Chapter #4 Solutions - Understanding Weather and Climate - James E Burt, Edward Aguado - 7th Edition

1c. In what way is pressure related to the movement of molecules in a gas? Get solution

1ct. Pressurized cans of shaving cream advise users not to expose the product to excessive heat. What might happen if that advice is not followed? Will this potential problem remain throughout the life of the product? Get solution

1. Refer to any website below that produces surface and 500 mb maps. Examine the current surface map and identify the major cyclones, anticyclones, troughs, and ridges at the surface. Then look at the 500 mb map. Does the same general pattern emerge? Do the troughs and ridges at the 500 mb level occur directly over the corresponding features on the surface map? (Relationships between the surface and 500 mb levels will be discussed further in Chapter 10.) Get solution

1rq. What is a partial pressure? Get solution

1va. This satellite image shows a large, powerful storm over the North Atlantic Ocean on March 26, 2014.Superstorm of March 2014. After crossing the continental U.S., the storm intensified over the Atlantic Ocean....The wispy faint clouds blowing from west to east in the top part of the image are far above the friction layer. Assuming gradient flow, draw lines showing the orientation of height contours. Get solution

2c. What units are used in measuring pressure? Get solution

2ct. On a particular day, the vertical pressure gradient at the surface is −11 pascals per meter. What is the vertical pressure gradient in units of millibars per kilometer? Would you be able to use this gradient to exactly determine the pressure at the top of a building 200 m tall? Get solution

2. On a daily basis, go to the Weather Channel’s website at www.weather.com Read the narrative describing the general weather pattern across the United States and identify the most notable weather events occurring across the country. Then look at the surface and 500 mb weather maps. This process will help you to become more familiar with normal pressure distributions and the type of weather often associated with them. As you proceed through this text, the pressure patterns and their association with daily weather will become more meaningful to you. Get solution

2rq. What is Dalton’s law? Get solution

2va. This satellite image shows a large, powerful storm over the North Atlantic Ocean on March 26, 2014.Superstorm of March 2014. After crossing the continental U.S., the storm intensified over the Atlantic Ocean....At lower levels do clouds appear to spiral into or out of the storm’s center? Is this a cyclone or anticyclone? Get solution

3c. Why does air pressure decrease as you go upward through the atmosphere? Get solution

3ct. If a low-pressure region were to instantaneously replace a high-pressure system (assuming normally encountered values of high and low pressure), do you think you would be able to notice the difference by the pressure in your ears? Why or why not? Get solution

3. Examine today’s 500 mb weather map. You will probably find a trend toward decreasing 500 mb heights with increasing latitude. Are there any exceptions on the map to that general pattern? If so, observe the surface temperatures across North America. Do the temperature patterns have any association with the 500 mb pattern? If so, describe them. Get solution

3rq. Why does pressure always decrease with altitude? Get solution

4c. How is surface pressure converted to sea-level pressure? Get solution

4ct. Would a particular pressure gradient produce the same exact wind speed over an Arizona desert that it would over a dense forest of tall trees? Why or why not? Get solution

4. Observe a surface weather map that plots isobars and station models A good resource is www.atmo.arizona.edu. At this website, search for maps and charts under the weather tab. Do the airflow patterns around cyclones and anticyclones shown by the station models completely correspond with the generalizations made in this chapter? If not, why not? Get solution

4rq. What is the difference between surface pressure and sea-level pressure? Get solution

5c. What variables appear in the equation of state? Get solution

5ct. The pilot of a small plane wants to fly at a constant height above the surface. Can the pilot fly at a constant pressure level (such as 500 mb) to ensure the constant height above the ground? Why or why not? Get solution

5rq. How do speed and velocity differ? How do force and pressure differ? Get solution

6c. “Whenever the pressure is high at a location, the temperature is also high.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Get solution

6ct. A rule of thumb is that the 850 mb level often marks the boundary between the free atmosphere and the boundary layer. Are there parts of North America where this relationship is likely not to be valid? If so, where? Get solution

6rq. What are the equation of state and the hydrostatic equation, and what do they tell us? Get solution

7c. How does a mercury barometer work? Get solution

7ct. Consider a 90-story skyscraper with high-speed elevators. Would a person ascending from the 46th to the 90th floor undergo the same degree of ear popping as a person ascending from the 1st floor to the 45th? Why or why not? Get solution

7rq. What two variables determine air pressure? Get solution

8c. What corrections need to be made to readings from a mercury barometer and why are they necessary? Get solution

8rq. Describe how mercury and aneroid barometers measure air pressure, and explain why corrections need to be used for the observations made from one but not the other. Get solution

9c. What is the pressure gradient force? Get solution

9rq. In what way is it misleading to express pressure in inches of mercury? Get solution

10c. Use the concept of hydrostatic equilibrium to explain why a cool, dense column of air has a greater vertical pressure gradient than a warmer, less dense column of air. Get solution

10rq. Explain the concept of hydrostatic equilibrium. Get solution

11c. How do horizontal changes in temperature in the lower atmosphere affect the height of the 500 mb level? Get solution

11rq. Explain how air temperature affects the vertical pressure gradient. Get solution

12c. For the map in Figure 4–10, describe how the 500 mb level and the pressure gradient change along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California. Get solution

12rq. What is meant by “rotation around the local vertical”? How does it vary with latitude? Get solution

13c. What is the Coriolis force? Get solution

13rq. Describe the roles (if any) that wind speed, latitude, and direction of motion have in determining the magnitude of the Coriolis force. Get solution

14c. In what ways do latitude, wind speed, and direction affect the intensity of the Coriolis force? Get solution

14rq. What are geostrophic and gradient flows? Why don’t they occur near the surface? Get solution

15c. How are geostrophic flow and gradient flow similar? How are they different? Get solution

15rq. Explain how the pressure gradient force, the Coriolis force, and friction determine the movement of air in the free atmosphere and in the planetary boundary layer. Get solution

16c. In the absence of friction, why does the air flow parallel to the isobars whether or not they are curved? In other words, why doesn’t the air cross the isobars? Get solution

16rq. Define the terms cyclone, anticyclone, trough, and ridge. Get solution

17c. What is the difference between a cyclone and a trough? Get solution

17rq. Briefly describe the movement of air around cyclones and anticyclones in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Get solution

18c. In Figure 4–24, what resulted from the trough represented by the dashed line along the California coast? Explain. Get solution

18rq. What do anemometers and aerovanes measure? Get solution