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Section 6
Digital Genius - Through History
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| floating-point operations per second are known by what acronym? | FLOPS |
| The Cray computers being built by NOAA will have a computing power of how many petaflops when it is complete? | 12 petaflops |
| Approximately how many times slower than the Cray computers is a really good laptop computer? | about a million times slower |
| Approximately how many weather observations per day can the biggest supercomputers handle? | over 200 billiion |
| After processing weather data in a supercomputer, where does it go next? | theoretical models of the atmosphere (weather models) |
| What type of computer is essential for ensemble forecasting? | supercomputer |
| What is the name of the linked supercomputers being built by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)? | the Cray computers |
| Since what decade has radar been able to detect which way rain is moving and how fast it's going? | the 1980s |
| In what European country is the high-performance supercomputer "Mistral" found? | Germany |
| What is the German-based supercomputer "Mistral" used to investigate? A) hurricanes B) model-based simulations of global climate change C) multiple-vortex tornadoes D) atmospheric conditions over the Arctic region | B) model-based simulations of global climate change |
| How do meteorologists try to overcome undetectable variations in their original data? | ensemble forecasting |
| In ensemble forecasting, what varies slightly each time a meteorologist runs a forecast model? A) the original data B) the starting conditions C) the type of model being used D) the meteorologist running the forecast model | B) the starting conditions |
| A _____________________ gives an overview of weather conditions at a particular time | weather map |
| What is the term for long, curved lines on a weather map that join points of equal pressure, usually in millibars? | isobars |
| If isobars on a weather map loop around and form a complete circle, one of two letters will be found in the center. What are those two letters? | L or H (low pressure or high pressure) |
| If isobars are close together on a weather map, what does that indicate? | a sharp pressure drop and strong winds |
| What do colored lines with spikes or half discs on a weather map show? | Fronts |
| How is a cold front shown on a weather map? | a blue line with spikes |
| How is a warm front shown on a weather map? | a red line with half discs |
| What military group was responsible for weather maps in the late 19th century? | US Army Signal Corps |
| In what year was the first weather map made? | 1816 |
| What weather warning is so old that it appears in the bible? | red sky at night, shepherd's delight |
| the weather warning "red sky at night" appears in what book of the bible? | Matthew |
| On Groundhog Day, what kind of weather means that spring will come early- cloudy or sunny? | cloudy |
| Halos appear around the moon or sun when they shine through what type of cloud? | high-level cirrostratus |
| According to one weather saying, "when halo rings the Moon or Sun, ____________'s approaching on the run". | rain |
| Why do many people believe that hanging kelp is a good weather indicator? | because it responds to changes in air humidity |
| According to one weather saying, if the ash tree buds before the oak tree in the spring, what kind of rainfall can be expected? | downpours |
| Hanging kelp that swells and goes limp and damp is an indicator that what kind of weather is on the way? | rain |
| the weather warnings about a red sky in the morning or at night are traditionally for what group of people, not shepherds? | sailors |
| In cold winter weather, what do halos around the moon or sun indicate? | icy air |
| True or false- a cow lying down is actually a sign that rain is coming | false |
| True or false- a cow with its tail to the east may actually be a sign that bad weather is coming | Maybe true. Cows like to have their back to the wind, and wind from the east brings more unsettled weather |
| During what hours is the National Weather Service on watch? | All the hours. Night and day? |
| Which means that a tornado is probably on the way- a tornado watch or a tornado warning? | tornado watch |
| Which means that a tornado has been spotted and you need to take cover immediately- a tornado watch or a tornado warning? | tornado warning |
| Airplanes need accurate information about what type of winds to be able to take off and land safely? | surface winds |
| "Nowcasting" tells you what the weather will be like when? | today and tomorrow |
| Nowadays, weather forecasters are fairly confident predicting the weather how far in advance? | up to two weeks ahead |
| In what state is The Storm Prediction Center located? | Oklahoma |
| Where is The National Hurricane Center located? | Miami, Florida |
| The National Hurricane Center provides a daily briefing about all potential and existing tropical cyclones to what government agency? | FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) |
| Due to Hurricane Hermine, growers of what crop in Georgia lost 80% of their crops? | pecans |
| In order for storms to intensify, heat energy has to find a pathway from the ocean's surface to where? | the atmosphere |
| The "hot towers" observed by scientists in Hermine confirmed that the storm had reached _______ ________ strength. | tropical storm |
| Hurricane Hermine caused storm damage and flooding in what four U.S. states? | Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina |
| How many tornadoes did Hurricane Hermine produce? | 10 |
| Hurricane Hermine produced 10 tornadoes. Which state experienced 5 out of the 10? | Florida |
| What are the nicknames given to the NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion N42RF aircraft? | Kermit and Miss Piggy |
| For what feat is pilot Lt. Col. Joseph Duckworth known? | being the first person to intentionally fly through the eye of a hurricane |
| Where does the Gulfstream IV type of aircraft gather information about a storm? A) around the periphery B) in the eye C) low altitudes D) high altitudes | A) around the periphery |
| Where does the P-3 Hurricane Hunter type of aircraft gather information about a storm? A) around the periphery B) in the eye of the storm C) low altitudes D) high altitudes | B) in the eye of the storm |
| Where does the Raytheon Coyote drone type of aircraft gather information about a storm? A) around the periphery B) in the eye of the storm C) low altitudes D) high altitudes | C) low altitudes |
| Where does the Global Hawk drone type of aircraft gather information about a storm? A) around the periphery B) in the eye of the storm C) low altitudes D) high altitudes | D) high altitudes |
| In a hurricane, where is the wind normally the strongest? | around the eye |
| What type of data collection device is designed to be dropped out of aircraft to collect atmospheric data | dropsonde |
| In what year did manned flights into hurricanes begin? | 1943 |
| On a Hurricane Hunter aircraft mission, what is the job of the weather loadmaster? A) fly the aircraft B) decide the flight plan, route, and altitude C) monitor atmospheric data and send it to NOAA D) check the systems and deploy dropsondes as needed | D) check the systems and deploy dropsondes as needed |
| On a Hurricane Hunter aircraft mission, what is the job of the aerial reconnaissance weather officer? A) fly the aircraft B) decide the flight plan, route, and altitude C) monitor atmospheric data and send it to NOAA D) check the systems and deploy dropsondes as needed | C) monitor atmospheric data and send it to NOAA |
| On a Hurricane Hunter aircraft mission, what is the job of the navigator? A) fly the aircraft B) decide the flight plan, route, and altitude C) monitor atmospheric data and send it to NOAA D) check the systems and deploy dropsondes as needed | B) decide the flight plan, route, and altitude |
| The first-ever satellite map was made from information from what weather satellite? | TIROS-9 |
| The first-ever satellite map was a composite of how many individual photos? | 450 |
| What weather satellite was the first to be placed in a near-polar orbit? | TIROS-9 |
| Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the year into how many festivals, each associated with a different type of weather? | 24 |
| Before airplanes were invented, what types of devices were sent into the sky to measure weather data? | kites and balloons |
| What organization controls the naming of hurricanes? | the World Meteorological Organization |
| Who is credited with giving the first European account of a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean? | Christopher Columubus |
| Who is credited with being the first to connect the auroras with Earth's magnetic field? | Edmund Halley |
| What satellite was the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite? | TIROS-1 |
| The invention of what in 1903 made the skies more accessible for weather data collection and monitoring? | the airplane |
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St Rita SD
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