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EAS 100 > CHAPTER 12 > Flashcards

CHAPTER 12 Flashcards

1
Q

What determines the weather? There are 5 variables

A

1 Temperature 2 Air Pressure 3 Humiditiy 4 cloudiness 5 Wind speed and direction

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2
Q

Is whether short term or long term?

A

Weather is short term, Climate is long term

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3
Q

What is this a picture of?

A

Adjacent to any solid body, such as a human arm, there is a thin layer of air that is held stationary by friction. Away from the body, wind speed, indicated by the length of the arrows, increases as the effect of frictions weakens with distance. Higher wind speeds cause the thickness of the boundary

layer to decrease. This lessens its insulating effect and allows the body to lose heat to the atmosphere more easily.

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4
Q

What is air mass?

A

ir mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and water vapor content. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of miles, and adapt to the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to latitude and their continental or maritime source regions

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5
Q

What is anticyclone?

A
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6
Q

What are the 3 factors wind speed is affected by?

A
  1. Pressure-gradient force: drop in air pressure per unit of distance
  2. Coriolis force: the deviation from a straight line of the path of a moving body as a result of Earth’s rotation
  3. Friction: the resistance to movement that results when two bodies are in contact
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7
Q

What is the Pressure Gradient Force?

A: the pressure exerted by the ocean water on the floor

B: the force which directs winds to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

C: Earth’s moving magnetic field

D: the force of air pressure resulting from the change in air pressure over a certain distance

A

D: the force of air pressure resulting from the change in air pressure over a certain distance

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8
Q

What is El Nino / Southern Oscillation?

A

–Off the coast of Peru, cold upwelling sustains fishing grounds with nutrients

–Periodically a mass of unusually warm water appears off the coast, when this happens, the trade winds slacken, upwelling is reduced, fish population declines and coastal birds die off

–Dry parts of Peru receive heavy rains, Australia experiences drought conditions, and cyclones appear in Hawaii and French Polynesia

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9
Q

What happens during a El NIno event?

A

–During an El Niño event, the pressure differential weakens, weakening the Walker circulation and the trade winds, which allows anomalously warm surface water to accumulate and stop cold upwelling

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10
Q

What is La Nina

A

La Niña episodes represent periods of below-average sea surface temperatures across the east-central Equatorial Pacific. Global climate La Niña impacts tend to be opposite those of El Niño impacts. In the tropics, ocean temperature variations in La Niña also tend to be opposite those of El Niño.

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11
Q

What is the butterfly effect or Chaos Theory?

A

Sensitivity to initial conditions.

For example

there are 4 small squares - 4different conditions for a complex process. The conditions differ from each other only by a tiny bit.

Because of the sensitivity, results in 4 very different outcomes

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12
Q

What is an isobar?

A

On weather maps, places of equal air pressure2 are connected by lines called isobars (FtG. 12.2). Isobars are analogous to contour lines that connect places of equal elevation on a topographic map.

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13
Q

What are ferrel cells?

A

–On the poleward side of the Hadley cells are midlatitude convection cells

–Surface winds are westerlies

  • act the ball bearing
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14
Q

what are polar cells?

A

–On the poleward side of the Ferrel cells, meeting along a zone called a polar front

–Dry, high-altitude air descends near the pole, creating a zone of divergence

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15
Q
A
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16
Q
A
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17
Q

What leads to rapid dissipation of of hurricane?

A Collison with land.

B Both answers

C Collison with cold water

A

B. Both collision with land and cold water

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18
Q

The magnitude of the pressure difference in a particular location

A True

B False

A

True

19
Q

What are the two types of air masses that have the greatest influence on weather conditions across the United States?

A)cP and mT

B)mP and cP

C) cT and cP

A

A) cP and mT

20
Q

Where is the Coriolis effect the strongest?

A) at the equator

B) at the tropic of Capricorn

C) At the North and South poles

D) at 45 degrees North and South latitudes.

A

C) At the North and South poles

21
Q

With Decreasing surface friction, the Coriolis effect on wind is

A: need more info

B: Decreased

C: Increased

D: unchanged

A

C: Increased

22
Q

In polar cells, warm, moist air uplifts near the poles, creating low-pressure convergence zones

A: True

B: False

A

B: False

23
Q

When does a land breeze usually form?

A) In the evening, flowing toward the water

B: In the evening, flowing towards the land

C: In the Day, flowing toward land

D: In the day, flowing towards the water

A

A) In the evening, flowing toward the water

24
Q

Major dist storms occur in deserts as a result of fine sediment being lifted by turbulent airflow and carried along as the wind’s suspended load.

A: True

B: False

A

A: True

25
Q

In an anticyclone, winds_________ at the surface, and ________ in the upper atmosphere

Select one:

A: Diverge, Converge

B:Diverge: diverge

C: converge: diverge

D converge, converge

A

A: Diverge, Converge

26
Q

What creates the sound of thunder?

A: stong updrafts

B: Strong downdrafts

C: The collision of hailstones with the ground

D: Rapid heating of air due to lightning

A

D: Rapid heating of air due to lightning

27
Q

A prolonged drought can lead to dying trees. The loss of vegetation can lead to the exposure of dry and bare soil. The soil can then become more easily eroded. the erosion may lead to dust storms and further erosion. The greater the amount of erosion may lead to more vegetation loss, and so on. the above is an example of

a. Negative Feedback
b. positive feedback

A

b. positive feedback

28
Q

If the earth was not rotating on its axis (but was stationary instead), how would wind flow?

A: The air would flow straight up

B: the air would flow extremely fast

C: would directly from high to low pressure.

A

C: would directly from high to low pressure.

29
Q

The major characteristics of an air mass are determined by the source location

A: True

B: False

A

TRue

30
Q

During a strong, El Nino year, if the air pressure is very high over Darwin, Australia, What will the air pressure be like over Tahiti and Eastern Pacific?

A: cannot be determined

B Low Pressure

C High Pressure

D Moderate Pressure

A

B Low Pressure

31
Q

The atmospere is a complex, dynamic system with multiple feedbacks, both positive and negative.

A: True

B: False

A

A: True

32
Q

In each Hemisphere on the poleward side of the Hadley cells, there is a midlatitude circulation system

A True

B False

A

A True

33
Q

Midlatitude cyclones last for months and are responsible for most everyday weather events in the polar regions

A: True

B: False

A

B: False

34
Q

Midlatitude cyclones

A: Usually move across North America from west to east

B: are found over the ocean

C: bring clear skies and little precipitation

D: Are short-lived events lasting a few hours

A

A: Usually move across North America from west to east

35
Q

What are the fast-moving “rivers” of air found near the top of the troposphere called?

a: pressure gradients

b Chinook Winds

c Jet streams

d land breezes

A

c Jet streams

36
Q

The zone of high rainfall normally situated near Indonesia shifts towards the central pacific, bringing dry conditions to Indonesia.

A True

B False

A

A True

37
Q

winds are named for

a: completely random
b: the scientist who discovers them

c their apparent destination

d: the direction from where they came

A

d: the direction from where they came

38
Q

which of the following do you think should have a high pressure gradient force?

A thunderstorm

B midlatitude cyclone

C Tornado

D Midlatitude anticyclone

A

C Tornado

39
Q

a surface wind over which of the following surfaces would typically be the fastest?

a: forested area
b: urban area
c: rocky covered beach
d: ice covered lake

A

d:ice covered lake

40
Q

Hurricanes originate as high-pressure centers over the Atlantic ocean

A true

B false

A

False

41
Q

The highest rates of evaporation typically occur over

a: deserts
b: polar region
c: Midlatitudes
d: tropical oceans

A

d: tropical oceans

42
Q

In the Northern Hemisphere, the wind circulation in a midlatitude cyclone is

a: clockwise, spiraling outward
b: counterclockwise, spiraling outward
c: clockwise, spiraling inward
d: counterclockwise, spiraling inward

A

d: counterclockwise, spiraling inward

43
Q

In the air a cT air mass is generally

a: warm and wet
b: hot and dry

c cold and dry

A

b: hot and dry

44
Q
A

EAS 100 (7 decks)

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