Terms

Question 1

Pressure-gradient force

Answer 1

air moves from high to low pressure (Pascal’s Principle)

Question 2

Frictional force

Answer 2

friction/roughness of the Earth’s surface affects air movement

Question 3

Air mass

Answer 3

large body of air with generally uniform temp. and humidity->comes from source region

Question 4

tropical

Answer 4

located within about 25 degrees of the equator-warm

Question 5

arctic

Answer 5

really cold air

Question 6

isobars

Answer 6

lines of equal pressure, lines cannot cross

Question 7

coriolis effect

Answer 7

due to the rotation of the earth, the rotational speed at the equator is high

Question 8

front

Answer 8

boundaries between two air masses

Question 9

maritime

Answer 9

located over oceans, wet air

Question 10

polar

Answer 10

located poleward, cold air

Question 11

continental

Answer 11

located over large land masses, dry air

Question 12

snowbelts

Answer 12

a region of annual or heavy snowfall

Question 13

trade winds

Answer 13

prevailing winds that blow northeast to the equator, and that blow southeast to the equator

Question 14

frontal boundary zone

Answer 14

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;

Question 15

warm front

Answer 15

the boundary between warm and cool (or cold) air when the warm air is replacing the cold air. Warm air at the surface pushes above the cool air mass, making clouds and storms.

Question 16

cold front

Answer 16

a warm-cold air boundary with the colder air replacing the warmer. As a cold front moves into an area, the heavier cool air pushes under the lighter warm air that it is replacing.

Question 17

occluded front

Answer 17

Sometimes a cold front follows right behind a warm front. A warm air mass pushes into a colder air mass (the warm front) and then another cold air mass pushes into the warm air mass (the cold front). Because cold fronts move faster, the cold front is likely to overtake the warm front.

Question 18

stationary front

Answer 18

A stationary front forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving. This happens when two masses of air are pushing against each other but neither is powerful enough to move the other. Winds blowing parallel to the front instead of perpendicular can help it stay in place.

Question 19

lake-effect snow

Answer 19

Cold air streams across the warm lakes. Air warms and becomes more humid.
As the air warms, it becomes less dense and rises.
As air rises, it cools.
Cooler, moist air may form clouds and cause precipitation.
After the air has moved some distance over the lake, convection and turbulent exchange have transported the moisture aloft to form clouds. Snow may fall.
Once over land, moisture in the air condenses into snow. Snow created in this way is called lake effect snow.

Question 20

hurricane

Answer 20

a rotating low pressure center

Question 21

fluid

Answer 21

a substance that has no fixed shape