Weather and Climate Review

Question 1

Four types of air masses

Answer 1

Maritime tropical, maritime, polar, continental tropical, and continental polar

Question 2

Maritime tropical characteristics

Answer 2

Wet, warm

Question 3

Maritime polar characteristics

Answer 3

wet, cold

Question 4

Continental tropical characteristics

Answer 4

dry, warm

Question 5

Continental polar characteristics

Answer 5

dry, cold

Question 6

4 types of fronts

Answer 6

warm front, cold front, occluded front, stationary front

Question 7

Warm Front

Answer 7

drizzly rain, warm air stronger than cold and pushes it out (slow)

Question 8

Cold Front

Answer 8

Heavy precipitation, cold air is stronger than warm and pushes it out (fast)

Question 9

stationary front

Answer 9

Days of drizzly rain/ snow, warm and cold meet, and neither has the strength to push the other (both eventually die out or one overtakes the other)

Question 10

occluded front

Answer 10

Large amount of rain/ snow, two cold air sandwiches warm air and pushes it up

Question 11

How do you tell which way a front is moving?

Answer 11

The direction the symbols are pointing (warm fronts move in the direction the circle is facing)

Question 12

How does the sun’s energy affect ocean convection currents?

Answer 12

Sun heats the earth unevenly -> drives convection (differences in density of air and water) currents

Question 13

Specific Heat

Answer 13

amount of energy needed to heat something by 1ºc

Question 14

Specific heat of water (what does that mean)

Answer 14

Water has a high specific heat capacity, so it takes more energy to heat it by 1ºc than air.

Question 15

How does the specific heat of water affect coastline climates?

Answer 15

It causes the climate around coastlines to remain more constant throughout the year.

Question 16

Gyres (what are they and what do they do)

Answer 16

Looped systems of surface currents that move in the same direction. They cycle water, which redistributes heat and salinity.

Question 17

How many gyres are in the world, and in what direction do they move in each hemisphere?

Answer 17

5 in the world, clockwise in the northern and counter-clockwise in the southern hemispheres

Question 18

High-pressure systems

Answer 18

High pressure center, cool air slowly sinks and spins clockwise towards areas of low pressure.

Question 19

Low-pressure systems

Answer 19

Low-pressure center, warm air moves counter-clockwise inwards and up

Question 20

Coriolis effect (how does it affect our earth)

Answer 20

The movement of an object to the right or left due to rotation. Effects the curving of winds and ocean currents. (circular pattern)

Question 21

Three things that impact wind

Answer 21

pressure differences(unequal heating), coriolis effect(wind is curved), and convection

Question 22

Three things that impact surface currents

Answer 22

continental deflections, Coriolis effect (deflected right in the north and left in the south), global winds

Question 23

Two things impact deep currents

Answer 23

differences in density (salinity and water temp)

Question 24

What is salinity affected by?

Answer 24

freezing and evaporation

Question 25

El Nino

Answer 25

Weather phenomenon in the Pacific that is caused by weak trade winds. Centers over Asia

Question 26

How does low pressure cause rain?

Answer 26

Warm air rises and condenses with particles in the air to form clouds.

Question 27

What does it mean when there is more ultraviolet radiation?

Answer 27

The ozone layer is thinning

Question 28

Convection Currents

Answer 28

Movement of air due to differences in density

Question 29

Formation of Wind

Answer 29

sun -> uneven heating -> convection currents -> differences in pressure (high to low) -> wind

Question 30

What causes uneven heating?

Answer 30

Earth’s rotation and tilt

Question 31

What is needed to form a tropical cyclone?

Answer 31

pre-existing storm, warm low-pressure air, and warm water (82ºF)

Question 32

Three types of global winds (which one impacts us most)

Answer 32

Trade winds, westerlies (impact us), easterlies

Question 33

Sea breeze

Answer 33

Day, the sun heats land faster (low pressure) than water (high pressure). Wind moves from high to low, so the breeze blows from the water to land.

Question 34

Land breeze

Answer 34

Night, the sun cools land faster. High pressure over land moves towards low pressure over water.

Question 35

What do ocean currents do?

Answer 35

They redistribute nutrients, heat, and energy. Also, keep ocean systems and the earth’s temperatures balanced.

Question 36

Convection

Answer 36

Transfer of heat and energy through air or water (driven by the Sun due to unequal heating of Earth)

Question 37

Radiation

Answer 37

Transfer of thermal energy through EM waves