Deck 9: Wind Small Scale and Local Systems

Question 1

Wind direction and speed can be determined with an aerovane.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the northeastern half of the United States,the prevailing wind in winter is northwest and in summer it is southwest.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Thermal lows form in response to variations in surface air temperature.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In city planning,sewage disposal plants must be situated upwind from large housing developments.

Question 5

Thermal lows become stronger with increasing height.

Question 6

Prevailing offshore winds in summer carry moisture,cool air,and fog into coastal regions,whereas prevailing onshore breezes carry warmer and drier air into the same locations.

Question 7

Microscale circulations range from a few kilometers to about a hundred kilometers in diameter.

Question 8

The amount of energy transferred to the water (and thus the height to which a wave can build)depends upon four factors:1.wind speed 2.length of time that the wind blows over the water 3.the fetch 4.wind direction.

Question 9

The difference in surface wind speed between morning and afternoon is typically greater on a clear,sunny day than on a cloudy,overcast day.

Question 10

Which association is most accurate?

A)microscale - chinook wind
B)synoptic scale - sea breeze
C)​mesoscale - land breeze
D)​planetary scale - lake breeze
E)​universal scale - ocean breeze

Question 11

A valley breeze develops its maximum strength in the early afternoon.

Question 12

What is an example of mesoscale motion?

A)winds on a surface weather map of North America
B)winds on a 500 mb chart
C)​winds blowing through a city
D)​winds blowing past a chimney
E)​average wind patterns around the world

Question 13

Clear air turbulence often occurs near a boundary of high wind shear.

Question 14

What is an example of microscale motion?

A)winds on a surface weather map of North America
B)winds on a 500 mb chart
C)​winds blowing through a city
D)​winds blowing past a chimney
E)​average wind patterns around the world

Question 15

Friction is not restricted to solid objects;it occurs in moving fluids as well.

Question 16

The shape of a sand dune reveals the prevailing wind direction that existed during its formation.

Question 17

Sand ripples can indicate the prevailing wind direction in an area.

Question 18

Chinook winds are a common phenomenon on the east side of the Appalachians.

Question 19

Coastal areas can have heavy waves on a clear,nonstormy day.

Question 20

Strong winds blowing over vegetation results in rapid water loss in the plant.

Question 21

On a clear,windy day,the depth to which mixing occurs above the surface depends upon

A)wind direction.
B)surface heating.
C)​precipitation type.
D)​cloud coverage.
E)​nuclei types in the atmosphere.

Question 22

A sea or land breeze is caused by

A)differences in humidity.
B)temperature differences.
C)​the Coriolis force.
D)​ocean tides.
E)​strong surf conditions.

Question 23

Surface winds are generally strongest and most gusty

A)in the afternoon.
B)in the early morning.
C)​around midnight.
D)​just after sunset.
E)​just before sunrise.

Question 24

A wind rose indicates

A)the wind speed at a location at a particular time.
B)the percentage of time that the wind blows from different directions.
C)​observed wind speed and direction on a surface map.
D)​spinning wind patterns caused by buildings or other obstructions.
E)​a rose fossilized by wind.

Question 25

A wind reported as 45° would be a wind blowing from the:

A)NE.
B)S.
C)​SW.
D)​NW.
E)​E.

Question 26

Thermal turbulence above the surface is usually most severe

A)immediately after sunset.
B)during maximum surface heating.
C)​around midnight.
D)​just before sunrise.
E)​about midmorning,or soon after the minimum temperature is reached.

Question 27

Suppose a west wind of 20 knots blows over a coastal region which is densely covered in shrubs.If this same wind moves out over the middle of a large calm lake,its speed and direction would probably be

A)greater than 20 knots and more northwesterly.
B)less than 20 knots and more northwesterly.
C)​greater than 20 knots and more southwesterly.
D)​less than 20 knots and more southwesterly.
E)​less than 20 knots and westerly.

Question 28

Which of the below determines how high a wind wave will grow over the open ocean?

A)water quality
B)density of water
C)​length of time the wind blows over the water
D)​shoreline topography
E)​geographical location

Question 29

A sea breeze circulation will reverse direction and become a land breeze

A)once every few days.
B)at the beginning and the end of the summer.
C)​several times per day.
D)​once per day.
E)​once a month.

Question 30

The wind's speed generally increases with height above Earth's surface because

A)only the lowest layer of air rotates with Earth.
B)air temperature normally decreases with height.
C)​wind instruments are not accurate at Earth's surface.
D)​friction with Earth's surface slows the air near the ground.
E)​air parcels expand and become less dense as they rise above the surface.

Question 31

If huge waves pound against the beach communities of Southern California for several days during clear,calm weather,it is a good bet that

A)the winds are strong somewhere out over the Pacific Ocean.
B)an earthquake has occurred somewhere on the ocean floor.
C)​it is raining offshore.
D)​it is a period of high tides.
E)​there is a large difference in water density between the shoreline of Southern California and the middle of the Pacific.

Question 32

During the summer in humid climates,nighttime clouds tend to form over water during a

A)land breeze.
B)chinook wind.
C)​sea breeze.
D)​Santa Ana wind.
E)​lake breeze.

Question 33

Dust storms on Mars are generally

A)infrequent.
B)extremely large.
C)​small.
D)​nonexistent.
E)not able to be recorded.

Question 34

The most practical location for building a wind turbine would be

A)​in a region of strong,gusty winds.
B)on the downwind side of a mountain.
C)​in a narrow valley.
D)​in a region of moderate,steady winds.
E)​anywhere on top of a mountain.

Question 35

The slowing of the wind due to the random motion of air molecules is called

A)eddy viscosity.
B)mechanical turbulence.
C)​molecular viscosity.
D)​convective turbulence.
E)​kinetic viscosity.

Question 36

Suppose the wind speed increased from 5 mph to 10 mph.We can conclude that the force exerted by the wind increased by a factor of

A)0.5.
B)2.
C)​4.
D)​5.
E)​25.

Question 37

An offshore wind blows

A)from land to water.
B)from water to land.
C)​only at night.
D)​only during the day.
E)​a minimum distance of 100 miles away from the shore.

Question 38

The nighttime counterpart of the sea breeze circulation is called

A)Chinook.
B)Santa Ana.
C)​land breeze.
D)​a night breeze.
E)​foehn.

Question 39

The howling of wind on a blustery night is believed to be caused by

A)variations in air temperature.
B)winds blowing around a frozen surface.
C)​snowflakes striking one another but not sticking together.
D)​air flowing past obstructions.
E)​wind lifting,then lowering small objects at the surface.

Question 40

The size and shape of a turbulent eddy depends upon

A)the composition of the obstacle.
B)the size and shape of the obstacle.
C)​the wind direction.
D)​topography of the surrounding landscape.
E)​elevation where the obstacle is located.

Question 41

The summer monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by

A)wet weather and winds blowing from land to sea.
B)dry weather and winds blowing from land to sea.
C)​wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
D)​dry weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
E)​wet weather and Chinook winds.

Question 42

An ideal setting for a katabatic wind is

A)a valley that is near a large river.
B)a canyon that flows into the sea.
C)a large elevated lake with a forest nearby.
D)​an area where the land and the shore meet.
E)​an elevated plateau surrounded by mountains with a nearby downhill slope.

Question 43

Wind gusts are caused by

A)turbulent eddies.
B)wind waves.
C)​mesoscale circulations.
D)​wind shear.
E)​circulations on the synoptic scale.

Question 44

While fly fishing in a mountain stream,you notice that the wind is blowing upstream.From this,you could deduce that the wind is a

A)chinook wind.
B)valley breeze.
C)​Santa Ana wind.
D)​mountain breeze.
E)​katabatic wind.

Question 45

Clouds and precipitation are frequently found on the downwind side of a large lake.This would indicate that the air on the downwind side is

A)converging and rising.
B)converging and sinking.
C)​stable and rising.
D)​diverging and sinking.
E)​diverging and rising

Question 46

When a sea breeze moving north meets a sea breeze moving south,they form a

A)land breeze.
B)sea breeze convergence zone.
C)​katabatic wind.
D)​valley breeze.
E)​thermal low.

Question 47

The heat from a chinook wind is generated mainly by

A)compressional heating.
B)sunlight.
C)​warm,ocean water.
D)​friction with the ground.
E)​forest fires.

Question 48

Chinook winds are

A)warm,dry downslope winds.
B)warm,moist downslope winds.
C)​cold,dry downslope winds.
D)​cold,moist downslope winds.
E)​warm,dry upslope winds.

Question 49

The synoptic scale describes circulations on the ____ scale.

A)micro
B)global
C)​meso
D)​macro
E)​weather-map

Question 50

During the summer along the coast,a sea breeze is usually strongest and best developed

A)in the afternoon.
B)just after sunrise.
C)​just before sunset.
D)​just before noon.
E)​around midnight.

Question 51

Thermally-generated eddies typically peak

A)at sunrise.
B)around midnight.
C)​at sunset.
D)​at noon.
E)in the afternoon.

Question 52

A sea breeze is most likely to develop along a coastline when

A)pressure gradients between the land and sea are large.
B)pressure gradients between the land and sea are small.
C)​it is raining.
D)​it is foggy.
E)​surface temperatures are high.​​

Question 53

Cumulus clouds that appear above isolated mountain peaks are often the result of

A)katabatic winds.
B)mountain winds.
C)​fall winds.
D)​Santa Ana winds.
E)​valley breezes.

Question 54

Which of the following conditions favor the development of dust devils?

A)hot,moist days
B)hot,dry days
C)​cold,moist days
D)​cold,dry days
E)​moderate temperature,dry days

Question 55

What is a serious hazard to aircraft?

A)molecular viscosity
B)laminar flow
C)​clear-air turbulence
D)​longwaves in the westerlies
E)​thermal lows

Question 56

The winter monsoon in eastern and southern Asia is characterized by

A)wet weather and winds blowing from land to sea.
B)wet weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
C)​dry weather and winds blowing from sea to land.
D)​dry weather and winds blowing from land to sea.
E)​dry weather and Chinook winds.

Question 57

The land/sea breeze,lake breeze,and mountain/valley breeze are examples of

A)thermal circulations.
B)mechanical circulations.
C)​atmospheric longwave circulations.
D)​thermal turbulences.
E)​frictional processes.

Question 58

On the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains,chinook winds are driest when

A)clouds form and precipitation falls on the upwind side of the mountains.
B)the air aloft is cold.
C)​the Sun is shining.
D)​the winds are blowing from the east.
E)​surface friction is greatest on the downwind side of the mountain.

Question 59

In south Florida the prevailing winds are northeasterly.Because of this,the strongest sea breeze is usually observed on Florida's ____ coast,and the strongest land breeze on Florida's ____ coast.

A)east;west
B)west;south
C)​east;south
D)​east,east
E)​west;east

Question 60

An upper wind direction is reported as 315°.From what compass direction is the wind blowing?

A)north
B)south
C)​northeast
D)​east
E)​northwest

Question 61

During hang-gliding,it is dangerous to enter the ____________________ side of the hill when the wind speed is strong.

Question 62

Santa Ana winds warm by ____________________ as they flow down an elevated desert plateau.

Question 63

A(n)____________________ is an instrument that indicates both wind speed and direction.It consists of a bladed propeller that rotates at a rate proportional to the wind speed.Its streamlined shape and a vertical fin keep the blades facing into the wind.When attached to a recorder,a continuous record of both wind speed and direction is obtained.

Question 64

A katabatic wind is a cold and ____________________ wind.

Question 65

When the slowing of a fluid-such as air-is due to the random motion of the gas molecules,the viscosity is referred to as ____________________.

Question 66

The friction of fluid flow is called ____________________.

Question 67

Mesoscale circulations have a(n)____________________ (longer/shorter)duration than microscale circulations.

Question 68

When wind blows over a snow field,and if the wind is sufficiently strong,the moving clumps of snow become cylindrical,often with a hole extending through them lengthwise.These snow ____ range from the size of eggs to that of small barrels.

A)rollers
B)waves
C)​ripples
D)​dunes
E)​dunes

Question 69

Wind blowing with sufficient force to rip the roof off buildings

A)is common.
B)is impossible.
C)​is uncommon.
D)​happens during every storm.
E)​only happens during snowstorms.

Question 70

The macroscale combines the ____________________ and ____________________ scales.

Question 71

Blowing sand eventually comes to rest ____________________ obstacles,which can be anything from a rock to a clump of vegetation.

Question 72

The force of the wind on an object is ____________________ to the wind speed squared.

Question 73

A pilot enters the weather service office and wants to know what time of the day she can expect to encounter the least turbulent winds at 760 m (2500 ft)above central Kansas.If you were the weather forecaster,what would you tell her?

A)at midnight
B)in the early morning
C)​at noon
D)​in the afternoon
E)​at sunset

Question 74

Waves forming by wind blowing over the surface of the water are known as

A)ripples.
B)waves.
C)​wind waves.
D)​fetch.
E)​surf.

Question 75

If you are standing directly south of a smoke stack and the wind from the stack is blowing over your head,what would be the wind direction?

A)north
B)east
C)​south
D)​west
E)​northeast

Question 76

When sustained winds or frequent gusts reach 35 mi/hr,the blowing or falling snow can produce ____________________ conditions.

Question 77

Stationary storm systems,centered somewhere over the open sea,are capable of creating large waves with wave heights measuring over

A)11 m (36 ft).
B)21 m (69 ft)
C)​31 m (100 ft)
D)​41 m (134 ft)
E)​51 m (167 ft)

Question 78

Eddies that form both close to the mountain and beneath each wave crest are called

A)mountain wave eddy.
B)wind shear.
C)​clear air turbulence.
D)​leeward eddy.
E)​rotors.

Question 79

To protect crops and soil from wind-related erosion,windbreaks-commonly called ____________________-are planted.

Question 80

When wind encounters a solid object,a whirl of air,called a(n)____________________,forms on the object's leeward side.