Chapter #8 Solutions - Understanding Weather and Climate - James E Burt, Edward Aguado - 7th Edition

1c. Distinguish global-scale from synoptic-scale atmospheric phenomena. Get solution

1ct. Figure 8-4a depicts the classic description of the single-cell model. Can you think of any reason the arrows should not be directed in a straight line toward the equator? Get solution

1. Go to http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/nwsfax.html. In the first group of maps (labeled “standard barotropic levels”), select 500 mb. Then click on the link under 4a, called Height/temp. The map that will appear is a map of the 500 mb pattern, with solid lines depicting the height of the 500 mb level (in tens of meters).a. Locate the position of the major troughs and ridges.b. Is the current pattern a zonal or meridional one?c. Where is the jet stream most prominent?d. Does today’s jet stream appear across the entire region mapped?e. How does today’s map compare to the mean distributions shown in Figure 8-8? Why is the map for today (in all likelihood) less zonal than those in Figure 8-8? Get solution

1rq. Describe the single-cell and three-cell models of the general circulation. Get solution

1va. This map shows sea-surface temperature anomalies for early June 2014....Is it suggestive of El Niño or La Niña conditions? Get solution

2c. Give examples of mesoscale and microscale phenomena. Get solution

2ct. The three-cell model of circulation places the center of the equatorial low right along the equator. Do you think that the varying solar declination through the course of a year would be able to shift the center of the low all the way to the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn? Get solution

2. If you have a high-speed connection to the Web, go to http://weather.unisys.com/nam/nam.php?plot=500&inv=0&t=1 to see an animation depicting the change in the 500 mb pattern as predicted by a numerical model.a. Describe the predicted movement of the Rossby waves.b. How does the movement of the Rossby waves respond to their wavelengths and internal wind speeds (as implied by the spacing of the contours)? Get solution

2rq. What is the Hadley cell and where is it found? Get solution

2va. This map shows sea-surface temperature anomalies for early June 2014....What part of the world ocean has the highest mapped values (above 4°C)? Is the sea surface warmer there than any place else? (Obviously not.) Please explain. Get solution

3c. What are zonal winds? Meridional winds? Get solution

3ct. Which of the belts depicted in the three-cell model is likely to exhibit the greatest temperature gradients? Get solution

3rq. Of the pressure and wind belts described in the three-cell model, which have the strongest basis in reality? Get solution

3va. This map shows sea-surface temperature anomalies for early June 2014....Considering your answer to Question 2, why are anomaly maps used to depict El Niños and La Niñas? Get solution

4c. What were two main contributions of Habley’s single-cell model? Get solution

4ct. Examine Figure 8-6 and determine which of the semipermanent cells have the highest and lowest surface air pressures. How do the strengths of the winter and summer cells in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres compare to each other? Get solution

4rq. Why do the trade winds flow from the northeast and southeast instead of directly from the east? Get solution

5c. How do rainfall and wind vary across a Hadley cell, from the equator to about 20° to 30° latitude? Explain. Get solution

5ct. Figure 8-6 shows that pressure gradients, and therefore wind speeds, are strong in the middle-high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (such as at the southern tip of South America), Why doesn’t a similar feature exist in the Northern Hemisphere? Get solution

5rq. What are the Ferrel and polar cells? Get solution

6c. What are the shortcomings of the three-cell model? Get solution

6ct. If the western Great Plains were to have very low temperatures and the East Coast relatively warm conditions, what inferences would you make about the position and amplitude of the Rossby wave pattern? Get solution

6rq. Explain how atmospheric motion is maintained in terms of potential energy, kinetic energy, and frictional dissipation. Get solution

7c. What are the best-developed semipermanent pressure cells during winter in the Northern Hemisphere? Get solution

7ct. Weather forecasters often use a type of weather map depicting the thickness of the 1000-500 mb layer of the atmosphere. What information would this map convey to a meteorologist? Get solution

7rq. Describe the distribution of semipermanent cells and their seasonal changes in location and size. Get solution

8c. Explain how and why the subtropical highs affect the climates of the continents adjacent to them. Get solution

8ct. Why isn’t upwelling an important process of the Gulf Stream? Get solution

8rq. What is the Sahel? Describe its seasonal cycle of rainfall and explain its origin. Get solution

9c. How does the seasonal shift of the ITCZ affect the lives of people in sub-Saharan Africa? Get solution

9ct. Why do ocean surface temperature patterns change so slowly, especially when compared to atmospheric patterns? Get solution

9rq. Describe the average patterns of the 500 mb level for January and July, What causes the patterns? Get solution

10c. How do winter and summer compare with respect to Rossby waves? Get solution

10ct. El Niño and La Niña conditions help meteorologists make seasonal forecasts for the southeastern United States-thousands of kilometers away. What atmospheric mechanism permits such extrapolations? Get solution

10rq. Explain why upper-atmospheric winds outside the tropics have a strong westerly component, on average. Get solution

11c. Why are Rossby waves important in midlatitude weather? Get solution

11rq. What are atmospheric rivers and why are they important? Get solution

12c. What are jet streams? Get solution

12rq. Why does the equatorward bending of height contours for the 500 mb level imply the presence of a trough? Get solution

13c. What roles do atmospheric rivers play in the movement of water vapor? Get solution

13rq. Explain how temperature patterns lead to the development of the polar jet stream. Get solution

14c. How are winds and ocean currents related? Get solution

14rq. Describe the distribution of Rossby waves and their impact on daily weather. Get solution

15c. What are the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift, and how do they affect northwestern Europe? Get solution

15rq. What is the Ekman spiral? Get solution

16c. Why does the summer monsoon produce heavy rainfall? Get solution

16rq. What is upwelling? How is it caused? Get solution

17c. How do continentality and the Himalayas help cause the monsoon in southern Asia? Get solution

17rq. Describe the scope of global, synoptic, mesoscale, and microscale wind systems. Get solution

18c. Under what conditions do foehns, chinooks, and Santa Ana winds form? Why are these winds warm? Get solution

18rq. Describe the wind patterns associated with the monsoon of southern Asia. Get solution

19c. How do katabatic winds differ from foehns, chinooks, and Santa Ana winds? Explain. Get solution

19rq. Describe foehn winds. Get solution

20c. How do El Niño conditions in the eastern Pacific differ from “normal” conditions? Get solution

20rq. How do katabatic winds differ in origin from foehn winds? Get solution

21c. How can an El Niño affect the weather? Include teleconnections in your answer. Get solution

21rq. What causes sea/land and mountain/valley breezes to develop? Get solution

22c. What is the PDO Index? Get solution

22rq. What is an El Niño and how is it related to the Walker circulation? Get solution

23c. How do changes in the NAO influence weather conditions across Europe and eastern North America? Get solution

23rq. Describe the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Arctic Oscillation. Get solution