PHYSICAL METEOROLOGY FINAL
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Reading quizzes are worth ______ of the course grade.
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40% - Correct Answers -c. 30%
True or false: There are two midterms in this course. - Correct Answers -false
True or false: Earth's atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen -
Correct Answers -true
The troposphere is ______ the atmosphere
a. the same as
b. below
c. next to
d. above - Correct Answers -b. below
True or false: Pascals [Pa] are considered a SI unit - Correct Answers -false
Because pressure decreases with height in the atmosphere, a vertical pressure gradient
induces an upward force, while gravity induces a downward force. The balance between
these two forces is called ___________
a. hydrostatic balance
b. thermal wind balance
c. radiative equilibrium
d. hypsometric balance - Correct Answers -a. hydrostatic balance
Which of the following equations is related to the thickness of an atmospheric layer?
a. hydrostatic equation
b. ideal gas law
c. Planck function
d. hypsometric equation - Correct Answers -d. hypsometric equation
Geopotential is
a. the thermal potential of an air parcel
b. the kinetic energy per unit mass
, c. the gravitational potential per unit mass - Correct Answers -c. the gravitational
potential per unit mass
The total pressure of a mixture of gases equals
a. the average of the molecular weights of those gases
b. the sum of the molecular weights of those gases
c. the average of the partial pressures of those gases
d. the sum of the partial pressures of those gases - Correct Answers -d. the sum of the
partial pressures of those gases
If a material undergoes a change in its physical state (pressure, volume, temperature)
without any heat being added or taken away, this change is said to be ___________
a. diabatic
b. hydrostatic
c. adiabatic - Correct Answers -c. adiabatic
"Isothermal" means the ________ remains constant
a. pressure
b. temperature
c. volume - Correct Answers -b. temperature
__________ is the temperature an air parcel would have if expanded or compressed
adiabatically from its starting pressure to 1000 hPa
a. potential temperature
b. virtual temperature
c. saturated temperature - Correct Answers -a. potential temperature
Parameters that remain constant during certain transformations are said to be
_________
a. destroyed
b. conserved
c. mutated - Correct Answers -b. conserved
Parcels that are _______ will continue rising if they're pushed upward
a. unstable
b. neutral
c. stable - Correct Answers -c. unstable
An unsaturated parcel's temperature will decrease at the __________ as it rises
a. moist adiabatic lapse rate
b. dry adiabatic lapse rate - Correct Answers -b. dry adiabatic lapse rate
Which of the following acronyms define important environmental levels to consider
when an air parcel rises? (2)
a. LCL
b. VIS
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Reading quizzes are worth ______ of the course grade.
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40% - Correct Answers -c. 30%
True or false: There are two midterms in this course. - Correct Answers -false
True or false: Earth's atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen -
Correct Answers -true
The troposphere is ______ the atmosphere
a. the same as
b. below
c. next to
d. above - Correct Answers -b. below
True or false: Pascals [Pa] are considered a SI unit - Correct Answers -false
Because pressure decreases with height in the atmosphere, a vertical pressure gradient
induces an upward force, while gravity induces a downward force. The balance between
these two forces is called ___________
a. hydrostatic balance
b. thermal wind balance
c. radiative equilibrium
d. hypsometric balance - Correct Answers -a. hydrostatic balance
Which of the following equations is related to the thickness of an atmospheric layer?
a. hydrostatic equation
b. ideal gas law
c. Planck function
d. hypsometric equation - Correct Answers -d. hypsometric equation
Geopotential is
a. the thermal potential of an air parcel
b. the kinetic energy per unit mass
, c. the gravitational potential per unit mass - Correct Answers -c. the gravitational
potential per unit mass
The total pressure of a mixture of gases equals
a. the average of the molecular weights of those gases
b. the sum of the molecular weights of those gases
c. the average of the partial pressures of those gases
d. the sum of the partial pressures of those gases - Correct Answers -d. the sum of the
partial pressures of those gases
If a material undergoes a change in its physical state (pressure, volume, temperature)
without any heat being added or taken away, this change is said to be ___________
a. diabatic
b. hydrostatic
c. adiabatic - Correct Answers -c. adiabatic
"Isothermal" means the ________ remains constant
a. pressure
b. temperature
c. volume - Correct Answers -b. temperature
__________ is the temperature an air parcel would have if expanded or compressed
adiabatically from its starting pressure to 1000 hPa
a. potential temperature
b. virtual temperature
c. saturated temperature - Correct Answers -a. potential temperature
Parameters that remain constant during certain transformations are said to be
_________
a. destroyed
b. conserved
c. mutated - Correct Answers -b. conserved
Parcels that are _______ will continue rising if they're pushed upward
a. unstable
b. neutral
c. stable - Correct Answers -c. unstable
An unsaturated parcel's temperature will decrease at the __________ as it rises
a. moist adiabatic lapse rate
b. dry adiabatic lapse rate - Correct Answers -b. dry adiabatic lapse rate
Which of the following acronyms define important environmental levels to consider
when an air parcel rises? (2)
a. LCL
b. VIS
