Ch. 21 Quiz Flashcards
As lower air is warmed, the air ___.
rises
a large body of air throughout which temperature and moisture content is similar
air mass
air masses responsible for cool, dry air in northern summers
continental polar
a weather system in which the air sinks and flows outward from a center of high pressure, that brings dry weather
an anticyclone
A hurricane begins when warm, moist air rises rapidly and the moisture condenses, releasing energy in the form of ___.
latent heat
What does radar use to determine the velocity and location of objects?
radio waves
Scientists study upper-atmospheric conditions to ___.
track global weather patterns
What tool do meteorologists use to solve mathematical equations and store data?
a computer
Doppler radar and satellite images provide information to create ___.
station models
What type of weather have meteorologists tried to control with freezing nuclei?
hurricanes
Symbols communicate weather data in a ___.
station model
What do the weather map symbols H and L indicate?
air-pressure centers
lines on a weather map that connect points of equal atmospheric pressure
isobars
a severe storm that develops over tropical oceans, whose strong winds spiral in toward the intense low-pressure center
hurricane
an instrument used to measure wind speed
anemometer
an air mass that originates in southern Atlantic and Pacific areas and brings warm, moist air
Maritime tropical
an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
barometer
a usually brief, heavy storm with rain, wind, lightning and thunder
thunderstorm
an air mass that originates in Canada and brings cold, dry air
Continental polar
the front edge of advancing warm air mass that replaces colder air with warmer air
warm front
instrument that is used to determine the direction of the wind
wind vane
a destructive, rotating, funnel-shaped column of air with high wind speeds
tornado
an air mass that originates in the southwestern United States and brings warm, dry air
Continental tropical
the front edge of a moving mass of cold air that pushes beneath a warmer air mass like a wedge
cold front
an instrument that measures temperature
thermometer
What are the five types of fronts?
- Cold front
- Warm front
- Stationary
- Occluded
- Polar front
cold air mass moves under a warm air mass and lifts the warm mass completely off the ground
occluded front
What program was designed to promote the rapid exchange of weather information?
World Weather Watch
areas of low pressure that are characterized by rotating wind which moves toward the rising air of the center, low pressure region
midlatitude cyclones
the boundary where cold air meets warm tropical air
polar front
In a polar front, a cold air mass sits over each pole until about ___ degrees ___.
60 degrees latitude
the discharge of electricity
lightning
front of an air mass that moves very slowly or not at all
stationary front
What two things must a hurricane have to form?
- Must form over a warm tropical ocean
2. Must have the Coriolis effect
What rates hurricane intensity from 1-5?
the Saffir-Simpson scale
Symbols & colors are used to communicate weather data on a ___.
weather map
issued when conditions are ideal for severe weather
Watch
What type of storm have scientists seeded with silver-iodide nuclei?
lightning
Where are tornadoes most common?
Tornado Alley (Texas through midwestern US)
48 hour range predictions
daily forecasts
issued when severe weather has been spotted or is expected
Warning
