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?

Sample questions
Practice Quiz: 2, 11, 19     Quiz #1: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11     Quiz #5: 2, 8, 10     Final Exam: 7, 10a,b,d; 17, 21, 34, 47

Reviews
Mon., Feb. 15
Tue.,  Feb. 16
Wed., Feb. 17
4-5 pm
4-5 pm
4-5 pm
Haury 216
Haury 129
Haury 129
 
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).