved into your region.
Q3) What type of weather front would be responsible for the following weather forecast: "Increasing high cloudiness and cold this morning.Clouds increasing and lowering this afternoon with a chance of snow or rain tonight.Precipitation ending tomorrow morning.Turning much warmer.Winds light easterly today becoming southeasterly tonight and southwesterly tomorrow."
A)cold front
B)warm front
C)stationary front
D)warm-type occluded front
Q4) When a warm and cold air mass collide,why is the warm air is forced upward?
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Chapter 10: Mid-Latitude Cyclonic Storms
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Q1) List some of the reasons why the polar front theory doesn't apply to storms in the tropics.
Q2) An upper-level pool of cold air that has broken away from the main flow is called:
A)a cut-off low.
B)a shortwave.
C)a wave cyclone.
D)a lee-side low.
Q3) A lee-side low forms on the downwind side of a mountain.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Longwaves in the middle and upper troposphere usually have lengths on the order of thousands of kilometers.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Suppose you observe a middle-latitude cyclone on the surface weather chart.What kind(s)of weather chart(s)would you want to examine to determine whether the cyclone is likely to strengthen or decay over the next 24 hours? What information would you hope to gain from each chart type?
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Chapter 11: Thunderstorms
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Q1) The wind shear associated with several major airline crashes is believed to have been caused by:
A)microbursts
B)dry lines
C)the jet stream
D)mesocyclones
Q2) In a multicell storm,each of the cells is always in the same stage of development.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Thunder will not occur:
A)without lightning
B)in wintertime thunderstorms
C)in thunderstorms over the ocean
D)when a thunderstorm is producing precipitation
Q4) The appearance of a downdraft marks the end of the mature stage of a thunderstorm.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Where does the energy in a mature thunderstorm come from?
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Chapter 12: Tornadoes
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Q1) A hook echo on a radar screen often indicates:
A)a thunderstorm with very frequent lightning.
B)a developing hurricane.
C)the possible presence of a tornado-producing thunderstorm.
D)a rotating anvil cloud at the top of a thunderstorm.
Q2) When the air is dry tornado winds can remain invisible until they reach the ground and pick up dust.
A)True
B)False
Q3) At home,when confronted with an approaching tornado,you should:
A)open the windows right away.
B)grab a video camera and start filming.
C)listen to see whether the tornado has an audible roar.
D)seek shelter immediately.
Q4) Damage to structures inflicted by tornadoes can be caused by:
A)flying debris.
B)the tornadoes high winds.
C)the drop in air pressure as a tornado moves overhead.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
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Chapter 13: Hurricanes
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Q1) The main source of energy for a hurricane is the:
A)upper-level jet stream.
B)rising of warm air and sinking of cold air in the vicinity of weather fronts.
C)warm ocean water and release of latent heat of condensation.
D)ocean currents and tides.
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) On the Saffir-Simpson scale a category 5 storm would indicate a very strong hurricane.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In your opinion do hurricanes pose the greatest threat to the east or west coast of the United States? Explain.
Q5) Hurricanes dissipate when:
A)they move over colder water.
B)they move over land.
C)surface inflow of air exceeds upper-level outflow of air.
D)all of the above
Q6) What is a storm surge? How does a storm surge form?
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Weather Forecasting
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Q1) An analysis is:
A)a forecast chart that shows the atmosphere at some future time.
B)a forecast chart that compares past weather maps with those of the present.
C)a surface or upper-level chart that interprets the present weather patterns.
D)a forecast method used in long range weather prediction.
E)a method used to determine skill in predicting the weather.
Q2) The least accurate forecast method of predicting the weather two days into the future during changeable weather conditions is usually the:
A)trend method.
B)persistence forecast.
C)analogue method.
D)prediction by weather types.
E)numerical weather prediction.
Q3) Wintertime CAPE values tend to be much larger than summertime values.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The forecasting of weather by a computer is known as numerical weather prediction.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: The Earths Changing Climate
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Q1) Assume that you have 100 years of continuous temperature records from your local weather service office.Discuss some of the difficulties you might have trying to determine whether average temperatures have increased during this period.
Q2) Indications of past climates in tree rings are determined by examination of the:
A)thickness of growth rings
B)density of growth rings
C)presence of frost rings
D)all of the above
E)only a and b
Q3) In addition to carbon dioxide,what other gases may contribute to the problem of global warming? Why might global warming lead to an increase in global cloudiness? What possible effects would increased cloudiness have on global warming?
Q4) Which theory explains how glacial material can be observed today near sea level at the equator,even though sea level glaciers probably never existed there?
A)Milankovitch theory
B)Theory of plate tectonics
C)Volcanic dust theory
D)Maunder theory
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