Weather and Climate 101Due: Tuesday December 5
Fall Semester 2006Name:
Homework Assignment #4
1. List five criteria used to locate fronts on a surface weather map.
2. a. What is the energy source for midlatitude cyclones?
b. List three airstreams that interact in midlatitude cyclones.
3. What determines the storm track for a family of midlatitude cyclones?
4. How are polar lows similar to hurricanes? How do they differ?
5. List three reasons polar lows are difficult to forecast.
6. What weather-related hazards make polar lows particularly dangerous to small fishing boats along the coast of Norway in winter?
7. List four large-scale weather patterns that cause Hawaii’s weather hazards.
8. a. What are four steps in numerical weather prediction model forecasts?
b. What two factors make numerical weather prediction a special challenge in Hawaii?
9. a. List the weather related hazards that impact Hawaii.
b. List three ingredients for heavy rain in Hawaii.
10. Mountains in Hawaii can enhance rainfall in two ways. What are they?
11. List two reasons why heavy rains quickly produce flash floods in Hawaii.
12. What three factors contribute to the formation of large swell/waves over the open ocean?
13. What two things happen when open ocean waves reach a beach (or reef)?
14. What is the primary difference between the environments that produce air mass thunderstorms and the environments that produce severe thunderstorms?
15. Sketch three stages in the life cycle of an air mass thunderstorm below, including arrows to indicate up and downdrafts, hatching for regions of precipitation, and one contour for the location of the 0˚ C isotherm.
16. Tornadoes are most common during what period of the day? Briefly explain
17. The United States experiences the worst tornado problem in the world. Why?
18. What is the role of temperature inversions in pollution episodes?
19. What is the role of high surface-pressure areas in pollution episodes?
20. What is pH a measure of? What is the pH of distilled water? of clean rainwater?
21. List the two most important pollutants that cause acid rain.
22. Where in the Earth's atmosphere is the protective layer of ozone located?
23. What is a primary pollutant responsible for the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer?
24. What are the hazards associated with a loss of the Earth’s protective ozone layer?
25. Is ozone in the boundary layer good or bad for your health? Explain.
26. Averaged over the past million years, was the climate colder and drier or warmer and wetter than now? What evidence is there to support your answer?
27. What is the current theory that explains the swings in climate, in and out of ice ages during the past ~2 million years?
26. a. Analyze the pressure field given in Map A below. Use a pencil so that you can erase and redraw contours of constant pressure (isobars) to obtain a smooth, evenly spaced pressure pattern. The map is valid for 15 December 1987. The pressure is the number plotted to the upper right of the station symbol in millibars (mb). The standard contour interval for isobars is 4 mb (draw isobars for: 1000, 1004, 1008, ...... , 1020 mb). Your isobars should be smooth lines with few if any kinks and no intersections with other isobars. Analyze for all of the stations across the U.S. and label all contours.
b) Based on the temperature, wind, weather, and pressure data plotted on the map, locate the fronts (use a blue line for cold front and red line for warm front.
Map A
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