Applied and Forensic Meteorology Flashcards
7 cards from real CCM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Applied and Forensic Meteorology flashcards as text
In marine forensic meteorology, when reconstructing sea state conditions for a vessel casualty investigation, which source provides the best hindcast of significant wave height?
Answer: NOAA WAVEWATCH III or ECMWF ERA5 wave reanalysis products
Spectral wave models like WAVEWATCH III or ERA5 wave reanalysis provide validated hindcast significant wave heights and periods that are widely accepted in marine casualty investigations.
A CCM is evaluating lightning as the cause of a fire for an insurance claim. Which document provides the most authoritative record of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes at a specific location?
Answer: National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) archived strike data
The NLDN provides time-stamped, geo-located cloud-to-ground strike data with location accuracy of ~250–500 m, making it the standard evidentiary source for lightning strike analysis.
Which concept describes the meteorological phenomenon where temperature inversions trap pollutants near the surface and is most relevant to air quality litigation?
Answer: Nocturnal radiation inversion or subsidence inversion capping the mixing layer
Nocturnal radiation or subsidence inversions suppress the atmospheric mixing layer, concentrating pollutants near the surface and creating high ground-level concentrations relevant to air quality lawsuits.
When testifying as an expert witness, a CCM discovers that opposing counsel is misrepresenting a station's climatological data. The most professionally appropriate response is to:
Answer: Politely but clearly correct the misrepresentation on the record with specific reference to the source data
An expert witness has a duty to the court to provide accurate information; clearly and respectfully correcting factual errors on the record is both professionally and ethically required.
In aviation forensic meteorology, a post-accident investigation focuses on wind shear during approach. Which observational tool at the airport would provide the most direct, time-specific wind shear evidence?
Answer: Low-Level Wind Shear Alert System (LLWAS) sensor network or TDWR data
LLWAS arrays and TDWR (Terminal Doppler Weather Radar) are specifically designed to detect and alert to low-level wind shear on approach and departure paths and provide time-stamped records.
A forensic meteorologist must determine whether a flood was a '100-year event.' The most technically correct interpretation of a 100-year flood is:
Answer: A flood level with a 1% annual exceedance probability
A 100-year flood has a 1% annual exceedance probability, meaning there is a 1-in-100 chance of it being equaled or exceeded in any given year, regardless of when the last one occurred.
When a CCM uses a Gaussian dispersion model for air quality litigation, the parameter 'atmospheric stability class' (Pasquill-Gifford) is critical because it governs:
Answer: The rate of vertical and horizontal spread of the plume
Pasquill-Gifford stability classes (A–F) parameterize turbulent diffusion, directly controlling how rapidly a plume disperses vertically and horizontally downwind.