Drone Pilot Practice Exam

Which of the following is an example of thermal plumes?

1. Smoke from wildfires

2. Visible or invisible emissions from power plants

3. Clouds forming in the distance

4. Wind blowing through trees

The correct answer is: Visible or invisible emissions from power plants

The selection of visible or invisible emissions from power plants as an example of thermal plumes is appropriate because thermal plumes are typically formed when a warmer air mass rises through cooler surrounding air. This phenomenon can often be observed near sources of heat, such as power plants, where emissions can create columns of warm, rising air. These emissions may include water vapor, steam, or other gases, and as the warm air rises, it creates a thermal plume. In contrast, smoke from wildfires can also create rising columns of air, but it is specifically the thermal properties associated with emissions from power plants that highlight the definition of a thermal plume. Clouds forming in the distance and wind blowing through trees do not directly exemplify the concept of thermal plumes because they involve different atmospheric dynamics that are not primarily caused by heat rising from a specific localized source.