American Meteorological Society Certification Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Observation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) stations in the US?
- Upper-air radiosonde launches
- Automated surface weather observations for aviation and public use (Correct answer)
- Lightning mapping
- Wind profiling
Correct answer: Automated surface weather observations for aviation and public use
ASOS stations provide automated, continuous surface weather observations including temperature, dew point, wind, visibility, and present weather.
Question 2: What atmospheric quantity does a rawinsonde measure in addition to temperature and humidity?
- Precipitation rate
- Wind speed and direction throughout the vertical profile (Correct answer)
- Cloud base height
- Solar radiation
Correct answer: Wind speed and direction throughout the vertical profile
A rawinsonde is a radiosonde tracked by GPS or radar to also provide a complete vertical wind profile through the atmosphere.
Question 3: The WSR-88D radar network in the United States is also known by what acronym?
- ASOS
- NEXRAD (Correct answer)
- GOES
- AWIPS
Correct answer: NEXRAD
The WSR-88D network is known as NEXRAD (Next Generation Weather Radar), the backbone of operational weather surveillance in the US.
Question 4: Ground-based microwave radiometers in meteorology are used primarily for what purpose?
- Surface wind measurements
- Profiling temperature and humidity through the lower troposphere continuously (Correct answer)
- Detecting lightning
- Measuring snow depth
Correct answer: Profiling temperature and humidity through the lower troposphere continuously
Microwave radiometers passively detect thermal emissions from atmospheric oxygen and water vapor to retrieve continuous temperature and humidity profiles.
Question 5: What does the Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) technique provide from Doppler radar data?
- Precipitation rate estimates
- Vertical wind profiles at the radar site (Correct answer)
- Hail size estimates
- Storm motion vectors
Correct answer: Vertical wind profiles at the radar site
The VAD technique uses a full 360° radar scan at constant elevation to derive mean wind speed and direction as a function of altitude.
Question 6: What is the Bright Band in radar meteorology?
- High reflectivity return from the jet stream
- An enhanced reflectivity layer near the melting level where snowflakes partially melt (Correct answer)
- A horizontal beam blockage artifact
- Enhanced returns from urban areas
Correct answer: An enhanced reflectivity layer near the melting level where snowflakes partially melt
The bright band is an elevated layer of high radar reflectivity caused by partially melted snowflakes presenting a larger effective radar cross-section.
American Meteorological Society Certification Remote Sensing and Atmospheric Observation 2
What is the purpose of ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) stations in the US?