Earth Science B Quiz 4/27 Flashcards
What is weather?
Weather is the day-to-day shifts in atmospheric conditions.
What is climate?
long-term (~30 years) prevailing weather and temperature patterns.
What is an air mass?
A large volume of air reflects the terrain that it is moving over.
What is an air mass described in terms of?
Humidity content and temperature.
What are weather fronts?
The boundary between two air masses.
What does the density of the air determine?
Interactions.
What will less dense air do with cold air?
Lift over cold air.
What will more dense air do with warm air?
Bulldoze under it.
What is a warm front?
Warmer air meeting colder air.
What does a warm front form?
Stratus clouds that cover large areas of the sky.
What is a cold front?
Colder air meeting warmer air.
What does a cold front form?
Towering cumulonimbus clouds.
What can cumulonimbus clouds form?
Heavy rain and violent storms.
When does an occluded front occur?
Occurs when a colder air mass completely bulldozes the warm air mass out of the way.
What does an occluded front act like?
A cold front.
What happens at an occluded front?
Warmer air ends up over the colder air (more dense).
Where do frontal thunderstorms develop?
Along strong cold fronts.
What do frontal thunderstorms form?
Towering cumulonimbus clouds.
What do frontal thunderstorms lead to?
Golf ball size hail, severe thunder and lightning, and even tornadoes.
What are the three stages of frontal thunderstorms?
Cumulus, Mature, Dissipating.
What are frontal thunderstorm ingredients?
Massive amounts of moisture in the air (high humidity), Large temperature difference between the colder and warmer air mass, and an updraft.
What is an updraft?
Air being forced up to higher altitudes.
What happens in the mature stage?
A fully developed cumulonimbus cloud has formed.
How do strong downdrafts form?
Precipitation (rain/hail) and dense, sinking air.
