Test: Weather

Question 0

what two things classify an air mass?

Answer 0

temperature and amount of moisture

Question 1

define an air mass.

Answer 1

air mass- a large body of air with similar characteristics throughout.

Question 2

define front.

Answer 2

when two air masses meet & form a border

Question 3

what is a cold front?

Answer 3

when a cold air mass meets a warm air mass

Question 4

what type of weather do cold fronts bring?

Answer 4

rain develops and thunderstorms occur.

Question 5

what is a warm front?

Answer 5

when a warm air mass catches up to a cold air mass.

Question 6

what kind of weather do warm fronts bring?

Answer 6

clear skies

Question 7

what is a stationary front?

Answer 7

a front that stops moving.

Question 8

what time of weather do stationary fronts bring?

Answer 8

causes constant snow or rainfall leading to several inches of snow or it could even cause a flood.

Question 9

what symbol is used for warm fronts?

Answer 9

red, semi circles

Question 10

what symbol is used for cold fronts?

Answer 10

blue, triangles

Question 11

what are the lines in a pressure diagram called?

Answer 11

isobars

Question 12

winds always blow from ________.

Answer 12

high pressure to low pressure

Question 13

what is the instrument that measures air pressure?

Answer 13

barometer

Question 14

how does a barometer work?

Answer 14

when the mercury is high, there is high pressure. when the mercury is low, there is low pressure

Question 15

what direction do polar easteries blow?

Answer 15

east to west

Question 16

what direction do the westerlies blow?

Answer 16

west to east

Question 17

what zone is windless?

Answer 17

the doldrums

Question 18

polar easterlies have the strongest winds because of the __________

Answer 18

Coriolis effect

Question 19

relative humidity is relative to ____________.

Answer 19

what’s happening in the atmosphere

Question 20

which is more active? relative humidity or dew point?

Answer 20

dew point

Question 21

what is water that evaporates from the leaves on trees?

Answer 21

transpiration

Question 22

what is condensation?

Answer 22

water droplets forming together

Question 23

what is evaporation?

Answer 23

water turning into a gas and rising into the atmosphere

Question 24

how does a front create pressure?

Answer 24

they bring clouds and precipitation that affect the pressure.

Question 25

what is the coriolis effect?

Answer 25

the apparent deflection of objects moving in a straight path relative to the earth's surface

Question 26

how does the Coriolis effect create wind?

Answer 26

the spinning of the earth in relation to the gas molecules creates wind

Question 27

describe the trade winds

Answer 27

air movement towards the equators, caused from cold air sinking and warm air rising, Coriolis effect makes the trade winds appear to be curving to the rest

Question 28

describe the prevailing westerlies

Answer 28

winds are named from the direction in which they originate, between 30-60 degrees latitude

Question 29

what are isobars?

Answer 29

lines that show pressure.

Question 30

how do you know if the winds will be fast or slow?

Answer 30

the closer together the lines are, the faster the winds are. the farther they apart, the slower the winds are.

Question 31

what is the difference between relative and absolute humidity?

Answer 31

relative humidity is the percent of water in the air compared t how much it can hold, and absolute humidity is the exact physical amount of water in the air.

Question 32

what is dew point?

Answer 32

the temperature at which air can longer "hold" all of the water vapor and it condenses to liquid form

Question 33

when will dew point be higher?

Answer 33

when there is more water in the air

Question 34

what type of weather is expected in a low pressure system?

Answer 34

bad weather- precipitations, produces clouds, tropical storms and hurricanes

Question 35

what type of weather is expected in a high pressure system?

Answer 35

clear skies and calm weather

Question 36

what is a tornado?

Answer 36

a violent windstorm that takes the shape of a column of air during a severe thunderstorm

Question 37

when are tornadoes most common?

Answer 37

spring; May is the most common month

Question 38

why are tornadoes most common in the United States?

Answer 38

because of our unique geography (humid, hot air rising north that collides with cold, dry air moving south)

Question 39

what scale is used to measure tornadoes?

Answer 39

the Fujita intensity scale

Question 40

what could happen if someone experiences an F-1 tornado?

Answer 40

chimneys could be damaged, tree branches would break, and shallow-rooted trees would topple.

Question 41

what could happen if someone experiences an F-5 tornado?

Answer 41

houses can be lifted from foundation, trees are completely debarked, automobile-sized debris becomes airborne

Question 42

how fast does wind have to be blowing to be considered a hurricane?

Answer 42

at least 74 mph

Question 43

where do hurricanes form?

Answer 43

over very warm ocean water

Question 44

when are hurricanes most common?

Answer 44

in September because ocean waters are warmest

Question 45

what is the calmest part of a hurricane called?

Answer 45

the eye

Question 46

where is the heaviest wind and rain in a hurricane?

Answer 46

the eye wall

Question 47

what scale is used to classify a hurricane?

Answer 47

the saffir-simpson scale

Question 48

compare a category 1 hurricane to a category 5 hurricane.

Answer 48

- category one: coastal flooding, damages unanchored mobile homes - category five: complete building failures, all trees blown down

Question 49

what is the difference between a cyclone and an anticyclone??

Answer 49

an anticyclone is a high pressure system and a cyclone is a low pressure system.

Question 50

what is an occluded front?

Answer 50

a boundary between cool, cold and warm air masses.

Question 51

When it is hot enough, most water molecules will be in ______ form in the atmosphere.

Answer 51

Gas

Question 52

How much of the sun's energy warms the land and oceans?

Answer 52

Four tenths

Question 53

What is the main cause of the coriolis effect?

Answer 53

Earth's rotation; counter clockwise on its axis

Question 54

What is pressure in the atmosphere measured in?

Answer 54

Millibars (mb)

Question 55

What is pressure?

Answer 55

Force per unit of area exerted on the Earth's surface by the weight of the air above the surface

Question 56

What two things are pressure associated with?

Answer 56

Weather patterns and wind

Question 57

Air masses form over _____ and dry air masses form over _____.

Answer 57

Water, land