WX 201 - Exam 2 Chapter 6-10 Questions and
Answers
The elevation where clouds form is called ____ level.
condensation
If the environmental lapse rate is 5 ° C per 1,000 m and the temperature at Earth's surface is 25 ° C,
then the air temperature at 2,000 m above the ground is
15°C.
What transfers heat upward into the atmosphere?
thermals
Just above cumulus clouds, you would expect to find
a stable layer.
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original position, the atmosphere is
said to be
stable.
In a rising unsaturated thermal, the dew-point temperature
decreases at a slower rate than the parcel temperature.
An example of orographic clouds would be clouds
forming on the windward slope of a mountain.
Based on the above diagram, a rising air parcel given an initial push will:
Return to its initial position
If the environmental lapse rate is less than the moist adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is
absolutely stable.
Altocumulus clouds that show vertical development and produce tower-like extensions are called
altocumulus castellanus.
An afternoon sky full of cumulus humilis clouds with little vertical growth indicates ____ weather.
fair
The rate at which the actual air temperature decreases with increasing height above the surface is
referred to as the ____ rate.
environmental lapse
Which of the following sets of conditions would produce a cumulus cloud with the lowest base?
air temperature 90°F, dew point temperature 60°F
, In the above diagram, the environmental lapse rate (ELR) is:
Conditionally unstable
The difference between "moist" and "dry" adiabatic rates is due to the fact that
latent heat is released by a rising parcel of saturated air.
Absolute instability results when the environmental lapse rate is ____ the ____ adiabatic rate.
greater than; dry
A knowledge of air stability is important because it determines
the vertical motion of air.
Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?
cumulonimbus
Which environmental lapse rate represents the most unstable atmosphere in a layer of unsaturated
air?
11°C per 1,000 m
Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere
is
stable.
Inversions that form as air slowly sinks over a large area are called ____ inversions.
subsidence
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it continues to move upward on its own accord, the
atmosphere is said to be
unstable.
Dry adiabatic cooling and warming rates are approximately ____ of change in elevation.
10 degrees Celsius for every 1000 m
An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because air that rises into the inversion will
eventually become ____ and ____ dense than the surrounding air.
colder; more
The dry adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which
temperature changes in a rising or descending parcel of unsaturated air.
Conditional instability depends on the condition of
saturation.
Answers
The elevation where clouds form is called ____ level.
condensation
If the environmental lapse rate is 5 ° C per 1,000 m and the temperature at Earth's surface is 25 ° C,
then the air temperature at 2,000 m above the ground is
15°C.
What transfers heat upward into the atmosphere?
thermals
Just above cumulus clouds, you would expect to find
a stable layer.
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it falls back to its original position, the atmosphere is
said to be
stable.
In a rising unsaturated thermal, the dew-point temperature
decreases at a slower rate than the parcel temperature.
An example of orographic clouds would be clouds
forming on the windward slope of a mountain.
Based on the above diagram, a rising air parcel given an initial push will:
Return to its initial position
If the environmental lapse rate is less than the moist adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is
absolutely stable.
Altocumulus clouds that show vertical development and produce tower-like extensions are called
altocumulus castellanus.
An afternoon sky full of cumulus humilis clouds with little vertical growth indicates ____ weather.
fair
The rate at which the actual air temperature decreases with increasing height above the surface is
referred to as the ____ rate.
environmental lapse
Which of the following sets of conditions would produce a cumulus cloud with the lowest base?
air temperature 90°F, dew point temperature 60°F
, In the above diagram, the environmental lapse rate (ELR) is:
Conditionally unstable
The difference between "moist" and "dry" adiabatic rates is due to the fact that
latent heat is released by a rising parcel of saturated air.
Absolute instability results when the environmental lapse rate is ____ the ____ adiabatic rate.
greater than; dry
A knowledge of air stability is important because it determines
the vertical motion of air.
Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?
cumulonimbus
Which environmental lapse rate represents the most unstable atmosphere in a layer of unsaturated
air?
11°C per 1,000 m
Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere
is
stable.
Inversions that form as air slowly sinks over a large area are called ____ inversions.
subsidence
If an air parcel is given a small push upward and it continues to move upward on its own accord, the
atmosphere is said to be
unstable.
Dry adiabatic cooling and warming rates are approximately ____ of change in elevation.
10 degrees Celsius for every 1000 m
An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because air that rises into the inversion will
eventually become ____ and ____ dense than the surrounding air.
colder; more
The dry adiabatic lapse rate is the rate at which
temperature changes in a rising or descending parcel of unsaturated air.
Conditional instability depends on the condition of
saturation.
