Deck 4: Condensation in the Atmosphere

Question 1

On a cold,winter morning the most likely place for radiation fog to form is:

A)at the top of a hill or mountain.
B)in a valley.
C)along the side of a hill.
D)over a body of water.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Satellite images taken of clouds at night use:

A)reflected visible light.
B)reflected infrared light.
C)emitted infrared light.
D)microwave radiation.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Infrared satellite images are computer-enhanced to:

A)increase the contrast between specific features in the picture.
B)show where thick clouds with cold tops are located.
C)show where clouds with tops near the freezing level are located.
D)all of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Suppose the sky is completely covered with a thin,white layered-type cloud.You look at the ground and see that objects cast a distinct shadow.From this you conclude that the cloud type must be:

A)stratus.
B)nimbostratus.
C)cirrostratus.
D)stratocumulus.

Question 5

Hail is usually associated with what cloud?

A)stratus
B)cumulus
C)stratocumulus
D)altocumulus
E)cumulonimbus

Question 6

Particles that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense are called condensation nuclei.

Question 7

When viewed from the surface,the smallest individual cloud elements (puffs)are observed with which cloud?

A)stratocumulus
B)cumulus
C)cirrocumulus
D)altocumulus
E)cumulonimbus

Question 8

When radiation fog "burns off",the fog tends to dissipate:

A)from the bottom up.
B)from the top down.
C)starting at the middle,and working both upward and downward.

Question 9

Light or moderate-but-steady precipitation is most often associated with __________ clouds.

A)nimbostratus
B)cirrostratus
C)cirrocumulus
D)cumulonimbus

Question 10

An anvil-shaped top is most often associated with:

A)cumulonimbus.
B)cumulus congestus.
C)altocumulus.
D)cumulus humilis.

Question 11

Which two clouds can produce precipitation?

A)cumulonimbus,stratocumulus
B)nimbostratus,altostratus
C)nimbostratus,cirrus
D)cumulonimbus,nimbostratus

Question 12

Suppose it is a winter night and at about 11 pm the air cools to the dew-point temperature and a thick radiation fog develops.If the air continues to cool during the night,in 5 hours the dew point temperature will probably:

A)decrease as the air becomes drier.
B)decrease as the air becomes moister.
C)increase as the air becomes drier.
D)increase as the air becomes moister.

Question 13

Which cloud type is composed of ice crystals and can cause a halo to form around the sun or moon?

A)altostratus
B)stratus
C)nimbostratus
D)cirrostratus
E)angelitus

Question 14

At which city might you be able to observe cirrus clouds at an altitude of 3,000 m (10,000 feet)above the surface?

A)Barrow,Alaska
B)Honolulu,Hawaii
C)Miami,Florida
D)Chicago,Illinois

Question 15

Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of:

A)water droplets.
B)water vapor.
C)ice particles.
D)salt aerosols.

Question 16

Frost typically forms on the inside of a windowpane (rather than the outside)because:

A)the inside of the pane is colder than the outside.
B)there is more water vapor touching the inside of the pane.
C)there is less water vapor touching the inside of the pane.

Question 17

Exhaled breath from your mouth can condense when:

A)it is very cold.
B)it is very warm and humid.
C)the addition of water vapor from your breath causes the air's relative humidity to exceed 100%.
D)all of the above

Question 18

The cooling of the ground to produce dew is mainly the result of:

A)conduction.
B)radiational cooling.
C)cooling due to the release of latent heat.
D)advection.

Question 19

On a humid day,the attraction of water by hydrophobic condensation nuclei causes salty potato chips left outside in an uncovered bowl to turn soggy.

Question 20

Frost forms when water vapor changes into ice without first becoming a liquid.

Question 21

Describe the difference between the orbital paths followed by geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites.

Question 22

It is a cold winter night and a fog cloud forms.If it continues to cool during the night would you expect to find that the dew point has changed overnight? If so,would it have increased or decreased?

Question 23

Under what conditions can a cloud form when air is sinking?

Question 24

The largest concentration of condensation nuclei are usually observed near the earth's surface.

Question 25

In what ways are the formation of fog and clouds similar and different?

Question 26

Mammatus clouds form in descending air.

Question 27

List one or more key identifying features for each of the ten basic cloud types.Which cloud types might have fairly similar appearances and thus be difficult to identify?

Question 28

Explain why clouds form in rising air.Would it be possible for rising air to remain cloud-free? If so,how?

Question 29

What kinds of information about clouds can you determine using infrared and visible satellite photographs?

Question 30

Cirrocumulus clouds rarely produce precipitation that reaches the ground.

Question 31

When the air is perfectly dry,the relative humidity can exceed 100 percent without producing fog.

Question 32

Suppose the sky is covered with stratus clouds.How might you determine whether middle or high clouds are also present?

Question 33

When fog "burns off" it absorbs sunlight and warms up.

Question 34

List the main types of fog.Then briefly explain how each one forms.Where might you expect each of these different types of fog to form?

Question 35

A dim "watery" sun visible through a gray sheet-like cloud layer is often a good indication of stratocumulus clouds.

Question 36

Stratus clouds are often delicate,fibrous,and white in color.

Question 37

Explain how the stability of the atmosphere can affect the types of clouds that form.

Question 38

List the major height categories of clouds.What differences might you expect to find in the clouds that form at these different levels?

Question 39

How can you visually distinguish between cumulus,altocumulus,and cirrocumulus clouds?

Question 40

An air parcel that is warmer than its surroundings will rise.What force accounts for this upward motion?

Question 41

Does radiational cooling at the ground at night act to increase or decrease atmospheric stability? How does daytime heating at the ground during the day affect atmospheric stability?

Question 42

Cumulonimbus clouds indicate unstable atmospheric conditions.What stops the upward growth and causes the top of a cumulonimbus cloud to flatten out into an anvil?