What is in the air beside gases?
Particles and Water Vapor
How does air pressure change as you go up in elevation?
As you go up the air pressure gets lower because there is less atmosphere pushing down on you and it is less dense.
When do clouds form?
Clouds form when air is cooled to its dew point and particles are present.
When air masses meet at a front, what often occurs?
The collision often causes storms and changeable weather.
What was demonstrated when a balloon was put on the balance, both before and after the balloon was inflated?
That air has mass?
What tool is used to measure air pressure, and what units are used to measure air pressure in?
A barometer and “inches of Mercury” or millibars
When air density increases, how does that change the air pressure?
When air density increases so does the air pressure.
What type of heat transfer is most responsible for spreading heat through the atmosphere?
Convection
How do convection currents spread through the atmosphere?
The warm air rises and the cold air sinks. This repeats.
What happens to molecules when their temperature is increased?
They move around more.
How is the beaker of water (tea) on the hot plate similar to the air in our atmosphere?
Heated from the bottom.
During a cold front, where does precipitation occur?
At the boundary where the cool air mass and warm air mass meet but don’t mix.
What type of air mass forms over the Gulf of Mexico (near Florida) and what are its characteristics?
Maritime Tropical: warm and humid
What type of air mass forms over Canada, and what are its characteristics?
Continental Polar: clear, cold and dry
What type of weather occurs during a cold front, and after the front passed?
During: quick weather changes, thunderstorms
After: skies are clear, cooler
What type of weather occurs during a warm front, and after the front passes?
During: slow steady rain
After: warm and humid
How does wind move relative to areas of different air pressure?
Wind moves from high to low pressure.
During a sea breeze why does wind move toward the land?
Because the warm air is rising over the land so the cool air from the sea moss toward the land to take its place.
Why does a sea breeze usually happen during the day?
Because the ocean is cooler than the land during the day.
What makes the Coriolis Effect and how does it affect the wind?
The Earth’s rotation.
Winds deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere.
How is precipitation related to relative humidity?
Precipitation occurs when relative humidity reaches 100%.
If 2 air masses contain the same amount of water vapor, what other factor would determine which one has the greater relative humidity?
Temperature because warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air.
If you had been given a larger sponge during the relative humidity lab, how would that be similar to increasing the temperature of an air mass?
A larger sponge can hold more water just like a warmer air mass can hold more water vapor.