Physical Geography Exam (Ch.7)

Calm, fair weather is most likely to result from a ______.

midlatitude anticyclone

Which of the following is the least likely zone of formation for a large air mass?

the U.S. Midwest

Which of the following occurs least over North America?

Maritime Polar air from the North Atlantic

Of the air masses below, the coldest, driest ones are termed _____.

continental Polar

Of the list below, the coldest air is bound to be associated with a ____ air mass.

cP

When neither air mass displaces the adjacent one, their boundary is called a _____ front.

stationary

Fronts are located ______.

at the edges of air masses

______ have the most dynamic and changeable day-to-day weather on Earth.

Latitudes affected by fronts

Which front is shown on weather maps as a line with alternating semicircles and triangles on the same side of the line?

occluded front

It can be said that along all the fronts in a middle latitude cyclone, _______.

air rises

In which frontal type is there no "aggressor" air mass?

stationary

A midlatitude anticyclone ______.

is associated with sunny, dry weather

Which of the following is CLOSEST to the WIDTH of a front at Earth's surface?

100 kilometers

On the average, _______ fronts move the fastest of all fronts.

cold

On a weather map, a symbol consisting of triangles arranged along one side of a line indicates a ______ front.

cold

Which of the following probably is least indicative of a cold frontal passage two hours ago?

an increase in temperature

Which type of front typically produces the fastest rise of air?

cold

Which of the following is a normal slope for a warm front?

1:400

Which type of front causes many hours of steady rain BEFORE that front passes a locations?

warm

Is an occluded front, the warm air sector is _____.

above the ground

The global westerly wind zone most heavily impacts the ______ latitudes.

middle

A midlatitude cyclone is also properly termed ______.

a wave cyclone

An average air mass is on the order of _______ kilometers in diameter.

1,600

An occluded front forms part of which of the following?

an extratropical cyclone

Midlatitude cyclones and anticyclones function as migratory features in the _____.

westerlies

Upper air divergence is most closely associated with surface ______.

cyclones

Which of the following statements does NOT correctly describe the U.S. distribution of midlatitude cyclones?

more occur in the summer than in the winter

Most middle latitude cyclones occur _______.

downstream of an upper level pressure trough

A mature middle latitude cyclone takes on the shape of a ______.

wave

In the Northern Hemisphere, a midlatitude cyclone has winds that circulate ______.

counterclockwise while converging

Stable anticyclones act as a ________ to moving cyclones.

block

Most midlatitude cyclones have _______.

paths determined by the upper flow

Which of the following best represents the length of the life cycle of a typical midlatitude cyclone?

1 week

The warmest air can be found in the _______ air mass.

cT

The movement (track along the ground) of middle latitude cyclones is determined by _______.

the jet stream

As a middle latitude cyclone goes through its life cycle, the warm sector _______.

gets smaller

At any given time, how many extratropical cyclones might one expect to be in existence in the Northern Hemisphere?

6 to 15

Which of the following can be said to be the "death" of a midlatitude cyclone?

occlusion

The beginning of a middle latitude cyclone is known as _______.

cyclogenesis

Cyclogenesis occurs along the ______.

polar front

Which of the following is most closely associated with midlatitude cyclones?

meridional flow in the upper westerlies

Midlatitude cyclones contain several well-defined channels of air called ______.

the conveyor belt

In the Conveyor Belt Model, the dry slot is _______.

bringing descending air into the cyclone

Concerning midlatitude anticyclones, which of the following is FALSE?

they contain air mass conflict

Which of the following air masses can be identified as being "very stable"?

arctic

Which is NOT true of BOTH midlatitude cyclones and midlatitude anticyclones?

they contain subsiding air

In a midlatitude anticyclone, where are the strongest winds usually found?

near the eastern edge

The correct designation for a hurricane is a ______.

tropical cyclone

The part of the hurricane characterized by scattered high clouds and light winds is known as the _____.

eye

The largest and strongest tropical cyclones are associated with the _____.

china sea

The "eye" of the hurricane is a zone characterized by ____.

sinking air

Which of the following is NOT NECESSARILY a property of an air mass?

It must have a warm front at its leading edge

Which of the following rarely affects North America?

equatorial

The desert would be the obvious zone of origin of a _____ air mass.

cT

Which of the following is NOT an ideal air mass source region?

the Rocky Mountains west of Denver