Weather and Climate Final Exam Review

Cold Front

Cold air mass runs into a less dense warmer air mass. Causes cloud formation and potentially violent weather including thunder storms.

Warm Front

A warm air mass runs into a colder air mass. Weather is likely to be warmer and humid with showers and light rain fall. In winter warm fronts can bring snow.

Stationary Front

Cold and warm air masses meet but neither has enough force to move the other. If the front stalls it can bring many days of clouds and precipitation.

Occluded Front

The most complex situation, where a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses.

Storms

A violent disturbance in the atmosphere. Involves sudden changes in air pressure which causes rapid air movements.

Thunderstorms

Heavy rain storms that contain thunder and lightning. Form within cumulonimbus clouds, also called "thunderheads" Tropical storm- storm with winds from 39-73 mph.

Lightning

A sudden discharge of energy charge between the cloud and the ground. Thunder is the SOUND of the explosion. Because sound travels slower than light you see the lightining before you hear it. Avoid touching medal objects during a thunderstorm and stay out of water.

Hurricane Damage

The low pressure of a hurricane and high winds lift the water up to 6 meters above normal sea level. This wall of water sweeps across the coast where the hurricane lands. Responsible for MOST of a hurricanes damage.

Air Mass

a huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure.

Tropical Air Mass

warm, air mass that forms in the tropics and have low air pressure; the air is hotter so it is less dense.

Polar Air Mass

Form from north of 50 degrees north latitude and south of 50 degrees south latitude. These air masses are cold and dense so they have high pressure.

Maritime Air Mass

air masses that forms over oceans; and therefore have higher amounts of water vapor. These air masses are more humid.

Continental Air Mass

forms over land in the middle of continents and are dry.

Front

the area where air masses meet but do not mix; storms/all precipitation/all weather happens here.

Cold Front

Cold air mass runs into a less dense warmer air mass. Causes cloud formation and potentially violent weather including thunder storms.

Warm front

A warm air mass runs into a colder air mass. Weather is likely to be warmer and humid with showers and light rain fall. In winter warm fronts can bring snow.

Stationary Front

Cold and warm air masses meet but neither has enough force to move the other. If the front stalls it can bring many days of clouds and precipitation.

Occluded Front

The most complex situation, where a warm air mass is caught between two cooler air masses.

Storms

A violent disturbance in the atmosphere. Involves sudden changes in air pressure which causes rapid air movements.

Thunderstorms

Heavy rain storms that contain thunder and lightning. Form within cumulonimbus clouds, also called "thunderheads"

Lightning

A sudden discharge of energy charge between the cloud and the ground. Thunder is the SOUND of the explosion. Because sound travels slower than light you see the lightining before you hear it. Avoid touching medal objects during a thunderstorm and stay out of water.

Tornado

A rapidly whirling funnel shaped cloud that reaches down to touch the earths surface. If occurs over lake or ocean it is called a water spout. Develop in low cumulonimbus clouds. Safest place is basement. Form in spring and early summer

Hurricanes

Hurricane season is from June to November. Begins over warm water as a low pressure area. It gets energy from the sun. The center of the hurricane is called the eye Categories are numbered 1-5 and are determined by wind speed.

Tropical Storm

Storm with winds from 39-73 mph.

Hurricane damage

The low pressure of a hurricane and high winds lift the water up to 6 meters above normal sea level. This wall of water sweeps across the coast where the hurricane lands. Responsible for MOST of a hurricanes damage.

Tropical Depression

thunderstorms with winds 23-39 mph.

Meteorologist

scientist who study the causes of weather and try and predict it

Isobar

are lines joining places on the map that have the same air pressure

El Nino

warm-water event that occurs in the tropical Pacific Ocean

Isotherm

lines joining places that have the same temperature

Electromagnetic Waves

a form of energy that can travel through space

Radiation

the direct transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves

Infrared Radiation

a form of energy with wavelengths that are longer than red light.

Ultraviolet Radiation

a form of energy with wavelengths that are shorter than visible light

Scattering

reflection of light in all directions

Greenhouse Effect

the process by which gases hold heat in the air

Temperature

the average amount of energy of motion of each particle of a substance. (how hot or cold a substance is)

Thermal Energy

the total energy of motion in the particles of a substance

Thermometer

a thin glass tube with a bulb on one end that contains liquid, usually mercury or colored alcohol

Conduction

the direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching

Convection

the transfer of heat by the movement of a fluid

Convection Currents

the upward movement of warm air and the downward movement odf cold air throughout the troposphere

Wind

horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

Anemometer

measures wind speed

Wind Chill Factor

increased cooling wind; the stronger the wind the colder you feel

Local Winds

winds that blow over short distance

Fluids

liquids and gases

Heat

the energy transferred from a hotter object to a cooler one

Sea Breeze

a local wind that blows over a lake or ocean

Land Breeze

the flow of air from a land to a body of water

Global Winds

winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances

Coriolis Effect

the way the Earth's rotation makes the winds curve

Latitude

the distance from the equator measured in degrees

Jet Streams

10 kilometers above the Earth's surface are bands of high speed winds

Water Cycle

movement of water between the atmosphere and the Earth's surface

Evaporation

process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor

Humidity

measure of the amount of water vapor in the air

Relative Humidity

percentage of water vapor that is actually in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at a particular temperature

Psychrometer

instrument used to measure relative humidity

Condensation

process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water

Dew Point

the temperature at which condensation begins

Cirrus

wispy, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form at high levels

Cumulus

fluffy, white clouds, usually with flat bottoms, that look rounded piles of cotton

Stratus

clouds that form in flat layers and ofter cover much of the sky

Thermometer

A psychrometer is made up of two of these, a wet-bulb and a dry-bulb.

Cloud

What forms when water vapor in the air condenses to form liquid water or ice crystals?

Condensation

Both cooling of the air AND the presence of particles in the air are required for what to occur?

Frost

ice that has been depositied on a surface that is below freezing

Dew

liquid water that condenses from the air onto a cooler surface

Cirrus

comes from a word that meaning a curl of hair

Cumulus

means "heap" or "mass" in Latin

Stratus

means "spread out"

Fog

clouds that form at or near the ground

Nimbus

suffix that means "rain"

Alto

prefix that means "high"

Precipitation

any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface

Drought

long periods of unusually low precipitation

Cloud Seeding

sprinkling of chemicals into clouds to try to produce rain

Rain Guage

an open-ended can or tube that measures the depth of rain that falls

Rain

drops of water at least 0.5 millimeter in diameter

Sleet

ice particles smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter

Freezing Rain

raindrops that freeze when they touch a cold surface

Snowflakes

when water vapor in a cloud is converted directly into ice ctystals

Hailstones

round pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters in diameter

Climate

the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time. pg. 108

Microclimate

climate in a specific area that varies from the surrounding climate region. pg. 108

Latitude

an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator. pg. 109

Tropical Zone

warm climate zone that receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year round. pg. 109

Polar Zone

the region between 66.5 to 90 degrees north and south latitudes and the poles; the sun's rays strike at a very small angle in the polar zone. pg. 109

Temperate Zones

the areas between the tropical and polar zones. pg. 109

Altitude

elevation above sea level pg. 110

Marine Climates

the climate of some coastal regions, with relatively warm winters and cool summers pg. 110

Continental Climates

the climate of the centers of continents, with cold winters and warm or hot summers pg. 110

Ocean Currents

streams of water withing the ocean water that flow in a regular pattern. pg. 111

Prevailing Winds

air mass moved from place to place. pg. 112

Mountain Ranges

in the path of prevailing winds can influence where precipitation falls. pg. 112

Windward

facing toward the direction from which the wind is blowing. pg. 112

Leeward

on the side away from the wind. pg. 112

Seasonal Winds

winds that change depending on season. pg. 113

Monsoons

seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons. pg. 113