The Atmosphere

Question 1

Atmosphere

Answer 1

the blanket of gases that surround the Earth

Question 2

Troposphere

Answer 2

layer of the atmosphere closest to Earth surface, where we live

Question 3

Atmospheric Gases

Answer 3

78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Other gases (argon, carbon dioxide and water vapor)

Question 4

Condensation Nuclei

Answer 4

Solids in the atmosphere such as dust and salt that combine with water vapor to create clouds

Question 5

Humidity

Answer 5

amount of hydrogen in the air

constantly changing due to temp, altitude, ground features, etc.

Question 6

Relative Humidity

Answer 6

comparison between how much water vapor is currently in the air and how much it can hold

Question 7

Warm air holds more

Answer 7

humidity

Question 8

High temp-
Max saturation-
At 100% relative humidity, current temperature is

Answer 8

high max saturation
100% relative humidity
equal to dew point

Question 9

Convection currents cause

Answer 9

weather

Question 10

Lifted Condensation Level (LCL)

Answer 10

height where condensation occurs

Question 11

Cirrus Clouds

Answer 11

thin, feathery clouds that form at high altitudes

Question 12

Cumulus

Answer 12

white, puffy clouds usually on fair-weather days

Question 13

Stratus

Answer 13

low-lying layered sheets of clouds often on drizzly days

Question 14

Nimbus

Answer 14

low-altitude, gray rain clouds

Question 15

Coalescence

Answer 15

when clouds droplets collide and join together, eventually getting to heavy and falling (precipitation)

Question 16

Sleet

Answer 16

pellets formed when raindrops fall through freezing air

Question 17

Hail

Answer 17

layered lumps of ice created in cumulonimbus clouds, when droplets in the cloud constantly melt and refreeze

Question 18

Earths temperatures vary due to three things

Answer 18

geographic position, altitude, and surface material

Question 19

Geographic position

Answer 19

the Earth’s surface unevenly heated by the Sun because the Earth is curved and sits on its axis

Question 20

Surface Material

Answer 20

water has a higher specific heat than land

Question 21

Air Pressure

Answer 21

the force exerted on Earth’s surface due to the weight of the air, varies with elevation

Question 22

High-Pressure Systems

Answer 22

sinking air reaches the surface and spreads from the center, spins clockwise, fair weather

Question 23

Low-Pressure Systems

Answer 23

air rising and other air flows towards the center to replace it, counterclockwise, clouds and precipitation

Question 24

Air Mass

Answer 24

large body of air that takes on the characteristics of the land or water under it (the source region)

Question 25

Maritime | Continental

Answer 25

form over water | form over land

Question 26

Tropical | Polar

Answer 26

Warm | Cold

Question 27

Coriolis Effect

Answer 27

the circular motion of air due to the spinning of the Earth, clockwise in Northern Hemi and counterclockwise in the Souther Hemi

Question 28

Jet-Stream

Answer 28

narrow band of fast, high-altitude winds

Question 29

Trade Winds

Answer 29

From the East 0-30 N&S

Question 30

Prevailing Westerlies

Answer 30

From the West 30-60 N&S

Question 31

Polar Easterlies

Answer 31

From the East 60-90 N&S

Question 32

Doldrums and Horse Latitudes

Answer 32

areas between wind systems where there is little to wind

Question 33

Cold Front

Answer 33

where cool, dense air meets warm air, pushing the warm air up steeply

Question 34

Warm Front

Answer 34

where warm air replaces cooler air and gradually rises

Question 35

Stationary Front

Answer 35

small differences between the two air masses, so the front does not move or barley moves

Question 36

Occluded Fronts

Answer 36

when a rapidly-moving cold air mass overtakes a warm front wedging the warm air upward

Question 37

As latitude increases, temperatures

Answer 37

decrease

Question 38

As altitude increases (within the troposphere) temperature

Answer 38

decreases

Question 39

Surface Material

Answer 39

The water remains the same temperature longer than land, harder to change

Question 40

Wind Speed

Answer 40

Anemometer

Question 41

Nanometer

Answer 41

Air pressure

Question 42

Hydrometer

Answer 42

Humidity

Question 43

Temperature

Answer 43

Thermometer

Question 44

Ceilometer

Answer 44

Cloud cover and height

Question 45

Radiosonde

Answer 45

sensor with balloon, measures temp, air pressure, humidity by sent back radio waves

Question 46

Satellites that orbit earth and take pictures of anything irregular

Answer 46

Weather Satellites

Question 47

Infrared Imagery

Answer 47

Differences in heat, cloud cover or surface temperature, thunderstorms, severe weather

Question 48

Doppler Effect | Doppler Radar

Answer 48

the changed in wave frequency that occurs as waves move, | Used to calc speed of raindrops provides good wind speeds.

Question 49

Isotherms

Answer 49

Same temp

Question 50

Isobars

Answer 50

Same pressure

Question 51

Analog and digital forecast

Answer 51

Digital forecast is telling the temp for that day/week/month but the farther away the day is the less accurate so they use analog data to compare it to past temperatures

Question 52

Tornado season and time of day

Answer 52

Spring and late afternoon

Question 53

Why do so many tornados occur at tornado alley?

Answer 53

cP and mT collide

Question 54

Tornado scale

Answer 54

Fujita Tornado Intensity scale F0-F5

Question 55

Hurricane season

Answer 55

summer and early fall because stored heat

Question 56

Hurricane related deaths

Answer 56

storm surge

Question 57

Hurricane Florence originate

Answer 57

Cape verde

Question 58

Most significant damage hurricane Florence

Answer 58

flooding

Question 59

Why did Hurricane Florence cause so much damage

Answer 59

Florence stalled and went slower than normal (2-5 mph)

Question 60

90% of

Answer 60

New Hanover County was out of power