Deck 13 Earth's Systems- Air Masses 1.2 Flashcards
1.2
Air Mass
A large body of air with roughly the same temperature and humidity
Warm Front
Forms when warm air slides up and over a cold air mass; it brings gentle rain or light snow followed by warmer weather
Cold Front
Forms when a cold air mass pushes under a warm air mass; thunderheads can form followed by cool, fair weather
Weather Conditions
The state of the atmosphere at any given time
Satellite
An object that orbits another larger object
Weather Balloons
A balloon that carries weather instruments into Earth’s atmosphere to send back data on temperature, humidity, and wind speed
Humidity
The amount of water vapor present in the air
Jet Stream
An air current in the upper atmosphere, located over North America that influences weather conditions. Flows from west to east and changes depending on global conditions
Radar
A device that sends out radio waves for locating objects
Local Winds
Wind that forms in a small area due to temperature changes
Stationary Front
A front that stays in one spot. Occurs when a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet, associated with rainy weather
Low Pressure
A large swirling mass of rising warm air that usually brings wet, stormy weather
High Pressure
A large swirling mass of sinking warm air that causes fair weather (high to low pressure)
