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GEOG211: METEOROLOGY

Recommended Textbook:   
Lutgens, F.K. and Tarbuck, E.J.. (2007). The Atmosphere. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 10th Edition

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is an introduction to weather elements, their controls and relationships to human activities, analysis and use of weather maps and forecasts.

COURSE OBJECTIVE:

In this course students should be able to:

  • identify weather elements and their controls
  • perform rudimentary analysis of weather data and interpret weather charts and maps
  • Appreciate the impacts of human activities on weather processes
COURSE OUTLINE
 

TOPICS

SUBJECT MATTER 

CHAPTERS TO READ

1 The Earth's Atmosphere ch. 1, 1-31
2 Warming the Earth's Atmosphere ch. 2, 34-63
3 Weather Elements: Air Temperature ch. 3, 66-95
4 Weather Elements: Moisture in the Atmosphere ch. 4, 98-129
5 Weather Elements: Cloud and Precipitation ch. 5, 132-165
6 Weather Elements: Air Pressure and Winds ch. 6, 168-195
7 Atmospheric Circulation ch. 7, 198-231
8 Air Masses ch. 8, 234-249
9 Weather Patterns: Fronts and Cyclones ch. 9, 252-282
10 Weather Patterns: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes ch. 10, 286-317
11 Weather Patterns: Hurricanes ch. 11, 320-343
12 Weather Analysis and Forecasting ch. 12, 346-375
     
     

LECTURE NOTES & ASSIGNMENTS
 (Power Point Presentations):
Click on the link for the topic you like to view the slide show

ASSIGNMENTS:

Assignment One
Assignment Two

LECTURE NOTES:

1.      The Earth's Atmosphere                           

2.       Warming the Earth's Atmosphere                      

3.        Weather Elements: Air Temperature                                           
        

4.        
Weather Elements: Moisture in the Atmosphere             

5.        Weather Elements: Cloud and Precipitation       
           

6.         Weather Elements: Air Pressure and Winds                                 

7.         Atmospheric Circulation                                                 

8.         Air Masses                                                

9.         Weather Patterns: Fronts and Cyclones                                          

10.       Weather Patterns: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes                              

11.       Weather Patterns: Hurricanes       

12.       Weather Analysis and Forecasting

 
   

REVIEW QUESTIONS

Review Questions for Quiz 1

1.         Dallas, Texas is in the continental interior while San Diego, California is by the ocean. Which of the following is true?
A.        San Diego’s wintertime temperatures should be lower than Dallas
B.         Dallas’ summertime temperature should be lower than San Diego’s
C.        there should not be much temperature difference if their latitudes are similar
D.        There should not be much temperature difference if their longitudes are similar
E.         Dallas should have a larger yearly range of temperature than San
            Diego

2.         Which of the following is true?
A.        Earth’s energy budget is perfectly balanced
B.         Earth’s energy budget is unbalanced by latitude
C.        Earth’s energy budget is vertically unbalanced
D.        Earth’s energy budget is the cause of all weather
E.         All of the above are true

3.         What process explains the slow rate of snowmelt on a sunny day when the air temperature is above freezing?
A.        conduction        B.         transmission                  C.        reflection         
D.        advection          E.         convection

4.         The minimum temperature of the day is 50ºF and the maximum temperature is 60ºF. The noon temperature is 58ºF. The temperature range of the day would be:
A.        50ºF to 60ºF                B.         58ºF to 60ºF                C.        10ºF                
D.        5ºF                               E.         8ºF

5.         Radiation from the Earth is mostly absorbed in the lower troposphere and __________ back towards Earth.
A.        reradiated                     B.         scattered                      C.        conducted
D.        convected                     E.         reflected

6.         The total albedo of the earth-atmosphere system has been determined to be:
A.        2%                   B.         5%                   C.        8%                 D.        19-24%
E.         30 – 33%

7.         Heat transferred laterally in the atmosphere by horizontal wind movements is a process called:
A.        compression                 B.         reflection                      C.        absorption

            D.        advection                     E.         transmission

8.         Air pressure:
A.        remains unchanged with increasing altitude
B.         increases at an increasing rate with altitude
C.        increases at a steady rate with altitude
D.        decreases at a steady rate with increase of altitude
E.         decreases at a decreasing rate with increase of altitude

9.         Which of the following statements about the atmosphere is true?
A.        pressure increases with elevation
B.         most of its mass is relatively close to the ground
C.        it has a sharply defined top called the atmopause
D.        temperature decreases uniformly with height
E.         it is well-mixed from bottom to top

10.       Which of the following is not a natural characteristics of the troposphere?
A.        contains most of the atmosphere water vapor
B.         the lowest layer of the atmosphere
C.        records the highest pressures in the atmosphere
D.        records the hottest temperature in the atmosphere
E.         the layer associated with all weather phenomena

11.       Together, oxygen and nitrogen account for what percentage of the atmosphere?
A.        less than 1%                 B.         25%                             C.        75%                
D.        10%                             E.         more than 98%

12.       In which of the following pairs of the thermal layers of the atmosphere would temperature decrease with increasing altitude?
A.        thermosphere, mesosphere
B.         mesosphere, stratosphere
C.        stratosphere, troposphere
D.        troposphere, mesosphere
E.         mesosphere and stratosphere

13.       Which of the following is an important source of particles in the atmosphere?
A.        salt from the sea
B.         volcanic eruptions
C.        emissions from engines
D.        soot from fires
E.         all of the above

14.       Which of the following substances is closely associated with the breakdown of the ozone layer?
A.        carbon dioxide              B.         chlorofluorocarbon    C.        nitrogen oxides
D.        water vapor                  E.         infrared radiation

15.       Which of the following is not a weather element?
A.        temperature                  B.         moisture                       C.        wind
D.        pressure                       E.         latitude

16.       The influence on climate of carbon dioxide is mainly due to its ability to absorb:
A.        water                B.         infrared radiation                       C.        helium
D.        argon                E.          ions

17.       The segment of the atmosphere in which gases maintain an approximately uniform composition is the:
A.        homosphere                B.         exosphere                     C.        ionosphere
D.        stratosphere                  E.         troposphere

18.       The climatic controls include all but which of the following?
A.        distribution of land and water
B.         latitude
C.        plane of the Equator
D.        general circulation of the ocean currents
E.         altitude

19.       The ___________ equinox of the southern hemisphere takes place when the vertical rays of the sun cross the equator on the journey southward.

            A.        winter               B.         vernal               C.        autumnal          
D.        July                  E.         December

20.       Using the analemma, one can readily figure out the:
A.        radius of Earth    
B.         angle of the noon sun for any date and any place
C.        phase of the moon       
D.        the exact height of tall mountains
E.         amount of time since the big bang

21.       When the circle of illumination just touches the Arctic Circle and the North Pole is dark, the date is closest to:
A.        March 23                     B.         June 21                        C.        September 23
D.        December 21              E.         July 4

22.       The sub-solar point on March 30 is somewhere:

            A.        at the equator on the southward movement of overhead sun
B.         in the southern hemisphere close to the tropic of Capricorn
C.        at the Tropic of Cancer
D.        near the equator in the northern hemisphere with overhead sun moving
            north

E.         near the Artic Circle

23.       During vernal equinox, the sub-solar point is located at:
A.        the equator in its southward journey to the Tropic of Capricorn
B.         the equator in its northward journey to the Tropic of Cancer
C.        the Tropic of Capricorn in its return journey to the equator
D.        the Tropic of Cancer in its return journey to the equator
E.         none of the above answers

24.       Atmospheric particles (such as dust and ash):
A.        aid in cloud formation                            B.         absorb sunlight
C.        attract water                                         D.        reflect sunlight
E.        all of the above

25.       The three most important gases in the atmosphere by percent volume of dry air are:
A.        Nitrogen, Ozone, Argon
B.         Oxygen, hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide
C.        Nitrogen, Helium, Methane
D.        Cabon Dioxide, Ozone, Nitrogen
E.         Oxygen, Argon, Nitrogen 

Review Questions for Quiz 2

GEOG211: Introduction to Meteorology

Quiz #2:          Answer All Questions 

1.         Which of the following factors help to equalize latitudinal energy imbalance in
the earth-atmosphere system?

            A.        Wind system                             B.         Ocean currents

C.        Latent heat                               D.        Valley and mountain breeze
E.         A and B

2.         Which of the following keeps wintertime temperatures in Great Britain and much
of Western Europe warmer than would be expected for their latitudes

            A.        Warm North Atlantic Drift                B.         Cold Labrador current
C.        Westerly wind                                      D.        Warm trade winds

E.            Warm North Equatorial current

3.         A clear blue-sky day is often warmer than cloudy days because:
A.        many clouds have a high albedo and therefore reflect a significant

proportion of sunlight that strike them

B.                 many clouds absorb outgoing earth radiation and emit a portion of it

toward the surface

C.                 many clouds have a low albedo and therefore warms up the earth surface through diffused radiation

D.                 Solar altitude is always higher at noon on a clear blue-sky day than cloudy day

E.                  None of the above

4.         On a Kelvin scale, the melting point is set at 273. If the noon temperature is 50ºC, what is the equivalent in Kelvin scale?

            A.        250 K                          B.        323 K              C.        373 K

            D.        333 K                          E.         50 K

5.         Which of the following will cause false thermometer reading?
            A.        placing a thermometer in the direct sunlight

B.                 placing a thermometer near a heat-radiating surface

C.                 placing a thermometer in a white-painted louvered instrument shelter seating directly on the ground

D.                placing a thermometer in a black-painted louvered instrument shelter

E.                 All of the above

6.         An instrument that uses thermal resistor principle to record air temperature is:
A.        barograph                     B.         thermograph                 C.        thermistor

            D.        psychrometer                E.         hygrometer

7.         Which of the following statements is FALSE?
            A.        Latent heat is involved in the process of evaporation
            B.         Sea level is currently rising because of global warming

            C.        Precipitation is an unlikely occurrence during temperature inversion
            D.        Lines connecting points of equal rainfall are isobars
            E.         Cold ocean currents tend to occur on the western side of continents

8.         Which of the following statement is FALSE?
            A.        The Fahrenheit scale for temperature reading is still the most widely
                        used scale in the world

            B.         Summer temperatures are generally higher over continents than over

Oceans

            C.        Winter cold is a manifestation of limited insolation and of the brevity of

the daylight period
D.        Adiabatic warming takes place by compression in descending air

            E.         On long, cold winter nights with clear, calm skies, a radiational

inversion of temperature will occur

9.         Among cloud types, those that occur at the highest altitudes are the:
            A.        cumulus           B.         altocumulus       C.        stratus              D.        cirrus  

            E.         stratocumulus

10.       Hail becomes larger because it collides with:

            A.        ice crystals                    B.         raindrops                      C.        sleet

            D.        supercooled water      E.         water vapor

11.       Which measure of humidity is a ratio of the mass of water vapor to the volume of the air?

            A.        absolute humidity                   B.         mixing ratio      

            C.        dew point                                 D.        relative humidity

            E.         specific humidity

12.       The amount of water vapor expressed as the mass of water vapor in a given mass of air is:
A.        relative humidity                        B.        mixing ratio   

            C.        dew point                                 D.        absolute humidity                     

E.         pressure gradient

13.       Water that stays in liquid form at temperatures below freezing is termed:
            A.        dew point                     B.         vapor pressure

            C.        white frost                    D.        latent heat of vaporization

            E.         supercooled

14.       White frost is a cold weather form of:
            A.        a cloud             B.         radiation fog                 C.        hail

            D.        dew                  E.         advection fog

15.       When air is heated enough so that it is warmer than the surrounding air, it is:
            A.        unstable          B.         stable               C.        moist                D.        windy

            E.         saturated

16.       The State of Nevada is dry because it is on:
A.        windward side of the mountain
B.        leeward side (rain shadow) of the mountain
C.        western side of the continent

D.                 eastern side of the continent

E.                  the convergence zone

17.       The capacity of air to hold water
A.        increases as temperature increases

B.                 decreases as evaporation increases

C.                 decreases as evaporation decreases

D.                 increases as temperature decreases

E.                  is not related to temperature

18.       Which of the following is NOT a measure of water vapor in the atmosphere?

A.                 dew point

B.                 absolute humidity

C.                 mixing ratio

D.                 potential evapotranspiration

E.                  relative humidity

19.       Which of the following cloud types has the greatest height (from top to bottom)?

            A.        cirrus                B.         cumulus                        C.        altostratus

            D.        stratus              E.         cumulonimbus

20.       In the “Ice Crystal formation” process, precipitation occurs because ice crystals

A.                 melt as they fall

B.                 form from raindrops

C.                 grow at the expense of supercooled water droplets in the cloud

D.                 hook together

E.                  have a low specific heat

21.       By definition, which of the following freezes when it reaches the ground?
A.        rain       B.         hail       C.        snow    D.        sleet     E.         glaze

22.       Which statement is TRUE concerning precipitation in the interior of continents?

A.                 They tend to be wetter than the coastal areas

B.                 They tend to have their wettest season in the summer

C.                 They tend to have more balanced seasonal precipitation regimes than the coastal areas

D.                 They tend to have anticyclonic conditions in the summer

E.                  They tend to be without orographic uplift

23.       Which of the following is best for cloud seeding in cold clouds?
A.        dry ice                          B.         silver iodide      C.        potassium chloride

            D.        sodium chloride            E.         A and B

24.       The fog caused by the warm North Atlantic Drift blowing over the fridge water of the cold Labrador Current is
A.        Radiation fog                B.         Evaporation fog           

            C.        Advection fog             D.        Upwelling fog

            E.         Upslope fog 

25.       The sources of error in measuring precipitation include:
            A.        improper exposure on the rain gauge

B.                 windy conditions

C.                 human and instrument errors

D.                uncollectable rain water due to splash, adhesion to equipment

E.                 all of the above

Review Questions for Quiz 3

GEOG211: Introduction to Meteorology

Quiz #3:          Answer All Questions


1.         You are in the Northern Hemisphere.  the pressure gradient force is from north to south,
             the resulting surface wind is most likely to blow:

             A.   from north to south             
             B.   from south to north
             C.   from northeast to southwest 
             D.   from southwest to northeast
              E.  cannot be correctly described unless more information is provided

2.         At sea level, the atmospheric pressure is closest to _____ km/cm 2

A.        1          B.         10        C.        100      D.        1,000               E.         10,000

3.         The reason winds exist is:
A.        the unequal heating of the Earth system
B.         Coriolis effect
C.        because air is a mixture of gases
D.        friction
E.         altitude differences

4.         The major global wind and pressure systems
A.        stay in just about the same place the entire year
B.         are controlled by earth/sun distance
C.        shift with the season

            D.        are found mainly in the Northern Hemisphere
E.         seem to be independent of the jet stream

5.         The city of Edwardsville is located at latitude (38º 49’) and within which part of the global circulation?
A.        trade winds                   B.         subtropical high C.        polar easterlies

            D.        antitrade winds E.         westerlies

6.         City A has an air pressure of 980 millibars. City B has an air pressure of 1020 millibars. The distance between the two cities is 10 kilometers. The change of 40 millibars of pressure over a distance of 10 kilometers (or 4mb/km) is best described as:
A.        wind                 B.         force    C.        pressure gradient       D.        velocity
E.         coriolis force

7.         Surface winds tend to be slower than those at a higher level because of:
A.        friction            B.         pressure gradient force  C.        temperature gradient
D.        turbulence         E.         Rossby waves

8.         Rossby waves are
A.        Tropical jet streams      B.        large undulations in the upper air westerlies

            C.        Reversed Hadley cells  D.        Continental scale sea breezes
E.         Ocean currents

9.         Wind roses help to determine
A.        direction of the prevailing wind
B.         wind speed
C.        pressure gradient force
D.        the strength of jet stream
E.         the frequency of hurricane events during the hurricane season

10.       The contact zone of warm tropical and cold Polar air is known as the
A.        subtropical high B.         Polar easterly                            C.        Polar front
D.        Monsoon                      E.         Intertropical convergence

11.       The region in which the intertropical convergence can be found is
A.        near the North Pole
B.        the Equator
C.        the Southeastern United States
D.        northern Australia
E.         central Siberia

12.       Wind velocity may be roughly indicated by
A.        spacing of isobars on a weather map
B.         reading a barometer

            C.        direction of isobar cardinal direction on a weather map
D.        checking the thermometer
E.         reading the hygrometer

13.       Cold winds pouring downhill because of gravity are called
A.        monsoon          B.        katabatic winds          C.        valley breeze    
D.        trade winds       E.         cyclones

14.       A wet monsoon is associated with high rainfall totals and is caused by
A.        gravitational forces
B.         volcanic gases
C.        a seasonal reversal of winds
D.        the jet stream
E.         Coriolis force

15.       Flowing air responding to the difference between higher and lower pressure is responding to the
A.        pressure gradient force
B.         Coriolis effect
C.        anticyclone
D.        Rossby waves
E.         Trade winds

16.       What is the principal cause of west-coast deserts like Atacama Desert and Namib Desert?
A.        warm ocean currents                 B.        cold ocean currents
C.        rain shadow effect                     D.        distance from the sea
E.         all of the above answers

17.       Each time an El Nino occurs, the barometric pressure drops over a large portion of southeastern Pacific, whereas in the western Pacific, the pressure rises. Thereafter, the pressure difference between these two regions swings back the opposite direction. This seesaw pattern of atmospheric pressure between the eastern and western Pacific is called
A.        the Pacifica                   B.        Southern Oscillation            C.        Doldrums
D.        El Nino             E.         Rossby waves

18.       The ocean current in the Gulf of Mexico is called

            A.        cold Gulf Stream
B.         North Atlantic Current
C.        warm Gulf Stream
D.        cold California current
E.         cold Labrador current

19.       Some of the effects of ocean currents include
A.        moderating effect on local weather conditions
B.         principal cause of west-coast deserts
C.        maintenance of Earth’s heat balance
D.        presence of offshore fogs
E.         all of the above

20.       Low pressure belt centered over North Atlantic in winter is:
A.        Icelandic low               B.         Aleutian low                 C.        Canadian low
D.        Siberia low                   E.         Asian low

21.       Winds blowing at a constant speed parallel to curved isobars around cells of high or low pressure are:
A.        coriolis winds                B.         geostrophic winds         C.        Mistral winds
D.        Chinook winds E.         gradient winds

22.       As a general rule, friction is greatest:
A.        near earth’s surface   B.         at jet stream altitude      C.        near the poles
D.        near the equator            E.         in the middle latitudes

23.       As a general rule, Coriolis force causes wind to be deflect to the _____ in the Northern Hemisphere
A.        north                B.         east                  C.        right                D.        left                   
E.         south

24.       The so-called “winds of commerce” are the _______ winds
A.        horse latitude                B.         Rossby wave                C.        Trade 
D.        monsoon                      E.         westerly

25.       The intertropical convergence zone may be found as far as _____ north of the equator in July.
A.        5º         B.        25º       C.        40º       D.        65º       E.         90º

Review Questions for Quiz 4

1.         In classifying air masses, the cold, dry, ones are termed _________

            A.        maritime tropical                       B.         continental tropical

            C.        continental polar                    D.        equatorial

            E.         maritime polar

2.         Of the list below, the coldest air mass is bound to be associated with:
            A.        mP                   B.         mT                   C.        cP        D.        cT

            E.         E

3.         When neither air mass displaces the adjacent one, their boundary is called:
A.        a warm front
B.         a cold front
C.        a stationary front
D.        an occluded front
E.         a dryline

4.         The Sahara Desert would be the obvious source area of :
A.        mP air mass                  B.         cP air mass                   C.        mT air mass
D.        cA air mass                  E.         cT air mass

5.         Which of the following is NOT an air mass that regularly affects North America?
A.        continental Tropical                   B.         maritime Tropical
C.        continental Arctic                      D.        continental Polar
E.         Equatorial

6.         Which of the following air masses does not affect the weather of the United States much?
A.        Pacific mP air masses                B.        North Atlantic mP air masses
C.        North Atlantic mT air masses    D.        North Pacific mT air masses

7.         How would you know that a new air mass had passed over your location in the last
            couple of hours?
            A.        change in temperature               B.         change in wind speed
            C.        change in humidity                     D.        change in stability
            E.         All of the above

8.         The warmest air can be found in the:

            A.        cP air mass                   B.         mP air mass      C.        mT air mass
D.        cT air mass                 E.         all of the above

9.         Which air mass is the primary source of most of the precipitation received in the eastern two-thirds of the United States?
A.        North Atlantic mT air mass
B.         North Pacific mT air mass
C.        Continental Tropical air mass
D.        Pacific mP air masses
E.         North Atlantic mP air masses

10.       What type of front occurs when dry, continental tropical (cT) air originating over the American Southwest meets moist, maritime tropical (mT) air from the Gulf of Mexico?
A.        cold front          B.         warm front                                C.        occluded front
D.        drylines           E.         warm-type occluded front

 

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