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earth science > Earth Science, Tarbuck Chap 19 > Flashcards

Earth Science, Tarbuck Chap 19 Flashcards

1
Q

What are air masses

A

large bodies of air that have uniform temperature and moisture across a given altitude

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2
Q

How are air masses categorized

A

Polar(high latitude, cold), Arctic(high latitude, cold), tropical(low latitude, warm), continental(origin above continent, dry) and maritime(origin above Water, humid)

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3
Q

What are lake effect snows

A

When cP air masses move over across a lake in winter months, the warmth and moisture of a lake causes clouds to develop

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4
Q

where do cP air masses form that affect America

A

Canada, air masses move southward

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5
Q

Where do mT air masses form that affect America

A

Gulf of Mexico, move Northward

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6
Q

maritime tropical air masses have what effect on america

A

produces most of the precipitation in America

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7
Q

Air mass that least affects American weather

A

Continental Tropical

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8
Q

What is a Nor’ Easter

A

Storm along East Coast of America originating from North East, most often England. Occurs in winter and is caused by Cyclone pulling in maritime polar air as it travels across the atlantic

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9
Q

What are fronts

A

boundary surfaces that
separate air masses of different densities

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10
Q

What is Overrunning

A

Warm air masses rise above cold ones in fronts

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11
Q

What is a warm front

A

surface position of a front moves so that warm air
occupies territory formerly covered by cooler air,

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12
Q

Warm fronts bring what

A

Precipitation

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13
Q

When warm fronts approach, what clouds form

A

Cirrus -> Cirrostratus -> stratus -> nimbostratus ->

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14
Q

What precipitation does warm fronts bring

A

Light-moderate precipitation over extended periods

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15
Q

What temperature difference does warm fronts bring

A

Gradual increase in temperature

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16
Q

What is a cold front

A

When dense cold air is actively advancing into a region
occupied by warmer air

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17
Q

Cold front weather is usually what

A

violent

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18
Q

As cold fronts approach, what clouds form

A

dark band of ominous clouds

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19
Q

Precipitation formed in cold fronts

A

Violent storms but for small durations

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20
Q

What is a surface front

A

flow on both sides of a front is neither toward the cold air mass nor toward the warm air mass but almost parallel to the line of the front

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21
Q

What is an occluded front

A

forms when a warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses

22
Q

Primary Weather producers in Mid-latitude

A

Mid-latitude cyclones

23
Q

What are Mid-Latitude Cyclones

A

large centers of low pressure that generally travel from west to east. Forms when contrasting air masses, typically cold polar air mass and a warm tropical air mass,

24
Q

Weather in mid-latitude cyclones

A

Abundent precipitation

25
Q

Shape of Mid-latitude Cyclone

A

Comma shaped

26
Q

What are tornados

A

narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. The tornado has very low pressure compared to surrounding air, which causes the insurgence of air

27
Q

Stronger tornadoes oftenly contain what

A

Smaller vortices within the large one, called suction vortices

28
Q

What are supercells

A

Huge thunderstorms

29
Q

What is needed to create a thunderstorm

A

Moisture, instability, and lifting mechanism

30
Q

What is wind shear

A

a wind direction and/or speed change over a vertical or horizontal distance

31
Q

What is a mesocyclone

A

a vertical
cylinder of rotating air, typically about 3 to 10 kilometers
(2 to 6 miles) across, that develops in the updraft of a
severe thunderstorm.

32
Q

How do mesocyclones form

A

Speed wind shear(Wind gets faster as elevation increases due to less friction) causes wind to produce a rolling motion. If updraft causes this rotating air to be aligned nearly vertical, a mesocyclone forms, producing a wall cloud.

33
Q

How are Tornadoes and mesocyclones related

A

Mesocyclones generate a wall cloud( a large, rotating, localized cloud that forms beneath a thunderstorm base) where a funnel cloud emerges. If the funnel clouds touches the ground, a tornado is formed

34
Q

Why do mid-latitude cyclones form around Central America

A

no significant natural barrier separating the center of the country from the arctic or the Gulf of Mexico

35
Q

Where do the air masses that form mid-latitude cyclones usually originate in america

A

polar air from Canada and maritime tropical air from the Gulf of
Mexico

36
Q

The greater the contrast between the two air masses, the greater the

A

Intensity of the storm

37
Q

Most commonly used guide to tornado intensity

A

Enhanced Fujita intensity scale

38
Q

How does the enhanced fujita intensity scale work

A

by assessing the worst damage produced by a
storm, taking account of structural integrity of buildings

39
Q

What are hurricanes

A

are intense centers of low pressure
what form over tropical oceans and are characterized by
intense thunderstorm activity

40
Q

Difference between Mid-latitude cyclones and Hurricanes

A

Hurricanes do not have contrasting air masses and fronts

41
Q

What energy maintains the hurricane

A

huge quantity of latent heat liberated during the formation of the storm’s cumulonimbus towers

42
Q

How is the pressure gradient from the outer to the inner edge of a hurricane

A

Steep, inner edge of hurricane is very low pressure

43
Q

What is the eye wall in a hurricane

A

doughnut-shaped wall of intense convective activity surrounding the center of the storm

44
Q

Where does the heaviest rainfall and the highest wind speed occur in a hurricane

A

Eye wall

45
Q

What is at the center of a hurricane

A

Hurricane eye, where wind and rain subsides

46
Q

When do most hurricanes form

A

Summer, where water temperatures are above 80 F

47
Q

Where do most hurricanes form

A

5-20 degree latitude

48
Q

Why do hurricanes not form from the equator to 5 degrees latitude

A

Coriolis effect is too weak to initiate rotary motion

49
Q

How do hurricanes decay

A

Move onto land, Move into areas without warm, moist air, or move into location where flow aloft is not favorable

50
Q

What is the Main Hurricane scale we use

A

Saffir-Simpson Scale

earth science (20 decks)

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