Chapter 17 - Weather Flashcards
A quantity that can change.
Variable
The force that a column of air applies in the air or a surface below it.
Air pressure
A machine that measures air pressure.
Barometer
Wind moves from where to where?
High to low pressure.
If a wind blows from west to east, is it a westerly or an easterly?
Westerly.
What machine is used to measure wind speed?
Anemometer
The amount of water vapor in the air.
Humidity
A machine used to measure humidity.
Hygrometer
The amount of water vapor in the air compared to the amount of water vapor the air could hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage.
Relative humidity
The temperature at which the air is saturated with water vapor and condensation can occur.
Dew point
To be so full of something that you cannot absorb any more.
Saturated
Flat, white, and layered clouds
Stratus
Fluffy, heaped, or piled up clouds
Cumulus
Wispy, high clouds
Cirrus
A cloud near or on the surface.
Fog
Water, in liquid or solid form, that falls from the atmosphere.
Precipitation.
Precipitation that reaches the earth a droplets of water.
Rain
The atmospheric conditions and short term changes for a certain place at a certain time.
Weather
變量
Variable
氣壓計
Barometer
氣壓
Air pressure
濕度
Humidity
濕度器
Hygrometer
相對濕度
Relative humidity
露點
Dew point
飽和
Saturated (tricky, but correct for weather and humidity)
層雲
Stratus
積雲
Cumulus
卷雲
Cirrus
霧
Fog (or mist)
降水
Precipitation
A large body of circulating air with high pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system.
high-pressure system
A large body of circulating air with low pressure at its center and higher pressure outside of the system.
low-pressure system
In a high-pressure system, does air move to or away from the center?
away
Which system brings clear skies and fair weather?
High pressure system
Which system brings clouds and, at times, precipitation?
Low-pressure system
Large bodies of air that have uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure.
Air mass
These air masses form over Siberia and the Arctic.
Arctic Air Mass
These air masses can bring temperatures to -40C
Arctic Air Mass
A bitterly cold, dry air mass.
Arctic Air Mass
These air masses form over northern Canada and Northern Russia.
Continental Polar Air Mass
These air masses are fast moving and bring cold weather in winter and cool weather in summer.
Continental Polar Air Mass
These air masses form over the northern oceans.
Maritime Polar Air Mass
These air masses are cold and humid.
Maritime Polar Air Masses
These air masses bring cloudy, rainy weather.
Maritime Polar Air Masses
These air masses form in the tropics over deserts.
Continental Tropical Air Masses
These air masses are hot and dry.
Continental Tropical Air Masses
These air masses bring clear skies and high temperatures.
Continental Tropical Air Masses
These air masses form over the southern oceans, often near the Philippines.
Maritime Tropical Air Masses
These air masses form hurricanes and typhoons.
Maritime Tropical Air Masses
These air masses have hot, humid air.
Maritime Tropical Air Masses
These air masses can bring very heavy snowfall in winter.
Maritime Tropical Air Masses
A boundary between two air masses.
Front
Drastic weather changes occur at…
Fronts
A cold air mass moves towards a warmer air mass.
Cold Front
Cold fronts can bring a temperature decrease of up to..
10C
Less dense warm air moves towards colder, denser air.
Warm Front
What weather do cold fronts typically bring?
Gusty wind, severe storms
What weather do warm fronts typically bring?
Steady precipitation, warming temperatures, shift in wind direction.
What happens when a warm front and a cold front meet each other and neither is stronger?
Stationary front
What weather is associated with a stationary front?
Unending rain
What is the local name for a repeating stationary front in Taiwan?
Plum rains
What is the name for a stationary front in India?
Monsoon
What is it called when a cold front catches up with a slow moving warm front?
Occluded front
What weather is associated with an occluded front?
Sudden rain, shifting winds
What is the first stage of a thunderstorm?
Cumulus phase
What happens during the cumulus phase?
Updraft
What happens during the mature phase?
Updraft and downdraft
What happens during the dissipation phase?
Downdraft
What is an updraft?
Upwards wind
What is a downdraft?
Downwards wind
What is the second phase of a thunderstorm?
Mature phase
What is the last phase of a thunderstorm?
Dissipation phase
How hot can a lightning bolt get?
27000C
What is lightning really?
Electricity
What makes the electricity in a thundercloud?
Ice rubbing
A whirling column of air in contact with the ground.
Tornado
What is the diameter of a tornado?
100 m - 1600 m
How fast can the wind get inside a tornado?
500 km/h
How long can a tornado last?
5 min - 5 hrs
Which has stronger winds, a typhoon or a tornado?
tornado
Where do hurricanes form?
Atlantic Ocean
Where do typhoons form?
Pacific Ocean
Where do cyclones form?
South of equator
How much bigger is the typical hurricane or typhoon than a typical tornado?
150 000 times.
A violent winter storm with freezing temperatures, strong winds, and blowing snow.
Blizzard
A set of weather measurements made on the ground or ocean.
Surface report
A set of weather measurements made above earth’s surface.
Upper air report
How are upper air reports usually made?
Weather balloons.
What is the name of the instrument used in weather balloons that makes many weather measurements and radios them back to the ground?
Radiosonde
How high do most weather satellites orbit the earth?
35 000 km
A type of radar that can detect precipitation and the movement of small particles.
Doppler Radar
This weather detection system works by measuring the change in frequency of waves reflected by moving particles.
Doppler radar`
This weather imaging technology is normally only seen on TV during typhoons in Taiwan.
Doppler radar
This weather imaging technology only shows where clouds are.
Visible light satellite image
This weather imaging technology shows the heights and temperatures of clouds.
Infrared satellite image
Lines that connect all places on a map that have the same air pressure.
Isobar
What type of front is marked on a weather map by a line with triangles pointing out of it on one side?
Cold front
What type of front is marked on a weather map by a line with half circles pointing out of it on one side?
Warm front
What type of front is marked on a weather map by a line with both half circles and triangles pointing out on one side?
Occluded front
What type of front is marked on a weather map by a line with half circles and triangles pointing out on opposite sides?
Stationary front
What weather feature is marked on a weather map by thin lines with numbers on them?
Isobar
What weather feature is marked on a weather map by a dot with a sort of flag pointing out of it?
Surface report
What weather feature is marked on a weather map by a capital ‘H’?
High-pressure system
What weather feature is marked on a weather map by a capital letter ‘L’?
Low-pressure system
What are detailed computer programs that simulate a natural or man-made system?
Computer model
What are GFS and NOGAPS examples of?
Computer models
What is the long-term average weather conditions that appear in a particular region?
Climate
What is the name for how far north or south a particular location is from the equator?
Latitude
What is the name for how far east or west a place is from London, England?
Longitude
What is Taichung’s latitude?
24.15N
What is the word for how high a location is above sea level?
Altitude
Higher altitude means …
Lower temperature and air pressure
What is an area of low rainfall on the downwind slope of a mountain?
Rain shadow
What is the name for the amount of thermal energy (J) needed to raise the temperature of material (1 kg) by 1C?
Specific heat
Which has a higher specific heat, sand or water?
Water
What makes climates near the ocean more constant than those in the middle of a continent?
High specific heat of water
What kind of climate is Taiwan classified as having?
Tropical wet
What factors affect how a region’s climate is classified?
Temperature, precipitation, and native vegetation
What is a local climate that is different from the surrounding climate called?
Microclimate
What are cold periods lasting from hundreds to millions of years where glaciers cover much of the Earth’s surface?
Ice ages
What are the periods when glaciers retreat called?
Intergalacials
Are we in an ice age or an interglacial?
intergalacial
When did the last interglacial begin?
10 000 years ago
How long is the cycle of changes in the shape of Earth’s orbit?
100 000 years
How long is the cycle of changes in the tilt of Earth’s axis?
41 000 years
What causes the seasons?
Tilt of earth’s axis to or away from sun.
If it is winter here, what is the season in America?
Winter
If it is winter here, what season is it in South Africa?
Summer
IF it is winter here, what season is it in Australia?
Summer
What date marks the beginning of summer?
June 21
What date marks the beginning of winter?
December 22
What date marks the beginning of fall?
September 23
What date marks the beginning of spring?
March 21
What is that name of the day that begins winter?
Winter solstice
What is the name of the day that begins summer?
Summer solstice
What is the name of the day that begins fall?
Fall equinox
What is the name of the day that begins spring?
Spring equinox
On what days are both day and night exactly the same length everywhere on Earth?
Equinoxes
On what day does the sun go directly over head in Jiayi county?
Summer solstice
How many solstices are there in a year?
2
How many equinoxes are there in a year?
2
What is the many year ocean and atmospheric cycle that results in lowered trade winds in the Pacific called?
El Nino
What is another name for El Nino?
ENSO, or El Nino/Southern Oscillation
How long does an El Nino cycle normally take?
3-8 years
Is this an El Nino year?
Yes
What is a name for a wind circulation pattern that changes with the seasons?
Monsoon
What weather front often occurs at the change of seasons in a monsoon area?
Slowly moving stationary front
What is an period with below average precipitation?
Drought
What is the rise in Earth’s average temperature during the past 100 years called?
Global warming
What are gases that absorb infrared radiation called?
Greenhouse gases
What is the most important greenhouse gas?
CO2
What is a name for the large scale cutting and burning of forests?
deforestation
What is a name for tiny solid or liquid particles?
Aerosols
Do aerosols coll or heat the earth?
Cool
What is a name for a computer model used to predict long term changes in the Earth’s climate?
Global Climate Model
