Quiz 20.A

Question 0

Where do air masses take on humidity and temperature?

Answer 0

Air masses take on humidity and temperature at areas called source regions.

Question 1

What is the definition of an air mass.

Answer 1

An air mass is a huge body of air in the troposphere with similar temperature and humidity throughout.

Question 2

What is the definition of a source region?

Answer 2

A source region is an area that may be land or ocean, but they are not normally windy places.

Question 3

What are the different humidities of an air mass?

Answer 3

Continental and maritime.

Question 4

What are the different temperatures of an air mass?

Answer 4

Arctic, polar, and tropical.

Question 5

What are the 5 different source region categories of an air mass? Identify them.

Answer 5

Continental arctic, Continental polar, Continental,
cA dry and cold cP dry and cool tropical cT
dry and warm
Maritime polar, Maritime tropical
mP wet and cool mT wet and warm.

Question 6

What is the definition of warm and cold air mass?

Answer 6

A warm air mass is warmer than the ground and cold air masses are cooler.

Question 7

What is the definition of a front?

Answer 7

A front is when two different air masses meet, and they don’t easily mix unless they have similar temperature and humidity; instead, they form a boundary.

Question 8

What is the definition of a stationary front?

Answer 8

A stationary front is when colliding air masses stop moving, or move parallel to the front between them, the front itself doesn’t move over the ground.

Question 9

What is the definition of an occluded front.

Answer 9

An occluded front is when sometimes a cool air mass and a cold air mass trap a warm air mass between them; when that happens, the warm air mass rises over the other air masses and loses all contact with the ground.

Question 10

What is the definition of a warm front?

Answer 10

A warm front is when a warm air mass overtakes a cold air mass, then the front becomes warm.

Question 11

What is the definition of a cold front?

Answer 11

A cold front is when a cold air mass replaces a warm air mass.

Question 12

Indications for a warm front is what?

Answer 12

1. Cool temperatures suddenly rise.
2. Pressure slowly decreases and then remains steady.
3. Winds often shift from the southeasterly to the southwesterly direction in North America.
4. Dew point slowly rise and then is steady.

Question 13

Indications of a cold front is what?

Answer 13

1. Warm temperatures suddenly drop.
2. Pressure rises quickly and then more slowly.
3. Winds begin southwest to southeast in North America, but quickly swing to the northwest as the front passes, often with gusts.
4. Dew point suddenly falls and then drops slowly.

Question 14

What are the four ways air is lifted?

Answer 14

Convection, mountains, fronts, and colliding winds.

Question 15

How does convection lift air?

Answer 15

Convection flows circularly and pushes air up from under it.

Question 16

How do mountains lift air?

Answer 16

Mountains use orographic lifting to lift up air.

Question 17

What is the definition of orographic lifting?

Answer 17

Orographic lifting is when warm, moist air crosses over a mountain, the mountain forces the air to rise and cool, and at the dew point, clouds form and precipitation begins before the air mass reaches the peak and spills over the other side.

Question 18

What are the two different sides of a mountain?

Answer 18

Windward side and lee side.

Question 19

How does a front lift air?

Answer 19

It happens when colder air, acting like a wedge, forces the warmer to rise and cool; this effect is called frontal wedging.

Question 20

How do colliding wide lift air?

Answer 20

Colliding winds lifts air when horizontal wind currents collide and is closely related to convection; this process is called convergence.