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East Midterm 2 > Weather > Flashcards

Weather Flashcards

1
Q

Weather

A

Gives the conditions of the atmosphere at a certain time and place on the planet.

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2
Q

Factors reported with weather

A

temperature, pressure, humidity, wind direction and speed, and the presence and types of clouds

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3
Q

Climate

A

the average weather that occurs at a location over a period of time

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4
Q

Pressure-gradient flow

A

Air flows from zones of higher pressure to lower to fill areas where air rose due to buoyancy. As air is heated in the equator it expands and decreases in density, making it rise.

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5
Q

Wind is controlled by

A

pressure gradients

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6
Q

Isobars

A

lines of constant pressure

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7
Q

Wind theoretically flows ____ to isobars

A

perpendicular

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8
Q

If isobars are far apart, there is a ____ pressure gradient and a ____ wind speed

A

low low

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9
Q

If isobars are close together, there is a ____ pressure gradient and a ____ wind speed

A

steep, higher

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10
Q

Geostrophic flow

A

when flow becomes parallel to isobars, the pressure is exactly balanced by the Coriolis effect and pressure gradient

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11
Q

On earth, the flow turns into ___ due to the effect of the Coriolis effect

A

loops

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12
Q

Flow is broken down into cells due to

A

Coriolis effect, global air circulation, and pressure-gradient flow

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13
Q

Hadley cells

A

driven by pressure gradient flow, they are located at the equator

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14
Q

Ferrel cells

A

poorly defined with circulation driven by the movement of adjacent cells

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15
Q

Polar cells

A

driven by pressure gradient flow, they re located near the poles

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16
Q

Air circulation cells (3)

A

Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar

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17
Q

The intersection of polar and Ferrel cells

A

rising air that is warm and moist

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18
Q

the intersection of Ferrel and Hadley cells

A

descending air that is cool and dry

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19
Q

the intersection of two Hadley cells

A

rising air that is warm and moist

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20
Q

The intersection of polar cells

A

descending air that is cold and dry

21
Q

At high altitudes wind is

A

geostrophic

22
Q

Near the surface of the earth, flow is not geostrophic because

A

friction reduces the Coriolis effect on pressure gradient flow

23
Q

In the northern hemisphere, wind is deflected ___ relative to isobars

A

counterclockwise

24
Q

Ekman spiral - high-pressure spiral moves ___ in the northern hemisphere

A

CW outward spiraling winds (CW and downward)

25
Q

Ekman spiral - low-pressure spiral ___ in the northern hemisphere

A

CCW inward spirling wind (CCW and up)

26
Q

Ekman spirals are caused by

A

modification of pressure-gradient flow by the Coriolis force

27
Q

Intertropical convergence zone

A

is a zone of low pressure near the equator

28
Q

between the Hadley and Ferrel cells are subtropical ___ pressure zones caused by ____

A

high pressure caused by descending air

29
Q

Between Ferrel and Polar cells are subpolar ___ pressure zones caused by ____

A

low pressure caused by rising air converging tropical and polar air masses meeting at the polar front

30
Q

Easterly winds

A

coming from the east, dominate the equatorial zone

31
Q

Westerlies winds

A

dominate the subtropical high-pressure zones

32
Q

Trade winds

A

wind patterns (westerlies and easterlies) that were critical for exploration by ships

33
Q

Jet stream

A

The strong geostrophic flow resulting from the steep pressure gradient from mid-latitude changes in the altitude of the troposphere.

34
Q

The jet stream is located above the

A

polar front

35
Q

The jet stream can reach speeds up to:

A

460 km/hr

36
Q

Rossby waves are caused by

A

Large undulations in the position of the polar front (where polar cells and Ferrel cells meet).

37
Q

Rossby waves affect the ___ and ___ of the jet stream

A

position, velocity

38
Q

Rossby waves can cause cold air to move towards the __ and warm air to move towards the ___

A

equator, poles

39
Q

Weather is controlled by

A

air masses

40
Q

air masses

A

large volumes of air that have internally consistent properties, including pressure, humidity, and temperature

41
Q

Air masses are characterized by the following factors

A
  1. do they form over a continent (c)?
  2. do they form over maritime regions (m)?
  3. do they form in the tropics (T)?
  4. do they form in polar regions (P)?
42
Q

Sea breeze results from

A

local pressure gradient winds - during the day the land heats faster causing air to rise over land and create a region of low pressure and the sea breeze blows toward the land

43
Q

Land breeze results from

A

local pressure gradient winds - at night land cools faster than sea which creates a zone of low pressure and the land breeze blows towards the sea

44
Q

Chinooks result from

A

regional atmospheric flow forces air over the mountains. Descending air warms adiabatically as it is compressed

45
Q

Thunderstorms

A

form in warm moist air masses, during daytime heating, especially along cold fronts where mT (maritime-tropical) contacts cP (continent-Polar) air resulting in density lifting.

46
Q

Lightning is caused by

A

strong air currents cause the ionization of air molecules, such that the top of the cloud becomes positively charged and the base becomes negatively charged. Electrical discharges result in lightning.

47
Q

Tornadoes are caused by

A

initiated in spiral uplifts and have tightly rotating centers that rotate in the direction of the larger air mass.

48
Q

Tropical cyclones form by:

A
  1. warm moist air over the sea
  2. condensation to supply latent heat for continued density lifting
  3. Coriolis effect to drive rotation

East Midterm 2 (11 decks)

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