4. Synoptic Meteorology

Numerical Forecasting — Quiz

Test your understanding of numerical forecasting with 5 practice questions.

Practice Questions

Question 1

Which boundary condition is typically applied at the model top in numerical weather prediction to minimize artificial reflection of vertically propagating gravity waves?

Question 2

What does four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation incorporate that distinguishes it from three-dimensional variational (3D-Var)?

Question 3

Which type of atmospheric model explicitly resolves vertical accelerations and small-scale convective motions that hydrostatic models parameterize?

Question 4

What technique is commonly used in limited-area numerical weather prediction to prevent spurious wave reflection at lateral boundaries?

Question 5

For an explicit time-stepping scheme with horizontal grid spacing $\Delta x=20\,\mathrm{km}$ and time step $\Delta t=200\,\mathrm{s}$, what is the maximum permissible wind speed $U_{\max}$ (in $\mathrm{m/s}$) to satisfy the CFL condition $U\Delta t/\Delta x\le1$?