Weather (Meteorology #2) Study Guide Flashcards
What are scientists who study weather called?
meteorologists
What is the measure of water vapor in the air?
humidity
Which air is the “bully” air?
Cold air
Why is cold air the “bully” air?
It is more dense than warm air.
Cold air is more dense so it usually ___.
sinks
Warm air is less dense so it usually ___.
rises
What is a huge body of air with similar temperature, humidity, and pressure?
air mass
How do scientists classify air masses?
Temperature and humidity
What is the term for a humid (wet) air mass?
Maritime
What is the term for a dry air mass?
Continental
What is the term for a warm air mass?
PTropical
What is the term for a cold air mass?
Polar
Which type of air mass forms over water?
Maritime
Which type of air mass forms over land?
Continental
How is the temperature of an air mass determined?
It takes the temperature of the region it forms over.
What is formed when two air masses meet and do not mix?
A front.
What are the four types of fronts?
Cold, warm, stationary, and occluded.
Which type of front is formed when a rapidly moving cold air mass runs into a slow moving warm air mass?
Cold front
Which type of front is formed when a moving warm air mass collides with a slowly moving cold air mass?
Warm front
Which type of front is formed when warm and cold air meet but neither one has enough force to move the other?
Stationary front
Which type of front is formed when a warm air mass is caught (cut off) between two cold air masses?
Occluded front
Which type of front brings clouds, storms, and steady rain?
Warm front
Which type of front brings severe thunderstorms?
Cold front
Which type of front causes abrupt changes in weather?
Cold front
Which type of front usually causes several days of precipitation?
Stationary front
What is a swirling counter clockwise center of low air pressure?
Cyclone
What is a swirling clockwise center of high air pressure?
Anticyclone
What are the lines that join places on a map that have the same air pressure?
Isobars
What are lines joining places on a map that have the same temperature?
Isotherms (remember, “therm” means heat)
What is caused by sudden changes in the air pressure in our atmosphere?
Storms
What happens to air pressure right before a storm?
It drops (decreases quickly)
Which type of cloud forms thunderstorms?
Cumulonimbus
How is thunder formed?
It is the explosion heard when rapidly heated air suddenly expands
What is a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down from a storm cloud to touch the Earth’s surface?
A tornado
Which type of cloud develops tornadoes?
Cumulonimbus
What is a tropical storm that has winds of 320 kilometers per hour (200 mph) or higher?
Hurricane
How are hurricanes formed?
Begins over warm water as a low pressure area
Where does a hurricane get its energy?
From warm, humid (wet) air
What two things can cause a hurricane to lose its energy?
Moving overland or moving over cold water
What is the calm part of the hurricane that’s located in the center?
The eye
What is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place?
Weather
What are the average weather conditions in a particular area over a long period of time?
Climate
What two main factors determine a region’s climate?
Temperature and precipitation
What factors affect a region’s temperature?
Latitude, altitude, distance from water, & ocean currents
The closer to the equator, the ___ a climate will be.
Warmer
The higher the altitude, the ___ a climate will be.
Cooler
How does a region’s proximity (how close it is) to water affect its climate?
Because water holds its temperature - a region closer to water will have a milder climate than regions inland
Why is our Earth heated unequally?
Because the Earth is tilted
Which part of our earth receives the most direct sunlight?
The equator; tropical zone
Which part of our Earth receives the least amount of direct sunlight?
The poles; polar zones
Which climate zone do we live in?
The temperate zone
