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meteorology Flashcards

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1
Q

What distributes heat around the world and maintains the average temp of different regions?

A

Ocean currents and global winds

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2
Q

Not all areas of the Earth are heated evenly due to?

A

the axial tilt of Earth and its spherical shape

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3
Q

The amount of energy the Earth receives and the amount Earth radiates back into space

A

the same amount

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4
Q

weather

A

short term variations in atmosphere phenomena that interact and affect the environment and life on Earth

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5
Q

climate

A

long term average variations in weather for a particular are

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6
Q

how many years to define a climate

A

30 years

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7
Q

electrometeor

A

thunder and lightning

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8
Q

lithometeor

A

smoke, haze, dust, and suspended particles

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9
Q

Hydrometeor

A

cloud droplets and precipitation

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10
Q

What kind of precipitation occurs in an occluded front

A

strong winds and heavy rain

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11
Q

What happens to air in an occluded front

A

rapidly advancing cold air mass overtakes warm front, forcing warm air up and making cold air collide with other cold front

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12
Q

what kind of precipitation occurs in a stationary front?

A

light rain and wind, small temperature and pressure difference

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13
Q

why can’t stationary fronts move each other

A

neither is strong enough over the other to move out of the way

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14
Q

What happens to air in a stationary front?

A

two air masses meet but neither advances

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15
Q

what kind of precipitation occurs in a warm front?

A

light precipitation for days, can be over 200 miles long, low-level stratus

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16
Q

what happens to air in a warm front

A

warm air displaces cold, produces cirrus clouds, slides up over cold air

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17
Q

what kind of precipitation occurs in a cold front

A

heavy rain, thunder storms, short duration, cumulonimbus clouds form

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18
Q

what happens to air in a cold front

A

fast cold air pushes warm air away, causing it to move up and make clouds, normally follow warm fronts, difficult to predict or foresee

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19
Q

wind

A

the horizontal movement of air from high to low pressure

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20
Q

what would happen if Earth did not rotate

A

surface winds would blow from the poles to the equator

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21
Q

Coriolis effect

A

effect of the Earth’s rotation on fluids moving over the surface

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22
Q

where does the Coriolis effect deflect winds in the northern hemisphere

A

to the right

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23
Q

where does the Coriolis effect deflect winds in the southern hemisphere

A

to the left

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24
Q

where are the poles and what pressure

A

90 degrees north and south, high pressure

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25
where is the polar front and what pressure
60 degrees north and south, low pressure
26
where are the horse latitudes and what pressure
30 degrees north and south, high pressure
27
inter tropical convergence zone
0 degrees, low pressure, equator, drifts north and south with the seasons as it follows the highest temperatures on Earth
28
What creates global wind systems
the Coriolis effect and heat imbalance
29
what are winds named by?
where they come from
30
polar easterlies
60-90 north and south, northeast to southwest in northern hemisphere, southeast to northwest in southern hemisphere
31
prevailing westerlies
30-60 north and south, southwest to northeast in northern hemisphere, northwest to southeast in southern hemisphere
32
trade winds
0-30 north and south, northeast to southwest in northern hemisphere, southeast to northwest in southern hemisphere
33
doldrums
equator, upward air flow no winds)
34
jet streams
10.7-12.2 in altitude, west to east in northern and southern hemisphere, 400km/hour
35
polar jet streams
high altitude, 40-60 north and south, west to east in northern and southern hemisphere, can veer north and south
36
subtropical jet streams
high altitude 20-30 north and south, west to east northern and southern hemisphere, weather follows path of jet stream
37
pressure systems
sinking and rising air combined with Coriolis effect results in rotating high and low pressure systems
38
low pressure system (vacuum)
air spirals in towards low pressure and rises, results in storms, spins counterclockwise low in northern hemisphere, clockwise in southern hemisphere
39
high pressure systems (leafblower)
air flows out of high pressure and sinks, results in clear weather, spin clockwise around high northern hemisphere, counter-clockwise in southern hemisphere
40
what is an air mass
a large volume of air that has the same characteristics (humidity, temperature, pressure) as its source region
41
what is a source region
the areas over which the air mass forms
42
arctic symbol, source region, warmth, and humidity
A, arctic basin/Siberia, bitter cold, dry
43
continental polar symbol, source region, warmth, and humidity
cP, interiors of Canada and Alaska, very cold, dry
44
continental tropical symbol, source region, warmth, and humidity
cT, southwest U.S./Mexico, warm, dry
45
maritime polar symbol, source region, warmth, and humidity
mP, north pacific ocean, humid, cold
46
maritime tropical symbol, source region, warmth, and humidity
mT, north Atlantic/ Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, warm, humid
47
What do all dry airmasses have in common
all form over land
48
what do all humid air masses have in common
they all from over water
49
what is the correlation between how humid and dry airmasses form?
the energy released and forming the air masses affects the content of the air mass. over water, there is more condensation and release of water vapor, and the opposite for land
50
lake-effect snow
as cold continental polar air moves over warm great lakes, air gains thermal energy and moisture. it cools as it rises due to convection and topographic land features, producing snow
51
How does an air mass's characteristics change
when an air mass travels over areas of different characteristics than its source region, they may acquire some of those traits
52
thermometer
thermal expansion causes liquid to rise
53
electronic thermometer
electricity goes into probe, heat and resistance rises
54
mercury barometer
air presses down on mercury in vacuum tube
55
aneroid barometer
air squeezes and the chamber turns the lever
56
why is mercury used in barometer instead of water?
mercury is heavier and would not freeze or evaporate in extreme temperatures
57
anemometer
wind speed
58
wind vane
direction of wind
59
hygrometer (psychrometer)
device used to measure relative humidity
60
automated surface observing system (ASOS)
24-hour observation of weather conditions all over the U.S.
61
what is ASOS info used for
aviation, weather, forecasting, and research
62
Radiosonde
measures upper air temp pressure and humidity, transmits info on radiowaves
63
Rawinsonde
radiosonden + wind speed/direction
64
RADAR
Radio, Detection, and Ranging
65
Doppler effect
the change in pitch that occurs due to lengthening or shortening of sound or light waves
66
what happens when light/sound moves towards you?
pitch goes up
67
what happens when light/sound move away from you?
pitch goes down
68
what is the doppler radar used for
to measure direction of precipitation and wind speeds
69
what is a station model
a record of weather data for a particular site at a particular time
70
how are station models useful for meteorologists
fits large amount of data in small space
71
what is an isopleth
lines that connect points of equal or constant value
72
what do isobars show
lines of equal pressure
73
what do isotherms show
lines of equal temperature
74
what does it mean if isobars are close togeter
a large pressure difference over a small area, strong winds
75
how does the atmosphere behave
like a fluid
76
what is a digital forecast
making prediction about how variables will change overtime by applying physical principles and math to the atmospheric variables
77
analog forecast
based on a comparison of current weather patterns to similar ones from the past
78
what are digital and analog forecasts better for
digital for immediate forecast and analog for longer range

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