Meteorology Question bank 1. Select an area in which advection fog occurs frequently and describe fully why the area you have selected is favorable to its formation. 2. Fog is comparatively rare in tropical regions Give a reasoned explanation of the validity or otherwise of this statement. 3. Select an area in which sea smoke is a common occurrence and discuss fully why the area you have selected is favorable to its formation. 4. Discuss the importance of knowledge of the sea surface temperature in the forecasting of sea fog. 5. a) Describe the Solar radiation. b) Why the sky is blue, sun is red & cloud is white. 6. Explain how fog, mist and haze are formed indicating an area of the world, in which each of these may be encountered. 7. Discuss reasons for a reduction in visibility when a hygrometer shows : (a) A small depression of the wet bulb below the dry bulb. (b) A large depression of the wet bulb below the dry bulb. 8. When passing north of Cape Hatters on the US east coast, during the winter, visibility may be severely reduced due to the sea having the appearance of smoking. Explain the reasons for this phenomenon. 9. Describe a Mercury Barometer, including principle and errors. 1
10. Describe the five layers of Atmosphere. 11. What are the preparation, precautions and actions near and inside a TRS? 12. Describe the formation of radiation fog and discuss whether this type of fog may be encountered in United Kingdom coastal waters. 13. Describe the mean surface pressure distribution in January and July, at Bay of Bengal. 14. Describe the formation of radiation fog and discuss whether this type of fog may be encountered in Bangladesh coastal waters. 15. Describe various types of Anemometer. What is the onboard best place to fit an Anemometer? 16. Describe Bangladesh Meteorological Department. What are the forecasts issued by BMD? 17. What is SALR, SAR, ART? Describe how they work to detect ice at sea. 18. Explain why fog usually lies in a relatively shallow layer and why turbulence appears to be an essential condition for maintaining the fog. 19. Define: International Ice Patrol (IIP), Ice navigation. 20. Describe the weather experiences during the passages of a warm front and cold front. 21. In equatorial regions fog in often experienced in river estuaries. Explain how this fog is formed and the most probable time of day for this to occur. 2
22. Describe the different meteorological conditions leading to the occurrence of fog in the Themes Estuary. 23. Define a) Cirrostratus (Cs) b) Altostratus (As) c) Altocumulus (Ac) d) Stratus (St) 24. a) What is Barometric tendency and Characteristic of the barometric tendency? b) Define Isostere, Isotherm, Isogeotherm, Isocheim, Isothere, Isohel, Isohyet, Isohume, Isodrosotherm, Isoneph, Isochalaz 25. Describe the different meteorological conditions leading to the occurrence of fog in the Karnafully River Estuary. 26. What are the causes of ocean current? Describe the Ekman's theory of wind affect on surface current. 27. What is upwelling? Describe various types of upwelling of ocean currents. 28. Describe. a) Agulhas Current b) Benguela Current c) Gulf Stream d) Kuroshio Current 29. Describe the various methods by which weather information is promulgated to ships. 30. Describe the information transmitted to ships in the U.K. Atlantic Weather bulletin. State where details of these bulletins may be found? 3
31. Use the International Meteorological Code Book to :- (a) Code the following Message, Thorshavn; 2/8 cloud, Wind 270 6 knots. Visibility 5 miles. Could dissolving. Past weather slightly cloudy. Barometer 1028.0; Tem 12º C. (b) Decode the following message and draw a station model, 99055 70387 21123 42730 97648 922011 32. Use the International Meteorological Code book to :- (a) Code the following message. Scale : No cloud. Wind 080, 6 knots Visibility 3.2 miles. Past weather fair. Barometer 1022.9 Temp. 13ºC. (b) Decode the following message and draw a station model, 99481 70301 21123 81619 97636 04216 33. Use the Ship Code and Decode Book to ; (a) Decode the following message, 03804 70911 60031 10709 (b) Code the following message, 8 th March 1200 GMT Lat 52º40 N Long 20º30 W 5/8 Cloud, Wind direction 315, estimated 15 knots, Visibility 11 miles. Sky unchanged, Cloud covering more than half the sky throughout period. Barometer 1007.5, Temp 12ºC 34. Define - absolute Humidity. Relative Humidity and Dew point. How will a change in the air temperature affect each? 35. Describe the causes of :- (a) Addiction Fog. (b) Sea smoke. State whether stable or unstable conditions exist in each case. For each of the above, give two examples of typical areas, where they may occur. 4
36. a. Sketch a typical pattern for each of the following : (i) A col (ii) A frontal trough (iii) A non-frontal trough b. Show the wind direction and force for each. 37. Explain the reason for diurnal variations in air temperature. 38. Why radiation fog forms oven land but not over sea? 39. Discuss the diurnal variation of temperature at a coastal station, outlining the contributory factors. 40. Describe the currents at Bay of Bengal. 41. Define: a) Cold front b) Warm front c) Stationary front d) Occluded front 42. Compare the diurnal variation of temperature at sea with that on land and discuss how these differences affect local weather conditions at a coastal station. 43. A mass of air has a relative humidity of 50%, describe processes by which this mass may become saturated. 44. Define the following : (i) Pressure (ii) Millibar (iii) Isallobar 5
45. Describe North Atlantic Current. 46. Navigating in Newfoundland areas, describe the wind observation. 47. Describe the Life cycle of frontal depression. 48. Define:- D.A.L.R, Conditional stability, Temperature inversion, Isothermal layer. 49. List the meteorological instruments in a selected ship. 50. Describe the favorable conditions for temperate latitude depression. 51. Why strong wind blow over the gulf of Lyon. 52. Describe the favorable conditions for Katabatic & Anabatic wind. 53. a) What do you mean by occlusion? How it occurred? b) Draw a cross section of cold occlusion and warm occlusion. 54. Sketch and describe: (i) Convection Cloud. (ii) Orographic Cloud. (iii) Radiation Fog. (iv) Advection Fog. 55. Describe the passage of a front (cold) - before, inside and after. 56. Describe the various isobaric patterns. 57. Describe the TRS path along Bay of Bengal. Why TRS is experienced in Bay of Bengal? 58. Describe: Japan Current; Equatorial Current. 59. Describe: a) Sea Breeze b) Land Breeze c) North East Monsoon d) South West Monsoon 60. Why trade wind and monsoon is experienced individually in different places of same latitude? 61. Define : a) Thunderstorm b) Lightning c) Precipitation 6
d) Hail e) Mango showers f) Diamond dust 62. a) With the aid of a sketch, describe the main currents at North Atlantic ocean. b) Explain the main causes of Wind-Drift and Gradient currents. c) Name the types of current charts normally available. 63. Describe the probable movement of an iceberg from the time of calving until final disintegration, formed on the east coast of Greenland. 64. Write short note on: i) Fast Ice, ii) Pack Ice, iii) New Ice, iv) Bergy bits and v) Growlers. 65. What is Geostrophic wind and Geostrophic wind scale? Describe the effects of Coriolis force and Surface friction, on wind. 66. a) List the meteorological conditions necessary for a TRS to develop. b) Describe in brief the weather to be experienced by a stationary observer with the approach and passing of a TRS. c) You are in Northern hemisphere close to a TRS, experiencing barometer falling and wind veering. i) Determine your location relative to the TRS. ii) What avoiding action you will take as per your location found in (i). 67. With the aid of sketch show how followings are presented on a weather charts (N. hemi): i) Frontal depression, ii) Non-frontal trough, iii) Col, iv) Wedge or ridge, v) Occluded front, vi) Stationary front. 7
68. Describe the weather you would expect in the English Channel when a large anticyclone is centered. a) Over Scandinavia in winter b) Over the Azores in summer 69. Show with the aid of sketch stable, unstable and conditionally unstable air. 70. Describe the weather which a vessel experiences in Bay of Bengal at the seasons of Monsoons. 71. Show by means of a sketch the isobars and wind distribution around an anticyclone in the Northern hemisphere. 72. Sketch a COL and describe the weather associated with pressure system of this type. 73. A depression in 40 0 N 40 0 W has a present pressure of 975 mb at the center and in moving ENE. Describe the sequence of weather that can be expected by a vessel in 40N 35W and heading west across the Atlantic. 74. Describe fully the value of barometric readings and weather observations aboard ship, when no other meteorological information is available. 75. Describe the formation of radiation fog and discuss whether this type of fog may be encountered in Karnafuly river estuary and its adjacent coastal areas. 76. Describe the Danger message, as per Regulation 31 & 32 of Chapter V of SOLAS 74 77. Sketch and describe a marine Aneroid Barometer. 8
78. a) State the principle of the hygrometer. b) Sketch and describe the constructions of a hygrometer c) State the precautions to be taken to ensure efficient use. 79. An observer is to the North Atlantic frontal depression. (a) Sketch the depression and indicate the probable path. (b) Describe the probable sequence of weather that would be experienced by the observer, during the passage of this depression. 80. At 0600 GMT on 18 th December your ship is on a sw ly course, in Lat 53 º North Long. 35º West. From given facsimile chart, find the following information. a) i) The Geostropic wind speed and direction ii) The reported wind speed and direction at sea level. iii) Atmospheric pressure and barometric tendency. iv) Cloud type. v) Precipitation and visibility. b) i) If your ship is making 10 knots and the depression maintains its present velocity, calculate the approximate time for the passing of the cold front. ii) Describe the weather changes that can be expected at the front. 81. Explain the principle and practice of optimum weather routing from ashore. If your vessel is using the service for the first time, what practical points are needs to discuss with the meteorological representatives? 82. Give details of the type of information you would receive from the meteorological office. What advantages can be gained by chatterer, ship-owner from meteorological office. 83. Describe the Hydrologic Cycle. 84. a)make plan and cross sectional sketches of a typical frontal depression in the 9
Southern hemisphere, showing the probable path, fronts, isobars with pressures, wind directions & forces and clouds. b) Describe in derail the probable sequence of weather that would be experienced during the passage of the warm front by an observer to the north of this depression. 85. Describe the formation of the following type of cloud:- a) Turbulence b) Orographic 86. a) Give short definition on the following T.R.S. terms: (i) Vortex; (ii) Eye Wall. (iii) Outer storm (iv) Cirrus Canopy c) Describe briefly the possible ways a T.R.S loses its energy and decays. 87. Describe the effect of the wind in producing an ocean current. What is the effect of the wind-induced current on the sub-surface layers of the ocean? 88. a. What are the Storm warning signals in Bangladesh? Describe the Weather forecasting for each Code of storm signal. b. Describe the Life cycle of a tropical cyclone? 89. Distinguish between (i) growler, (ii) bergy bit and (iii) iceberg. 90. How can the proximity of an iceberg be ascertained: (i) In good visibility (ii) In bad visibility 91. Having received a weather report stating a tropical depression is in the vicinity, what further shipboard meteorological observations would you consider necessary? Explain the reasons for any actions taken. 10
92. `Warm currents tend to be found on the western sides and cold currents on the eastern sides of oceans. (a) Comment on the validity of this statement, (b) Illustrate your answer with a specific example. 93. Define Humidity, Relative humidity, Absolute humidity. 94. Define - Frost, Radiation frost, Rime. 95. Define: 1. Valley fog 2. Freezing fog 3. Ice Fog 4. Artificial fog 5. Garua fog 6. Hail fog 96. Describe the VOS (Voluntary observing ships) scheme. 97. Define: 1. Shore based routing 2. Onboard routing 3. Ship s performance curves 98. a. What is tsunami? What is the relation between tsunami and earthquake? b. Define - Pacific tsunami warning Center, Indian Ocean tsunami warning System 99. a. What are the causes of tsunami? b. What are the signs of an approaching tsunami? 100. a) What are the causes of Ice accretion on board the vessel. b) Describe danger associated with the Ice accretion. c) What will you do, when there is sign of Ice accretion? 11