Exam II Flashcards
1
Q
What part of a gas causes greater air pressure?
A
- Pressure
- Heat (less important)
2
Q
What happens to pressure as altitude increases?
A
pressure decreases
3
Q
What causes molecules to be more densely packed at the surface?
A
Gravity
4
Q
How can mapping air pressure with isobars help determine wind speeds?
A
Because air flows from areas of high pressure to low pressure.
Steep gradients (the abruptness of pressure change over a distance)
when isobars are close together indicate strong wind speeds.
Coriolis effect also plays a part.
5
Q
What does a increase in inches on a barometer suggest?
A
That high pressure is moving in.
6
Q
What does friction of air do to wind speeds and the Coriolis effect?
A
It slows wind speeds which in turn reduce the Coriolis effect
7
Q
What happens to the frictional influence on wind as altitude increases?
A
It progressively decreases
8
Q
What causes a Sea breeze?
A
A daytime warming of the land produces relatively low pressure there, which attracts an onshore flow of wind from the sea
9
Q
What causes a Land breeze?
A
When nighttime cooling over the land causes high pressure there, resulting in an offshore flow of air.
10
Q
What is the wind pattern of Cyclone?
Is it low pressure or high pressure?
A
Air spirals counterclockwise inward and upward toward a cyclone.
Cyclones converge in low pressure systems.
11
Q
What is the wind pattern of an Anti Cyclone?
Is it low pressure or high pressure?
A
Air spirals clockwise outward and downward away from an Anti Cyclone
Anti Cyclones are high pressure systems
12
Q
What is the hypothetical pattern of wind in a non-rotating Earth?
A
The greater amount of solar warming near the equator would cause a low pressure system there and the poles would have high pressure.
Pressure would simply flow down its gradients from both poles.
13
Q
What are the Hadley Cells?
A
They are vertical convective circulation cells with warm air rising at the ITCZ
14
Q
What are subtropical highs?
A
They are high pressure cells around 30 degrees north and south of the equator, where air will flow off towards the equator.
15
Q
What are the trade winds?
A
They are winds that come off the Sub Tropical Highs
16
Q
What are the horse latitudes?
A
A belt of calm air and sea between the trade winds and the westerlies
17
Q
Where is the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)?
A
It is a zone where the northeast and southeast trades come together around the equator, but it will shift seasonally and varies more over land because the land warms more.
18
Q
What are the Doldrums?
A
A low pressure area around the equator where prevailing winds are calm.
19
Q
Since Wayne lies in the heart of the mid latitudes, we live in the path of?
A
The prevailing westerlies
20
Q
Where are the Polar highs?
A
They are high pressure systems that is above the polar regions.
21
Q
What are the polar easterlies?
A
They are below the polar highs from 60 degrees latitude to the highs and have characteristically east to west direction.
22
Q
What is the polar front?
A
Zone between 55-60 latitude and is the meeting ground for the cold winds of the easterlies and the warmer westerlies.
23
Q
What are jet streams?
A
They are fast flowing, narrow air currents found around 6 miles above earth’s surface
24
Q
What is the significance of the jet streams?
A
They are significant because the streams flows from the west to the east, so trying to fly from the east is very difficult.
25
What are Rossby waves?
Giant meanders in high altitude winds (e.g jet stream) that have a major influence on weather.
26
How do Rossby waves influence weather?
When the amplitudes of the waves of the polar jet streams drastically increase they may merge with the subtropical jet streams resulting in intensified weather.
If the waves are relatively stable there isn't a merging of cold and warm air which can cause normal effects
27
What is meant by a monsoon?
Season
A reversal of winds - a general sea-to-land movement called onshore flow and a general land-to-sea movement called offshore flow
28
What are the causes of monsoons?
When a strong thermal (warm surface) low pressure cell generated over the continent pulls oceanic air onshore.
29
What are the significance of monsoons?
More than half of the world lives in areas with monsoon controlled climates. They're lives depend on these seasonal changes
30
Where are there monsoons?
South Asia
East Asia
West Africa
Southwest US
31
What is an El Nino?
It is periodic warming of the ocean surface of the west coast of south africa.
32
What are the significance of El Nino?
They can change world weather patterns, causing heavy rain in some areas and droughts in others.
33
What state is most atmospheric moisture in?
Water vapor (gas)
34
What is required to convert water to its different phases?
Latent heat
35
What is latent heat?
The energy released or absorbed during a phase change.
36
Is latent heat a form of atmospheric energy?
YES!
37
What is evaporation generally?
A cooling process that takes heat away from a surface
38
What is evapotranspiration?
Water conveyed to the atmosphere via evaporation and transpiration from plants.
39
Define Absolute Humidity
The actual water vapor content in the air.
40
Why is absolute humidity higher near the equator?
Because warmer air has the ability to hold more moisture and the air near the equator is warmer.
41
Define Relatively Humidity.
The amount of water vapor as a percent of the amount needed for saturation.
42
Why are air temp and relatively humidity inversely related?
Because when temperature is high there is a low percent of water vapor compared to what is needed for saturation.
43
Define Dew Point
Dew point is the temperature to which a given parcel of air must be cooled for water vapor to condense
44
What does a high dew point mean?
There is a lot of moisture in the air
45
What are condensation nuclei?
They are particle of dust smoke pollen etc that act as collection points for water molecules during condensation.
46
What is supercooled water?
They are droplets that are important for condensation because they promote the growth of ice particles in cold clouds
47
What are the two conditions necessary for condensation to occur?
1. Condensation Nuclei
2. Supercooled water
48
What does adiabatic process mean?
means it is a process that occurs without gaining or losing heat
49
Explain how adiabatic warming of descending air occurs.
There is compression in the lower atnmosphere
50
Explain how adiabatic cooling occurs in rising air.
As a parcel expands molecules make less contact
51
What are the three types of classifying clouds?
1. Cirrus
2. Stratus
3. Cumulus
52
Unstable air is buoyant and associated with?
Updrafts and vertical clouds
53
How does nature make it rain?
In the adiabatic processes,
a parcel of warm moist air must be forced to rise, expand, cool, condense and precipitate
54
What are the four types of ways that it can precipitate?
1. Convective lifting
2. Orographic lifting
3. Frontal/convergent lifting
4. Convergence
55
What is Orographic precipitation?
When air runs into a mountain, rises expands, cools, condenses, and precipitates
56
What is fog?
When a cloud in the sky comes in contact with the ground
57
In what season does Nebraska typically receive its highest amount of precipitation?
Late spring early summer
June
58
Why does the southeast experience such high amounts of average annual precipitation?
The Southeast generally experiences warm and humid weather for much of the year. Warm air can hold more moisture than cooler air. When warm, moisture-laden air masses collide with cooler air or encounter topographic features such as mountains, they can be forced to rise, cool, and condense, resulting in precipitation.
59
What are the regions of high annual precipitation?
1. ITCZ/Trade wind uplift
2. Tropical monsoon regions
3. Coastal areas in the Westerlies
60
What are the regions of low annual precipitation?
1. Areas of subtropical highs
2. Interior of continents
3. High latitude regions
61
Why do deserts experience the highest precipitation variability in the world?
1. Lack of Moisture Sources: Deserts typically lack significant moisture sources such as oceans or large bodies of water.
2. High Pressure Systems: Deserts are often located in regions dominated by high-pressure systems, which inhibit the uplift of air necessary for the formation of clouds and precipitation.
62
What must air be like for fog to occur?
You need stable air
63
Why does the American southwest experience less fog overall than any other region of the US?
Available atmospheric moisture is limited and winds are strong
64
What is an air mass?
A large body of air with generally uniform temperature and humidity.
65
How large are air masses?
1000 miles in diameter
66
How do large air masses originate?
When a mass of air stagnates for a few days over uniform land or sea surface and it acquires its temp and humidity
67
What is the cP air mass?
Continental Polar (cold, dry air)
68
What is the cT air mass?
Continental tropical (hot dry air
69
What is the mP air mass?
Maritime Polar (cool wet air)
70
What is the mT air mass?
Maritime Tropical (warm wet air)
71
Describe the wind direction and speed, temperature, humidity, and potential for precipitation for Cold Front
Direction of wind is up and forward, and winds are fast,
precipitation is more intense but short lived
Humidity is higher
72
Describe the wind direction and speed, temperature, humidity, and potential for precipitation for Warm fronts.
Wind direction is forward and a gradual uplift.
precipitation is much more broad spectrum
73
Explain Stationary Fronts
When a cold air mass meets a warm air mass but they both stall and the boundary between is called the stationary front
Precipitation is lower than that of a warm front
74
Explain Occluding fronts.
When a cold front overtakes a warm front.
75
What is a mid-latitude cyclone, and where do they occur?
They are low pressure systems (tornado, hurricane etc.) They occur between 30N and 70N
76
What happens in Cyclogeneisis?
When upper Trophosphere conditions in the vicinity of the polar jet stream allow for birth of a a cyclone.
77
How do fronts form where air masses meet?
Fronts form where air masses meet due to differences in temperature, humidity, and density between the two air masses.
78
Why does the warm sector winds of a mid-latitude cyclone typically come from the south?
Because either the cT or the mT is from the south.
79
How does the weather change with the passing of a warm front?
The passage of a warm front tends to bring gradual changes to weather conditions, including increasing temperatures and the potential for light precipitation and pressure decreases
80
How does the weather change with the passing of a cold front?
the passage of a cold front results in more abrupt weather changes, including thunderstorms, followed by cooler and drier conditions and pressure increases.
81
What is an Occlusion?
When the cold front overtakes the warm front and the warm sector at the ground is displaced so when the occlusion actual forms warm air is no longer contacting the surface
82
Why do occlusions signal the death of a mid-latitude wave cyclone?
Because the warm air can no longer rise and it weakens the pressure gradient shutting off the storms energy and air lifting mechanism
83
On average, how many mid-latitude cyclones are swirling in the midlatitudes?
5-15
84
What are the characteristics of anticyclonic high pressure systems?
Air is converging into it from above subsiding and diverging at the surface
There are no fronts
May be strong winds at the eastern end of the anticyclone
They move at the same rate as a cyclone, but can remain stagnant
They are characteristic of low temps in the winter
85
What type of weather does an anticyclone bring?
Brings clear stable and dry weather
86
Do Cyclones follow in the wake of anticyclones?
No other way around?
87
Do anticyclones or cyclones move faster?
Cyclones move slightly faster
88
Tropical cyclones in the US are called what?
Hurricanes
89
What are hurricanes called in other parts of the world?
Typhoon, Cyclone, Baguio
90
What are the categories of tropical disturbances?
1. Tropical Depression
2. Tropical Storm
3. Hurricane etc.
91
What winds are typical of a tropical depression?
less than 38mph
92
What winds are typical of a tropical storm?
between 38 and 78 mph
93
What winds are typical of a hurricane?
over 78mph
94
In what parts of the world are hurricanes common?
east of Philippines
west of southern Mexico
gulf of mexico
95
When are hurricanes most common
end of summer- fall
96
What are named storms?
when a storm changes from a tropical depression to a tropical storm
97
How do hurricanes originate?
When there is warm water above the equator (coriolis effect) and easterly winds can provide low level convergence and lifting
98
What are the characteristics and movement patterns of hurricanes?
Low pressure centers, steep pressure gradient, there are no fronts unlike mid latitude cyclones
Movement patterns are generally east to west, (easterlies) but can curve prominently poleward
99
What is an easterly wave?
A weak low pressure system moving East to West that may become a hurricane
100
What are hurricane tracks?
Movements of hurricanes
101
What is the lifespan of hurricanes and how do they die?
Usually about one week with a max of four weeks.
Hurricanes die when they move over land or when they move into the mid-latitudes
102
How do we classify hurricane strength?
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale which is primarily based on wind speeds
103
What causes the most fatalities in a hurricane?
Flooding (drowning)
104
What is a storm surge of a hurricane?
When the low pressure in the center of a storm allows the ocean surface to bulge up and wind driven waves cause the water to rise even more.
105
What happens when a hurricane makes landfall?
Flooding will happen, high winds usually happen and the large hurricane can spawn tornados
106
How might hurricanes change if some predicted versions of climate change occur?
There could be a greater number of hurricanes, and possibly fewer hurricanes but of greater intensity
107
Where are the most thunderstorms in the US?
In central Florida and the gulf coast.
108
What are the hazards to humans that are associated with hurricanes?
Lightning
High winds
tornados
109
Why do so many tornados form in the US?
the combination of geography, atmospheric conditions, weather patterns, and detection capabilities makes the United States particularly prone to tornado formation
110
Where else do tornados form in the world?
Argentina
Europe
Bangladesh
Australia
South Africa
111
How is the strength of a tornado measured?
EF scale EF0-EF5
Enhanced Fujita Scale
112
When is the measurement of a tornados strength done?
By observing the damage after the storm
113
How much of the water on earth is concentrated in the oceans?
97%
114
How much of the worlds freshwater is found in glaciers?
75%
115
What is the hydrologic cycle?
The continuous circulation of water in the atmospheric system
116
How is energy transferred around the earth in the hydrologic cycle?
By processes like evaporation transpiration etc anything that gives off latent heat or takes it in
117
How much of the world is covered by water?
71% mainly in oceans
118
What drives the movement of surface ocean currents?
Wind and the Coriolis Effect
119
What drives the movement of deep ocean current?
They are powered by thermohaline circulation beginning in polar regions
120
What is the Cryosphere?
All of the frozen water on earth.
121
Where is the ice on earth found?
Can be found floating in liquid water, or on land which is more common
122
What is permafrost?
Permanently frozen ground
123
Why would the thawing of the world's permafrost have an impact on global temperature?
Because it destabilizes things that we have built, also we can't find oil as much as we want now.
More it is exposing the amount of microorganisms in the soil, and it would lead to quicker decomposition of organic matter leading to more CO2 in the atmosphere.
124
After glaciers, where is most of the worlds fresh water found?
In the groundwater
125
What is the water table?
The underground boundary between the zone of aeration and zone of saturation.
126
What can excessive pumping from wells produce?
A cone of depression in the zone of stauration.
127
What is the Ogallala Aquifer?
A part of the high plains aquifer which is a very important source of irrigation water.
