Examination paper
ATOC10001

Seat
Number: Student ID:
Do NOT write your name anywhere on your examination paper/s
THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
EARTH SCIENCES
SUBJECT NAME: WONDERS OF THE WEATHER
SUBJECT CODE: ATOC10001
EXAM DURATION: 2 HOURS
READING TIME: 15 MINUTES
TOTAL MARKS:
NUMBER OF PAGES: < 7 > PAGES (INCLUDING THESE PAGES)

AUTHORISED MATERIALS
1. Any electronic calculators, except mobile phones, apps or any electronic devices with WiFi capability,
may be used.
2. Students ARE permitted to use: a foreign language dictionary (FLD)
3. Electronic devices – including lap tops, tablets and electronic dictionaries- are NOT authorised.

INSTRUCTIONS TO INVIGILATORS
1. This is a PINK Paper. The paper MUST NOT LEAVE the venue.
2. Students will require: 3 script books and a multiple choice answer sheet (M1).
3. Students are PERMITTED to HIGHLIGHT and UNDERLINE, but are NOT permitted to write during reading
time.
4. At the end of this exam the paper MUST be COLLECTED by Supervisors. The question paper MUST NOT
LEAVE the room.

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
1. This Exam is NOT an open book exam. NO notes or books are permitted.
2. Write your seat number and student ID number in the boxes at the top of this page at the START of
WRITING TIME.
3. Do NOT detach any pages. Papers must be handed up INTACT at the end of writing time.
4. During reading time: you may HIGHLIGHT and UNDERLINE, but you are NOT permitted to WRITE on the
exam paper during reading time
5. Write your answers to the short answer questions: on the RULED PAGES of your script book/s ONLY.
Blank pages are for rough working out and will not be marked.
6. This examination paper is NOT to be removed from the examination venue.
7. This examination is worth 50 per cent of your total marks for this subject.
8. WRITE THE ANSWERS TO THE MULTIPLE CHOICE SECTION (Section A) OF THIS EXAM ON THE MULTIPLE
CHOICE ANSWER SHEET PROVIDED, not in your script books. Don’t forget to write your student number
at the top right of the multiple choice section pages.
WRITE THE ANSWERS TO THE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (Section B) ON SEPARATE PAGES IN YOUR
SCRIPT BOOKS. Both exam paper and script books must be handed in at the end of the exam.

EXAMINATION REPRINTS
1. This paper MAY BE LODGED with the library.


Examination Instructions

You are reminded that:
• you may not leave in the first half hour or the last fifteen minutes of any University of
Melbourne examination;
• you must not communicate with, receive assistance from, or copy from the paper of
another student, at any time during your exam;
• you must obey the reasonable instructions of the examination supervisors;
• you must not have any unauthorised materials or items with you that could be used to
cheat, be unscholarly and/or gain an unfair advantage over other students;
• unauthorised item/s must be declared and wherever possible surrendered to a supervisor.
Failure to follow to this instruction constitutes academic misconduct;
• penalties apply for misconduct.
• if you do not have photo ID with you, you will need to report to the Chief Supervisor at the
end of the exam and have your photo taken.
Before your exam
• Please place your student card on top left hand corner of your desk.
• Empty your pockets and place items under your desk or in the bin.
• Please read and review your question paper during reading time. Unless you are permitted
to annotate your paper, you must not write during reading time.
• If you need assistance from a supervisor, including materials or a toilet break, raise your
hand. Wait until the supervisor attends to you. Do not leave your seat without permission.
• Wireless communications, mobile phones and any device other than an authorised device
must be switched off and placed under your desk.
• If you do not have your student card, please place another form of photo identification
such as your passport or driver’s licence, in the top left hand corner of the desk, instead.
During your exam
• Supervisors will inspect desks and materials you access during the examination.
Unauthorised material will be confiscated.
• Any student found cheating; suspected of cheating; who attempts to cheat and/or enables
others to cheat in an exam is engaging in academic misconduct.
• Students found to have engaged in general or academic misconduct face penalties ranging
from exclusion from the University; to a fine; a failure in examination and/or the
termination of their enrolment.
• A supervisor will submit a report in writing about incidents of misconduct to the University.
In an Emergency
• In the event of fire, or an emergency evacuation, leave all examination material where it is.
Make your way to the nearest exit. Assemble away from the building, in line of sight of a
fire warden who will be wearing a hard hat. Await further instructions.
Signals and Warnings at the end of your exam
• A warning signal will be given ten minutes ahead the end of your examination. After the
signal, you are not permitted to leave the venue and must wait until dismissed.
• At examination’s end a final signal will be given. The Chief Supervisor will order ‘pens
down’. You must cease writing when ordered to do so.
• Place your papers inside the question paper. Remain seated. Do not move from your seat
until the Chief Supervisor announces that students are dismissed from the room.
• Do NOT switch on your mobile phone or use any other device until you are outside the
venue. Photography is not permitted within the examination venue.
1
SECTION 1: Multiple Choice Questions [30 marks]
Each question is worth 2 marks

1. Which of these is NOT an atmospheric optical phenomenon?

a. Rainbow

b. Freezing Rain

c. Sun Halo

d. Mirage

e. Sun Dog


2. If the pressure is 1004 hPa in Melbourne and 996 hPa in Hobart, what direction is the geostrophic
wind in the Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania?

a. From the west

b. From the south

c. From the east

d. From the north

e. There is no geostrophic wind


3. Satellite imagery over the Southern Ocean often shows speckled cloud structures to the west of a
strong cold front. This is related to
a. Global warming
b. Errors in the transmission of the image
c. Convection associated with very cold temperatures at upper atmospheric levels
d. High sea level atmospheric pressure
e. Convection associated with warm temperatures near the surface

4. All things being equal, when is ozone pollution in a city likely to be worst?
a) during cold, still nights in winter
2
b) during both the morning and afternoon "rush hour" periods (when traffic is greatest)
c) following a thunderstorm
d) in the afternoon on warm, still sunny days
e) in the morning in warm, unstable conditions

5. Which of the following measures will NOT likely decrease aerosol concentrations and hence
visibility in an urban environment:
a) more stringent fuel efficiency for vehicles
b) planting more trees
c) replacing domestic wood heating with gas or efficient electrical home heaters
d) reducing the sulphur content in motor vehicle fuel
e) better support for active transport (e.g. walking, cycling) and public transport (e.g. trains, buses)

6. Which of these processes does NOT affect heatwaves in Melbourne?
a. Sudden Stratospheric Warmings
b. Soil moisture in central Australia
c. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation
d. High pressure systems in the Tasman Sea
e. Frontal systems approaching Melbourne.

7. The wind at the surface is less similar to the geostrophic wind than at higher levels in the
atmosphere. Why?
a. No one knows.
b. Friction causes a reduction in the Pressure Gradient Force.
c. The Pressure Gradient Force is stronger at high altitudes.
d. Friction causes a reduction in wind speed which reduces the Coriolis Force.
e. The Coriolis Force is weaker at high altitudes.

8. In unstable conditions, we have the following:
3
a. The environmental lapse rate is small
b. The environmental lapse rate is smaller than the dry adiabatic lapse rate
c. The environmental lapse rate is larger than the dry adiabatic lapse rate
d. The adiabatic lapse rate increases
e. The adiabatic lapse rate decreases

9. When condensation occurs
a. Energy is released into the surrounding air
b. Energy is absorbed by the water
c. The liquid water turns into a gas
d. The relative humidity is less than 100%
e. Cloud cannot form.

10. The Coriolis force acts to deflect the synoptic-scale flow in the following direction:
a. To the right in the Southern Hemisphere
b. Anticlockwise around highs in the Southern Hemisphere
c. To the left in the Northern Hemisphere
d. From high pressure to low pressure
e. None of these.

11. What would the Earth’s average temperature be if there was no natural or anthropogenic
greenhouse gas effect?
a. 15°C
b. 38°C
c. -18°C
d. 0°C
e. 0°K

12. During La Niña events what kind of weather would you expect in summer in eastern Australia?
a. Close to average
b. Wetter and cooler than normal
4
c. Hotter and drier than normal
d. Cooler and drier than normal
e. Hotter and wetter than normal

13. If there is a 5-metre tall tree in a field what is the roughness length approximately?
a. 50 centimetres
b. 50 metres
c. 5 millimetres
d. 500 metres
e. 5 kilometres

14. What is the second most abundant gas in the Earth’s atmosphere?
a. Helium
b. Nitrogen
c. Argon
d. Carbon Dioxide
e. Oxygen

15. Which of these is NOT an observed or projected impact of climate change?
a. West coast lows replacing east coast lows
b. Increased intensity of short-duration rainfall extremes
c. Fewer cold extremes in most parts of the world
d. Continued sea level rise
e. More frequent heatwaves


5
SECTION 2: Short Answer Questions [90 marks]
Each question is worth 10 marks
ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 IN ANSWER BOOK 1
1. Australian East Coast Lows (ECLs) preferentially form and develop over the East Australian
Current. Briefly describe the characteristics of the current and explain why its presence is conducive
to ECL growth and intensity. Also comment on why the presence and orientation of the Great
Dividing Range influences ECLs.
2. There are always many cyclones found just off the coast of Antarctica. Comment on the physical
mechanisms responsible for the intensity and latitude location of these low pressure systems.
Discuss what influences these cyclones would have on weather, and particularly cloud cover and
wind speed and direction, at coastal Antarctic bases.
3. Compare tropical and extratropical cyclones. What are the key differences in their structure,
energy sources and winds?

ANSWER QUESTIONS 4-6 IN ANSWER BOOK 2

4. Describe the physical difference between free and forced convection, and the implications for
cloud types and associated weather.

5. Using appropriate text and diagrams, show and explain the difference between spring and neap
tides.

6. Describe what causes the natural greenhouse gas effect and the influence that humans have had
on it.

ANSWER QUESTIONS 7-9 IN ANSWER BOOK 3

7. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of ensemble weather prediction relative to
deterministic prediction

8. Alan says, “They can't predict the weather beyond the next week so how can we trust climate
projections?” Discuss the validity of Alan’s statement.

9. You’ve been tasked with presenting climate projections for Melbourne to the city’s council. Briefly
discuss some of the key points you would make around future changes in weather and uncertainties.


END OF EXAM