Meteorology Flashcards
What is Meteorology?
Study of Weather
What happens to air when you heat it?
It becomes less dense and rises
What happens to air when it is cooled?
It becomes denser and falls
True or False?
Moist air is more buoyant than dry air
True
What happens in the water cycle?
Evaporation
Condensation
Precipitation
Name four types of clouds?
Cirrus
Stratus
Cumulus
Nimbus
True or False?
The darker and thicker looking the clouds the worse the weather is likely to be
True
What are the two types of Weather Systems?
High Pressure and Low Pressure
What are the two units of measurements used?
Millibars (mb) and HectoPascals (hPa)
What is a barometer used to measure?
Air pressure
What kind of weather would you expect to find in the Northern Hemisphere with high air pressure?
Light winds that rotate clockwise Surface wind blows outwards No rain Clear skies Stability Pleasant Weather
What kind of weather would you expect to find in the Northern Hemisphere with low air pressure?
Strong, gusty wind that rotates anti-clockwise Surface wind blows inwards Rain Cloud Instability Unpleasant weather
True or False?
General direction of movement is from East to West
False - general direction of movement is from west to East, not always though
What are the charts that show the weather called?
Synoptic charts
What does it mean if isobars are really close together?
Strong wind
How can you identify cold fronts on the chart?
Blue spikes
How can you identify warm fronts on the chart?
Red semi-circles
What are the three types of barometer?
Original liquid barometer
Aneroid barometer
Electronic barometer
What is a front?
Where warm and cool masses meet
What is a depression?
An area of low pressure
How do you convert wind speed of knots to the Beaufort Wind Scale?
Add 5 then divide by 5
What does imminent gale warning mean?
Within 6 hours from forecast time
What is poor visibility?
1000m - 2M
What are some sources of Weather Forecasts?
Internet Coastguard VHF Public Radio and TV GSM Telephone Met Office Navtex HF and MF Radio Barometer
What is a Dew Point?
The temperature to which air must be cooled for water to turn from water vapour into liquid water
