1. …….. is the study of the earth`s atmosphere and the physical processes that occur within it.

2. Define the atmosphere including it’s 3 main properties

3. The density of the atmosphere …….. with altitude and the composition ………. With altitude

Nitrogen ……%

Oxygen ……%

Argon ……%

Carbon Dioxide ……%

4. The atmosphere is divided into 5 distinct layers. Outwards from the surface these are

5. The thermosphere is considered the combination of …….. and ……..

6. The troposphere extends from the surface up to an average height of ……. km or …….. ft and contains
over ……. % of the mass of the total atmosphere

7. The boundary separating the troposphere and the stratosphere is called the ……….. It is characterized
by an isothermal layer,
8. Why does the height of the tropopause varies with temperature?

9. The tropopause is ……… at the poles and ……… over the equator (Highest , Lowest) in height

10. Why does the height of the tropopause also varies with the atmospheric pressure?

11. When the atmospheric pressure increases, the tropopause will be …….. (Higher, Lower) in height

12. The temperature at the tropopause will be ………. over the Equator than over the poles

13. Explain the reason behind the information provided in question 12

14. Does the height of the tropopause decrease steadily from the Equator towards the poles?

15. The two main breaks in the tropopause are found around ………….. , ……………… and the third may be
found around ……………….

16. The stratosphere extends to approximately …. km

17. Do airplanes fly in stratosphere?

18. Define the aviation atmosphere

19. Why does temperature decrease with height in the stratosphere

20. The temperature at the stratopause is approx ……. C

21. Why is the stratosphere generally warmer at high latitudes?

22. Define ISA and it’s values

-P=

- Rho =

-T=

23. Define the ISA Deviation

24. You are flying at 30,000 feet. The outside air temperature is -50°C. What is the ISA deviation?

Hint: Lapse rate is (2 C / 1000 ft)

25. Define atmospheric pressure

26. Atmospheric pressure can be measured in ……. , …….. , ……… , ……….

27. ISA Pressure at MSL is ……. mmHG , …….. inHg

29. When altitude increase pressure will ………

30. The primary cause of weather is …………….

31. Air flows from …………… to ………………. And it’s speed depends on the strength of ………

32. Define Coriolis force and it’s effect on wind direction

33. Wind flows ………. Around a high and ……………. Around a low

34. There are basically two types of pressure systems ……… and …………

35. Define the following

QFE:

QNH:

QFF:

QNE:

ISOBAR:

36. When flying towards lower pressure with a constant altimeter setting, the following applies:

True altitude will ………….. when flying at a constant indicated altitude.

Indicated altitude will ………… when flying at a constant true altitude.

The altimeter indicates that the aircraft is ………….. than it really is.

37. When flying towards higher pressure with a constant altimeter setting, the following applies:

True altitude will ………….. when flying at a constant indicated altitude.

Indicated altitude will ………… when flying at a constant true altitude.

The altimeter indicates that the aircraft is ………….. than it really is.

38. An aerodrome has an elevation of 351 ft. The QFE is reported as 999 hPa. What is the approximate
QNH? HINT: 27FT -> 1hPa
39. An aircraft is flying at an indicated altitude of 3500 ft. with an altimeter setting of 1010 hPa. A nearby
aerodrome reports a QFE of 988 hPa and a QNH of 1010 hPa. Assuming ISA temperature, what is the
height of the aircraft? HINT: 27FT -> 1hPa

40. If we get a point from which the pressure will increase as we move horizontally in any direction from
this point we have a ………. pressure center or a ………..

41. What is the difference between QFF and QNH (Hint: )

42. If we get a point from which the pressure will decrease as we move horizontally in any direction
from this point we have a ………. pressure center or a ………..

43. Does air ascend or descend within the depression and explain why?

44. Explain the weather characteristics at a depression

-Clouds:

-Precipitation:

-Visibility:

-Temperature:

-Winds:

45. Does air ascend or descend within the anticyclone and explain why?

46. Explain the weather characteristics at an anticyclone

-Clouds:

-Precipitation:

-Visibility:

-Temperature:

-Winds:

47. If the isobars around a low become elongated in one direction into a V-shape, a ……… has formed

48. If the isobars around a high become elongated in one direction into a U-shape, a ……… has formed

49. Why is whether the trough is frontal or not, there will be increased lifting along its axis?

50. Why is weather associated with a trough is often more severe yet similar to the weather found in a
depression?
51. Ridges are often found between ………………. Providing good weather

52. Define a col

53. Weather is very dependent upon ………

54. The amount of vapor that air can hold is dependent on its ……. The higher , the ……. (more, less)
water vapor the air can hold.

55. When the air contains the maximum amount of water vapor it can hold, it is described as being ………

56. The air can reach saturation in two ways, which are ……………….….. or …………………….….

57. ………….. refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. It is often expressed as a percentage and is
known as …………..

58. The air is said to be saturated when the temperature at which this occurs is called ………… and
cooling the air beyond this point results in water vapor condensing to become droplets, this causes
clouds, fog/mist, or dew

59. Water vapor density is ……….. (more, less) than air density

60. What is the effect of water vapor on density?

61. In the equatorial regions, density at the surface is …………… due to ………… Pressure and ………….
Temperature (high, low)

62.What is the relation between density and latitude

63. As temperature decrease density will …………

64. As pressure decrease density will ………

65. What is more dominant and the main cause behind when height increase density decreases?

66. Define density altitude

67. The pressure altitude is 20,000 FT the ISA deviation is 4 C what is the density altitude
(Hint: Density altitude differs from pressure altitude by 120ft per 1 C)

68. How does low density reduces the performance of engines and aerofoils?

69. …………… is one of the most important variables that affect the atmosphere that result in both
vertical air movements that lead to cloud formation and horizontal air movement that leads to wind
generation.

70. The temperature ………… with height in the troposphere. However, in the actual atmosphere it may
……………. with height (isothermal) or ………….. with height (inversion)
71. Heat is transferred in the atmosphere by different processes. Explain each of the following processes

- Solar Radiation

- Conduction

- Convection

- Advection

- Temperature Inversion

- Stability

- Lapse Rate and the three lapse rate types

- Environmental Lapse Rate

- Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rate

- Saturated Lapse Rate

- Absolute Stability

- Absolute Instability
- Conditional Stability

72. Provide the consequences when

-ELR > SALR and DALR

-ELR = SALR and DALR

-ELR < SALR and DALR

-ELR > SALR and ELR < DALR

73. There are three main categories of clouds, which are based on the height bands in which they are
found. These are ………….. , ……………….. , …………….

74. Fill the following

76. ………… is a cloud caused by turbulence. It can be found between heights of 1000 ft. and 6500 ft, and
conditions are calm above the cloud. In addition, ice pellets and, from the thicker ones, intermittent rain
or snow might be expected. Heavy snowfall can be expected in winter.

77. …………. clouds are formed convectively and the base can be found between 3000 and 7000 ft. in the
summer and 700 and 4000 ft. in the winter. May extend to 25,000 ft, and when becomes towering
without being “iced” at the top, it is called …………..

78. …………. clouds are towering cumulus clouds with a top that has turned into cirrus (anvil top) due to
air spreading in all directions

79. ………… clouds are very hazardous to aircrafts. It is very dense and consists of water droplets of
varying sizes, so moderate to severe to icing may be expected. Moderate to severe turbulence is also
likely.

80. ………….. clouds are similar to nimbostratus but are less deep and less dense. This type of cloud can
be an indication of an approaching warm front and contains water droplets and ice crystals.

81. …………. clouds are thin wispy clouds, which are often associated with an approaching warm front.

82. …………… clouds can indicate the line of jet streams.

83. …………… clouds are thin wispy clouds that consists of ice crystals and do not produce icing or
precipitation. Likewise, there is no turbulence.

84. ………….. cloud is a sheet like cloud which is associated with warm fronts. It contains ice crystals and
does not produce icing, precipitation or turbulence.

85. …………….. clouds are formed when there is light turbulence within cirrus or cirrostratus. It consists of
ice crystals and occasionally freezing water droplets. There is no icing or precipitation. There may be
light turbulence.
86. Fill the following
87. The cloud tops will mostly be determined by the ………. Of the atmosphere and the cause of ………….

88. What are the common 5 lifting actions causing clouds?

89. ……….. is a form of lifting caused by the vertical motion of air due to sun heating, and cloud formation
will depend on several factors, two of them are

90. Clouds formed by convection will be ………… clouds

91. In a front situation, If the replacing airmass is warmer, it creates a warm front where the air cooled
from below, thus becoming …………. and creating ……… clouds. If the replacing air is colder, it is heated
from below and therefore becoming ………… and ……… clouds will form.

Hint: (stable, unstable, stratiform, cumliform)

91. Clouds formed due to frontal activity is called …………

92. ………….. are clouds formed as a result of air being forced to rise above high ground, and the main
bulk of cloud will often be found on the windward side with less cloud and drier conditions on the
downwind side due to …………………………………………………………………….

93. Altocumulus lenticulars are considered a type of ……………….. clouds

94. ………….. clouds form in a turbulent, stable layer as turbulence will lift parcels of air from the lower
part of the layer and force parcels of air to ascend.

95. ……………. clouds are formed due to convergence of air, which occurs in ………… (depressions,
anticyclone) and …………… (ridges, troughs) where forced lifting occur as a result of it. This will generally
lead to clouds with large vertical extent which are most likely of the cumuliform type.

96. ………………. are large volumes of air with properties of humidity and temperature which remain
almost constant horizontally.
97. What is the reason behind the more or less properties like temperature and humidity being constant
in an air mass?

98. Where does the air masses originate?

99. Why doesn’t an air mass originate in a low pressure system

100. Air masses are initially classified by the latitude from which they originate. There are three main
types:

101. Air masses are further subdivided depending in whether they originate over sea or land

102. An example of …………………. Air mass would be the air mass which originates in the sub-tropical high
pressure North Africa

103. …………….. Air mass originates in the permanent high pressures over the oceans.

104. ………….. Air mass originate in the North Atlantic this is the Azores high.

105. ………….. Air mass originate in the North Pacific.

106. …………… Air mass originate in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

106. Give an example to a continental polar air mass and provide whether it’s summer phenomenon or
winter phenomenon

107. What air mass type originating over the North Polar ice cap

108. What air mass type originating over the South Polar ice cap
109. As the air masses pass over other regions as they travel away from their sources, their properties
change. In general, the following rules apply:

An air mass passing over a warmer area:

An air mass passing over a colder area: