Answer The Following Meteorology And Astronomy Questions ✓ Solved
Answer the following meteorology and astronomy questions ALL
Meteorology:
1. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
- Studies have shown that at least half of the hurricanes that make landfall produce at least one tornado.
- Most tornado injuries and deaths result from flying debris.
- When a cyclone's strongest winds do not exceed 38 mph, it is called a tropical depression.
- Because hurricanes strengthen as they move inland, most of the damage occurs within 200 miles from the coast.
2. A land breeze usually originates during the:
- evening and flows toward the land.
- day and flows toward the land.
- evening and flows toward the water.
- day and flows toward the water.
3. Another name for a midlatitude cyclone is:
- tornado.
- hurricane.
- typhoon.
- extratropical cyclone.
4. A subpolar low (polar front) is:
- a zone where the trade winds meet.
- the forward edge of the Antarctic ice cap.
- a zone where the polar easterlies and the westerlies converge.
- the boundary between frozen sea water and liquid sea water.
5. Lines on a weather map connecting places of equal air pressure are called:
- isovectors.
- isobars.
- isotherms.
- isogrids.
6. What pressure zone is associated with abundant precipitation and warm temperatures?
- Subtropical high
- Equatorial low
- Subpolar low
- Polar easterlies
7. Which of the following is when the pressure gradient force is balanced and winds blow parallel to the isobars?
- Jet streams
- Anti-cyclones
- Westerlies
- Geostrophic winds
8. Standard sea level pressure in inches of mercury is ________ inches.
9. Which of the following is characterized by circulation consisting of strong up and down movements?
- Tornadoes
- Hurricanes
- Mid-latitude cyclones
- Thunderstorms
10. A sea breeze usually originates during the:
- evening and flows toward the land.
- day and flows toward the land.
- evening and flows toward the water.
- day and flows toward the water.
11. Given your understanding of the conditions required for the formation of a thunderstorm, why would there be so many thunderstorms in eastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico? What is so special about this relatively small area?
12. Why are coastal and mountainous regions often much more windy than other locations at similar latitudes? Also, are there other weather characteristics that are perhaps unique or different for these areas?
Astrophysics/Astronomy:
1. The final stage of evolution of the most massive stars is a:
- black hole.
- main-sequence star.
- red giant.
- white dwarf.
2. Based on the observed red shifts in the spectral lines of distant galaxies, astronomers conclude that:
- Earth is the center of the universe.
- the universe is contracting.
- the universe is expanding.
- the universe is in a steady state.
3. Which of the following astronomers derived two basic laws of planetary motion, then later added a third?
- Galileo
- Kepler
- Copernicus
- Brahe
4. The discovery that the universe appears to be expanding led to a widely accepted theory called:
- the Big Bang.
- Hubble's Law.
- Einstein's Law.
- the Doppler Effect.
5. _________ galaxies are sometimes called dwarf galaxies, being typically smaller than spiral galaxies.
- Elliptical
- Irregular
- Normal
- Barred
6. _________ has a hot, turbulent atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide.
- Mars
- Jupiter
- Mercury
- Venus
7. Which theory held that the Earth was a sphere that stayed motionless at the center of the universe?
- Heliocentric
- Geocentric
- Big Bang
- Stationary
8. According to the Ptolemaic (Greek) model of the universe, how many "heavenly" bodies could be observed wandering along the background of stars?
- One
- Nine
- Five
- Seven
9. Which main-sequence stars are the least massive?
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Blue
10. Which of the following is a FALSE statement?
- Stars that appear the brightest are of the first magnitude, while the faintest stars visible to the unaided eye are of the sixth magnitude.
- Most stars have such small parallax shifts that accurate measurement is always possible.
- Stellar parallax is the extremely slight back-and-forth shifting in the apparent position of a nearby star due to the orbital motion of the Earth.
- Emission nebulae are gaseous masses that consist largely of hydrogen.
11. Describe the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. How is it useful in classifying stars? Where do stars tend to cluster on the diagram? Where on the H-R diagram does a star spend most of its life?
12. Discuss stellar evolution (describing each stage in brief). What forces are opposing one another throughout the life of a star and how do they influence the various stages in the life cycle of a star?
Paper For Above Instructions
Concise answers to multiple-choice items
Below are the correct selections and brief justification for the meteorology and astronomy multiple-choice items.
- Meteorology Q1 (FALSE): "Because hurricanes strengthen as they move inland..." — False; tropical cyclones weaken after landfall because they lose ocean heat and moisture (Ahrens, 2015).
- Meteorology Q2: Land breeze — evening and flows toward the water (nighttime land-to-sea flow) (Wallace & Hobbs, 2006).
- Meteorology Q3: Midlatitude cyclone = extratropical cyclone (synoptic-scale low) (Wallace & Hobbs, 2006).
- Meteorology Q4: Subpolar low = zone where polar easterlies and westerlies converge (polar front) (Ahrens, 2015).
- Meteorology Q5: Lines of equal pressure = isobars.
- Meteorology Q6: Abundant precipitation and warm temperatures = Equatorial low (ITCZ) (NOAA, 2020).
- Meteorology Q7: Balanced pressure gradient and Coriolis, winds parallel to isobars = geostrophic winds.
- Meteorology Q8: Standard sea-level pressure = 29.92 inches of mercury (Ahrens, 2015).
- Meteorology Q9: Strong up-and-down circulation = thunderstorms (deep convective updrafts and downdrafts) (Bluestein, 1999).
- Meteorology Q10: Sea breeze — day and flows toward the land (cooler sea air inland) (Wallace & Hobbs, 2006).
- Astronomy Q1: Final stage for most massive stars = black hole (if mass exceeds threshold after core collapse) (Kippenhahn et al., 2012).
- Astronomy Q2: Redshifts indicate the universe is expanding (Hubble, 1929; Freedman & Kaufmann, 2013).
- Astronomy Q3: Johannes Kepler formulated three laws of planetary motion (Kepler) (Carroll & Ostlie, 2017).
- Astronomy Q4: Expansion discovery contributed to the Big Bang theory (Hubble, 1929; Freedman & Kaufmann, 2013).
- Astronomy Q5: Irregular galaxies are often dwarf systems (Freedman & Kaufmann, 2013).
- Astronomy Q6: Venus has a hot, CO2-dominated atmosphere.
- Astronomy Q7: Geocentric theory posited Earth at the center and motionless.
- Astronomy Q8: Ptolemaic model recognized seven wandering bodies (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn).
- Astronomy Q9: Least massive main-sequence stars are red (M-type dwarfs).
- Astronomy Q10 (FALSE): "Most stars have such small parallax shifts that accurate measurement is always possible." — This is false; small parallaxes make measurement challenging, requiring precision instruments (Carroll & Ostlie, 2017).
Short essay answers (thunderstorms, windiness, H‑R diagram, stellar evolution)
Thunderstorm frequency in eastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico
The high frequency of thunderstorms in eastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico is attributable to a unique combination of geography, synoptic environment, and diurnal heating. This region lies on the High Plains to the east of the Rocky Mountains; daytime insolation produces intense surface heating, creating steep low-level lapse rates and strong convective available potential energy (CAPE). Moisture advected northward from the Gulf of Mexico encounters the dryline and lee troughs that form along the eastern Rockies; these mesoscale boundaries act as initiation triggers. Orographic effects and upslope flow along the eastern slope enhance lifting. Wind shear profiles in this corridor favor supercell development, increasing severe thunderstorm and tornado potential (Bluestein, 1999; Rasmussen & Blanchard, 1998). The combination of strong daytime heating, moisture return, topographic forcing, and favorable wind shear makes this relatively small area a thunderstorm hotspot (Ahrens, 2015).
Why coastal and mountainous regions are windier and meteorological implications
Coastal regions experience strong persistent winds because of thermal contrasts between land and ocean (sea/land breezes), large-scale pressure gradients over ocean basins, and reduced surface friction over water. Mountainous regions are windier due to orographic channeling, gap winds, mountain-valley circulations, and katabatic/foehn flows. Elevation reduces surface drag, allowing higher geostrophic or gradient winds to manifest. These areas also exhibit distinctive weather: enhanced orographic precipitation on windward slopes, rain shadows leeward, frequent fog and low clouds near coasts, and strong diurnal wind cycles in mountain valleys (Wallace & Hobbs, 2006; NOAA, 2020).
Hertzsprung–Russell (H‑R) diagram and stellar clustering
The H‑R diagram plots stellar luminosity (or absolute magnitude) versus effective temperature (or spectral class/color). It is fundamental for classifying stars and interpreting stellar populations. Most stars lie along the main sequence, a diagonal band where stars fuse hydrogen in their cores; giants and supergiants occupy the upper-right, and white dwarfs are found in the lower-left (Carroll & Ostlie, 2017). A star spends the majority of its life on the main sequence while burning hydrogen in the core; position along the main sequence reflects mass, luminosity, and temperature.
Stellar evolution and opposing forces
Stellar evolution proceeds from molecular cloud collapse (protostar) to main sequence (core hydrogen burning), then to post‑main sequence stages determined by mass. Low- and intermediate-mass stars expand into red giants, undergo shell burning, and eventually eject envelopes as planetary nebulae, leaving white dwarfs supported by electron degeneracy pressure. High-mass stars proceed through successive nuclear burning stages up to iron, experience core collapse, and produce neutron stars or black holes via supernovae (Kippenhahn et al., 2012; Carroll & Ostlie, 2017). Throughout a star's life two primary forces oppose one another: gravity (inward) and pressure (outward). Early and main-sequence pressure arises from thermal gas pressure generated by nuclear fusion; later, radiation pressure and degeneracy pressure become important. The balance (hydrostatic equilibrium) and the depletion of nuclear fuel drive evolutionary transitions and eventual endpoints.
References
- Ahrens, C. D. (2015). Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment. Cengage Learning.
- Wallace, J. M., & Hobbs, P. V. (2006). Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey. Academic Press.
- Bluestein, H. B. (1999). Severe Convective Storms and Tornadoes: Observations and Dynamics. Springer.
- Rasmussen, E. N., & Blanchard, D. O. (1998). A baseline climatology of sounding-derived parameters associated with deep, moist convection. Monthly Weather Review, 126(6), 1271–1283.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2020). National Weather Service—Climate and Weather Education resources. https://www.noaa.gov/
- Carroll, B. W., & Ostlie, D. A. (2017). An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics (2nd ed.). Pearson.
- Kippenhahn, R., Weigert, A., & Weiss, A. (2012). Stellar Structure and Evolution. Springer.
- Freedman, R. A., & Kaufmann, W. J. (2013). Universe (10th ed.). W. H. Freeman.
- Hubble, E. (1929). A Relation between Distance and Radial Velocity among Extra‑Galactic Nebulae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 15(3), 168–173.
- American Meteorological Society (AMS). (2019). Glossary of Meteorology. https://glossary.ametsoc.org/