Air Masses, Fronts, and Cyclones

Question 1

What is meant by Pineapple Express?

Answer 1

It refers to the warm moist air coming from the Pacific ocean

Question 2

Frontal system

Answer 2

Is when warm air (from equator) collides with cold air (from the poles) creating extreme weather conditions like blizzards

Question 3

Air parcel

Answer 3

Is a given volume of air

Question 4

Air Masses

Answer 4

Are large bodies of air with fairly uniform temperature and moisture characteristics

Question 5

Air Masses are based on the:

Answer 5

• Latitude in which they are forming (tropical, polar, Arctic, Antarctic)
• Surface type (marine (moist), continental (dry)

Question 6

Continental Arctic Properties

Answer 6

Cold, dry, stable

Question 7

Continental Polar Properties

Answer 7

Dry, cold, stable

Question 8

Maritime Polar Properties

Answer 8

Moist, cool, unstable

Question 9

Continental Tropical

Answer 9

Dry, warm, unstable

Question 10

Frontal Lifting:

Answer 10

When boundaries between air of unlike temperatures (fronts) migrate, the warmer air is pushed a lot

Question 11

What is the result of frontal lifting?

Answer 11

Adiabatic cooling and cloud formation

Question 12

Cold Front

Answer 12

Is when cold air advances towards warm air and warm air is displaced vertically by cooler air which usually forms a line of clouds or thunderstorms (squall line)

Question 13

Warm Front

Answer 13

Are generally slower than cold fronts, as the warm air gently overrides the cold air, stratiform clouds form

Question 14

Occluded fronts

Answer 14

Is when a faster moving cold front overtakes a warm front, leading to precipitation

Question 15

Cyclone:

Answer 15

Is a low pressure system

Question 16

A cyclone in the northern hemisphere spins…

Answer 16

Counter-clock wise

Question 17

Stages of mid-latitude cyclones:

Answer 17

1. Early stage
2. Open stage
3. Occluded stage
4. Dissolving stage

Question 18

Dissolving Stage

Answer 18

Is the lifting of warm air which ceases causing the cyclone to lose its source of energy and moisture

Question 19

Occluded stage

Answer 19

When a cold front overtakes warm front, forcing warm air aloft and causing precipitation

Question 20

Open Stage

Answer 20

Warm air moves north along advancing front, and the cold air moves south

Question 21

Early stage/ Cyclogenesis

Answer 21

The convergence of cold, polar air and warm subtropical air wand war air masses