Metr 503 Spring 2005

Quiz #1: Snap -- Part I--Metr 201 Quiz

This exercise has you working with a schematic cross-section of the troposphere on the day of the Winter Solstice.

1. Draw in height contours for the 900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400 mb levels.

2. Examine the pattern in the location indicated by the bracketed Polar Jet Stream. Describe why one characteristic of this pattern is that it implies (a) that there is a distinct polar jet stream: and (b) that the polar jet stream intensifies with height and is at maximum strength at the tropopause.

3. The "polar front" is the deep (through the whole troposphere) boundary between the polar air masses and the subtropical air masses (in the figure, the blue and the red colors, respectively). On surface weather maps, the convention is to draw a line (with symbols, as explained in class) on the warm air side of the boundary. Place a blue "X" where you would expect the polar front to be at the surface for this schematic pattern.