Meteorology and Oceanography

On a summer day in July, Marsha stepped barefoot onto the hot sand from the cool ocean water. Why did the sand seem so much warmer? 

• The sand has a lower specific heat and heats up rapidly
• The water has a lower specific heat and heats up slowly
• The sand has a higher specific heat and heats up slowly
• The ocean has a higher specific heat and heats up rapidly

Based on the weather map, which city will most likely experience increasing temperatures during the next 24 hours? 

• Denver, because it is raining there
• Minneapolis, because a cold front is approaching
• Atlanta, because a warm front is approaching
• Houston, because it is in a high pressure area

What direction is the warm front moving?

• northwest
• northeast
• southwest
• southeast

If a cold front is currently passing through the city of Denver, what type of weather conditions is Denver most likely experiencing?

• warm, foggy weather
• cooler, dry weather
• hot, dry weather
• thunderstorms 

If both air masses met and stalled in St. Louis, what type of front and weather would St. Louis be experiencing?

• cold front with thunderstorms
• warm front with prolonged showers
• stationary front with clouds and precipitation 
• occluded front with snowstorms 

Hurricanes and similar storm systems begin over oceans. The map below shows average surface temperatures of the oceans in the summer. Based on the map, which area probably produced the most violent storm systems?

• Area 1
• Area 2
• Area 3
• Area 4

Based on the given model of the Earth, which of these locations is an area of low pressure? (NOTE: the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn are located at 30^o latitude)

• Equator
• North Pole
• Tropic of Cancer
• Tropic of Capricorn

A student heard the weather forecaster on television say that an area of low pressure was located over his region of the state. What type of weather is the area most likely to experience? 

• sunny skies
• clear skies
• cloudy skies
• none of these

A light rain system with thin clouds has moved through Oklahoma. What has occurred to produce this type of precipitation?

• a warm front
• a massive buildup of high air pressure
• a hurricane is forming in the Gulf of Mexico
• a cold front

Why do oceans have a greater impact on the weather than areas over the continents? 

• ocean waves move more easily than continental rock
• the oceans contain a wider variety of organisms than the continents 
• the oceans store and transfer more heat than the continents 
• ocean water contains more salt than most continental lake water