1. Why is understanding stability important in the study of severe storms? a) St
ID: 110983 • Letter: 1
Question
1. Why is understanding stability important in the study of severe storms? a) Stability explains what causes tornadoes to form. b) Stability is always the deciding factor to whether or not clouds form. c) Stability determines the location and intensity of convective storms in the atmosphere. d) Stability is not particularly important for severe storms. We can fully understand them without considering atmospheric stability.
2. What will happen if a parcel of air is displaced vertically in an unstable environment? a) It will remain in its new position. b) It will return to its original position. c) It will continue to accelerate away from its original position. d) None of the above. Air cannot be displaced vertically in the atmosphere.
3. As an air parcel rises what happens to its size and temperature? a) It expands and cools. b) It expands and warms. c) It contracts and cools. d) It contracts and warms. e) It oscillates in size but its temperature does not change.
4. What information on a sounding allows you to calculate the environmental lapse rate? a) pressure b) wind speed c) wind direction d) air temperature e) dewpoint temperature
5. Which of the following lapse rates is measured by a rawinsonde? a) Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate b) Environmental Lapse Rate c) Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate d) Aerological Lapse Rate e) Mental Lapse Rate
6. How can the atmosphere’s stability at a particular location be changed? a) change the dry adiabatic lapse rate b) change the moist adiabatic lapse rate c) change the vertical temperature structure d) change the vertical wind profile
7. A lifted air parcel first becomes unstable when it reaches what point in the atmosphere? a) lifted index b) cloud base c) tropopause d) level of free convection e) lifting condensation level
8. When an air parcel reaches the lifting condensation level it will ______ and when it reaches the level of free convection it will ________. a) change lapse rates from the dry adiabatic lapse rate to the moist adiabatic lapse rate continue to cool at the moist adiabatic lapse rate b) become buoyant form a cloud c) form a cloud become buoyant d) both (a) and (b) are correct e) both (a) and (c) are correct
9. Which of the following LI (Lifted Index) values would best characterize an atmosphere with the potential to produce severe thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes? a) LI = 1013.25 b) LI = 50 c) LI = 0 d) LI = 4
10. Which stability index is least helpful in forecasting if a thunderstorm might be severe? a) CAPE b) K Index c) SWEAT Index d) Showalter Index e) Total Totals Index
11. Most thunderstorms do not extend very far into the stratosphere. What is the reason for this? a) The stratosphere is unstable since the air aloft is so cold, preventing thunderstorms from growing. b) The stratosphere is stable since the stratosphere is an inversion layer and therefore inhibits vertical motions. c) The stratosphere is neutral since the temperature in the stratosphere decreases with height at the dry adiabatic lapse rate and so air rising into the stratosphere will remain at its new position and not rise much further. d) The stratosphere is stable since the temperature in the stratosphere decreases with height at the moist adiabatic lapse rate, thereby inhibiting convection. e) The stratosphere is polluted with ozone and thunderstorms cannot form in highly polluted areas.
12. What may cause a capping inversion present on a morning sounding to erode by midafternoon? a) daytime heating b) an increase in pollution c) an influx of moisture d) None of the above are correct.
13. If an air parcel is displaced vertically in a stable environment, what will the parcel do? a) remain in its new position b) return to its original position c) turn east due to the pressure change d) turn north due to the pressure change e) accelerate away from its original position
14. What is the term used to describes a process where a parcel of air does not mix with its environment? a) isobaric b) adiabatic c) anthropogenic d) compressional
15. If you wanted to evaluate the stability of the atmosphere, which weather product would you examine? a) sounding b) wind profiler data c) surface pressure map d) radar radial velocity image
16. If an air parcel is ________, it will ____________ at the moist adiabatic lapse rate. a) saturated expand and cool b) saturated expand and warm c) saturated contract and cool d) unsaturated expand and cool e) unsaturated contract and cool
17. A saturated air parcel that is lifted will expand and cool at _______. a) an unpredictable lapse rate. b) the buoyant lapse rate. c) the dry adiabatic lapse rate. d) the moist adiabatic lapse rate. e) the environmental adiabatic lapse rate.
18. What is the atmospheric stability in a thunderstorm environment? a) stable b) neutral c) unstable d) conditionally unstable
19. If air is lifted beyond its ________it will become unstable and rise on its own without any external forcing. a) dry adiabatic level b) moist adiabatic level c) level of free convection d) lifting condensation level
20. Air can become unstable by which of the following? a) being lifted to its level of free convection by an advancing cold front b) being heated during the day by solar radiation c) remaining at the lifting condensation level until the sun sets. d) Both (a) and (b) are correct. e) (a), (b), and (c) are all correct.
Explanation / Answer
1)c)Stability determines the location and intensity of convective storms in the atmosphere.
2)c) It will continue to accelerate away from its original position.
3)a)It expands and cools
4)d) air temperature
5)b) Environmental Lapse Rate
6)c)change the vertical temperature structure
7)d)level of free convection
8)a)change lapse rates from the dry adiabatic lapse rate to the moist adiabatic lapse rate; continue to cool at the moist adiabatic lapse rate
9)d)LI = -4
10) a) CAPE
11)b) The stratosphere is stable since the stratosphere is an inversion layer and therefore inhibits vertical motions
12)a) daytime heating
13)b) return to its original position
14)b) adiabatic
15)c) surface pressure map
16)a) saturated; expand and cool
17)d) the moist adiabatic lapse rate
18)a) stable
19)c) level of free convection
20)a) being lifted to its level of free convection by an advancing cold front
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