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General Meteorology I Trivia Quiz

Here is a short quiz on general meteorology. Some questions are easy and some I made a bit tougher!

A multiple-choice quiz by hutch2000. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
hutch2000

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
195,430

Updated
Nov 29 23

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
1781

Last 3 plays: Guest 108 (4/10), Guest 49 (2/10), Linda_Arizona (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What exactly is meteorology? Hint

the study of stars

the study of clouds

the study of meteors

the study of the earth's atmosphere and weather phenomena

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Question 2 of 10

2. In what part of the atmosphere does the vast majority of our weather take place? Hint

the troposphere

the stratosphere

the mesosphere

the ionosphere

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Question 3 of 10

3. What are the three most widely recognized branches of meteorology? Hint

forecasting, climatological, and theoretical

physical, chemical, and geographical

physical, dynamical, and synoptic

local, regional, and global

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Question 4 of 10

4. If you study synoptic meteorology what do you concentrate on? Hint

large-scale weather systems

air pollution

the physics of atmospheric motions

air-sea interactions

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Question 5 of 10

5. So what exactly is the primary cause of the earth's weather (in the broadest sense)? Hint

the weather gods

the earth's rotation coupled with its tilted axis

the latitudinal variation of incident solar radiation

the movement of air from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure

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Question 6 of 10

6. In the northern hemisphere, which way does air move/flow near areas of high pressure? Hint

counter-clockwise

clockwise

north to south

directly towards low pressure

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the following answers most accurately describes how air pressure varies with height in a standard atmospheric profile? Hint

pressure decreases with increasing height at a rate proportional to the inverse of the fourth power of height

pressure decreases linearly with increasing height

pressure decreases nearly exponentially with increasing height

pressure increases with height (just like it increases with depth in the ocean)

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Question 8 of 10

8. What is the most highly variable gas in our atmosphere (i.e., which gas's concentration fluctuates the most in time and space)? Hint

carbon dioxide

oxygen

water vapor

nitrogen

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of the following terms best describes air moving from one location to another in the vertical or horizontal? Hint

radiation

conduction

advection

convection

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which of these explains why the sky is blue? Hint

largely due to refraction

largely due to absorption and thus the excitation of air molecules

largely due to non-selective scattering

largely due to Rayleigh Scattering

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What exactly is meteorology?

Answer: the study of the earth's atmosphere and weather phenomena

The word Meteorology comes from the Greek word "meteos" which literally means the "heavens". Over the centuries, however, the term has come to be identified with the study of weather and the atmosphere.

2. In what part of the atmosphere does the vast majority of our weather take place?

Answer: the troposphere

The troposphere is the lowest layer of the earth's atmosphere, going from the surface to approximately 35,000ft. This number can vary significantly depending on whether you are in the tropics or the higher latitudes.

3. What are the three most widely recognized branches of meteorology?

Answer: physical, dynamical, and synoptic

This classification can vary depending on the particular university or academic program, but I have found that these three are the most common.

4. If you study synoptic meteorology what do you concentrate on?

Answer: large-scale weather systems

Synopticians typically study this information in order to produce short-term and long-term forecasts.

5. So what exactly is the primary cause of the earth's weather (in the broadest sense)?

Answer: the latitudinal variation of incident solar radiation

Ultimately, it is this differential heating of the earth by the sun that drives all of the atmospheric motions, and hence is responsible for all of our daily weather.

6. In the northern hemisphere, which way does air move/flow near areas of high pressure?

Answer: clockwise

It is important to remember that in the mid-latitudes, winds aloft(i.e. not surface winds) are balanced by two main forces: the pressure gradient force and the Coriolis force. The pressure gradient force always "pushes" air from higher to lower pressure areas and the Coriolis force always "pushes" air to the right in the northern hemisphere.

The balance of these two forces causes air to move in a clockwise direction around areas of higher pressure, and counter-clockwise around areas of lower pressure.

7. Which of the following answers most accurately describes how air pressure varies with height in a standard atmospheric profile?

Answer: pressure decreases nearly exponentially with increasing height

Air pressure and density both decrease less and less the higher up you go. Thus, even though the atmosphere is about 100km thick, most of its mass is in the first 10 or so kilometers.

8. What is the most highly variable gas in our atmosphere (i.e., which gas's concentration fluctuates the most in time and space)?

Answer: water vapor

Water vapor is by far the most variable gas in the earth's atmosphere. Think of the difference between the moist tropics and the extremely dry desert regions.

9. Which of the following terms best describes air moving from one location to another in the vertical or horizontal?

Answer: advection

I asked this question because forecasters are always very interested in the amount of cold-air or warm-air advection that takes place in a particular region. Without this knowledge it is very difficult to make an accurate forecast.

10. Which of these explains why the sky is blue?

Answer: largely due to Rayleigh Scattering

Since individual air molecules are considerably smaller than the wavelength(s) of visible light passing through the atmosphere, scattering in the Rayleigh region predominately occurs. It is always good to know this one (just in case somebody ever asks)!

Source: Author hutch2000

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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