Quiz #1 Study
Guide
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Questions
on Quiz #1 will come
from topics on this study guide together with material on the Practice
Quiz Study Guide.
Upward and
downward forces acting on air parcels (the
strength of one of the forces depends on the air inside the parcel, the
other on the air outside the parcel). These two forces are usually in
balance. What happens to the balance when you warm or cool a parcel of
air? Basically you should be able to explain why a balloon of hot
low density air rises and a balloon of cold high density air
sinks.
Archimedes
Law.
An
object immersed in a fluid (a liquid like water or a gas like air)
experiences an upward bouyant force that is equal to the weight of the
fluid displaced by the object. Basically objects that are less
dense that the fluid around them float, objects that are denser than
the fluid surrounding them sink. What causes the upward bouyant
force?
Layers of the
atmosphere.
Troposphere: lowest layer in the
atmosphere, decreasing temperature with increasing altitude (why is
the warmest air found near the ground), contains most of the water
vapor and clouds, can be unstable (strong vertical air motions
possible). Tropopause. Stratosphere: there's an isothermal layer and
a temperature inversion layer (what causes air to warm in the
stratosphere), stable layer, contains the ozone layer. Approximate
altitudes of these layers. Units: meters, kilometers, feet, miles.
Sample questions (from the Fall 2000 Quiz Packet) Practice Quiz: 8, 16
Quiz
#1: 13, 14, 17,
EC2
Final Exam: 19
Station
model notation.
How and where are the following weather variables plotted: cloud cover,
temperature, dew point temperature (typical values for
Tucson), wind direction and speed, common weather symbols (rain, snow,
fog, rain shower, thunderstorm, tropical storm and hurricane),
pressure. Units. After pressure is measured, what important
adjustment
is made before the pressure is plotted on the surface map? Why is that
necessary? Average and typical range of sea-level pressure values.
Surface weather maps.
A new map is prepared hourly. What
time zone or time reference is used? 24-hour clock (what is the local
time when it is 17:30 MST in Tucson). Isobars and isotherms. Small
horizontal
differences in pressure cause the wind to blow. Air motions around high
and low pressure centers (northern hemisphere). Strong and weak
pressure gradients. Convergence and divergence. Rising and sinking air
motions. How do wind motions around highs and low affect the
temperature pattern? Cold fronts and warm fronts (where is the warm and
cold air, what direction are the fronts moving).
Upper level charts. Ridges
(warm air below) and troughs (cold air below). Winds blow parallel to
contour lines and from west to east. How can upper level convergence
or
divergence
affect
surface pressure (what would cause surface
pressure to increase or
decrease)? Is upper level convergence or divergence needed to
cause a middle latitude storm to
intensify?
note The
Haury Bldg. used to be called the Anthropology Bldg.
The Mon. review is nominally for
the MWF class (but T Th people are
free to attend). The Wed. review is for the T Th class (the MWF
class will already have taken their quiz).