atmosphere & climatology section 2 MCQ Questions & Answers Detailed Explanation

Answer: (a)

A tornado is a closed low-pressure circulation that is marked by a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.

Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as cyclogenesis.

Answer: (d)

Blizzards are characterized by low temperatures (usually below 20 degrees Fahrenheit) and accompanied by winds that are at least 35 mph or greater.

Blizzards also have sufficient falling and/or blowing snow that reduces visibility to 1/4 mile or less at least three hours and is the main feature of the Antarctic region.

Answer: (d)

Wind flows outward down the pressure gradient away from the subtropical highs. As it does so, it encounters the Coriolis Effect caused by the rotation of the Earth.

This force causes the winds in the Northern Hemisphere to move from the east towards the west below the subtropical high, and from the west towards the east above the subtropical high.

The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere. Above the subtropical high winds move from east to west, and below the subtropical high winds move from west to the east.

Answer: (d)

Cloudy nights are warmer than clear nights because of insolation.

Answer: (b)

The higher speed and greater persistence of the westerlies in the Southern Hemisphere are caused by the difference in the atmospheric pressure patterns as well as its variation from that of the Northern hemisphere.

The landmass in the southern hemisphere is comparatively less and average annual pressure decreases much more rapidly on the poleward side of the high-pressure belt. Statement 1 is correct.

As far as Coriolis force is concerned, it is strongest in the polar regions and zeroes at the equator. At the intermediate levels, it varies directly as the sine of the latitude.

Answer: (b)