Weather (Meteorology #2) Study Guide

Question 1

What are scientists who study weather called?

Answer 1

meteorologists

Question 2

What is the measure of water vapor in the air?

Answer 2

humidity

Question 3

Which air is the “bully” air?

Answer 3

Cold air

Question 4

Why is cold air the “bully” air?

Answer 4

It is more dense than warm air.

Question 5

Cold air is more dense so it usually ___.

Answer 5

sinks

Question 6

Warm air is less dense so it usually ___.

Answer 6

rises

Question 7

What is a huge body of air with similar temperature, humidity, and pressure?

Answer 7

air mass

Question 8

How do scientists classify air masses?

Answer 8

Temperature and humidity

Question 9

What is the term for a humid (wet) air mass?

Answer 9

Maritime

Question 10

What is the term for a dry air mass?

Answer 10

Continental

Question 11

What is the term for a warm air mass?

Answer 11

PTropical

Question 12

What is the term for a cold air mass?

Answer 12

Polar

Question 13

Which type of air mass forms over water?

Answer 13

Maritime

Question 14

Which type of air mass forms over land?

Answer 14

Continental

Question 15

How is the temperature of an air mass determined?

Answer 15

It takes the temperature of the region it forms over.

Question 16

What is formed when two air masses meet and do not mix?

Answer 16

A front.

Question 17

What are the four types of fronts?

Answer 17

Cold, warm, stationary, and occluded.

Question 18

Which type of front is formed when a rapidly moving cold air mass runs into a slow moving warm air mass?

Answer 18

Cold front

Question 19

Which type of front is formed when a moving warm air mass collides with a slowly moving cold air mass?

Answer 19

Warm front

Question 20

Which type of front is formed when warm and cold air meet but neither one has enough force to move the other?

Answer 20

Stationary front

Question 21

Which type of front is formed when a warm air mass is caught (cut off) between two cold air masses?

Answer 21

Occluded front

Question 22

Which type of front brings clouds, storms, and steady rain?

Answer 22

Warm front

Question 23

Which type of front brings severe thunderstorms?

Answer 23

Cold front

Question 24

Which type of front causes abrupt changes in weather?

Answer 24

Cold front

Question 25

Which type of front usually causes several days of precipitation?

Answer 25

Stationary front

Question 26

What is a swirling counter clockwise center of low air pressure?

Answer 26

Cyclone

Question 27

What is a swirling clockwise center of high air pressure?

Answer 27

Anticyclone

Question 28

What are the lines that join places on a map that have the same air pressure?

Answer 28

Isobars

Question 29

What are lines joining places on a map that have the same temperature?

Answer 29

Isotherms (remember, "therm" means heat)

Question 30

What is caused by sudden changes in the air pressure in our atmosphere?

Answer 30

Storms

Question 31

What happens to air pressure right before a storm?

Answer 31

It drops (decreases quickly)

Question 32

Which type of cloud forms thunderstorms?

Answer 32

Cumulonimbus

Question 33

How is thunder formed?

Answer 33

It is the explosion heard when rapidly heated air suddenly expands

Question 34

What is a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down from a storm cloud to touch the Earth's surface?

Answer 34

A tornado

Question 35

Which type of cloud develops tornadoes?

Answer 35

Cumulonimbus

Question 36

What is a tropical storm that has winds of 320 kilometers per hour (200 mph) or higher?

Answer 36

Hurricane

Question 37

How are hurricanes formed?

Answer 37

Begins over warm water as a low pressure area

Question 38

Where does a hurricane get its energy?

Answer 38

From warm, humid (wet) air

Question 39

What two things can cause a hurricane to lose its energy?

Answer 39

Moving overland or moving over cold water

Question 40

What is the calm part of the hurricane that's located in the center?

Answer 40

The eye

Question 41

What is the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place?

Answer 41

Weather

Question 42

What are the average weather conditions in a particular area over a long period of time?

Answer 42

Climate

Question 43

What two main factors determine a region's climate?

Answer 43

Temperature and precipitation

Question 44

What factors affect a region's temperature?

Answer 44

Latitude, altitude, distance from water, & ocean currents

Question 45

The closer to the equator, the ___ a climate will be.

Answer 45

Warmer

Question 46

The higher the altitude, the ___ a climate will be.

Answer 46

Cooler

Question 47

How does a region's proximity (how close it is) to water affect its climate?

Answer 47

Because water holds its temperature - a region closer to water will have a milder climate than regions inland

Question 48

Why is our Earth heated unequally?

Answer 48

Because the Earth is tilted

Question 49

Which part of our earth receives the most direct sunlight?

Answer 49

The equator; tropical zone

Question 50

Which part of our Earth receives the least amount of direct sunlight?

Answer 50

The poles; polar zones

Question 51

Which climate zone do we live in?

Answer 51

The temperate zone