Geology 110: Earth and Space Science



Geology 110: Earth and Space Science

Chapter 15 (Weather Systems)

Homework

SELF-REFLECTION AND COMPREHENSION SURVEYS

Checkpoint 15.1, p. 422

#1: Explain three examples of how you use the weather forecast.

Checkpoint 15.2, p. 423

#2: Examine Figure 15.1. Identify 3 regions in different parts of the country that are relatively free of weather hazards and 3 that appear to have a relatively high risk of experiencing weather hazards. What patterns can you identify in the weather characteristics displayed on the map?

Checkpoint 15.3, p. 423

#3: How are the following 4 key principals of science most evident in the brief history of meteorology discussed in this section?

a) Phenomena can be explained by natural causes.

b) Explanations are tentative.

c) Science is based on empirical observations.

d) Explanations should be testable.

Checkpoint 15.4, p. 423

#4: Go to the Weather Channel website () and enter your city or zip code. Follow the directions at the site to obtain the 10-day forecast for your location.

Checkpoint 15.5, p. 425

#5: Of the five most common types of air masses, which ones most directly affect the area where you live?

Checkpoint 15.6, p. 425 (not required, not extra credit)

#6: Which air masses would be present during July at each of the locations indicated on the following globes?

[pic]

Checkpoint 15.7, p. 426 (not required, not extra credit)

#7: Imagine that you had a device that would constantly monitor the characteristics of an air mass as it moved from its source region to another location. Draw some idealized graphs to illustrate how some key characteristics of the mT and cP air masses would change.

Checkpoint 15.8, p. 428

#8: Thunderstorms and tornadoes are most frequently associated with weather patterns that form where maritime tropical air masses interact with continental polar air masses over the United States. Predict how the distribution and frequency of U.S. thunderstorms and tornadoes will vary during a typical year.

Checkpoint 15.9, p. 428

[pic]

#9: Use the map to answer the questions that follow.

1. The map illustrates the relative positions of a warm and cold front. Where is the warm front located?

a) Between A and B b) Between C and D c) At E

2. Where is it raining?

a) A and B b) B and C c) C and D d) B and D

3. Which location is in a maritime tropical air mass?

a) A b) G c) E d) H

4. Which location will become warmer in the next 12 hours?

a) A b) B c) C d) D

5. Which of the following images best represents conditions along the line X-Y on the map? Explain what is happening along X-Y for your choice.

[pic]

Answer:

Checkpoint 15.10, p. 428

#10: The data on the accompanying table represent changes in rainfall and temperature recorded at Heathrow Airport, London, over parts of 2 days in October 2000, during the passage of a frontal system. Use the data to answer these questions. (see table below).

1. When did the warm front pass the weather station?

2. When did the cold front pass the weather station?

3. Does rainfall or temperature represent a better indicator of the passage of a cold or warm front? Justify your answer.

4. Which exerted the greatest influence on temperature? Justify your answer.

a. Time of Day b. Passage of the Frontal System

Precipitation and Temperature at Heathrow Airport Weather Station

|Date |Time |Precipitation, mm |Temperature, oC |

|10-29 |10.00 |0 |10.0 |

| |11.00 |0 |10.6 |

| |12.00 |0 |11.6 |

| |13.00 |0 |11.6 |

| |14.00 |0 |11.8 |

| |15.00 |0 |11.6 |

| |16.00 |0 |10.5 |

| |17.00 |0.2 |10.8 |

| |18.00 |1.6 |11.4 |

| |19.00 |2 |12.1 |

| |20.00 |2.4 |11.7 |

| |21.00 |2.4 |12.7 |

| |22.00 |1.6 |13.2 |

| |23.00 |0.8 |11.4 |

|10-30 |00.00 |5.4 |13.1 |

| |01.00 |2.4 |13.3 |

| |02.00 |2.4 |13.2 |

| |03.00 |1.6 |13.1 |

| |04.00 |1.6 |13.0 |

| |05.00 |2.0 |13.1 |

| |06.00 |1.4 |12.8 |

| |07.00 |2.8 |9.8 |

| |08.00 |5.0 |10.2 |

| |09.00 |1.0 |8.9 |

| |10.00 |0 |8.4 |

| |11.00 |0 |6.6 |

| |12.00 |0.2 |7.6 |

| |13.00 |0.4 |9.9 |

| |14.00 |0.2 |10.8 |

| |15.00 |0 |11.3 |

| |16.00 |0 |11.0 |

| |17.00 |0 |10.5 |

Checkpoint 15.11, p. 429: Frontal Systems Changes (extra credit)

#11: Weather conditions change with the passage of warm or cold fronts. These changes are related to changes in air pressure, air temperature, and in the state of water. Examine Figure 15.10 and answer the questions below.

[pic]

1. Describe the change in state of water associated with the passage of a warm front.

2. Will this change in state cause latent heat to be released or absorbed? Justify your answer.

3. Describe the adiabatic temperature changes associated with the passage of a warm front.

Question 15.12, p. 430

#12: Venn Diagram: Cold and Warm Fronts (required, all classes; message for online classes: please identify 8 other features along with the two listed below, and after the features put, in bold or color, whether the feature applies to a cold front, warm front or both…)

Use the Venn diagram provided here to compare and contrast the characteristics of warm and cold fronts. Identify at least 10 features.

1.

2.

3. Temperature increases as front passes

4.

5. Cirrus clouds in advance of front

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Checkpoint 15.13, p. 431 (not required, not extra credit)

#13: How and when do mid-latitude cyclones affect weather where you live? Explain the reasons for these effects.

Checkpoint 15.14, p. 431 (extra credit)

#14 : Examine Figure 15.13b (in book). Where is the low pressure system at the center of the cyclone? What type of front is represented by the line of clouds extending across the Gulf of Mexico?

Checkpoint 15.15, p. 431 (not required, not extra credit)

#15: Examine a series of weather maps of current surface conditions that show the distribution of low- and high-pressure systems and cold and warm fronts. Examine the maps over several consecutive days. Print the maps and label the features of mid-latitude cyclones that are present. Determine the rate and direction they travel over the observation period. (You can find current surface maps at or or .)

Checkpoint 15.16, p. 432 (not required, not extra credit)

Create a concept map that links the development of mid-latitude cyclones with frontal systems.

Checkpoint 15.17, p. 434 (not required or extra credit)

#17: Which airport is most likely to experience flight delays due to thunderstorm activity? What data contributed to your answer?

a) Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport, Georgia

b) Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah

c) Dallas’s Love Field Airport, Texas

d) Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Washington

Checkpoint 15.18, p. 435 (not required or extra credit)

#18: Updrafts responsible for the formation of thunderstorm clouds are most likely to occur with which combination of conditions?

a) Low-level warm, moist air; upper-level warm, moist air

b) Low-level cool, dry air; upper-level warm moist air

c) Low-level warm moist air; upper-level cool, dry air

d) Low-level cool, dry air; upper-level cool dry air.

Checkpoint 15.19, p. 435 (not required, not extra credit)

Why do parts of Florida have over 100 thunderstorms a year while parts of Texas at the same latitude have less than one-third as many storms?

Checkpoint 15.20, p. 435

#20: Rank the three thunderstorm components (air temperature, moisture, a lifting mechanism) in order of their significance in causing thunderstorms. Justify your ranking.

Checkpoint 15.21, p. 437

Given what you have already learned in this chapter, predict which listing below shows the correct rank order for states with the greatest number of tornadoes in March, June, and August.

a) Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota

b) Oklahoma, Florida, Minnesota

c) Minnesota, Oklahoma, Florida

Checkpoint 15.22, p. 438

#22: Examine the 4 images of tornado damage in Figure 15.22. Which image corresponds to damages from an F1, F2, F3, and F4 tornado, respectively? Justify your pairings.

Checkpoint 15.23, p. 439 (not required, not extra credit)

#23: Venn Diagram: Fujita and Modified Mercalli Scales

Use the Venn diagram provided here to compare and contrast the characteristics of the Fujita and Modified Mercalli Scales as measures of tornado and earthquake damage.

Identify at least 7 features.

Examples are shown below.

1.

2.

3.

4. 12 levels

5.

6.

7. Applies in cities

Checkpoint 15.24, p. 439 (not required, not extra credit)

#24: Explain why the number of tornadoes counted each year has increased, while the number of days with at least one tornado sighting has remained essentially unchanged for several decades.

Checkpoint 15.25, p. 441

#25: The costliest hurricanes are not necessarily the most intense. Explain why two Category 1 hurricanes (Agnes, 1972; Diane, 1955) are in the top 10 most costly U.S. hurricanes when adjusted for inflation.

Checkpoint 15.26, p. 446 (not required, not extra credit)

#26: Draw a diagram that illustrates how the 4 components of the Earth system (atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere) interact during a hurricane.

Checkpoint 15.27, p. 447 (message for online classes; please submit this in your notebook due on Dec 5)

#27: Venn Diagram: Mid-level Cyclones, Tornadoes, and Hurricanes

Use a Venn diagram (see page 447 on how to draw this diagram) to compare and contrast mid-latitude cyclones, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Identify at least 12 features.

Checkpoint 15.28, p. 448 (not required, not extra credit)

#28: You work in a team of disaster specialists for the Weather Channel. During discussions about coverage of the upcoming hurricane season, your boss states that she doesn’t believe that the Saffir-Simpson scale sufficiently reflects the risks associated with hurricanes because it places so much emphasis on the physical characteristics of the storm. The channel wants to create its own scoring system that better evaluates the potential damage from incoming hurricanes.

1. You and your team are given the assignment to create an evaluation rubric to assess factors that will influence the risk of damage from a future hurricane. On the table presented here, identify at least 5 additional factors. One (wind speed) has been included as an example. When developing your rubric, consider both physical and cultural factors.

2. After completing the rubric, you realize that some factors are more significant than others. Your team decides to double the score of the most important factor. Which do they choose? Why?

3. Read the following descriptions of Hurricanes Dennis and Mitch. Do these descriptions cause you to change any of the categories in your scoring rubric? Rank these storms using your modified rubric.

(extend table

|Factors |Low Risk (1 point) |Moderate Risk (2 points) |High Risk (3 points) |

|Wind speed |Low (Category 1,2) |Intermediate (Categrory 2) |High (Category 4,5) |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

| | | | |

Hurricane Dennis, August 1999

The coastal areas of North Carolina had their fourth tropical storm scare in as many years in late August. Hurricane Dennis developed over the eastern Bahamas on the 26th and drifted northward parallel to the southeast U.S. coast. Dennis became an immediate threat to southeastern North Carolina on the 29th. The storm center came to within 97 kilometers (60 miles) of the coast early on the 30th as a strong category 2 hurricane with highest sustained winds of 166 km/h (105 mph). Rainfall amounts approached 25 centimeters (10 inches) in coastal southeastern North Carolina.

This area is no stranger to hurricane activity. Category 2 Hurricane Bertha and Category 3 Hurricane Fran hit Brunswick County in 1996 and Hurricane Bonnie (Category 2) followed nearly the same path in 1998. Prior to 1996, the area had been spared from the direct impact of a hurricane since Charlie (Category 1) hit Carteret County in 1986.

Because Hurricane Dennis never made landfall, damage was only moderate.

However, the storm lingered off the coast for several days, so beach erosion and damage to coastal highways were significant. Residents of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands were stranded for several days due to severe damage to Highway 12.

Hurricane Mitch, October/November, 1998

Hurricane Mitch will be remembered as the most deadly hurricane to strike the Western Hemisphere in the last two centuries. The death toll was reported as 11,000, with thousands of others missing. More than three million people were either homeless or otherwise severely affected by the storm. In this extremely poor developing region of the globe, estimates of the total damage exceeded $5 billion and rising.

Within 4 days of its origin as a tropical depression on October 22, Mitch had grown into a Category 5 storm. On October 26, the monster storm had deepened to a pressure of 905 millibars, with sustained winds of 155 knots (180 mph) and gusts well over 200 mph.

Mitch moved westward, and on October 27, it was about 97 kilometers (60 miles) north of Honduras. Preliminary wave height estimates north of Honduras during this time at the height of the hurricane were as high as 13.5 meters (44 feet), according to one wave model.

Although its ferocious winds began to abate slowly, it took Mitch two days to drift southward and make landfall. Mitch then began a slow westward drift through the mountainous interior of Honduras, finally reaching the border with Guatemala on October 31.

Although the ferocity of the winds decreased during the westward drift, the storm produced enormous amounts of precipitation, caused in part by the mountains of Central America. As moist air from both the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean to its south fed into Mitch, the stage was set for a disaster of epic proportions. Taking into account the orographic effects of the volcanic peaks of Central America and Mitch’s slow movement, rain fell at the rate of 30 to 60 centimeters (12 to 24 inches) per day in many of the mountainous regions. Total rainfall of as much as 2 meters (75 inches) was reported for the entire storm.

Weather Systems Concept Map, p. 449 (not required, not extra credit)

#29: Complete the following concept map to evaluate your understanding of the interactions between the Earth system and weather systems. Label as many interactions as you can, using the information from this chapter.

A. Hurricanes develop in tropical waters warmed by solar radiation

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M. Water evaporates from our skin when we are hot

-----------------------

X

Warm Front

Cold Front

Modified Mercali Scale

Fujita Scale

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