Meteorology Flashcards
What the air is like outside at any given time and place?
weather
What is the layer of air that surrounds Earth called?
atmosphere
The atmosphere is about ____ miles thick.
70
Most air in our atmosphere is ______________.
Nitrogen
Why do gases in the atmosphere not float out into space?
Gravity
What is the weight of air as it presses on objects below or within it?
air pressure
T or F: Air pressure is less as you travel upward and away from the surface of Earth.
True
T or F: Gravity is a pushing force.
False
Is the air pressure on a clear and sunny day probably high pressure or low pressure?
High pressure
What happens to air when it warms?
It spreads out. (Expands)
What is water in gas form?
water vapor
What is water that falls from the sky in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail?
precipitation
What type of precipitation happens when temperatures are above freezing?
rain
What word describes when water changes from liquid to gas?
evaporation
What word describes how much water vapor is in the air?
humidity
Where does most of the water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere come from?
Evaporation from oceans.
What is the process where water is turning from gas to liquid in the form of a cloud?
condensation
What happens to warm air masses in the atmosphere?
They rise
What is a large body of air in the atmosphere?
air mass
What is created when high-pressure air mass comes in contact with low-pressure air mass?
wind
What makes a hot-air balloon rise?
The air is heated.
Which word means over water?
maritime
What word means over land?
continental
T or F: Temperature affects wind speed.
True
What are regular patterns of winds that blow from one direction called?
prevailing winds
What do scientists measure with wind vanes and wind socks?
wind direction
What is a scientist who studies weather patterns?
meteorologist
In science, what is information that is observed, measured, and recorded?
data
What do meteorologists use data for?
To predict weather in the near future.
What do the cups that spin on an anemometer measure?
wind speed
What does a hygrometer measure?
humidity
What does this thermometer measure?
temperature
What does a wind vane measure?
wind direction
What does a barometer measure?
air pressure
What does a rain gauge measure?
rainfall
What is the place where two air masses meet called?
front
What is the weather patterns in a place over a long period of time?
climate
What causes seasons?
The Earth’s axial tilt.
What is the climate of the Amazon Rainforest?
hot, wet, humid, and tropical climate.
What is the climate of the Sahara Desert?
hot, dry, and arid
What is the climate of the tundra?
freezing and polar climate
These now extinct relatives of elephants lived in North America, Europe, and Asia in the ice age. Choose 2.
woolly mammoths and mastodons
A dangerous condition that can cause damage is a _____________.
hazard
A storm accompanied by thunder, lightning, wind and heavy rain is called a ________.
thunderstorm
T or F: Lightning can travel from clouds to the ground AND from the ground to the clouds.
True
What is a flood that happens with little warning?
Flash Floods
This natural disaster is a rotating column of air that extends from a cloud and moves along the ground.
Tornado
T or F: Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes mostly happen in colder months.
False
This storm forms over the ocean and gets stronger as it moves towards land.
Hurricane
What is a winter storm that is very windy with a lot of snow?
Blizzard
This kind of storm happens when precipitation freezes on roads, trees, and other surfaces.
ice storm
A long period of weather with less precipitation than normal is called a ____________.
drought
Walls that engineers design to block water are called what?
levees and seawalls
What is the limitation of a design?
constraint
What are the requirements of a design for it to be a success?
criteria
What are on buildings to protect them from a lightning strike?
lightning rods
What do engineers build to stop the wind from blowing snow on the roads?
snow fences
What word means to examine something and decide its value?
evaluate
What weather related invention was Ben Franklin responsible for?
lightning rod
