Science Chapter 12

What causes the earth's winds to curve to the right in the N. Hemisphere?

coriolis effect

What causes the Coriolis Effect?

Earth's rotation

How many wind circulation cells does Earth have?

3

spins counterclockwise in Northern hemisphere. Known as a cyclone

low pressure system

associated with cloud formation and storms. Known as anti-cyclone

low pressure system

air is pulled from upper atmosphere towards the ground

high pressure system

air is "sucked up" from ground to upper atmosphere

low pressure system

associated with clear skies and nice weather

high pressure system

spins clockwise in Northern Hemisphere

high pressure system

0 - 30 N/S of equator, blow from NE to SW

trade winds

60N/S to the poles, NE to SW wind

polar easterlies

high altitude, high speed winds that border wind zones found in upper troposphere

jet streams

cold, dense air replaces warm air

cold front

border of two air masses that have not mixed

front

warm air replaces cold air

warm front

low pressure, fasting moving storms

cold front

slow moving, rain for a few days, long flat clouds

warm front

cold air crashes into warm air, lifting it off of ground

occluded front

two air masses meet and stall out

stationary front

can determine direction and distance of precipitation

radar

can determine direction, speed and distance of precipitation

Doppler radar

tool used to measure temperature

thermometer

tool used to measure air pressure

barometer

tool used to measure relative humidity

hygrometer

Used to gather upper atmosphere weather data (weather balloon)

radiosonde

Radio detection and ranging

radar

satellites and water vapor imagery help track

clouds and precip.

used to map cloud cover and surface temperature

infrared imagery

a shorhand record of weather conditions at a particular place

station model

On a station model, the flag shows

wind direction and speed

on a station model, a barometic pressure reading of 012 means

1001.2

isotherm connect areas of equal

temperature

isobars connect areas of equal

pressure

If isobars are close together, this means big pressure differences causing winds

TRUE

which forecast is more reliable

short term

forecast that uses numerical data

digital

forecast that compares current weather to historical data

analog

The study of atmospheric phenomena

meteorology

The current state of the atmosphere

weather

Climate data is collected over

30 years

Which area of the earth receives the most direct sunlight

equator

air masses take on a region's

temp, pressure,and humidity

MP

maritime polar

MT

maritime tropical, wet and warm

CP

Continental Polar - dry, cold air

CT

Continental Tropical - dry, warm air

What happens to air masses that move to a region different than the source region

they take on the region's characteristics

Which of the following areas experiences veritcal air movement

intertropical convergence zone

Prevailing westerlies affect the weather in which area?

North America

source region

area over which an air mass forms. Air mass will take on these characteristics initially

prevailing westerlies

winds that blow west to east between 30 and 60 degrees in the northern and southern hemispheres

weather satellites

can detect clouds and energy but not precipitation