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45. The smallest, most violent weather event is a (an) 11. How is climate different from the weather?
a. hurricane. 12. Describe the average conditions found in the three principal
b. tornado. climate zones.
c. hailstorm.
13. Identify the four major factors that influence the climate of a
d. ice storm.
region, and explain how each does its influencing.
Answers 14. Since heated air rises, why is snow found on top of a mountain
1. c 2. a 3. b 4. c 5. c 6. c 7. b 8. b 9. c 10. a 11. b 12. c 13. a 14. c and not at lower elevations?
15. c 16. b 17. b 18. c 19. a 20. c 21. a 22. c 23. a 24. b 25. b 26. d
27. d 28. b 29. c 30. c 31. a 32. b 33. d 34. b 35. a 36. c 37. b 38. a FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS
39. d 40. b 41. c 42. d 43. b 44. c 45. b
1. Explain why dew is not considered to be a form of precipitation.
2. What are the significant similarities and differences between air
QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT mass weather and frontal weather?

3. Analyze and compare the potential damage caused by a hurricane
1. What is a cloud? Describe how a cloud forms. to the potential damage caused by a tornado.
2. What is atmospheric stability? What does this have to do with 4. Describe several examples of regional climate factors completely
the type of clouds that may form on a given day? overriding the expected weather in a given principal climatic
3. Describe two ways that precipitation may form from the water zone. Explain how this happens.
droplets of a cloud.
4. What is an air mass?
INVITATION TO INQUIRY
5. What kinds of clouds and weather changes are usually associated
with the passing of (a) a warm front and (b) a cold front?
Microclimate Experiments
6. Describe the wind direction, pressure, and weather conditions
that are usually associated with (a) low-pressure centers and The local climate of a small site or habitat is called a microclimate.
(b) high-pressure centers. Certain plants will grow within one microclimate but not another. For
7. In which of the four basic types of air masses would you expect example, a north-facing slope of a hill is cooler and loses snow later
to find afternoon thunderstorms? Explain. than a south-facing slope. A different microclimate exists on each side
8. Describe the three main stages in the life of a thunderstorm of the hill, and some plants grow better on one side than on the other.
cell, identifying the events that mark the beginning and end of Investigate the temperature differences in the microclimate on
each stage. the north side of a building and on the south side of the same build-
9. What is a tornado? When and where do tornadoes usually ing. Determine the heights, distances, and time of day that you will
form? take temperature readings. Remember to shade the thermometer from
10. What is a hurricane? Describe how the weather conditions direct sunlight for each reading. In your report, discuss the variables
change as a hurricane approaches, passes directly over, then that may be influencing the temperature of a microclimate. Design
moves away from a location. experiments to test your hypotheses about each variable.

PARALLEL EXERCISES

For additional Parallel Exercises on this material, see the chapter 23 resources at www.mhhe.com/tillery.
The exercises in groups A and B cover the same concepts. Solutions to group A exercises are located in appendix E.
Group A Group B
1. At a certain location, the surface temperature is 14°C and the 1. At a certain location, the surface temperature is 34°C and the
lapse rate is −4.4°C/1,000 m. A parcel of air with a temperature lapse rate is −8.7°C/1,000 m. A parcel of air with a temperature
of 5°C has been lifted to an altitude of 1,500 m. Is the parcel of of 28°C has been lifted to an altitude of 950 m. Is the parcel of air
air stable or unstable? stable or unstable?
2. A parcel of air rises by convection from a field with a surface 2. The surface temperature is 21°C, and the lapse rate is
temperature of 28°C to an altitude of 1,250 m. The lapse rate is −5.2°C/1,000 m. A parcel of air with a temperature of 17°C has
8.6°C/1,000 m. Is the parcel of air stable or unstable? been lifted to an altitude of 765 m by a mountain ridge. Is the
parcel of air stable or unstable?
3
3
3
3
3. A parcel of air with a volume of 4.5 × 10 km that contains 3. A parcel of air with a volume of 5.2 × 10 km that contains
6
5
2.6 × 10 kg of water vapor rises to an altitude where all the 8.9 × 10 kg of water vapor rises to an altitude where all the
water in the parcel condenses. What is the change in temperature water in the parcel condenses. What is the change in temperature
of the parcel of air due to condensation? (Assume the density of of the parcel of air due to condensation? (Assume the density of
3
2
3
2
air at the condensation altitude is 9.2 × 10 g/m . The specific the air at the condensation altitude is 8.7 × 10 g/m .)
heat of air is provided in Table 4.2 and latent heat of vaporization
of water is provided in Table 4.4.)
594 CHAPTER 23 Weather and Climate 23-30