Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Radiation fog forms when the ground loses heat rapidly, usually during clear and calm nights. Cool air settles near the ground, and if there is enough moisture in the air, it will condense and form fog. Valleys are particularly prone to radiation fog because cool air tends to settle and pool in lower areas. Thus, B is the best choice as it is most likely for radiation fog to form in a valley on a cold winter morning.

Question 2

Satellite images taken of clouds at night use:

Accepted Answer

Satellite images taken of clouds at night use emitted infrared light. Clouds emit infrared radiation, which is detected by satellite instruments to create images of cloud cover at night. This is because clouds are colder than the Earth's surface, so they emit more long-wave radiation than the surface. This emitted radiation is in the form of infrared light, which can be detected by infrared sensors on satellites.

Question 3

Infrared satellite images are computer-enhanced to:

Accepted Answer

Infrared satellite images are computer-enhanced to increase the contrast between specific features in the picture, such as cloud boundaries, as well as to show where thick clouds with cold tops and where clouds with tops near the freezing level are located. Therefore, all of the above choices are correct.

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:

Accepted Answer

A cirrostratus cloud is a thin, layered cloud that covers the sky and is often transparent enough to allow shadows to be cast on the ground. The other cloud types listed (stratus, nimbostratus, and stratocumulus) are more opaque and would generally block out enough sunlight to prevent shadows from being cast.

Question 5

Hail is usually associated with what cloud?

Accepted Answer

Hail is usually associated with cumulonimbus clouds, which are tall, vertically developing clouds that can produce thunderstorms and other types of severe weather. Cumulus clouds are puffy and often indicate fair weather, while stratus and stratocumulus clouds are low-lying and usually associated with stable, calm conditions. Altocumulus clouds are mid-level clouds that do not typically produce precipitation.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Condensation nuclei are particles, such as dust, that serve as surfaces on which water vapor may condense to form clouds or fog.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Cirrocumulus clouds are characterized by small cloudlets, often described as resembling the scales of a fish or the ripples in a sandy beach, making them appear as the smallest puffs when viewed from the ground.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Radiation fog forms close to the ground due to cooling of the surface at night which allows the moisture to condense into fog. When the sun rises and starts to warm up the ground, the warmed air rises, and the fog begins to dissipate from the bottom-up.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

Nimbostratus clouds are low-level clouds that are often associated with steady and prolonged precipitation, such as rain or snow. The precipitation from nimbostratus clouds is typically light or moderate but steady, rather than heavy and intense like that which comes from cumulonimbus clouds. Cirrostratus clouds are high-level clouds that can produce light precipitation, but it is usually not steady. Cirrocumulus clouds are also high-level clouds and do not typically produce precipitation.

Question 10

An anvil-shaped top is most often associated with:

Accepted Answer

An anvil-shaped top is most often associated with cumulonimbus clouds, also known as thunderstorm clouds. These clouds are characterized by their large, tall vertical development and often have a flat or anvil-shaped top.

Question 11

Which two clouds can produce precipitation?

Accepted Answer

Cumulonimbus and nimbostratus clouds can produce precipitation. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with thunderstorms and often produce heavy rain, hail, and sometimes tornadoes. Nimbostratus clouds are low-level gray clouds that produce steady rain or snow. Stratocumulus and altostratus clouds can produce drizzle, but not heavy rain. Cirrus clouds are high-altitude clouds and do not produce precipitation.

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:

Accepted Answer

As the air continues to cool during the night, it can hold less moisture, leading to a decrease in the dew point temperature. This process makes the air drier, not moister.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Cirrostratus clouds are composed of ice crystals and are thin and transparent, causing a halo to form around the sun or moon. Altostratus, stratus, and nimbostratus clouds are composed of water droplets and are not associated with halos. Angelitus is not a recognized cloud type.

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?

Accepted Answer

Cirrus clouds typically form at altitudes above 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) in the middle latitudes. However, in polar regions like Barrow, Alaska, the troposphere is shallower, and clouds can form at lower altitudes due to the colder temperatures.

Question 15

Cirrus clouds are composed primarily of:

Accepted Answer

Cirrus clouds are high-level clouds composed of ice particles, not water droplets or vapor. Salt aerosols are not a component of cirrus clouds.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

Frost forms on the inside of a windowpane rather than the outside because the air inside the house contains more water vapor. When this moist air comes into contact with the cold surface of the windowpane, the water vapor condenses and freezes, forming frost.

Question 17

Exhaled breath from your mouth can condense when:

Accepted Answer

Exhaled breath contains water vapor, which can condense into visible droplets when it meets colder air (A), in warm and humid conditions where the air cannot hold additional moisture (B), or when the breath's moisture increases the relative humidity beyond saturation point (C).

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

Radiational cooling occurs when the ground loses heat energy by radiating it out into the atmosphere. As the ground cool, the air close to the ground cools too, which causes the water vapour in the air to condense into dew.

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.

Accepted Answer

The soggy texture of potato chips in high humidity is due to the chips absorbing moisture from the air, not the attraction of water by hydrophobic condensation nuclei. Hydrophobic substances repel water, rather than attracting it.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

Frost is formed by a process called deposition, where water vapor directly changes into solid ice without first becoming a liquid.

Quiz 4: Condensation in the Atmosphere