Exam 2 (Ch 5-8) Flashcards
The amount of pressure change that occurs over a given horizontal distance
Pressure gradient
Low ________ on a constant height chart corresponds to low ________ on a constant pressure chart.
Pressures, heights
A station at an altitude of 300 m (about 1000 feet) above sea level measures an air pressure of 920 mb. Under normal conditions, what value below do you think would be the most realistic sea level pressure for this station?
950 mb
To correctly monitor horizontal changes in air pressure, the most important correction for a mercury barometer measurement is the correction for
Altitude
Cyclonic flow means circulation around a _____ pressure center in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere.
Low
Which statement below is NOT correct concerning the Coriolis force?
It is strongest at the equator.
The scale on an altimeter indicates altitude, but an altimeter actually measures
Pressure
On an upper-level chart, the wind tends to blow:
Parallel to the isobars or contours
The pressure gradient force is directed from higher pressure toward lower pressure
At all places on earth
The force that would cause a stationary parcel of air to begin to move horizontally
Pressure gradient force
Which of the statements below is not correct concerning the pressure gradient force?
Pressure gradient
A surface low pressure center is generally associated with ________ on an upper level isobaric chart.
A trough
We can generally expect the air to be ________ above areas of surface low pressure and ________ above areas of surface high pressure.
Rising; sinking
When the upward-directed pressure gradient force is in balance with the downward pull of gravity, the atmosphere is in
Hydrostatic equilibrium
Which of the following combinations produces the strongest Coriolis force?
Fast winds, high latitude
The surface pressures at the bases of warm and cold columns of air are equal. Air pressure in the warm column of air will ________ with increasing height more ________ than in the cold column.
Decrease, slowly
Two air columns extend from sea level up to an altitude of 10 km. If one column is cold and the other is warm, the air pressure in the cold column will ________ ________ with increasing height than the air pressure in the warm column.
Decrease more rapidly
Which of the following forces does not have a direct effect on horizontal wind motions?
Gravitational force
The net force on air moving in a circle at constant speed is
Inward toward the center of rotation
The contour lines drawn on a 500 mb chart are lines of constant
Altitude
Lines connecting points of equal pressure
Isobars
If the earth’s gravitational force were to increase, atmospheric pressure at the ground would
Increase
Pressure changes more ________ in the horizontal direction than in the vertical.
Rapidly
A wind blowing at a constant speed parallel to straight line isobars with the pressure gradient force (PGF) and the Coriolis force in balance
Geostrophic wind