Atmospheric Science and Weather Analysis 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 Atmospheric Science and Weather Analysis flashcards as text
The Omega equation in quasi-geostrophic (QG) theory relates vertical motion to:
Answer: Differential vorticity advection and temperature advection
The QG omega equation shows that rising motion is forced by positive vorticity advection increasing with height and warm air advection, while sinking motion is forced by the opposites.
In sounding analysis, Convective Inhibition (CIN) represents:
Answer: The negative area on a skew-T diagram that a parcel must overcome to reach the LFC
CIN is the negative buoyancy energy (negative area on a skew-T) that a parcel must overcome through some lifting mechanism to reach the Level of Free Convection and initiate deep convection.
The 'brick wall' effect in tornado outbreaks refers to:
Answer: A sharp boundary where conditions transition from tornadic to non-tornadic, often along a surface boundary
In tornado outbreak situations, sharp surface boundaries (fronts, drylines, outflow) create abrupt transitions in tornado potential, sometimes described operationally as a 'brick wall' separating high-risk from low-risk areas.
Which diagnostic quantity is most useful for identifying regions of frontogenesis in the lower troposphere?
Answer: The Frontogenesis Function (F)
The Frontogenesis Function (F) measures the rate of change of the horizontal potential temperature gradient following the flow, identifying areas where fronts are intensifying.
El Niño events typically produce which pattern over the contiguous United States during winter?
Answer: Wetter and cooler conditions in the southern US with warmer and drier conditions in the North
During El Niño winters, the southern US (especially the Gulf Coast) tends to be wetter and cooler due to an enhanced subtropical jet, while the northern US and Pacific Northwest experience warmer, drier conditions.
A 'derecho' is classified as which type of severe weather event?
Answer: A long-lived, widespread convectively-induced straight-line wind event
A derecho is a widespread, long-lived windstorm (typically requiring damaging winds >58 mph over a path >240 miles) associated with a fast-moving MCS, producing straight-line rather than rotational damage.
The concept of 'potential vorticity thinking' is most directly used in operational meteorology to:
Answer: Track the evolution of tropopause anomalies and their role in cyclogenesis
Potential vorticity (PV) is materially conserved in adiabatic, frictionless flow, so tracking PV anomalies on isentropic surfaces reveals upper-level dynamics driving cyclone development and intensification.