WX 201 Exam 2 with correct Answers (Graded
A)
____ is a condition in which the environmental lapse rate is equal to the dry adiabatic rate.
Neutral stability
The rate at which the actual air temperature changes with increasing height above the surface is
referred to as the ____ rate.
environmental lapse
Absolute instability results when the environmental lapse rate is ____ the ____ adiabatic rate.
greater than; dry
An air parcel in an unstable atmosphere has ____ force acting on it.
an upward-directed
An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because air that rises into the inversion will
eventually become ____ and more dense than/as the surrounding air.
colder
The environmental lapse rate is almost always the same as the adiabatic rate.
False
____ appearing in the sky indicates that the mid-level of the troposphere is becoming more unstable.
Altocumulus castellanus
Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere
is ____.
stable
In a sky filled with scattered cumulus humilis clouds, rising motions are found under the clouds and
sinking motions are found ____ the clouds.
between
For a layer of altostratus clouds to change into altocumulus it is necessary for ____.
the top part of the cloud deck to cool while the bottom part warms
We have an expert-written solution to this problem!
Rain shadows do not form on the leeward side of mountains.
False
The atmosphere is normally most stable in the late afternoon and most unstable in the early morning.
False
,The temperature of rising air at a given level inside a cumulus cloud is normally warmer than the air
around the cloud.
True
Inversions that form as air slowly sinks over a large area are called ____ inversions.
subsidence
A rising parcel of air that does not exchange heat with its surroundings is an example of ____.
an adiabatic process
If rising air cools ____, the relative humidity becomes 100 percent.
to the dew-point temperature
Conditional instability occurs whenever the environmental lapse rate is ____ the moist adiabatic rate
and the dry adiabatic rate.
between
____ appearing in the sky indicates that the mid-level of the troposphere is becoming more unstable.
Altocumulus castellanus
A small volume of air is referred to as a ____.
parcel of air
The rate at which the temperature changes inside a descending (or rising) parcel of saturated air is
called the ____ rate.
moist adiabatic
The elevation where clouds form is called the ____ level.
condensation
Rising air will eventually cool to its dew-point temperature. At that point, what is its relative
humidity?
100
Which of the following is not a mechanism primarily responsible for most clouds observed?
Differences in air pressure caused by a rapidly increasing moist adiabatic rate in a thermal.
Which condition would be described as the most stable, independent of the season or the location on
Earth?
An inversion
The atmosphere is always absolutely stable when the ____ is less than the moist adiabatic rate.
environmental lapse rate
, What transfers heat upwards into the atmosphere?
Thermals
If the environmental lapse rate is less than the moist adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is
absolutely stable
Subsidence has no effect on atmospheric stability
False
The combination of warming the surface and warming the air aloft creates the greatest atmospheric
stability
False
Warm saturated air produces more liquid water than cold saturated air.
True
Air that ____ vertical displacements is considered to be stable.
resists
When the ____ is between the moist adiabatic rate and the dry adiabatic rate, it creates a situation
known as a conditionally unstable atmosphere.
environmental lapse rate
A conditionally unstable atmosphere is stable with respect to unsaturated air and unstable with
respect to saturated air.
True
In a conditionally unstable atmosphere, the environmental lapse rate will be greater than the moist
adiabatic rate and ____ the dry adiabatic rate.
less than
If an air parcel is given a small push upwards and it continues to move upwards on its own accord, the
atmosphere is said to be ____.
unstable
An example of orographic clouds would be clouds ____.
forming on the windward slope of a mountain
The atmosphere is normally the most stable in the early morning and the most unstable in the
afternoon.
True
Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?
Cumulonimbus
A)
____ is a condition in which the environmental lapse rate is equal to the dry adiabatic rate.
Neutral stability
The rate at which the actual air temperature changes with increasing height above the surface is
referred to as the ____ rate.
environmental lapse
Absolute instability results when the environmental lapse rate is ____ the ____ adiabatic rate.
greater than; dry
An air parcel in an unstable atmosphere has ____ force acting on it.
an upward-directed
An inversion represents an extremely stable atmosphere because air that rises into the inversion will
eventually become ____ and more dense than/as the surrounding air.
colder
The environmental lapse rate is almost always the same as the adiabatic rate.
False
____ appearing in the sky indicates that the mid-level of the troposphere is becoming more unstable.
Altocumulus castellanus
Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere because the air in the stratosphere
is ____.
stable
In a sky filled with scattered cumulus humilis clouds, rising motions are found under the clouds and
sinking motions are found ____ the clouds.
between
For a layer of altostratus clouds to change into altocumulus it is necessary for ____.
the top part of the cloud deck to cool while the bottom part warms
We have an expert-written solution to this problem!
Rain shadows do not form on the leeward side of mountains.
False
The atmosphere is normally most stable in the late afternoon and most unstable in the early morning.
False
,The temperature of rising air at a given level inside a cumulus cloud is normally warmer than the air
around the cloud.
True
Inversions that form as air slowly sinks over a large area are called ____ inversions.
subsidence
A rising parcel of air that does not exchange heat with its surroundings is an example of ____.
an adiabatic process
If rising air cools ____, the relative humidity becomes 100 percent.
to the dew-point temperature
Conditional instability occurs whenever the environmental lapse rate is ____ the moist adiabatic rate
and the dry adiabatic rate.
between
____ appearing in the sky indicates that the mid-level of the troposphere is becoming more unstable.
Altocumulus castellanus
A small volume of air is referred to as a ____.
parcel of air
The rate at which the temperature changes inside a descending (or rising) parcel of saturated air is
called the ____ rate.
moist adiabatic
The elevation where clouds form is called the ____ level.
condensation
Rising air will eventually cool to its dew-point temperature. At that point, what is its relative
humidity?
100
Which of the following is not a mechanism primarily responsible for most clouds observed?
Differences in air pressure caused by a rapidly increasing moist adiabatic rate in a thermal.
Which condition would be described as the most stable, independent of the season or the location on
Earth?
An inversion
The atmosphere is always absolutely stable when the ____ is less than the moist adiabatic rate.
environmental lapse rate
, What transfers heat upwards into the atmosphere?
Thermals
If the environmental lapse rate is less than the moist adiabatic rate, the atmosphere is
absolutely stable
Subsidence has no effect on atmospheric stability
False
The combination of warming the surface and warming the air aloft creates the greatest atmospheric
stability
False
Warm saturated air produces more liquid water than cold saturated air.
True
Air that ____ vertical displacements is considered to be stable.
resists
When the ____ is between the moist adiabatic rate and the dry adiabatic rate, it creates a situation
known as a conditionally unstable atmosphere.
environmental lapse rate
A conditionally unstable atmosphere is stable with respect to unsaturated air and unstable with
respect to saturated air.
True
In a conditionally unstable atmosphere, the environmental lapse rate will be greater than the moist
adiabatic rate and ____ the dry adiabatic rate.
less than
If an air parcel is given a small push upwards and it continues to move upwards on its own accord, the
atmosphere is said to be ____.
unstable
An example of orographic clouds would be clouds ____.
forming on the windward slope of a mountain
The atmosphere is normally the most stable in the early morning and the most unstable in the
afternoon.
True
Which cloud type below would most likely form in an unstable atmosphere?
Cumulonimbus
