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weather and climate > exam 3 > Flashcards

exam 3 Flashcards

1
Q

the weight of air above a given surface

A

air pressure

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2
Q

as you climb in elevation, there are fewer air molecules above you, therefore , air pressure always ______ with height

A

decreses

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3
Q

two identical columns of air (fixed width):

if we move air into the column with no temperature change…

A

surface pressure would increase

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4
Q

two identical columns of air (fixed width):

if we move air out of the column with no temperature change…

A

surface pressure would decrease

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5
Q

two identical columns of air (fixed width with same air pressure):

if we warm one column…

A

the molecules move faster and spread farther apart, the air becomes less dense and the column expands in height

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6
Q

two identical columns of air (fixed width with same air pressure):

if we cool one column…

A

the molecules move more slowly and crowd closer together, the air becomes more dense and the column shrinks in height

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7
Q

it takes a ____ (shorter/taller) column of cold, dense air to exert (less, more, same) surface pressure as taller column of warm, less dense air

A

shorter, same

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8
Q

atmospheric pressure decreases more rapidly with elevation in a ______ (warm/cold) column of air

A

cold

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9
Q

true/false: high pressure is always cold

A

false ; high pressure is not always hot or cold, it depends on where it is in the atmosphere

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10
Q

atmospheric pressure decreases more slowly with elevation in a _____ (warm/cold) column of air

A

warm

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11
Q

warmer air aloft is normally associated with ________ (higher/lower) atmospheric pressure aloft

A

higher (resulting in a more stable atmosphere)

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12
Q

colder air aloft is normally associated with _________ (higher/lower) atmospheric pressure aloft

A

lower (resulting in a more unstable atmosphere)

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13
Q

unequal heating of the Earth’s surface causes…

A

the wind to blow (lack of equilibrium)

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14
Q

how do we measure air pressure

A

barometers (mercurial vs. aneroid)

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15
Q

corrections must be made for what factors when measuring air pressure

A
  1. temperature
  2. instrument
  3. gravity
  4. sea level
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16
Q

atmospheric pressure decreases, on average, ____ inch of ______ for each ______ foot rise in altitude

A

one ; mercury ; 1000

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17
Q

what is the standard surface atmospheric pressure

A
  1. 2 mb (milibars)
  2. 7 lbs/inch
  3. 92 “ mercury
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18
Q

high pressure is also referred to as…

A

“anticyclone”

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19
Q

(rising/sinking) air is more stable ; is this more associated with high or low pressure?

A

sinking ; high pressure

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20
Q

a “mountain” of air above a given location

A

high pressure

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21
Q

a “valley” of air above a given location

A

low pressure

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22
Q

low pressure is also referred to as…

A

“cyclone”

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23
Q

(rising/sinking) air is more unstable ; is this more associated with high or low pressure?

A

rising ; low pressure

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24
Q

storminess is generally brought by (high/low) pressure

A

low pressure (rising air)

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25
Q

low pressure:

warm core lows

A

tropical ; tropical cyclones

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26
Q

low pressure:

cold core lows

A

extratropical ; frontal lows

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27
Q

planes should always take off or land (against/into) the wind

A

INTO

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28
Q

high pressure in the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE always rotates (clockwise/counterclockwise)

A

clockwise

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29
Q

low pressure in the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE always rotates (clockwise/counterclockwise)

A

counterclockwise

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30
Q

if you see a front drawn on a map…

A

it is a surface weather map

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31
Q

troughs = (low/high) pressure

A

low pressure

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32
Q

ridges = (low/high) pressure

A

high pressure

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33
Q

with corrections made to surface pressure readings, surface pressure charts use ______ to depicts lines of _________________________

A

isobars ; lines of equal surface pressure

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34
Q

upper air charts are also called…

A

constant height charts

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35
Q

“ASL”

A

“above sea level”

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36
Q

upper air charts are constructed to show…

A

height variations along a constant pressure height surface

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37
Q

on upper air charts, height contour lines depict…

A

pressure

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38
Q

on upper air charts, higher heights =

A

higher pressure @ respective height

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39
Q

on upper air charts, lower heights =

A

lower pressure @ respective height

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40
Q

850 mb chart

A

4,000 ft ASL

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41
Q

700 mb chart

A

9,800 ft ASL

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42
Q

500 mb chart

A

18,500 ft ASL

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43
Q

300 mb chart

A

30,000 ft ASL

44
Q

250 mb chart

A

34,250 ft ASL

45
Q

200 mb chart

A

38,500 ft ASL

46
Q

Newton’s 1st Law of Motion

A

an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion (and will travel at a constant velocity along a straight line) as long as no force is exerted on the object

47
Q

Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion

A

the force exerted on an object equals its mass times the acceleration produced

(F=ma)

48
Q

Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion

A

for every action, there’s and opposite and equal reaction

49
Q

hurricanes and tornadoes are (high/low) pressure systems

A

low pressure systems

50
Q

90% of tornadoes will turn (clockwise/counterclockwise)

A

counterclockwise (in Northern Hemisphere; because low pressure rotates counterclockwise)

51
Q

pressure gradient force

A

air will always move from higher to lower pressure

THINK : tire blowouts

52
Q

define the coriolis force

A

deflection cause by a rotating object

53
Q

in the northern hemisphere, deflection from the coriolis effect is towards the (left/right)

A

right

54
Q

coriolis force is ________ at equator and ________ near poles

A

NEGLIGIBLE at equator and STRONGER near poles

55
Q

coriolis force only affects wind __________, not wind ___________

A

direction ; NOT speed

56
Q

the amount of deflection depends on…

A
  1. rotation of the earth
  2. latitude
  3. objects’ speed
57
Q

large scale wind systems are associated with…

A

the coriolis effect

58
Q

generally hurricanes do not form within 5 degrees of __________

A

the equator

because the coriolis effect is weak at equator and strong at poles; and large wind systems are associated with CF

59
Q

define friction

A

wind blowing across Earth’s surface and against other air molecules

60
Q

friction causes _____% tilt towards (high/low) pressure

A

33% ; low pressure

61
Q

Buys-Ballot Rule

A

says if you stand with your back to the wind and turn to the left 30 degrees, on your right will always be high pressure and on your left low pressure

62
Q

geostrophic wind generally acts in absence of…

A

friction (because it is found higher up)

63
Q

define geostrophic wind

A

theoretical horizontal wind blowing in a straight path, parallel to the isobars (constant contour lines) at a constant speed

64
Q

geostrophic wind is caused by an exact balance of _______________ and ___________

A

pressure gradient force & coriolis force

65
Q

define hydrostatic balance

A

in the vertical, an exact balance between vertical pressure gradient force and gravity

66
Q

what allows the Earth’s atmosphere to remain in place

A

hydrostatic balance

REMEMBER :

outgoing pressure (geostrophic wind) is balanced by gravity, keeping us from being sucked into space! This is hydrostatic balance

67
Q

wind is characterized by…

A
  1. direction
  2. speed
  3. gustiness
68
Q

speed vs. gustiness

A

speed is always based on a two minute average

gustiness is instantaneous and a certain % above sustained wind

69
Q

veering vs. backing wind

A

veering shifts clockwise

backing shifts counterclockwise

70
Q

back wind shifts (clockwise/counterclockwise)

A

counterclockwise

71
Q

veneering wind shifts

A

clockwise

72
Q

what are wind roses/what do they do

A

graphical device to indicate frequencies of which wind direction is

**USDA and TCEQ

73
Q

who uses wind roses

A

airport runways and architects

74
Q

what is the average prevailing wind direction in ATX

A

south

75
Q

wind instrumentation examples

A 
wind vane anemometer
ice free wind sensor
aerovane
wind sock
rawinsonde
doppler radar

***(located 30 feet above surface)

76
Q

what are the scales of atmospheric motion

A

microscale, mesoscale, macroscale

77
Q

scales of atmospheric motion:

microscale

A
  • small area/footprint
  • close to earth (turbulent flow)
  • not very representative
78
Q

scales of atmospheric motion:

mesoscale

A
  • size of several state (regional view)

- big advancements have been on this scale

79
Q

scales of atmospheric motion:

macroscale - synoptic

A
  • weathermap scale

- map of US

80
Q

scales of atmospheric motion:

macroscale - global

A

encompasses most

81
Q

who invented the single cell global atmospheric circulation model and in what year

A

george hadley ; 1700s

82
Q

describe the single cell global atmospheric circulation model

A

with higher pressure at the poles, sinking cold air flowed southward from the polar regions…once it got to the Equator, after warming, with lower pressure, air was lifted

**one big circulation cell ; too simple

83
Q

Hadley Cell location

A

equator 30 degrees north or south latitude

84
Q

what is the ITCZ

A

Intertropical Convergence Zone ; area around the equator (“Doldrums”)

85
Q

in general during the WINTER in the northern hemisphere…higher pressure is over (land/water) and lower pressure over (land/water)

A

higher pressure is over LAND and lower pressure is over WATER

86
Q

in general during the SUMMER in the northern hemisphere…higher pressure is over (land/water) and lower pressure over (land/water)

A

higher pressure is over WATER and lower pressure is over LAND

87
Q

the troposphere is _________ (shallower/deeper) near the equator, and (shallower/deeper) near poles

A

DEEPER at equator, SHALLOW at poles

88
Q

define jet streams

A

strong, mainly upper level, tropospheric steering wind

89
Q

polar jet streams are found best at

A

300 mb height

90
Q

subtropical jet streams are found best at

A

200 mb height

91
Q

low level jet streams are found best at

A

850 mb to 700 mb heights ; common in central US

92
Q

surface waters of oceans tend to move with the ________

A

surface wind (upwelling)

93
Q

la nina

A

colder than average equatorial pacific ocean water temps

94
Q

el nino

A

warmer than average equatorial pacific ocean water temps

95
Q

notable el nino events:

1982 - 1983

A

strong event ; $8 billion in damage

96
Q

notable el nino events:

1986 - 1987

A

weaker event ; ended drought in SE USA

97
Q

notable el nino events:

1991 - 1992

A

strong event ; severe TX flooding ; 5 year drought ended in CA

98
Q

what are monsoons

A

season wind shifts that result in heavy rain

99
Q

where are monsoons most common

A

india/southeastern asia

**baby monsoon - southwestern usa (because of summer thermal low)

100
Q

what are thermal lows

A

a low pressure circulation created by changes in air temperature

101
Q

katabatic wind

A
  • cold, downslope wind (gravity)
  • can be quite destructive
  • Greenland, Antarctica
  • referred to as a “mistral” in the Alps
102
Q

chinook wind

A
  • warm downslope wind
  • referred to as the “snoweater” wind by Native Americans
  • eastern slopes Rockies in US/Canada
103
Q

santa ana wind

A
  • warm, dry downslope wind in California
  • most common during fall months (october)
  • strong surface high pressure over the Great Salt Lake Region
104
Q

desert winds

A
  • dust devils

- haboob (N. Africa/India)

105
Q

wind shear

A

rapid change in wind direction and or wind speed in a small area

EX: tornadoes, thunderstorms, cold fronts

106
Q

eddy

A

small whirlwind of water

weather and climate (5 decks)

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